As I was bumming around downtown Chicago the other day, I decided to stop by an exhibit, “Love Flows Both Ways.” It’s an urban art exhibit I heard about after I stumbled upon the Maxwell Colette Gallery blog, which is a very cool source of urban and street art.

What I also stumbled upon is Pop-Up Art Loop, a project that transforms empty storefronts in the loop into art galleries. You’ll find art, sculptures and photography at random locations throughout the loop this fall – all free to see. Unfortunately, the galleries are only open until 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., which is not especially convenient for most of the folks that work a nine-to-five in the loop. But they’re also open during these hours on Saturday, so consider taking a stroll downtown and discovering some new artists!

In addition, the Art Loop Open competition is currently featuring its top ten artists, and you can vote on your favorite now until October 29 at http://www.artloopopen.com/.