2025 was a year. Whether you look back on it wondering where the time went, or how you made it through, there were notable events, milestones and passings in Chicago's art community and beyond. CGN covered much of what happened locally and also explored art further afield. It was a year of transition. We even lost some dear friends, whose impact will last for years to come. 

CGN interviewed artists, collectors and gallery figures, and we shared hundreds of exhibitions, openings and events all year long. All of this makes up 12 months to remember, while we prepare to meet a new year of art and culture. Following are some of our top interviews and articles from a full year.

Thank you to our readers, partners and supporters who help us continue to grow and share CGN each year. In 2026 we celebrate 44 years of promoting the visual arts.

To purchase a copy or subscribe to the 2026 edition of the CGN Arts Guide, click here. 

Happy new year, and see you in the galleries! 

– Ginny Van Alyea, CGN Publisher

Carl Hammer Gallery Announces Closing after 45 Years

Connecting Change Through the Decades: Rhona Hoffman

Amanda Williams: Her Kind of Blue

Landscape survey: What's on in Chicago's Outer Spaces: Miniotics at Weatherproof

Ari Emanuel's New Company Buys Frieze, Owner of EXPO CHICAGO

Designs on Collecting: Architect Dirk Denison

Jonathan Worcester: Painting with Creative Precision

EXPO Founder Tony Karman to Step Down As Director

Intuit Art Museum Reopens to Welcome the Public Inside

Jacqueline Surdell: An Artist’s Voice Helps Scale Her Art

Dedicated to Collecting: Melissa Weber and Jay Dandy

Art, Ambition, and the Weight of Stars: Dining at Esmé in Chicago

French Encounters: A Family Trip Through Art and History

Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Clinee Hedspeth Resigns

Artist Tony Fitzpatrick Has Died at 66

Read all of CGN's news here

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