DePaul Faculty, Artists Put Pressure On University To Save Art Museum

DePaul professors, students and community members are calling on the university to save its art museum after administrators abruptly announced their decision to close the Lincoln Park institution last month.

In an open letter penned by philosophy professor Sean Kirkland and fellow faculty, thousands of DePaul community members, artists, curators and more signed on to oppose the museum’s closure. Since its publication Feb. 28, the letter has received nearly 3,800 signatures.

Via Block Club Chicago

Alyssa Quinlan

Alyssa Quinlan, Former CEO of Freeman's Auctions Moves to Northern Trust

Northern Trust announced: "We’re pleased to announce that Alyssa Quinlan has joined Northern Trust Wealth Management as Head of Advisor Relationships & Strategic Partnerships. In this role, Alyssa will lead our strategy for engaging with professional advisors, strengthening collaboration with key law, accounting and advisory firms across our global platform.

Bringing 25 years of experience across wealth management, private banking and fine art, Alyssa will also partner with The Northern Trust Institute to help establish an art advisory practice, expanding our ability to advise clients on tangible personal property. We’re excited to welcome Alyssa and look forward to the impact she’ll have as we continue to deepen our advisor ecosystem."

Esme food images – L-R, clockwise: Watermelon, Clay, Dover Sole

Esmé Announces Latest Artist Collaboration

Esmé, the renowned, MICHELIN-starred, mission-driven restaurant from husband-wife team Chef Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo has partnered with the acclaimed Southern-born, self-taught painter, sculptor and entrepreneur, Ashley Longshore, for their newest menu and multi-sensory dining experience.

The menu features favorite dishes offered throughout the last five years at Esmé – such as Mother of Pearls, with Japanese white sweet potato and kombu ice cream served within a custom Mother of Pearl bowl, crafted by Chicago’s DTK Ceramics; and Clay, featuring squab with foie sausage, morels, fermented barley jus, huckleberry puree, salsify, and ramps, presented in clay which is cracked tableside – reimagined through the vibrancy of Longshore’s artistic sensibility and singular point of view.

The tasting menu is showcased alongside Longshore’s distinctive works of bold and colorful pop art, which line the walls of Esmé’s dining room and transform the restaurant into an immersive, pop-up gallery space. Launching timed to Women’s History Month, portraits on display feature luminaries across a wide range of fields – such as Malala Yousafzai, Oprah Winfrey, Greta Thunberg, and Chicago’s own former First Lady of the U.S., Michelle Obama.

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.; photo courtesy of the National Public Housing Museum

National Public Housing Museum Announces Next Artist in Exhibition Series

The National Public Housing Museum announced it has commissioned celebrated “citizen printer” Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. as the next artist in its Housing for All, Art for All, Posters for the People series, an ongoing initiative that bridges the legacy of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) posters to urgent conversations about housing today. Kennedy will create three new works advocating for housing as a human right. 

More than a dozen of Kennedy’s letterpress posters will be displayed in the Museum’s Living Room space, with additional copies available free to Museum visitors, reflecting Kennedy’s commitment to making print work that is accessible, shareable, and grounded in community.

“Amos’s prints are an expression of collective joy, and uncompromising and unapologetic messages about justice, equity, and the power of people to collectively create a better world for all of us,” said Lisa Yun Lee, Chief Curator and Executive Director of the National Public Housing Museum. “His ethos is rooted in movement building, and the still-radical idea that art should be accessible to all. His works are an exuberant addition to the museum’s commitment to artists and extension of the ongoing Housing for All, Art for All, Posters for the People exhibition.”

Old Town Art Fair Returning for 76th Year

Chicago’s legendary Old Town Art Fair returns to the heart of the historic Old Town Triangle HistoricDistrict (Main Gate at the intersection of Lincoln and Wisconsin Streets) on Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14, 2026. Established in 1948, the Old Town Art Fair is one of Chicago’s oldest juried art fairs and one of the first fine art fairs of its kind in the country. For fifty years, two events have been held in Old Town on the second weekend in June; the Old Town Art Fair and the Wells Street Art Festival are separate events.

Organized by the non-profit Old Town Triangle Association and completely volunteer-run, this year’s Fair will be the most festive in its milestone 76-year history, attracting over 230 artists from across the country plus live music on two stages; an array of classic Chicago food and beverage options from local vendors; a dedicated Children’s Corner featuring interactive activities and crafts for kids; and the return of self-guided Garden Walks in over 50 gardens in the Old Town Triangle neighborhood. Annually, the Fair introduces artists to an estimated 30,000 art lovers over the course of the two-day event.