This summer will take many people to destinations both far and near, and chances are, if you are on vacation there may be water close by. In the spirit of summer days, we are sharing some Midwestern inspirations for lakeside–or even riverside–places to visit in search of art as well as a mental reset or social reconnection.

If Chicago is the center, there are endless directions in which to travel this season throughout the region. These exhibitions, installations and events, are down the street or within a day’s drive, each worthy of an adventure.

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

On the eastern edge of Lake Michigan there are many stops for art, from small galleries to antiques shops to art centers. Most of them are busiest this time of year and are certainly worth a day or weekend trip, with some planning if you want to stay overnight. When you cross into Michigan from Indiana you can take the Red Arrow Highway from New Buffalo and see a lot of art along the way, from F.L. Braswell Fine Art in Lakeside and continuing up to St. Joseph where the Krasl Art Center sits on a bluff above Lake Michigan. The highway near the water will carry you the artsy twin towns of Saugatuck and Douglas and then you’re not far from Frederik Meijer

Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. Krasl Art Center’s Art Fair on the Bluff takes place July 12 and 13, 2025. You can also view sculpture on the grounds and in the area 24 hours a day, and Krasl offers a helpful sculpture map and scavenger hunt. • KRASL.ORG

TINTORETTO’S GENESIS – CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM

In a park overlooking the Ohio River is the Cincinnati Art Museum. On view this summer is an exhibition about the Italian artist Jacopo Tintoretto (1518–1594). In the early 1550s Tintoretto made a series of large paintings depicting scenes from the Book of Genesis for the Scuola della Trinità, a charitable organization in Venice. Painted just as the artist was maturing, these canvases display a fusion of Michelangelo’s forceful conception of the figure, Titian’s renowned colorism, and Tintoretto’s own vigorous brushwork, dynamic compositions, and command of the workshop.

APR 18-AUG 31, 2025 • CINCINNATIARTMUSEUM.ORG

MAKE THE RIVER PRESENT – CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST. LOUIS

Although St. Louis is physically bordered by the Mississippi and Missouri rivers—the two longest in the US which come together at the confluence a few miles north of downtown—their presence is often obscured by industrialization, urban planning, and erasure of Indigenous culture. Make the River Present invites visitors to strengthen our connections to these enduring waterways through works of art, resources, and activities.

THRU AUG 10, 2025 • CAMSTL.ORG

JAMES TELLEN WOODLAND SCULPTURE GARDEN – SHEBOYGAN, WI

Nestled in the Town of Wilson in the woods, and cared for by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, you’ll find over 30 sculptures connected by a woodland path. A convalescent stay inspired James Tellen (1880–1957) to create large-scale concrete sculptures that impart moral messages and unite interests in art, nature and religion. The site is free and open to the public. The log home often hosts visiting artists. • JMKAC.ORG

DOOR COUNTY CONTEMPORARY – DOOR COUNTY, WI

A new fair debuts in Wisconsin in time for the start of summer. Door County Contemporary will be a three-day celebration of art and ideas set against the backdrop of one of America’s classic destinations. DCC hopes to marry the best of fine art with the idiosyncratic swagger of the region. The events, the setting, the tastes, and the world class art will create something far greater than the sum of its eclectic parts: woodsy tradition and bleeding-edge cultural objects; old-fashioned and conceptual art.

JUNE 5-8, 2025 IN FISH CREEK, WI DOORCOUNTYCONTEMPORARY.COM