The first Friday of June brings a busy lineup of exhibition openings, receptions, and special events across Chicago. Beyond Illinois there is a local art fair taking place in Kalamazoo, and a gallery reopens with a new name in Milwaukee's Third Ward. In West Town, several new exhibitions open at ARC Gallery, The Golden Triangle, and Chicago Sculpture International, while Chicago Grand Gallery in Ukrainian Village and Forum 301 in River North each host closing receptions.

Browse the full CGN calendar here

– CGN

• Body Sovereignty

• Solo

Jun 5, 2026 - Jun 26, 2026

Opening: Friday, Jun 5, 2026 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

ARC Gallery

• West Town

Echoes of the Afterlife Selections from the John D. Nichols Collection

Jun 5, 2026 - Nov 28, 2026

The Golden Triangle

• West Town

The Golden Triangle presents Echoes of the Afterlife, a major exhibition featuring selections from the John D. Nichols Collection of ancient Chinese tomb pottery. Spanning more than two hundred pieces of terra cotta pottery and bronzes dating from 2000 BCE to 1000 CE, the exhibition showcases rare and historically significant objects discovered at archaeological sites throughout Northern China.

The collection includes vessels, human figures, animals, architectural models, and ritual objects originally created for burial and the afterlife. Many of these works have never before been publicly exhibited and represent one of the largest private collections of ancient Chinese tomb pottery shown in North America.

Natalia Shutiak: HER

Jun 5, 2026 - Jun 27, 2026

Opening: Friday, Jun 5, 2026 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Chicago Grand Gallery

• Ukrainian Village

HER explores the unstable terrain of memory, sensation, and inner perception. Moving between figuration and abstraction, the exhibition unfolds as a psychological landscape where identity becomes fluid, fragmented, and constantly shifting.

Abstract Expressions

Jun 5, 2026 - Jul 31, 2026

Opening: Friday, Jun 5, 2026 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Chicago Sculpture International (CSI)

• Bucktown

“Abstract Expressions” explores the raw, unfiltered language of gesture, color, and movement—where emotion takes form beyond representation and meaning emerges through instinct rather than depiction. Influenced by the bold innovations of artists such as Willem de Kooning, whose restless surfaces redefined the boundaries of abstraction, the pieces in this exhibition embrace tension, rhythm, and spontaneity. In these artworks, control and chaos coexist, echoing the human condition in all its vulnerability and force. Abstract Expressions is not about what is seen, but what is felt—an immersive encounter with the energy of creation itself, emotion made visible.

Exhibiting Artists: Nikki Anderson, Pinar Aral, Tomas Co, Darlys Ewoldt, Ted Sitting Crow Garner, Shelley Gilchrist, Peter Gray, Carol Hammerman, Kasia Kay, Victoria Kowalczyk, Laurie LeBreton, Patrick Miceli, Scott Mossman, Rebecca Russow, Marvin Shafer, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Pat Stephens, Rich Stewart, Michele Thrane

Closing Reception for Not Normal

Closing reception: Friday, Jun 5, 2026 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Forum 301

• River North

The theme for this exhibition is open ended in scope and allows for many possibilities. Many kinds of art may fit into this broad category. "Not normal" refers to anything that goes against established norms, represents an unexpected change, or deviates from accepted collective reality. For the purposes of the exhibition, depictions of ‘not normal’ are those that depart from standard norms. For example, Dada and Surrealism depict fantastical, odd, or distorted realities that differ from our collective everyday experience.

Featured Artists: Jonathan Antos • Ruby Barnes • Sharon Bladholm • Donna Bliss • Margie Criner • Gary Cudworth • Jason Ferguson • Gertah • Bert Gilbert • Jill King • John Kurman • Erin LaRocque • Gina Lee Robbins • Micki LeMieux • Seanice Lenay • Ellen Lustig • Russ Marr • Bobbi Meier • Jerry Monteith • Scott Mossman • Thomas Plum • Howard Russo • Dominic Sansone • Samuel Schwindt • Simone Scigousky • Marvin Shafer • Eleanor Spiess-Ferris • Rich Stewart • Yi Sun • Sishi Wang • Bruce Webber • Connor Young Juried and curated by Victoria Fuller and Spencer Gale. 

75th Annual Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair

Jun 5, 2026 - Jun 6, 2026

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

• Kalamazoo, MI

The KIA Arts Fair Returns for Milestone 75th Year! The event will take place on June 5 & 6, 2026, with timings on Friday from 3–8pm and on Saturday from 9am–5pm. The KIA Arts Fair in Bronson Park will feature nearly 150 fine artists in 12 distinct mediums presenting their unique works of fine art to collect, wear, and use. Throughout Friday and Saturday, attendees can enjoy strolling, shopping, live music, kids’ activities, food truck cuisine, artist demonstrations led by the Kirk Newman Art School, and free gallery admissions at the KIA.

Grand Opening Reception

Friday, Jun 5, 2026 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

JK Art House

• Milwaukee, WI

The community is invited to celebrate the grand opening of JK Art House’s new space at 191 N. Broadway, Milwaukee. The evening will serve as the opening reception for The Studio: A Family Dialogue in Paint, featuring Dan McCaw, John McCaw, and Danny McCaw. Guests are invited to meet the artists, explore the new space, and experience a first look at what JK Art House has in store.