This Season’s Highlights: Spring/Summer 2026
Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas –
SMART MUSEUM OF ART
Alma Thomas (1891–1978) is a singular figure of twentieth-century American art. She developed her form of abstraction – characterized by the dazzling interplay of pattern and hue – late in life, after retiring from a long career as a schoolteacher. Her vibrant and rhythmic art transcended established genres, incorporating elements of gestural abstraction and color field painting and creating a style distinctly her own.
Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas draws on the extensive holdings of the artist’s paintings at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and offers an intimate view of Thomas’s evolving practice during her most prolific period, from 1959 to 1978. At a deeply politicized moment in American life, Thomas’s abiding sources of inspiration became the cosmos, nature, and music. As she stated, “Through color I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man’s inhumanity to man.”
Thru July 5, 2026
5550 S. Greenwood (60637)
The Murphy Auditorium at the Driehaus Museum
Brendan Fernandes: In The Round –
The Driehaus Museum
Brendan Fernandes: In the Round is the Driehaus Museum’s next iteration of its A Tale of Today series that places contemporary art in dialogue with the art, architecture, and design of the Gilded-Age Museum. Fernandes, the Museum’s first artist-in-residence, will transform the 1926 Murphy Auditorium into a dynamic site for sculptural installation, movement, sound, and dance. Conceived as an evolving, episodic residency, In the Round will unfold throughout 2026 with performances and public programs and is organized by guest curator Stephanie Cristello. “In the Round,” says Cristello, “invites us to experience contemporary art and dance as a shared architectural and social space—one shaped by bodies moving together through history. Reactivating the radical spirit of the Judson Dance Theater within the Murphy Auditorium, Brendan Fernandes asks us to see history itself as something lived, collective, and continually re-made.”
50 E. Erie
Apr 9–Nov 14, 2026
Sarah and Joseph Belknap, 4 Months of the Sun, 2014
Palomar (Part 1) –
The Renaissance Society
The sun was formed 4.6 billion years ago. It takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for its light to travel to Earth. The calendar as we know it, based on cycles of the solar year, was first implemented four and a half centuries ago in 1582...Time used to be local, based on the sun’s position. That changed on “The Day of Two Noons,” in 1883, when U.S. railroads adopted standardized time zones....Palomar Observatory, on a California mountain, once had the largest optical telescope in the world...Italo Calvino wrote a book about a person, a seeker of the cosmic in the everyday, who shares his name with that place...Palomar is a group exhibition in two parts. Curated by Karsten Lund.
May 2–Jun 7 • 5811 S. Ellis Ave. (60637)
Denzil Forrester (b. 1956, Grenada; lives in Cornwall, United Kingdom), Duppy Deh, 2018. Oil on linen; 79 1/8 × 120 1/8 in. (201 × 305 cm). Collection of Margot and George Greig. © Denzil Forrester. Courtesy of the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo: Stephen White & Co.
Dancing The Revolution–
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA)
Dancing the Revolution explores and expands the visual, political and spiritual histories of dancehall and reggaetón through contemporary art—two dynamic genres that have transcended their grassroots origins to shape global culture. From Kingston to San Juan through London, Toronto, New York City and Panama, Dancing the Revolution positions music and dance as a revolutionary practice for collective liberation rooted in the struggle against colonial oppression.
Dancehall and reggaetón are reminders of the Caribbean’s centuries-old traditions of dance and music as means of liberation and protest rooted in Black Atlantic history and culture. Dancing the Revolution showcases pivotal moments and themes from these histories, starting with the sound system—a mobile disco that embodies both a community experience and a vital civic institution.
The exhibition features more than 35 artists, including Isaac Julien, Jean Michel Basquiat, Edra Soto, Alberta Whittle, Carolina Caycedo, supakid and Lee “Scratch” Perry. A special commissioned mixtape project invites visitors to learn about the evolution of these popular genres in Panama and hear iconic songs that paved the way for the global phenomenon of reggaetón..
Apr 14–Sept 20
220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
CHIHULY–
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
One of only two Chihuly exhibitions in the world in 2026, this exhibition spans both the outdoor gardens and indoor Sculpture Galleries, creating a dynamic dialogue between glass, landscape, and architecture. Outdoors, guests will encounter monumental glass sculptures, vibrant Reeds, and striking site-responsive installations that appear to grow from the landscape, amplifying color, light, and form. Indoors, the separately ticketed exhibition Chihuly: Radiant Forms traces more than 40 years of Chihuly’s creative journey.
May 2–Nov 1
Grand Rapids, MI
Randolph Street Market Festival–
Touted as a “mecca of cool,” the iconic Randolph Street Market Festival returns to the bustling West Loop, where the world-famous event first began at 1341 W. Randolph, over Memorial Day weekend . The premier destination for one–of–a–kind finds, the Randolph Street Market Festival offers an ultra-curated, high-quality selection of antiques, vintage and modern goods ranging from fashion to art, jewelry, décor, retro home furnishings, global goods and more. Treasure hunters and entertainment-seekers alike will be delighted by the continuous lineup of live musical acts, unique food vendors, fun cocktails and more to enjoy throughout the weekend. Another summer market takes place in July.
May 23 and 24; July 25 and 26
Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford: Near Eternity–
Elmhurst Art Museum
In his first exhibition at EAM, artist Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford presents a series of outdoor sculptures in Wilder Park as well as an immersive installation within the iconic McCormick House. Bridging handcrafted techniques and digital fabrication, featured works serve as a low-carbon alternative to traditional monumental sculpture as a way of reflecting on labor, materiality, the internet age, and architectural legacies. Near Immortality features new sculptures created from 3D scans of important design items in EAM’s collection.
May 30–Aug 23
Door County Contemporary –
The Door County Contemporary Art Fair will be held at the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek, Wisconsin for the second year. The three-day program introduces art to art enthusiasts in Wisconsin, and it was born from the desire to address a lack of contemporary art in an otherwise culturally enriched and dynamic destination. DCC will host galleries from Wisconsin and beyond while welcoming thousands of art lovers from around the United States. It will also feature a wealth of site-specific art works and projects, plenty of Wisconsin-centric food and drink, and curated events and art-related projects.
June 4–7
Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek, WI
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