Evanston, The North Shore, Northern, Western and Southern Suburbs

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The Art Center Highland Park, a not-for-profit organization, is the North Shore’s home for artistic discovery and creative exploration. Through innovative programs, exhibitions, and classes designed for all levels and ages, The Art Center provides a welcoming space for our diverse communities to experience and participate in the arts. Located in the heart of Highland Park, IL, The Center's vision is to be a cultural destination that inspires and ignites a passion for the arts; providing a forum for self-expression, dialogue, and community engagement. Image: View of artist Nicole Gordon's exhibition in The Art Center's main gallery, photo credit Tom Van Eynde.

The Art Center Highland Park

Art Encounter is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and connecting people of all ages and backgrounds through interactive engagement with visual art. All programming is built around the belief that meaningful encounters with original art can open a window to learning and help us better understand ourselves and the world around us. We have three areas of programming:• <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/about-public-and-member-programs" target="_blank">PUBLIC AND MEMBER PROGRAMS</a>Interactive art tours and exclusive visits to local artists’ studios, galleries, private collections, and special exhibitions in the Chicago area, plus domestic and international <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/art-encounter-travel" target="_blank">art travel</a>. Programs are open to the public, and members of Art Encounter receive discounts and special access, as well as other benefits throughout the year.&nbsp;• <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/community-outreach" target="_blank">OUTREACH PROGRAMS</a>Hands-on educational programs and creative art workshops for public school students, residents of assisted living facilities, and adults with disabilities throughout the Chicago area with fewer resources or access to arts engagement.&nbsp;• <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/about-murals" target="_blank">EVANSTON MURAL ARTS PROGRAM</a>Our local public art initiative, bringing world-class murals to the Evanston area and beyond.&nbsp; We welcome you to learn more about our upcoming programs for the public and more at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/" target="_blank">artencounter.org</a> The cohesive thread between all our programs is the art encounter: an engaging, inclusive approach to learning rooted in the power of bringing people together through art.&nbsp;Photo by Alyce Henson;&nbsp;artwork by Kelly Sinnapah Mary at the DePaul Art Museum

Art Encounter

Contemporary Shifts:&nbsp;Large, Sophisticated, Original&nbsp;This lovely, upscale gallery features one of the largest inventories of original art in the Chicagoland area.&nbsp; •&nbsp;&nbsp;Contemporary/Transitional/Traditional styles.•&nbsp;&nbsp;Represents 45+ full-time, professional artists.&nbsp;•&nbsp;&nbsp;Many large-scale paintings•&nbsp;&nbsp;Fine framing offered.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Specialties: •&nbsp;&nbsp;Large-scale paintings•&nbsp;&nbsp;Contemporary paintings•&nbsp;&nbsp;3-Dimensional art•&nbsp;&nbsp;Chicago scenes•&nbsp;&nbsp;Works on Paper&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1764624850/fe6jlyncmxk9eiusqffz.jpg">

Art Post Gallery

What’s inside the Block? It depends on how you look. The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University is an engine that drives questioning, experimentation, and collaboration across fields of study, with visual arts at the center. We do this by activating art’s power as a form of insight, research, and knowledge creation that makes human experience visible and material. Fueled by diverse perspectives and ways of knowing, we create shared encounters with art and with one another to deepen understandings of the world and our place within it. Through exhibitions, classes, programs, screenings, and initiatives, The Block convenes bold conversations that explore the relevance of art to our lives and that deepen our thinking. We are as committed to exploring what art can do as we are to studying what art is. Always free and open to all. Image: Block Museum&nbsp;Student Associates tour The Heart’s Knowledge: Science and Empathy in the Art of Dario Robleto, 2023

Block Museum of Art

Connect to the healing benefits of art and nature! Join Brushwood Center for exhibitions, programs, performances, markets, and art classes. Brushwood Center works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region. Brushwood Center engages people with the outdoors through the arts, environmental education, and community action. Brushwood Center’s programs focus on youth, families, Military Veterans, and those facing racial and economic injustices. Brushwood Center’s art programs amplify artists, musicians, community members, and scientists who provide insight to the challenges facing our communities and creative approaches to solutions. Images: Upper left: Viewing art at At Ease in Nature, an annual exhibition of Veteran and Military community artists. Credit: InLife Photography. Right: Ephemeral artist Lydia Cheshewalla with her work, Before Dreams Are The Last Place We Find You. Credit: Michael Kardas Photography. Lower left: Young artist at work. Credit: InLife Photography

Brushwood Center

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art’s goal is to encourage the growth and understanding of contemporary and modern art through exhibitions and educational programming that cultivates a variety of perspectives. The museum is named in honor of one of Glen Ellyn’s most revered philanthropists, the late Cleve Carney, a contemporary art collector and supporter of the arts. Located on the campus of the College of DuPage the CCMA is an intimate museum space that provides year round programming to the public.&nbsp; Image: Photo by Margo Hawk

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art  (CCMA)

The Christopher Art Gallery at Prairie State College features eight exhibitions a year, six of which are works by major artists primarily from the Midwest; two student exhibitions take place in spring and fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;Image:&nbsp;Gallery view

Christopher Art Gallery at Prairie State College

As a regional art museum that opened its doors in 1997, the Elmhurst Art Museum is committed to showing emerging and established contemporary artists, with a focus on the Chicagoland area and featuring local architects in major exhibits and programming in the McCormick House gallery. The development of their projects, public talks, involvement with our education center, and participation in public and school projects, along with the Museum’s growing collection of over 1,000 artworks, have been key foundations of the organization’s public offering. Image: Elmhurst Art Museum with Sentrock’s Bird City Saint. Image courtesy of Elmhurst Art Museum. Photo by Liz Chilsen.

Elmhurst Art Museum

The Evanston Art Center (EAC), founded over 95 years ago in 1929, is an integral part of community life, providing access and experiences in the arts to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Through community-based events, classes and exhibitions, EAC helps expand its mission to provide accessible arts education and arts enrichment experiences to the community and the surrounding areas. The Evanston Art Center’s galleries exhibit contemporary artwork by emerging and established artists, and are free and open to the public seven days a week. Exhibition programming includes publications, artist talks, interviews with curators, opening receptions, In Focus lectures and docent led tours for groups (please call to schedule a tour) at no charge to the public. The Evanston Art Center’s in-person and online art courses have something for everyone and every schedule. Subjects include: painting, drawing, sculpting, jewelry, bookbinding, and much more! Browse our online adult and youth course schedule at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.evanstonartcenter.org" target="_blank">EvanstonArtCenter.org</a> Opening receptions typically held on first Sunday of exhibition 1–4pm.&nbsp; Photo credit: Erica McKeehen

Evanston Art Center

The Grove Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Downtown Evanston, IL.The focus of the gallery is on painting, drawing and printmaking. The emphasis is on building community, and hosts several fundraisers a year in which revenue from art sales are directed toward various environmental and social causes. In 2024, the Grove Gallery opened in Evanston. Impressionistic and Surrealist landscape paintings and prints are available for purchase by both emerging and established artists from the Midwest. Calls for art are posted online to give artists opportunities to apply for group exhibitions.&nbsp; Exhibitions rotate monthly, and receptions are held on the First Saturday of every month. To learn more, please visit our website:&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.grovegallery.shop/" target="_blank">www.grovegallery.shop</a> Image: Artwork by Nina Weiss <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1764553843/g4bcgmlxt5mwff07sgqs.jpg">

The Grove Gallery

The Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles offers new and existing artists a place to show their work. Each year, the gallery hosts six to seven exhibitions featuring art by local and national artists and artmakers. These curated shows bring together both established and up-and-coming artists, using all forms of media, in a wide range of price points. The gallery team at the Kavanagh strives to bring innovative and exciting artists to the gallery. Admission to the Kavanagh Gallery is always free and open to all. We invite you to stop by to view our gallery and see for yourself the fantastic space at Fine Line. Fine Line Creative Arts Center is a thriving community where artists and art lovers have been experiencing, learning and sharing for over forty years. The center offers year-round adult classes for artists of all levels, from complete beginners to more advanced. Class options include blacksmithing, glassblowing, weaving, basketry, jewelry and ceramics. Please visit our <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.fineline.org" target="_blank">website</a> for the current exhibition and opening reception details.&nbsp; There is ample free onsite parking available. Image: Outside of The Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center. Pictured: The Other Side of the Wall, sculpture by Dan Caldwell.

Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center

Founded in 2001, Anne Loucks Gallery specializes in contemporary American painting, photography and works on paper by emerging and mid-career artists in a range of styles and mediums.&nbsp;Celebrating our 24th year, the gallery curates twelve exhibitions annually and offers art advisory, framing and installation services. Represented artists include: Tracey Adams, Victoria Adams, March Avery, Liz Barber, Rodger Bechtold, Charlie Bluett, Pegan Brooke, Jamie Brunson, David Burdeny, Hannah Bureau, Brian Coleman, Madeline Denaro, Stephen Dinsmore, Lori Glavin, Lyle Gomes, Bernd Haussmann, Stephanie Henderson, Scott Ingram, Joshua Jensen-Nagle, Sherry Karver, Laurie Victor Kay, Richard Kooyman, Yaz Krehbiel, Sara MacCulloch, Cheryl Maeder, John McCormick, Maggie Meiners, Sally Michel, Eleanor Miller, Grace Munakata, Jenny Nelson, Marshall Noice, Mary Jo O’Gara, Sandy Ostrau, Melanie Parke, Lisa Ridgers, Maura Segal, Stephen Seinberg, Adam Siegel, Hunt Slonem, Rodney Smith and Leslie Wu. Image: Sally Michel, Interior with Plant, 1987, 40”x 50”

Anne Loucks Gallery

“Here at theNate (Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park) you will find a collection of over 30 monumental, master-work sculptures situated within 100 acres of prairie landscape. This “museum-in-the-prairie” is open for public viewing 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk, and is free of charge – even parking on the campus of Governors State University is free!&nbsp; GovState and theNate are connected to Chicago’s Millennium Park Metra Station by the Metra Electric Line; an 8-minute walk (or shuttle ride) from the University Park Metra Station to GovState’s campus and theNate will begin to reveal the beauty of the prairie and the outdoor sculpture collection. Sept 12, 2026: The Prairie Party at theNate Download our FREE <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.otocast.com" target="_blank">Otocast app</a> for a self-guided tour, complete with recordings of artists talking about their work!&nbsp;Image: John Henry, Illinois Landscape, No. 5, 1975. Photo credit: Guy Rhodes

Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park

Perspective Group and Photography Gallery Limited is a not-for-profit, community-oriented cooperative whose purpose is to promote fine art photography. In addition to monthly group and featured artists exhibitions, the gallery features a guest speaker lecture series and monthly artist talks. Perspective Gallery also hosts four annual exhibitions including: an international juried exhibition; a juried exhibition for Chicago-area photographers; a juried exhibition for Chicago-area high school students; and an invitational show. The members of Perspective Group and Photography Gallery bring a rich blend of experience and focus to the gallery. Members’ work has been shown at galleries, colleges, libraries and in publications as well as in local, national and international juried shows. The artistic styles and techniques of its members include traditional film, digital, alternative processes, mixed media, collage and encaustic art. Our Mission: The mission of Perspective Group and Photography Gallery Limited, a 501(c)(3) organization, is to promote the art of photography to the public by way of exhibitions, lectures and outreach while fostering a dynamic and diverse community of photographers who share ideas, inspiration and knowledge of photography. Opening receptions are generally the first Saturday evening of the month. Information about artist talks and other events may be found on <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://perspectivegallery.org/" target="_blank">www.perspectivegallery.org</a> Image: Paula Shur

Perspective Photo Gallery

ShadowBoxX Gallery is a new art space in Waukegan, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. As founder and artist, Michael E. Voss fosters a community of artists celebrating the creativity that lives within us. ShadowBoxX Gallery honors the catharsis that artwork and creativity bring. ShadowBoxX Gallery is home to curated fine artwork from local, U.S. and international artists, hosting group and solo art exhibitions each month. ”The gold is in the shadow.” – Carl Jung Images by StudioJ Media <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1765498285/zwstvjuepzu36nvvvsli.jpg"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1765498287/rq2ilz5snruc3vptyfkd.jpg"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1765498288/onqu2g4npdhkuvdroc0z.jpg">

ShadowBoxX Gallery

The gallery a+c architects

Vivid Art Gallery showcases fine art in the Hubbard Woods Design District of Winnetka. We feature primarily paintings, works on paper, photography and ceramics from emerging and established artists. Our focus is on local and Midwest artists. Vivid presents a new exhibit each month, with First Friday openings.&nbsp; We provide a warm, welcoming, non-intimidating atmosphere where both new and experienced collectors can feel comfortable asking questions, pricing is transparent, and browsing is encouraged.&nbsp; Vivid is a full-service gallery, offering art consultation as well as delivery, framing and installation. First Friday openings 5-7pm (Second Friday in July)&nbsp; Image: Gallery view

Vivid Art Gallery

The Brent and Jean Wadsworth Family Gallery fosters opportunities for patrons to experience original works of visual art created by local, regional, national, and international artists, including members of the Lewis University community.&nbsp;Exhibitions and other programming will promote aesthetic understanding consistent with the mission of Lewis University. We welcome collaborative and interdisciplinary programming that will encourage patronage, and which will enhance our reputation. The primary mission of the gallery is to educate but will also provide additional initiatives in alignment with other well-respected university art galleries.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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