West Town, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Kinzie Corridor, Humboldt Park

West Town

Wisconsin

IL • MI • IN

West Loop, Fulton Market, East Garfield Park

West Loop and West Side

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

Suburbs

Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Roscoe Village, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Uptown, Edgewater, Andersonville, Rogers Park

North Side

Michigan Avenue, Streeterville, The Gold Coast, The Loop, and South Loop

Michigan Avenue

Pilsen, Bridgeport, Chinatown, plus Hyde Park, Jackson Park/Dorchester, and Bronzeville

South Side

Superior and Franklin streets, West Chicago Ave, and down to Merchandise Mart and the River

River North

Triptych: Kate Berry-Brown, Vanessa Filley, and Darren Oberto&nbsp;&nbsp;Opening Reception: Saturday, January 10th&nbsp;from 4 to 7 PM&nbsp;&nbsp;Exhibition Dates: January 10th&nbsp;to Saturday, January 31st, 2026&nbsp;The points of convergence between the work of Berry-Brown, Filley and Oberto are a place of mystery that demands inquiry and invites contemplation. With practices as disparate as figurative photography, pencil based portraits and works of oil on canvas these three artists come from varied approaches, but continual probing investigation and a turn towards the abstract links their work together.&nbsp;Through a wide-range of subject&nbsp;matter as disparate as motherhood and the weight of belonging, relationship to place and environment, the cosmos, historical allusions and conversations with artists across time these artists navigate through life with the necessity to make.&nbsp;Each of them mulls what it is to exist in the here and now and how one might grapple with the complexity of being, often finding synthesis and answers in geometric abstraction. There is a profound interest in mark making, foundational craft-based skills, and acts of repetition&nbsp;that show up in the practices of all three, as well as a willingness and curiosity to experiment with materials and explore what medium might best support or express an idea. For these artists, each endeavor influences the direction of future projects, prompting subtle course corrections toward new horizons. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1766857477/yoyyg8ltvkzjnhh732qp.jpg">Darren Oberto <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1766857478/mvu1bn4n17fpjbgxp9rh.jpg">Vanessa Filley Top image: Kate Berry-Brown

Triptych: Kate Berry-Brown, Vanessa Filley and Darren Oberto

Virtual Artists’ Talk:&nbsp;Thursday, January 15th, 2026 at 7 PM | <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://perspectivegallery.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=04a588cae42ffc5c2d944d823&amp;id=e288dd61d3&amp;e=49b9939ea4" target="_blank">Register here</a> Perspective Gallery is pleased to announce&nbsp;Fugue, a solo exhibition of new photographic works by acclaimed music composer, and visual artist William Harper, opening January 2, 2026. In this striking series, Harper explores the visual equivalent of musical counterpoint through motion-intensive photographic techniques, including timelapse, burst sequencing, and drone-based imaging.The exhibition features work that capture the dynamic patterns of landscapes and natural phenomena, revealing hidden harmonic relationships within movement. Each image or sequence becomes a “voice,” interacting with others to create a visual polyphony.Fugue&nbsp;invites viewers to experience time, movement, and structure in a photographic decisive moment.

William Harper: Fugue

The exhibition showcases Lustig's multifaceted creative force spanning from childhood to the present day. The showcase includes drawing, painting, sculpture, and more. Highlights include her&nbsp;Surreal Tree Paintings, oil works revealing anthropomorphic qualities in nature; Abstract Illusion Paintings, spontaneous landscapes evoking music and motion; and&nbsp;Zofscape, a multimedia installation combining LED light sculptures, animated video, and original music composition.A graduate of California College of the Arts in Oakland, Lustig has built a remarkable career as a caricature artist, ceramic sculptor, mural painter, and puppet maker. Her work reflects the influence of Bay Area underground comics culture and the Chicago Imagist movement, blending whimsy with deeper commentary on contemporary life. Her signature Pop Surrealism style transforms ordinary subjects into dreamlike scenarios that are simultaneously playful and profound. About the artist:&nbsp;Ellen Lustig is a multi-faceted artist and composer working in variousmedia to create her dynamic installations. Ellen’s light sculptures are a fabrication of acrylic etchings enhanced by LEDs and music, producing what feels like an all-immersive voluminous 3d space. Her animation series includes digitally rendered passages that mimic the designs seen in her sculptures and also have the effect of an other-worldly landscape. A graduate of California College of the Arts in Oakland, California, Lustig has spent decades as a caricature artist, ceramic sculptor, mural painter, and puppet maker, creating unique pieces that are sought after nationwide. In addition to numerous one woman and group shows with her sculptures and paintings, she dedicates time by regularly teaching art to cancer patients and their families in hospitals and wellness centers such as Gilda’s Club of Chicago. Ellen can also be found playing blues keyboards at open mic nights in Chicago and the suburbs.Ellen Lustig's paintings are a collection of Pop Surrealism art. Her subject matter is forever transforming as she delves into toys, nature, and abstraction. The imagery in Ellen's paintings is a combination of whimsy, pop and realism. The subjects in her paintings also vary between baby boomer toys in uncanny situations, anthropomorphic trees, or quirky abstractions.Throughout Ellen's paintings including her early work, tree paintings, toy paintings or abstractions, Lustig creates a variety of subjects and styles. Her continuous theme is Pop Surrealism Art.The Pop Surrealism/Lowbrow art movement originated in the 1960's with hot rod culture and underground comics. It has evolved into a vilified, vital, and exciting art movement.Having been schooled in the Bay area for College, Ellen was definitely influenced by the comical area surrounding her. She then moved to Chicago where the Hairy Who and Imagists were prevalent in the art world which also had an effect on her subject matter. Lustig still resides in Chicago where she has made a lifelong career as a multimedia artist. Her work has been shown nationally in galleries and museums along with private collections. About the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art:&nbsp;The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) preserves and promotes contemporary art as a shared expression of the Ukrainian and American experience. UIMA develops, utilizes and encourages artistic talent through exhibitions, concerts, readings, lectures and films to serve the cultural needs of our community and city, and thereby strengthen cultural understanding and diversity. <ul><li>Artist Talk: Saturday, January 17, 1–2 pm</li></ul>

Ellen Lustig: Transformations

The show&nbsp;highlights print projects published by Manneken Press over the past twelve months. The exhibition features work by five artists, with works&nbsp;ranging from symbolism to geometric and painterly abstraction to photographic realism. Included are unique monotypes as well as limited-edition etchings and photogravures. On view online at Artsy <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artsy.net/partner/manneken-press" target="_blank">here</a> The exhibition features work by five artists, ranging from symbolism to geometric and painterly abstraction to photographic realism. Included are unique monotypes as well as limited-edition etchings and photogravures — a hybrid of photography and intaglio printmaking. Artists invited to Manneken Press typically travel from cities such as New York, Dallas, or Bogotá to our central Illinois studio, where they work intensively for a week or longer. The artist’s presence is crucial, and the compressed nature of these working sessions often yields a cohesive body of prints that can stand individually or function together as a series — hence the term “project.” Artists included in the show:•<a style="color: rgb(9, 194, 105);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tf/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzI4ODYwMjc4NzgyNzAxOTEsXCJyXCI6MTcyODg2MDQxMzkzMzY2NTk0fSIsInMiOiI0MTE0YzU0ODZmZDEyZWE5In0" target="_blank">Edie Fake</a>•<a style="color: rgb(9, 194, 105);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tf/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzI4ODYwMjc4ODQ1NjE2NTYsXCJyXCI6MTcyODg2MDQxMzkzMzY2NTk0fSIsInMiOiI3MzU5ZTkzNzYyNDIyYjY0In0" target="_blank">Andrea Ferrigno</a>•<a style="color: rgb(9, 194, 105);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tf/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzI4ODYwMjc4ODk4MDQ1NDAsXCJyXCI6MTcyODg2MDQxMzkzMzY2NTk0fSIsInMiOiI2YTM4YjRiMzk5Y2YxMjhlIn0" target="_blank">Jason Karolak</a>•<a style="color: rgb(9, 194, 105);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tf/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzI4ODYwMjc4OTYwOTYwMDEsXCJyXCI6MTcyODg2MDQxMzkzMzY2NTk0fSIsInMiOiI3YTM5Y2NjNjEyZmIzNDMwIn0" target="_blank">Claire Seidl</a>•<a style="color: rgb(9, 194, 105);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tf/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzI4ODYwMjc5MDEzMzg4ODUsXCJyXCI6MTcyODg2MDQxMzkzMzY2NTk0fSIsInMiOiJhYWU5NjE2YTVlZjE2NjU1In0" target="_blank">Philip Van Keuren</a> Image: Jason Karolak:&nbsp;Prospect,&nbsp;2024. Aquatint on Magnani Incisioni paper.&nbsp;Edition of 20. Image: 21" x 18"/sheet: 26.5" x 23".

Projects: Recent Releases from Manneken Press

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tj/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzMyNDE4MTEyMzY1NTM4NDAsXCJyXCI6MTczMjQxODIzMzYxMjM4NTIwfSIsInMiOiJlOThmMGIzOTE2ZDA3YjNjIn0" target="_blank">Projects: Recent Releases from Manneken Press</a>The show&nbsp;highlights print projects published by Manneken Press over the past twelve months. The exhibition features work by five artists, with works&nbsp;ranging from symbolism to geometric and painterly abstraction to photographic realism. Included are unique monotypes as well as limited-edition etchings and photogravures -&nbsp;a hybrid of photography and intaglio printmaking.Artists invited to Manneken Press typically travel from cities such as New York, Dallas, or Bogotá to our central Illinois studio, where they work intensively for a week or longer. The artist’s presence is crucial, and the compressed nature of these working sessions often yields a cohesive body of prints that can stand individually or function together as a series — hence the term “project.” Artists included in the show:•<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tj/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzMyNDE4MTEyNDkxMzY3NzYsXCJyXCI6MTczMjQxODIzMzYxMjM4NTIwfSIsInMiOiJmN2ExYWNjOWEwMmU1OTFmIn0" target="_blank">Edie Fake</a>•<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tj/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzMyNDE4MTEyNTQzNzk2NjcsXCJyXCI6MTczMjQxODIzMzYxMjM4NTIwfSIsInMiOiJkMGJiZGRmMTExODg1MWUyIn0" target="_blank">Andrea Ferrigno</a>•<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tj/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzMyNDE4MTEyNjA2NzExMzMsXCJyXCI6MTczMjQxODIzMzYxMjM4NTIwfSIsInMiOiJlNDcxODc1MGExYzFkMWNjIn0" target="_blank">Jason Karolak</a>•<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tj/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzMyNDE4MTEyNjY5NjI1OTYsXCJyXCI6MTczMjQxODIzMzYxMjM4NTIwfSIsInMiOiIyY2Q0MmJhNTI5ZTY3NzFmIn0" target="_blank">Claire Seidl</a>•<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/tj/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxNzMyNDE4MTEyNzMyNTQwNjEsXCJyXCI6MTczMjQxODIzMzYxMjM4NTIwfSIsInMiOiJiNWNjYmU1YmQwZDYyOTg4In0" target="_blank">Philip Van Keuren</a>

Projects: Recent Releases from Manneken Press (online exhibition)

Oh, you’ve got to come back to the city, the place where you belongOh, you’ve got to come back to the city, the place where you were bornOh, you’ve got to come back to the city, the city of dreams&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;—Marvin Tate, “City Promenade” &nbsp;OH, YOU’VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY is a solo exhibition by Theaster Gates. This is Gates’s fourth solo exhibition with GRAY. In&nbsp;OH, YOU’VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY, Gates brings together a new series of tar paintings, sculpture, and installation to tell an allegory of the city in decay and the potential contained within its ruins. The exhibition’s title comes from a song by Chicago musician and poet Marvin Tate, in which the City, personified as a character, has cleaned up its act and attempts to lure its residents back from the suburbs.&nbsp; Gates’s artistic practice has engaged and reframed the cultural and material history of Chicago as material for the studio. His new installation explores the possibilities that lie within the city’s unattended corners. From his stone repository, Gates has selected a family of marble, granite, scholars’ rocks, and concrete forms that anchor a grid-like installation evoking both the planning logic of cities and the quiet order of memorials. Ceramic works and everyday artifacts rest atop each stone, suggesting the remnants left behind by former inhabitants. Surrounding the sculptural installation is a new series of tar paintings that extend Gates’s patching and bonding strategies. Both sculptural and painterly, these works represent a new direction in the series.&nbsp; In this body of work, Gates wrestles with the burden brought on by aging infrastructure to create new narratives that build on the rich metaphors embedded in his materials—as tools of resistance, signs of excess, and evidence of decline. Developed in conjunction with his exhibition&nbsp;Unto Thee, on view at the Smart Museum of Art through February 22, 2026,&nbsp;OH, YOU’VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY&nbsp;offers a profound reflection on Gate’s life as a craftsman, urban planner, and pedagogue. &nbsp;ABOUT&nbsp;THEASTER GATES Theaster Gates (b. 1973) currently lives and works in Chicago. Gates creates works that engage with space theory and land development, sculpture and performance. Drawing on his interest and training in urban planning and preservation, Gates redeems spaces that have been left behind. Known for his recirculation of art world capital, Gates’s practice focuses on the possibility of the “life within things.” His work contends with the notion of Black space as a formal exercise—one defined by collective desire, artistic agency, and the tactics of a pragmatist. Gates has received numerous awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship (2025), Crystal Award (2020), Nasher Prize (2018), Kurt Schwitters Prize (2017), American Academy of Arts &amp; Sciences Award (2016), and the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for Social Progress (2015). His work can be found in public collections worldwide, including the Menil Collection, Houston, Texas; Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York; National Gallery of Canada, Ontario; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Illinois; Tate Gallery, London, England; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California. Gates is a professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Visual Arts and the Harris School of Public Policy.

Theaster Gates: OH, YOU'VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY

Witches are guardians of suppressed forms of knowledge; they channel ancestral wisdom and embodied practices that have long been dismissed or feared. Visionary agents of transformation, spiritual practitioners conjure alternative futures through acts of resistance, imagination, and care.&nbsp;Witches, Bitches: Witchcraft as Empowerment&nbsp;explores the rise of the occult, new spirituality, and magic in contemporary culture, and reads it as a symptom of undergoing social transformations. Featuring contemporary artists who challenge dominant systems of patriarchy and colonialism to reclaim power on their own terms, this exhibition situates the practice of witchcraft into the past, present, and future acknowledging it as a form of feminist and political empowerment, and a radical proposition for a fully decolonial way of being.&nbsp;Witches, Bitches&nbsp;brings together works that engage with the iconography, stereotypes, and active practices of witchcraft to explore themes of spiritual power, collective energy,&nbsp;alternative cosmologies, and environmental consciousness. The exhibition features works spanning from the 1970s to the present by about thirty women-identifying international artists from different generations. Some of them self-identify with witchcraft or draw on practices of magic and spirituality, while others engage these themes through a critical and defiant lens. The exhibition will be accompanied by a robust public program including a talk series with public scholars and authors specializing in witchcraft, workshops in spell-casting with witchcraft practitioners, programming for families, performances, panel discussions with artists from different generations, and film screenings.&nbsp;Witches, Bitches: Witchcraft as Empowerment&nbsp;is co-curated by Ionit Behar, PhD, DPAM Curator, and Magdalena Moskalewicz, PhD, Chief Curator and Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, Sheldon Museum of Art, and organized by DePaul Art Museum. Support for this exhibition is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts.&nbsp;More <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://resources.depaul.edu/art-museum/exhibitions/Pages/witches-bitches-witchcraft-as-empowerment.aspx" target="_blank">Details</a> Image credit: Tirtzah Bassel,&nbsp;Four Sweepers of the Apocalypse,&nbsp;2025. Oil on canvas. 72 x 96 in. Courtesy of the artist.

Witches, Bitches: Witchcraft as Empowerment

Goldilocks Moment&nbsp;is a playful yet contemplative exhibition that explores themes in the popular childhood fairy tale such as those moments&nbsp;when things are "just right." How do we find that moment? How do we keep it? What do we do when we lose it?&nbsp;The&nbsp;story changes when the Bears come home and disruption occurs. But who is the intruder in this story?&nbsp;There is a concept in the field of astronomy called the Goldilocks zone, which is the exact distance from the sun where human life is possible.&nbsp;The artists are interested in the Goldilocks Moment as functional folklore and how the concept gets adopted by economists, scientists, and culture makers to describe a kind of moment, the right moment to leave, the moment to stay, the moment of creation, the moment of equilibrium, the “just right” state of being.&nbsp; The artists are a collective of mostly University of Chicago graduates who have collaborated for many years. They have presented their work in unique spaces including the loading dock of a contemporary art museum and a friend’s garage as a drive-through exhibit during covid.&nbsp;Working together for them is an endeavor of joy that represents a Goldilocks Moment. Each of the artists bring these larger questions into a personal realm that they explore through a variety of media. The artists use photos, film, sculptures, painting and performance to wrestle with ideas such as cultural change, how images can illuminate qualities of common experiences, and one’s comfort and identity in society. They realize that even the practice of creating can bring Goldilocks Moments. As one of the artists put it,&nbsp;In the field, my Goldilocks Moment is when I am so much in the moment of making an image, that I can forget having made it or ever having been there. The artists in this exhibition are Anthony Adcock, dado, Marco G. Ferrari, Hannah Givler, Maymay Jumsai, Stacee Kalmanovsky, Paul G. Somers, and Jay Wolke. The Goldilocks Moment&nbsp;opens at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art on Friday, January 9 from 5-8 p.m. The Reception for the show will be on Friday, January 16 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.&nbsp; There will be an Artist Talk on Saturday, January 31 from 2-3:30 pm, where a panel of several of the artists will be interviewed by Molly O’Donnell. SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave. Regular hours are Fridays 5-7 p.m., Saturdays from 12-4 p.m., and by appointment by calling Laura Botwinick at 773.513.4436 or emailing&nbsp;Lkbotwinick@gmail.com. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1767477365/an9e5r9ij21nda7qlafi.jpg">

Goldilocks Moment

Image: Herman Aguirre,&nbsp;¡Ni uno mas!, 2023, Oil and oil/acrylic skins on panel, 63" x 98" x 4.5"

Herman Aguirre

“Tengo Lincoln Park en mi corazón: Young Lords in Chicago” explores the Young Lords Organization's trajectory in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Gentrification and urban renewal displaced the vibrant Puerto Rican community of the 1950s and 1960s. Originally a street gang, the Young Lords transformed into a prominent civil rights organization.&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://click.agilitypr.delivery/ls/click?upn=u001.DMJAPtLMia7h-2FoQouHpZ7VucsQcy3YmuN9E-2BBveaH488JEjYiLL6gNNvfxkw-2FGqyXcJ0Mk6-2BmX21J9JiYsIHXzENjzM2kQUb5rLOElK1dhV69SYpdTqREc3e7jN4PgfJPYhyLo7-2BAld1-2FJUzovRT1g-3D-3DuNLS_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVr5d8tZaUkO86wELMDcgOg2JJnq4MYeWc7vJT8UFoP9JB4ktPrjnyT0Q-2FgJDbrrl4gKCk3EQ7EQCKK7Y-2B8HvMMN5HreRSKCKXooND8rxLMCbg-2B05tGi82LGb3OISpzjoVvNgw2sPbWSU7IbcWae7HM9JoWTFkwW5YoLJI26ngy3AkfG50sS15PTIRzqm6Xq8xg4JTDnNCSo49XfmFsOiKdBMTb1it82ohrC8v4yi79AI-2Feu-2FfnhrSxpeKJACjPI33Ac6lAR9ifJFK0op4yLggtB7tMaRoR5VfNcuQixNIBNkVp59o7I5P2w57eXAwKl052-2FXVJz-2FJ0MmeAsEo-2FxV1a7CKY8uui3w612dejPzEw-2BTQSuMdoVcWV0e5bKErNGydSEd4FTVtC-2B4i2SFYXlasyXoiAaC8IqnO6QOzviL41Kc-3D" target="_blank">Curator and faculty member Lazú</a>&nbsp;is recognized as a leading scholar of the Young Lords Organization and helped establish<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://click.agilitypr.delivery/ls/click?upn=u001.DMJAPtLMia7h-2FoQouHpZ7V-2BNjmn91WVUUN2-2Fz4l6r58oGmh5RnBYP1-2BidTW12IE5zDqc1VXBwp11yHHAQUpxiOw6A8kd7Aa-2FmNXcX27Ibv0-3Drbby_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVr5d8tZaUkO86wELMDcgOg2JJnq4MYeWc7vJT8UFoP9JB4ktPrjnyT0Q-2FgJDbrrl4gKCk3EQ7EQCKK7Y-2B8HvMMN5HreRSKCKXooND8rxLMCbg-2B05tGi82LGb3OISpzjoVvNgw2sPbWSU7IbcWae7HM9JoWTFkwW5YoLJI26ngy3AkfG50sS15PTIRzqm6Xq8xg4JTDnNCSo49XfmFsOiKdBMTb1it82ohrC8v4yi79AI-2Feu-2FfnhrSxpeKJACjPI33Ac6lAR9ifJFK0op4yLggtDIbp275btVB9OOkgETcHRh-2Fr1dH1NQcsk5j2s5jnl-2ByFsavGAbC6Krxq6psExt846nJXS1P1TcvF9H1bxgytih1OqQvWLHaVyrV5Ugxhon5ZOGg7-2BG3qee5-2FJTEqfxaoLqhfwQVnAMZ6YByWfds2hA-3D" target="_blank">&nbsp;DePaul's Young Lords special collections archive</a>&nbsp;as a destination of study on social movements.&nbsp;The exhibition explores the origins of the movement, emphasizing the concept of counter-mapping as a means of activism and community empowerment. Counter-mapping is a mapmaking approach that challenges narratives upheld by traditional maps, representing elements of a place that may have been overlooked or intentionally erased.The exhibition features archival materials, historical artifacts, photography, murals and prints, with works by Carlos Flores, Ricardo Levins Morales and John Pitman Weber. It also includes newly commissioned work by Sam Kirk and a central multimedia installation by Arif Smith with Rebel Betty, inviting visitors to engage with one of the most influential movements in Latinx civil rights history, rooted in the everyday struggles of a Chicago neighborhood."Tengo Lincoln Park en mi corazón confronts the erasure of the spaces that gave rise to the Young Lords’ fight for justice,” said Lazú. “These works reclaim that ground, making visible the neighborhood that shaped the movement and insisting that its memory of struggle and community endures."&nbsp;﻿Image credit: A member of the Young Lords writes in chalk as a family looks on during a Puerto Rican heritage festival at the Armitage Methodist Church, 1969. ST-40001976-0057, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum.

Tengo Lincoln Park en mi corazón: The Young Lords in Chicago

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle’s (b. 1961) current practice creates objects that blur the line between art and utility, ultimately inviting viewers to meditate on the role and “usefulness” of art in society. His approach challenges notions of function, beauty, and purpose in art by making works that resemble utilitarian objects but often serve no conventional practical purpose—or, alternatively, reveal surprising functionality that critiques broader sociopolitical or environmental concerns. One could say that Manglano-Ovalle has a phenomenological practice (the study of how we experience things through our senses and perceptions)—he places profound importance on the viewer’s sensory and intellectual experience, emphasizing how art can engage the body and mind in ways that go beyond representation.&nbsp;Manglano-Ovalle’s solo exhibition at DePaul Art Museum&nbsp;presents site-specific works that are both familiar and opaque, encouraging viewers to confront ambiguity and engage in deeper contemplation. Our experiences are never predetermined; they exist at the intersection of the private and the public, the personal and the shared. However deeply felt, they are also open to examination. Manglano-Ovalle’s work calls us to inhabit the present moment fully, urging us to consider: How does the work draw us in, and how do we, in turn, respond to it—right here, right now?&nbsp;Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle’s exhibition is curated by Ionit Behar, PhD, and organized by DePaul Art Museum.&nbsp; Image credit: Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Untitled, 2023. Pine and graphite. Courtesy of the artist.&nbsp;

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: A Want for Nothing

Watercolorist Michael Ireland (b.1952) challenges the norms traditionally associated with the medium. Often working on a large scale, Ireland explores how technique and texture impact color. Ireland’s creative studies began at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and he has continued to explore the possibilities of painting and watercolor while navigating a fruitful and diverse artistic career path. Ireland&nbsp;is a member of the National Watercolor Society and the Illinois Watercolor Society.

Different Strokes

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newberry.org/calendar/mapping-outside-the-lines" target="_blank">Details</a> Lines are foundational to how maps communicate. They guide you home from a new restaurant, tell you how tall a mountain is, and warn you not to stray too far in the wrong direction. They sometimes even tell you about the life a map has lived. Over centuries, mapmakers have developed (and abandoned) an amazing variety of ways to use lines to bring our world to life. This exhibition follows lines on maps to their extremes in examples from mundane textbooks to avant-garde art. Through these lines, maps rationalize their world view, even as they reveal perspectives that are neither universal nor neutral. Mapping Outside the Lines&nbsp;is generously supported by Rand McNally. <h3>Curator</h3>David Weimer, Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps and Director of the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography <h3>Exhibition-Related Programming</h3> Public Programs at the Newberry&nbsp;are free and open to all. Registration required in advance. <a style="color: rgb(91, 92, 87);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newberry.org/calendar/folded-map-project" target="_blank">Folded Map™ Project Screening and Discussion, November 6, 5:30pm</a>Join us for a screening of&nbsp;Folded Map™ Project – The Movie&nbsp;followed by a discussion led by Tonika Lewis Johnson. <a style="color: rgb(91, 92, 87);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newberry.org/calendar/mapping-migrations" target="_blank">Mapping Migrations, November 15, 11am</a>Artist, Sandy Rodriguez, and Newberry Curator of Maps, David Weimer, will lead an artmaking workshop exploring how you can repurpose maps to make your own map of Chicago. <h3>Exhibition-Related Adult Education</h3> Adult Education classes at the Newberry&nbsp;require registration in advance and a modest fee. <a style="color: rgb(91, 92, 87);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newberry.org/calendar/how-maps-work" target="_blank">How Maps Work, four sessions, starting November 4, 2pm</a>Taught by David Weimer, this class will trace the development of maps and mapping in Europe and the Americas by looking at what, at different points in the last 500 years, has made a map a map. In conjunction with the exhibition, we will engage with some contemporary artists’ work with maps to think about why maps continue to matter to us in the digital age.

Mapping Outside the Lines

Kim Storage Gallery is pleased to present Balance a solo exhibition featuring Chicago artist Susan Hall.Her oil paintings reverently explore nature. Hall’s animal subjects —often deer, birds, rabbits, and other woodland creatures — are rendered with the gravity and presence of portraiture. Sometimes a human figure joins the animal in quiet communion. A lace or crochet pattern runs throughout many of her pieces, veiling the subject to create a dreamlike atmosphere while also suggesting a delicate connection. Hall’s work is informed by meditations on coexistence, vulnerability, and the powerful harmonies that sustain the natural world.Susan Hall was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been a Chicago area resident since 1993. She has exhibited her work throughout the United States, including shows at Lyonswier Packer Gallery in New York City, Thomas Masters Gallery in Chicago, and Butters Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Her honors include an Illinois Arts Council grant, a Georgia Council for the Arts grant, and Best in Show at the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society's Animal Images exhibition juried by Ed Paschke. Hall received her MFA from the University of Georgia and her BA from Connecticut College.Image: Watcher, Oil on panel,&nbsp;43 x 48”

Susan Hall: Balance

Carnival&nbsp;brings together a new body of work by&nbsp;Vesna Jovanovic, inspired by her interest in medieval French&nbsp;carnivals&nbsp;and other festivals from around the world in which social ranks and identities are ignored and concealed, allowing participants to connect through food, dance, laughter, and sexual expression. In the group of paintings exhibited, all created in the past three years, the artist playfully renders invented spaces in which the body is both setting and subject—collapsed into unexpected relationships with objects that bring joy and pleasure. Jovanovic’s process begins by pouring diluted ink onto sheets of Yupo (a synthetic paper made of polypropylene). Once the ink is dried, the artist responds to the texture by painting candy, sparklers, confetti, sex toys, jingles, and much more across the fleshy surfaces–prioritizing relationships that evoke attraction, repulsion, laughter, and recognition. Eye of Providence, 2025, Ink, vinyl paint, and acrylic pen on polypropylene, 60 x 60 inches.

Vesna Jovanovic: Carnival

"Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary" is the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work since her death in 2018, presenting 33 works created in the final years of her career. The exhibition’s title is drawn from a poem in Gertrude Stein’s "Tender Buttons" (1914), a text that remained a pivotal source of inspiration for Ott throughout her life. Employing materials such as polystyrene and spray foam, Ott transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary, constructing works of art that are at once imaginative and dreamlike. For Ott, art offered a space of transformation, a means of turning trauma inside out and reshaping it into forms of play and wonder. This exhibition highlights the depth of her experimental practice and affirms her enduring legacy as an artist who expanded the possibilities of material and meaning.

Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary

Opening at the Racine Art Museum (RAM) on March 12, 2025,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(247, 143, 57);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK-2FjDPvzcE-2F0N1PM-2BTx4Y3zd7FZ-2Bd1Ua-2FLcgXQzE0mtRbw-3D-3D_2Re_a1zzESVdmgLIQ4rlql6kbXT9QXaGGWYBxHAPtO1QqWO5GLp4idxebnEhHBD62PapFGhVibvX636tV4VNXI9Yc1fC3t6I93nvs128KylNuVSG4w8b6TD-2BSQhnOlpvnvnpFtzUMvSCikhZbhybTpfD-2B0ndfu50xgxCFjZQzQqK1fOcTlhX-2BRrO0O4nAgDPUkTGaehksClVOLINAXSjtnUzXR8ZKWwGh0QTjvG3iPLVYcP1XK0LCRdt1sQ26HiP09DlJp7-2BEeaYHrmf0yLvpEVBeX27-2Bo4o3I15g1nbUfpCnnAFVTVTkMvPT9eRTmr7HrsmEnIs7xUu4UKb0NikvQZYBcM7YnX8adZ3hMT5S-2FGRV2eXnUDwiTvGWMtJfSk2gec7x5dVdBaKQpeUrJDHQPJFhg-3D-3D" target="_blank">RAM Showcase: Bodies</a>&nbsp;features works created from clay or washi paper that explore the human body as form and content. This exhibition will remain on display through February 21, 2026.The human figure is often used to tell stories, symbolize existence, and represent the human condition. Featuring works from RAM’s collection,&nbsp;RAM Showcase: Bodies&nbsp;reflects people’s desire to study, analyze, and respond to the notion of the human body, with pieces on display that underscore the enduring artistic interest in the body as subject. The&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(247, 143, 57);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK9KXaQ6SLoxPqPiJ1ykV514-2B1mdaYq5n3BVmc6w-2B-2FQgWQ-3D-3Df65z_a1zzESVdmgLIQ4rlql6kbXT9QXaGGWYBxHAPtO1QqWO5GLp4idxebnEhHBD62PapFGhVibvX636tV4VNXI9Yc1fC3t6I93nvs128KylNuVSG4w8b6TD-2BSQhnOlpvnvnpFtzUMvSCikhZbhybTpfD-2B0ndfu50xgxCFjZQzQqK1fOcTlhX-2BRrO0O4nAgDPUkTGaehksClVOLINAXSjtnUzXR8ZKWwGh0QTjvG3iPLVYcODwwQL4fAtoF-2Fq7rWfMz4fjDbJH6uf8-2BsEl7BV4h2Gv7UTGoLpb8LGW7ObuWGLPZzA2KwFMqauzqimyjGEyNVrI-2Bb9eBa6z-2B5RT5h4d-2Bqaysd-2Bh1Dnn72ToJnaCvH1mJcLs6EAPT-2BTclF92v-2BlNnPF0uVT7slnEOdQZbLt-2BmZVvA-3D-3D" target="_blank">RAM Showcase&nbsp;exhibition series</a>&nbsp;at RAM and its second campus, RAM’s Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, focuses entirely on the work of contemporary artists of color. The fact that all of the works in&nbsp;RAM Showcase: Bodies&nbsp;were made by artists of color is a significant additional layer to the subject matter and ways it is depicted. This distinction is critical for some contemporary artists of color, as their work adds narratives to art histories that generally marginalized or excluded them.Individually, the artists represented in this exhibition explore a wide range of issues, including social and cultural dynamics, the sensual body, emotions, the connection between human beings and animals, history, and relationships between duality and otherness. Sometimes self-portraits, sometimes not, the subjects portrayed are envisioned or recorded through flat, drawn images or sculpted forms and reflect vibrant voices and engaging perspectives. Exhibitions at Racine Art Museum are made possible by:&nbsp;Platinum Partners—The Estate of Karen Johnson Boyd, David Charak, Judith and David Flegel Fund, Ron and Judith Isaacs, Racine Community Foundation, United Way of Racine County, Windgate Foundation;&nbsp;Diamond Partners—Ruffo Family Foundation, Ruth Arts Foundation, Diane Zebell;&nbsp;Gold Partners—Anonymous, A. C. Buhler Family, Robert E. Kohler Jr. Fund, Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation, Reliance Controls, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, W.T. Walker Group, Inc., Wisconsin Arts Board;&nbsp;Silver Partners—Anonymous, Sandy and Gus Antonneau, Baird, Lucy G. Feller, Ben and Dawn Flegel, Sharon and Tom Harty, Dave and Judy Hecker, Paula Kalke, Horizon Retail Construction, Inc., Johnson Financial Group, Lang Family Foundation, Dorothy MacVicar, Jan Serr &amp; John Shannon, Sandra Shove, Willard and Mary Walker;&nbsp;Bronze Partners—Carol Baylon, Rose and Peter Christensen, Dave’s Wine Garage, Educators Credit Union, Patricia and Richard Ehlert, Express Employment Professionals, Deborah Ganaway, Carol Griseto, Hitter’s Baseball, SC Johnson, Bill and Debbie Keland, Nancy and Nick Kurten, Susan Manalli, Norbell Foundation, JoAnna Poehlman, Rasmussen Diamonds, Harold and Lois Solberg, Kathy Stanghellini, Tito's, Twin Disc, Janna Waldeck, Barbara Waldman;&nbsp;Media Sponsor—Radio Milwaukee. The two campuses of the Racine Art Museum—RAM in downtown Racine at 441 Main Street and the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum) at 2519 Northwestern Avenue—are located in Racine, Wisconsin, a historic community on the shores of Lake Michigan. RAM is home to the largest contemporary craft collection in North America and has a reputation for its award-winning architecture and nationally recognized exhibition program. Wustum is home to the organization's diverse, award-winning art education programs and has presented significant art exhibitions since 1941. Both campuses of the Racine Art Museum are currently open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission rates are $10 for adults; $8 for students, seniors (62+), and veterans; and free for RAM members, children under 12, active military personnel, and NARM, ROAM, and AAM members.

RAM Showcase: Bodies

Smart to the Core: Wise to Power examines questions about the formation of political communities, the organization of economic lives by political society, and individual navigation of society. The exhibition integrates visual art with foundational texts of modern social and political thought spanning nearly four centuries. It addresses themes familiar yet deeply connected to specific political, economic, and cultural histories. Wise to Power is the fourth installment of “Smart to the Core,” a series fostering collaboration with the University of Chicago’s Core undergraduate curriculum and exploring the role of art across disciplines. The exhibition is drawn primarily from the permanent collection and organized by the Smart’s Feitler Center for Academic Inquiry with UChicago’s Social Sciences Core, “Power, Identity, Resistance.” Support is provided by the Smart Museum’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowment, Feitler Center for Academic Inquiry Fund, and SmartPartners, with special thanks to Jack Shainman Gallery and The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections.

Smart to the Core: Wise to Power (Part I)

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago&nbsp;will become the&nbsp;exclusive U.S. venue for "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,"&nbsp;a comprehensive solo exhibition dedicated to the artist, musician, and activist Yoko Ono (b. 1933, Tokyo, Japan; currently residing in New York, NY),&nbsp;opening in October 2025.Traveling from Tate Modern in London, where it achieved record-breaking attendance, and developed in close collaboration with Ono’s studio, this&nbsp;groundbreaking retrospective spans seventy years&nbsp;of Ono’s innovative&nbsp;career. The&nbsp;exhibition features over 200 works, including participatory instruction pieces and scores, installations, a curated music room, films, music, photography, and archival materials.The exhibition highlights&nbsp;significant works from throughout Ono’s decades-long career, including the landmark performance piece "Cut Piece"&nbsp;(1964), a foundational work in performance and feminist art; her&nbsp;collaborations&nbsp;with&nbsp;prominent musicians&nbsp;such as&nbsp;John Cage,&nbsp;Ornette Coleman, and her late husband,&nbsp;John Lennon; selected activations of instruction-based artworks from her influential book&nbsp;"Grapefruit"(1964); innovative films from the 1960s and 1970s such as&nbsp;"FLY" (1970–71) and the once-banned "Film No.4 (Bottoms)"&nbsp;(1966–67), which she created as a "petition for peace"; recent works like her ongoing installation "Wish Tree" (1996–present); and public artworks emblematic of Ono’s enduring commitment to peace activism.On Saturdays, Sundays, and select Tuesdays throughout the full run of&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://visit.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/yoko-ono-music-of-the-mind/" target="_blank">Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,</a>&nbsp;performers from all walks of life will activate Ono's deceptively simple "event scores" from her groundbreaking 1964 book&nbsp;Grapefruit. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/tca-zinefest-2025-the-power-of-prints/" target="_blank">Teen Creative Agency | Zine Fest 2025: The Power of Prints</a>Museum of Contemporary Art ChicagoDec 20, 2025 | 1–6 pmThe MCA’s&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcachicago.org/learn/youth/tca" target="_blank">Teen Creative Agency (TCA)&nbsp;</a>is celebrating fourteen years (and counting) of DIY publications by teens! This event showcases the original artwork, activism, and social practice of Chicago-area youth in zine form. Join the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Teen Creative Agency for an afternoon of events and activities highlighting the past, present, and future of print making by Chicago teens. Visitors are invited to participate in activities organized by the TCA, such as zine making and on-site merch giveaways. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/six-scores-for-yoko-ono/" target="_blank">Six Scores for Yoko Ono</a>Kovler AtriumNov 4, 2025 | 6 pmExperience the musical context of Yoko Ono’s early work with performances of five 1960s scores—by Mieko Shiomi, Nam June Paik, Takehisa Kosugi, and George Maciunas—and a new commission by MCA Chanel Fellow, Andrew Hansung Park. The performances track the destruction of a violin, smashing boundaries between everyday sound and music. The&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://visit.mcachicago.org/introducing-the-mca-dna-research-initiative" target="_blank">MCA DNA Research Initiative</a>&nbsp;is a multi-year curatorial program, supported by the CHANEL Culture Fund, that invites early-career curators and writers to the museum for interdisciplinary research projects related to the institution’s collection. Focused on the intersection of visual art and performance, this initiative surfaces overlooked art historical narratives within the organization’s history while foregrounding the cross-disciplinary ethos that has been integral to the museum since its founding in 1967.Image: Yoko Ono with&nbsp;Glass Hammer, 1967, from&nbsp;Half-A-Wind Show, Lisson Gallery, London, UK, 1967. Artwork © Yoko Ono. Photo © Clay Perry.

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind

Opening Weekend Celebrations: October 4th - 5th, 2025 ﻿The Smart Museum of Art presents&nbsp;Theaster Gates's first&nbsp;solo museum exhibition in his hometown of Chicago. A self-designated “keeper of objects,” the artist Theaster Gates investigates the value of things and their potential to hold layered meanings. He has been dedicated to investing in the care of these objects as a way to nurture stories and voices – often Black stories and voices – largely overlooked by history or institutional structures. The exhibition&nbsp;Theaster Gates: Unto Thee&nbsp;is rooted in several core collections of objects that have been part of Gates’s artistic practice which he acquired through the University of Chicago, where he is Professor of Visual Arts. Ranging from the Department of Art History’s glass lantern slides and&nbsp;display vitrines from the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly the Oriental Institute), to paint-stained concrete from the floors of Midway Studios and wooden pews made for Bond Chapel, all objects have been discarded and identified as no longer needed. In creating new works with them over the years – and, as will be done again, in new installations at the Smart – Gates challenges that notion of stasis by instead excavating more histories, more stories. These installations will be accompanied by Gates’s more recent work including paintings, ceramics, film, and pieces incorporating the archive of the Johnson Publishing Company. Rooted in materials and Gates’s interest in the process of making,&nbsp;Unto Thee&nbsp;embodies the relationships Gates has fostered within the University of Chicago, local communities, the South Side and broader Chicago. It underscores the artist’s unassailable belief in the potential of art to connect with and transform communities. The exhibition is accompanied by a site-specific installation as part of the Museum’s Threshold Lobby Series, which will be on view through July 2026. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://uchicago.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aba2086a45b4ee8391b89447b&amp;id=6d81ba16bf&amp;e=a6ad3ea4a5" target="_blank">Read the Exhibition Listing</a>

Theaster Gates: Unto Thee

Artists: Andrew Bearnot, Larry Bell, James Collins, Shingo Francis, Kate Joyce, Jan Tichy, Ruth Root and Kim Uchiyama “Colours are the deeds and sufferings of light.”&nbsp;- Goethe&nbsp; SECRIST | BEACH is pleased to present the salon invitational exhibition&nbsp;Luminous Matter.&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;brings together a group of eight artists that formally and conceptually explore the interconnectedness of color, light, and form. The exhibition includes an intergenerational roster of artists and was curated with the assistance of gallery artists’ Luftwerk.&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;is presented concurrently with Luftwerk’s debut solo exhibition&nbsp;The Sun Standing Still.&nbsp;These exhibitions will be on view from December 5 through February 14, 2026 at 1801 W. Hubbard St. An opening reception will take place on Friday, December 5 from 5 to 8PM.Luminous Matter&nbsp;is an exhibition that examines the interdependent and generative relationship between three elemental constituents of visual experience: color, light, and form. Each, in isolation, holds an autonomous aesthetic and conceptual presence; yet, in their convergence, they produce the perceptual and emotional conditions through which we apprehend the world. This exhibition proposes that the meeting point of these three tropes — their overlaps, tensions, and dissolutions — can offer a renewed lens through which to consider the nature of perception itself.While color, light, and form have historically served as fundamental building blocks of visual art, they also occupy complex theoretical terrain. Goethe’s assertion that “colours are the deeds and sufferings of light” provides an entry point into this dialogue: color emerges not merely as a surface attribute, but as an event — a manifestation of interaction, time, and transformation. Light, meanwhile, becomes both a material and a metaphor, shaping visibility and revealing the interstitial boundaries between presence and absence. Form, often regarded as static or structural, is here treated as fluid and responsive, contingent upon the oscillations of both light and color.In this exhibition, these three forces are explored not as fixed categories but as active agents of experience. They are seen as participants in an ongoing exchange between the physical and the psychological, the empirical and the affective. The works assembled for&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;engage with this exchange through a range of media — from painting and installation to light-based and spatial practices — each probing how visual phenomena can evoke states of emotion, cognition, and embodied perception.At its conceptual core,&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;contends that perception is never neutral. It is conditioned by memory, by emotion, and by cultural systems of meaning. The exhibition therefore foregrounds the socio-emotional register of perception: how color can serve as a proxy for mood or identity; how light, in its absence or excess, can structure both social and psychic space; and how form operates as a vessel for the unseen forces of attention, gesture, and time. These investigations bridge the rational and the intuitive, inviting viewers to inhabit a space where vision becomes a mode of introspection.In dialogue with this group presentation, a solo exhibition by the Chicago-based artist collaborative&nbsp;Luftwerk&nbsp;(Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero) expands the conversation into an immersive field of light and spatial perception. Known for their site-responsive installations that manipulate color and luminosity to alter architectural experience, Luftwerk’s practice offers a vivid articulation of the exhibition’s central inquiry: how light not only illuminates but transforms — both materially and psychologically.Situated within the gallery’s newly expanded 10,000-square-foot space,&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;is conceived as an experiential continuum rather than a static arrangement. Viewers are invited to navigate a choreography of light, hue, and shape that evolves with each movement and glance. This mutable environment underscores the exhibition’s central thesis: that meaning is not located solely in the object, but in the relational encounter between viewer, artwork, and environment.Ultimately,&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;seeks to reactivate our sensitivity to the subtle transactions that occur at the thresholds of perception. In an era saturated by digital imagery and artificial illumination, this exhibition returns to the primal forces of color, light, and form — not as mere formal devices, but as conduits of human experience, capable of evoking wonder, reflection, and the quiet rediscovery of seeing itself.

Luminous Matter

SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change September 19, 2025–February 26, 2026 Over the past decade, the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has sustained an international forum on architecture and urbanism centered in Chicago and has continued to produce the largest exhibition of contemporary architecture in North America every two years. CAB exhibitions and public programs have engaged over 2.2 million visitors with innovative ideas in design through over 400 original projects created by architects, artists and designers from nearly 50 countries. CAB is excited to celebrate its tenth anniversary with CAB 6, the next iteration of the Biennial to be held in 2025, led by Florencia Rodriguez, a writer, editor and Director of and Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago's School of Architecture (UIC/SoArch), who will be the Biennial's first Latina Artistic Director.&nbsp; Titled&nbsp;Shift: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, CAB 6 will present an expansive and multi-faceted exploration of the field of architecture and the built environment globally, specifically as they respond to and are remade by a rapidly changing world. In tandem with exhibitions, installations, events and a robust youth education program throughout Chicago, CAB 6 will also produce a series of initiatives, both local and virtual, that will expand the intellectual footprint of the Biennial beyond the city itself.&nbsp; The sixth edition of CAB, which is free and open to the public, will open its central exhibition in the Chicago Cultural Center on September 19, 2025 and run through February 28, 2026. * Opening Weekend The 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial,&nbsp;SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change,&nbsp;launches this September with a dynamic weekend of exhibitions, events, panel discussions, and activations that will continue across the city through February 2026.&nbsp; The Biennial officially opens to the public on&nbsp;September 19, 2025, with exhibitions at the&nbsp;Chicago Cultural Center,&nbsp;Graham Foundation,&nbsp;Stony Island Arts Bank, a site-specific installation on the grounds of the&nbsp;Griffin Museum of Science and Industry,&nbsp;and a special performance and opening celebration at the&nbsp;historic&nbsp;Roundhouse&nbsp;at&nbsp;The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Across these sites, more than 70 architects, artists, and designers explore the profound cultural, social, and environmental transformations shaping our world today. The projects on view engage the uncertainty of our time, but also offer visions of creativity, resilience, and possibility—asking how architecture can contribute to the futures we want to imagine together. Opening weekend also highlights programming from local partners, including the Chicago Architecture Center, National Public Housing Museum, and De Paul Art Museum, among others. These collaborations underscore the Biennial’s commitment to linking global conversations with Chicago’s unique architectural and civic landscape. The following is an outline of special programming and events throughout the opening. Select each event to find further information. We look forward to continuing citywide expansion of the Biennial with the opening of a new exhibition site in&nbsp;November&nbsp;that brings together over&nbsp;25 large-scale projects&nbsp;advancing the ideas at the heart of&nbsp;SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change.&nbsp; We invite you to join one of our many programs during opening weekend, and continue exploring as the Biennial unfolds through February 28, with successive moments of programming that spotlight its thematic capsules and partner initiatives across the city.

Chicago Architecture Biennial 2025

Inside the&nbsp;Roger Brown Study CollectionOn View at the Art Preserve Opening Saturday, October 11, at the Art Preserve, a new installation brings a selection from artist&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://jmkac.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=972c21ce29cd75dcf33b15668&amp;id=355550f260&amp;e=198a7ee908" target="_blank">Roger Brown</a>’s eclectic Chicago home collection into public view for the first time since its acquisition. Containing over 2,000 works by fellow Chicago Imagists and non-mainstream artists, Brown’s collection reflects his playful sensibility, Southern heritage, and deep admiration for his mentor, artist Ray Yoshida. Visitors will encounter a vibrant mix of folk and Indigenous art, thrift store finds, souvenirs, fine art, costumes, and pop culture objects—all echoing Brown’s unique eye for composition, narrative, and the silhouetted form. This introductory installation—situated near Yoshida’s own home environment collection at the Art Preserve—highlights the visual and conceptual connections between the two artists. Among the featured objects is Brown’s rear stairwell shelf, a striking vignette modeled after Yoshida’s signature shelves, packed with quirky toys, thrifted paintings, and references to artist Jesse Howard. Brown’s love of Southern pottery, mid-century cars, and figures also shines through, offering a rich glimpse into his singular artistic world. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://jmkac.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=972c21ce29cd75dcf33b15668&amp;id=2526874222&amp;e=198a7ee908" target="_blank">Explore the Installation</a>

The Roger Brown Study Collection

<a style="color: rgb(237, 125, 49);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK8yW-2BXyw5UQYrM55ZmS7mjePlRYQZlyaKPtMRp0luyHNesq46Np7sE-2F-2FPT2ta0hzX4-3DrDWG_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLQij9mq4AdTVgAgcfJX-2F-2FPTu332zUjMMqljcxl9w9r3NoRmsXeaDJt17yw0Bwdc3Xwn40iqTGYQf4nKFTgHyvqC1JX7YVIcYK01LpLq2CgQ-2FdzxHBkxuepSll1dN5U2zjwahWMisDGxBM-2B2Va361iP-2BPGr0H6PvTvjVGhVJNKfGtNDPbavuE8bnyAogeomoNlnsYTa5SsoMvxvMqQ7JceljQp4sQ4UnA8oE659YoY-2F-2B9NyCYC3qx41foND8EiD9xmT8oA3bL8-2F1HZEEroCpMLEkNlyaB2WuePtkTT6hb4q7csh9U55niPVSACtiVelAng-3D-3D" target="_blank">Monumental: Larger than Life-Size</a>—a new exhibition that invites viewers to explore “oversized” artwork from the museum’s permanent collection—opens at the Racine Art Museum (RAM) on August 1, 2025. This exhibition relates to the question of why human beings are fascinated by “real life” things that are rendered larger or smaller than life-size. Throughout art history, there are many examples of everyday objects that became mysterious or more compelling because of a shift in scale. From oversized body parts and clay vessels to an abnormally large bronze pear, the works on display in&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;encourage viewers to consider how size affects expectations and opinions of art. RAM Director of Exhibitions and Collections Lena Vigna believes that, depending on a viewer’s perspective, this exhibition could be considered serious, playful, or both:“Oversize fruit, such as the bronze pear and the glass plum, encourages viewers to contemplate complex issues such<s>&nbsp;as</s>&nbsp;the relationship between consumerism, health, and safety. Are bigger and better products good for the environment or our health?” questions Vigna. “At the same time, large ceramic feet and heads are fantastical, calling to mind fairy tales and legends. Reflecting the concerns of contemporary artists who use traditional materials in unexpected ways, the works on display reflect things that are simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar as they blur the boundaries between reality and mystery.”Why are human beings fascinated by “real life” things that are rendered larger or smaller than life-size? Throughout art history, there are many examples of everyday objects that became mysterious or more compelling because of a shift in scale. From oversized body parts and clay vessels to an abnormally large bronze pear, these works from RAM’s collection encourage viewers to consider how size affects their expectations and opinions. On display in RAM’s street-facing Windows on Fifth Gallery,&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;will be available for continual, free public viewing—24 hours a day, seven days a week. Further information about&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;is available on RAM’s website,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(237, 125, 49);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK8yW-2BXyw5UQYrM55ZmS7mjePlRYQZlyaKPtMRp0luyHNesq46Np7sE-2F-2FPT2ta0hzX4-3D68Mw_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLQij9mq4AdTVgAgcfJX-2F-2FPTu332zUjMMqljcxl9w9r3NoRmsXeaDJt17yw0Bwdc3Xwn40iqTGYQf4nKFTgHyvqC1JX7YVIcYK01LpLq2CgQ-2FdzxHBkxuepSll1dN5U2zjwahWMisDGxBM-2B2Va361iPqPfxW42d4UX-2BEcYUi3JwvltYehZmIc-2BNM5oNTkLrlKdneP79LTAo8eQqYKhBe7ApfubFH63l5xIreTpq4X2-2FLM2OwP2AuroQc26AsyY9i2WBh4Eb25XVgINlB2oaWsOzs2A2G0RTkQXQj35S1rogNT47TPMqCW6apD2KYgQ0yaA-3D-3D" target="_blank">ramart.org</a>.&nbsp;

Calendar

Chicago Gallery News