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

Amy Morrison Heinrich, Honorary Chair &amp;&nbsp;Elizabeth Pruett, Chair Honoring 2026 Environmental Leadership Award RecipientKARENNA GOREAuthor, Climate Activist, and Founder of the Center for Earth Ethics ​​SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 20266:00 PMCHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL <a href="https://brushwoodcenter.org/43rd-annual-smith-nature-symposium/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIP</a>

43rd Annual Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner

THE DIASPORAL RHYTHMS COLLECTORS ART AUCTION 3PM-6PMSunday, October 25 Logan Center for the Arts915 E. 60TH STREET A NATURAL THOUGHT IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GENEROUS SPONSORSHIP FROM THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST RSVP: <a href="https://diasporalrhythms.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DIASPORALRHYTHMS. ORG</a>

A Natural Thought – The Diasporal Rhythms Collectors Art Auction

<a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(0, 112, 192);" target="_blank">Hyde Park Art Center</a>, the renowned non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, hosts its&nbsp;2026 Gala&nbsp;activating the entire building on&nbsp;Saturday, November 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with an afterparty that goes till&nbsp;11:30 p.m.&nbsp;The lively event honors American painter&nbsp;Candida Alvarez&nbsp;and Chicago arts leader&nbsp;Nora Daley,&nbsp;and is packed with hands-on art activities, commissioned performances, open studios, art auctions, and DJs from Lumpen Radio. The gala co-chairs are Chicago art patrons&nbsp;Trissa Babrowski and Sundeep Mullangi,&nbsp;Maria Christina and Guy-Karim Caland Puymartin, and Chicago gallerists&nbsp;Monique Meloche and Evan Boris. The Gala after-party is hosted in partnership with Lumpen Radio, with standalone tickets at $75 available for purchase on the Art Center’s website. Guests may RSVP and make donations at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hydeparkart.org/gala." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.hydeparkart.org/gala</a><a href="http://www.hydeparkart.org/gala." rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: black;" target="_blank">.</a> With a “creative cocktail” dress code, the evening will feature a cocktail party running from 5:30-7:00 p.m., followed by a seated dinner with remarks by Art Center leadership and artists. With a reputation as one of the city’s most “hands-on” art parties, the Gala will feature an after-party in collaboration with Lumpen Radio from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. that includes the popular Interactive Artist Interventions, resident artist open studios, performances, DJs, late-night bites, and more.&nbsp; Interactive Artist Interventions have been a highlight of past Art Center Galas, where guests were engaged in inventive interactions, such as getting inked by a tattoo artist and eating cake off a wall.&nbsp;This year’s participating artists will be announced soon at&nbsp;<a href="http://hydeparkart.org/gala" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hydeparkart.org/gala</a>. Gala tickets are available for $750 with host committee sponsorship levels beginning at $2,500. Guests may RSVP and make donations at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hydeparkart.org/gala" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hydeparkart.org/gala</a>. For more information on sponsorship levels, please contact Destinee Johnson at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:djohnson@hydeparkart.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">djohnson@hydeparkart.or</a><a href="mailto:djohnson@hydeparkart.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank">g</a>. About the honoreesCandida Alvarez&nbsp;is widely regarded as one of her generation’s most highly innovative and experimental painters. Her work has been collected by the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Whitney Museum, San Jose Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, among others. She has been granted the Anonymous was a Woman Award, Trellis Art Fund Award, Arts and Letters Award in Art by the American Academy of Arts and Letters,&nbsp;Mellon Foundation Latinx Artist Fellowship,&nbsp;Helen Frankenthaler Award for Painting, and the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painter and Sculptors Grant. Alvarez is an alum of Yale School of Art, and held the F.H. Sellers Professorship in Painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she is now Professor Emerit. In Fall 2024 Alvarez was the Alex Katz Chair in Painting at The Cooper Union. Her career-spanning solo exhibition at El Museo del Barrio titled Circle, Point, Hoop was on view until August 2025, running concurrently with Real Monsters in Bold Colors:Bob Thompson and Candida Alvarez, GRAY New York. Alvarez is represented by GRAY New York and Monique Meloche Gallery. Nora Daley&nbsp;has focused on helping people and tirelessly strengthening communities throughout her life. In 2025, she was named the board&nbsp;co-chair of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the largest exhibition of architecture and urbanism in North America. She was appointed Chair of the Illinois Art Council Agency by Governor JB Pritzker in September 2022, and continues to work with other agencies throughout the state to partner and provide access and opportunity for the creative sector. She has been in leadership as chairman of the Board of Trustees and executive committee member of multiple organizations, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Terra Foundation for American Art, After School Matters, Navy Pier, Inc., Frances Xavier Warde School and the Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum. Daley has served as an advisor to and active participant in various organizations, including the Illinois Justice Project, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, Hyde Park Art Center, University of Illinois Chicago and Harris School of Public Policy University of Chicago. From 2011-2019 she chaired the City of Chicago’s Cultural Advisory Council under Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In 2022 Daley established Raven Partners, a strategic advisory firm, to continue to build upon her work with various businesses and organizations. As a former Managing Director of Wonderworks, an immersive experiential art museum that disrupts the traditional nonprofit model, she led the relaunch, rebuild and rebrand of the museum. From 2002-2014 Daley worked as a Senior Advisor and Director of Outreach for Metropolis Strategies, an initiative from the Commercial Club of Chicago that created a civic organization focused on the growth of the regional economy to promote sustainable development and create safer communities throughout the Chicago region. Daley received a BA in Art History from Fairfield University. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Hyde Park Art Center’s 2026 Gala

On behalf of Lisa M. Key, Executive Director, and the Board of Directors, the Driehaus Museum invites you to join us for The Gilded Gala, an annual celebration of artistic excellence and Chicago’s cultural legacy. This signature event benefits the Museum’s transformative public programming and mission of expanding access to extraordinary art, architecture, and design. The 2026 Gilded Gala will honor Mansueto Office, Inc. for advancing the well-being of communities through philanthropic support of holistic educational and cultural initiatives, as well as the stewardship of our architecturally significant built environment to ensure long-term social impact. Suzette Bross Bulley, Gala ChairLisa M. Key, Executive DirectorZachary Lazar, Board Chair Tuesday, November 17, 2026&nbsp;5:30pm Reception7:00pm Dinner &amp; Program <a href="https://driehausmuseum.org/gala?mc_cid=ef680d6bbe&amp;mc_eid=d1db3f815c" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Details</a>

Gilded Gala 2026

Fundraiser, 4th Annual Bowling Fundraiser for the Ren in Hyde Park Please join the team of the Ren and our host committee of seasoned bowlers—Daniel G. BairdBrian BlackBethany CollinsDavid FrejChanelle LacyEmma McKeeSundeep Mullangi—for our fourth annual evening of strikes, spares, suds, and sliders, as we raise critical support for 2026–27 exhibitions and programs.All bowling ticket buyers have the opportunity to bowl on a team. Lane Sponsors can bring their own teams. Don’t bowl? Get a Cheering Section ticket and join us to watch the competition and root for your favorite bowlers!All proceeds from the evening will provide critical support for the Ren’s exhibitions, performances, and concerts.Lane SponsorIncludes game for 8, food and drinks: $5,000Single Bowling TicketIncludes game for one, food and drinks: $500Cheering SectionIncludes food and drinks: $350Artist SponsorIncludes single bowling ticket benefits: $350Please note: per IRS regulations, $50 per ticket is non-tax-deductible.<a href="https://us.list-manage.com/PVdyj4jlTj5?e=375d06b725&amp;c2id=a1543766333e29b2a96f10cba6d25902" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Purchase a ticket or make a donation.</a>

Calendar

Chicago Gallery News