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

Guided tour with Director and Curator, Jeff Stevenson – focus on the South Collection featuring visiting artists’ installations that connect us to the Earth through themes found in classic favorites. The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The fee for the tour is $10. Participants are advised to meet at the F Entrance for all tours/events, wear shoes suitable for walking on grass paths, and dress in layers to accommodate changing weather conditions. Restrooms are available at the F Entrance, and parking is free with East Lot 3 being the closest. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early with a picnic and enjoy Dan Peterman’s “Running Table” near the meetup point. Other recommended comfort items include a water bottle, bug spray, and sunscreen. Registration can be completed at www.thenate.org or through the provided link: https://engage.govst.edu/register/?id=01d885d3-e8f4-44a9-aca1-d41234729be8.

Guided tour with Director and Curator, Jeff Stevenson

Enriching Life Retrospective (Heeyoung Kim and Brushwood Botanical Artists)

Enriching Life Retrospective

Co-curator Eduardo Bello leads an in-gallery conversation about the exhibition.

Curator's Talk:  Modernity in the Making

At Ease In Nature: Nature Holds Our Stories is an event taking place from October 7 to October 24 at the Carnegie Library in Waukegan. The event is associated with Brushwood Gallery, located at 21850 N. Riverwoods Rd., Riverwoods (60015). For more information, visit www.brushwoodcenter.org.

At Ease In Nature: Nature Holds Our Stories

Art Encounter is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of our mural program with special programs throughout the year! This October, join Executive Director and mural program co-founder Lea Pinsky for a guided behind-the-scenes walking tour of the large-scale artworks that have transformed Downtown Evanston over the past decade. See some brand new projects, hear stories about the artists and the origins of the artworks, and learn what's coming next for our mural program. Visit artencounter.org/downtown-evanston-mural-tour-2026 to register.

Downtown Evanston Mural Tour

The Art Center's massive annual showcase of recycled and rediscovered artwork.We are proud to announce that the&nbsp;2026 Recycled Art Sale&nbsp;will be bigger, and filled with more treasures, than ever before.&nbsp; Over the last year, donors have dropped off a record number of donations. The art at&nbsp;Recycled&nbsp;is carefully curated and priced to be affordable. Make sure you get your ticket for opening night below, or join us during the week of the sale for free.&nbsp; First Look Entry:Friday, Oct 16 | 5 pm Opening Night Event:Friday, Oct 16 | 6 pm Opening WeekendSaturday, Oct 17 | 10 am – 4 pmSunday, Oct 18 | 12 pm – 4 pm Free Entry:Monday, Oct 19 – Saturday, Oct 24<a href="https://rkcgwygbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001shdM4pYLrrQHSx7IJCzsIYZedukQGSp5GKA088AOyu5MHbVyfqYWX5O2pBY0TZXhTMGplt9A5bovGShmr_MhLVKKiTGVvbWQEn9O3jgH5reMsJt4HuigkhsUM_jvoeYfRCUJ_oEEDHrY4OVUG8QEshjmmsnfPL7N0zFUj336NNcBtkfEN6NQgeSOrUreiMQ6PkMRMGvNljo6lt3GYv9GftlIZpiKBo6TTpLSzH1Fs7srj3kjhe8SLMwxIT7I0_e-3njmeL0i6IB44ngqbvKFUg4-nrSJ5NAVCOCqENYkGPcHFHhJle143w==&amp;c=SQKm9DDLdpMQLf-CGyUwqJpILvUjkmq4gB6Co3Gfv3QwsRN6YmalGw==&amp;ch=belmXMhoSl8-jaeyjf0Ex2ByYEuxGjfP2Y85OeEJ5FhF2kFtpno0aw==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get your tickets here</a>

Recycled 2026

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition, <a href="https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/exhibitions/sarah-sipling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sarah Sipling | Solo Exhibition</a>. The exhibition will be on display from September 19 - October 25, 2026 with an opening reception on Sunday, September 27, 1-3pm that will be free and open to the public. “I focus on the many possibilities of printmaking, combining traditional and digital techniques. Each printmaking method has a unique visual language and communicative power and I often combine techniques and reimagine the possibilities of each method. My work questions political issues focusing on ideas of protest, power, and perception.” – Sarah Sipling Sarah Sipling is a mixed media artist and printmaker. Sipling received her MFA in Printmaking from Rhode Island School of Design and BFA in Printmaking from Purchase College, State University of New York. She lives and works in New York and Kansas City.

Sarah Sipling | Solo Exhibition

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition, <a href="https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/exhibitions/amy-hanks-over-sea-under-stone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amy Hanks | Over Sea Under Stone</a>. The exhibition will be on display from September 19 - October 25, 2026 with an opening reception on Sunday, September 27, 1-3pm that will be free and open to the public. "My art practice is informed by nonlinear, spirit-filled narratives. I’m inspired by icons, tarot cards, lotería, memoirs, kachina dancers, children’s stories, illuminated manuscripts, and more.I layer, scrape, draw, paint, sew, reveal, and obscure as an analogy to life's transformative journeys over unfamiliar and unexpected landscapes. Through this process, I grapple with earthy and mystic subjects such as time travel, uncertainty, humor, grief and delight.” – Amy Hanks Amy Hanks graduated with a BFA from the University of Texas and an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she was a Rackham Fellow. She has been awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the State of Illinois and is a 2024 Fulbright Fellow Alumni.&nbsp;

Amy Hanks | Over Sea Under Stone

It is human nature to respond to Rhythm.&nbsp;The visual artists in our fall “Got Rhythm” exhibition respond to music in the language of lines, shapes and colors. When music pulses through their veins, they channel their emotional responses through mark-making: gestural lines and strokes vibrate like sound waves. They respond in their own unique way to rhythm and music: to the beat of their own drum. Artforms include paintings, photographs, and mixed-media approaches.Artists: David Alton, Ashley Alvarado, Nancy Behles, Alan Brunettin, Sheila Cahnman, Susan Chelminski, Rich Conti, Anna Marie Crovetti, Catherine Daniels, Melissa D’Souza, Shelley Gilchrist, Steven Guenther, Ivan Gutierrez, Peter Jablokow, Bonnie Katz, Jacqueline Kott-Wolle, Ari Koultourides, Diana Leviton Gondek, Victoria Loeb, Deborah Newmark, Sam Onche, Jim Parks, Patrick Perry, Patti Ray, Renee Robbins, Virginia Roeder, Margarete de Soleil, Josefien Stopplenburg, Frank Styburski, Joseph Taylor, Sally Wille and Colette Wright Adams.&nbsp;Image: Renee Robbins

Got Rhythm? Music-themed Visual Art

In October, Vivid Art Gallery will be featuring the work of represented artist Susan Jacoby.&nbsp;On Friday, October 2nd, we will be having an exhibit opening for featured artist Susan Jacoby's show "In the Stillness." The opening will run from 4-7 PM and will display Susan's trademark landscapes.&nbsp;Surrounded by a wealth of ever-changing inspiration from the shores of Lake Michigan, Jacoby is drawn to expansive vistas, shifting skyscapes, and ephemeral atmospheric conditions. Rather than a realistic depiction of a place, her paintings evoke the remembrance of a moment, combining observation with imagination.&nbsp;Image: Susan Jacoby, "Calm Passage"

Susan Jacoby

Join us for our Halloween Masquerade Closing Reception for our "Got Rhythm" Exhibition. Greg Allen of Animal Records will be spinning some of our favorite tunes from the 80s and 90s on vinyl. See the "Got Rhythm" Exhibition one last time, as the event will also serve as the closing reception. Costumes encouraged! Family friendly event.&nbsp; Image: "Masquerade," Sarah Kaiser

Masquerade Closing Reception 

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition, <a href="https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/exhibitions/whispers-dark-curated-azul-alberto-nogueron" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Whispers in the Dark | Curated by Azul Alberto Nogueron</a>. The exhibition will be on display from September 26 - November 1, 2026 with an opening reception on Sunday, September 27, 1-3pm that will be free and open to the public. <a href="https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/exhibitions/whispers-dark-curated-azul-alberto-nogueron" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Whispers in the Dark</a> is the final exhibition curated by Azul Alberto Nogueron as part of their time as the EAC's COMPASS Resident. Secrecy, hidden agendas, and mental health are the key components of the exhibition, with a celebration of the macabre. The COMPASS Curator Residency provides an emerging curator with an opportunity to curate three shows in the Evanston Art Center’s Lobby Gallery space. The EAC’s Lobby Gallery is a space dedicated to exhibiting emerging and underrepresented artists/curators and responds to current social events. This dynamic and inclusive space draws in new curators, artists, and audiences.&nbsp;

Whispers in the Dark

Virtual Artist’s Talk:&nbsp;Thursday Oct. 15th, 7 PMRegister&nbsp;<a href="https://us.list-manage.com/NqM_u15avjU?e=49b9939ea4&amp;c2id=50b0bcd76dd70262de19b41666dd6e34" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);" target="_blank">here</a>Perspective Gallery is proud to present a new show by fine art photographer, Alexa Frangos. Titled (Re)arranging, the work finds inspiration in her daughter’s hands, using photo-collage to imagine them reassembling what is broken. Playful and performative, the work both looks back to Surrealist photography of the 1920s and 1930s and forward to the potential of today’s younger generations to create a more beautiful world.&nbsp;(Re)arranging opens on Thursday, October 1, with a public reception on Saturday, October 3 from 5 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. Alexa will give an artist’s talk on Thursday October 15th and the show will close on Sunday, November 1st.

(Re)arranging

Co-curator Corinne Granof leads an in-gallery conversation about the event "All the Noise and the Hurry" on Thursday, November 5, at 3:30 PM.

Curator's Talk: All the Noise and the Hurry

Block Cinema presents a newly rediscovered print of Denis Mitchell’s impressionistic BBC documentary portrait of Chicago, in its first screening in 60 years.

Chicago: First Impressions of a Great American City (1961)

Elmhurst Art Museum kicks off the Veteran Art Summit with poetry readings and presentations inaugurating the 2026 Veteran Art Triennial RESISTING THE LONG WAR. Other participating venues include the Chicago Cultural Center, Hyde Park Art Center, and Walls Turned Sideways with additional exhibitions and related programming. Each exhibition offers a distinct curatorial frame on artists’ creative defiance to war and militarism, and each location will host programming during the Veteran Art Summit, November 5–8, 2026.

Veteran Art Summit

Surreal &lt; Virestic &gt; Uncanny: Digital Photography by Tim Arroyo and Dave Sobotka is an event showcasing digital photography. The event runs from October 19 to November 11, with a public reception on Wednesday, October 21, from 11am to 1pm.

Surreal < Virestic > Uncanny: Digital Photography by Tim Arroyo and Dave Sobotka

Adrienne Brown, Professor in the Departments of English and Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity at the University of Chicago, presents her current research on reimagining urban emptiness.

Vacant Stares: Adrienne Brown on Rethinking Urban Emptiness

Join Art Encounter's Sarah Packer and Alex Stevenson for an unforgettable experience meeting artist, collector, writer, poet, photographer, museum curator, and book binder Michael Horvich in his Evanston home. His condo houses Michael’s Museum, which holds an amazing folk art collection of curiosities, artifacts, miniatures, and discoveries, as well as paintings, photography, handmade books, jewelry, and the artist's own Cornell-like shadow box assemblages. We will discuss the art of collecting and get inside the mind of this dynamic, curious, and expressive Evanston original. Visit https://www.artencounter.org/collecting-and-creating to register.

The Curious Art of Collecting and Creating with Michael Horvich

We're an Expo devoted to showcasing an eclectic group of Contemporary Artists, being held in the: The Orrington Hotel next to Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Fall 2026 Dates: • Friday Evening, November 13, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM –&nbsp;1st Look Preview • Saturday November 14, 11 AM - 7 PM• Sunday, November 15, 11 AM - 6 PM<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/north-shore-fine-art-expo-tickets-1993215000723?aff=oddtdtcreatorhttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/north-shore-fine-art-expo-tickets-1993215000723?aff=oddtdtcreator" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 99);" target="_blank">BUY TICKETS</a> A Curated Original Boutique Art Expo with Artists chosen from throughout the US. Many artists will be showing exclusively&nbsp;in the Greater Chicagoland area in this Fine Art event. All artists will be on-site to discuss their works and offer the opportunity for attendees to purchase fine art directly from the artist.&nbsp; Presenting an incredible range of Styles &amp; Media including: ​Abstract -&nbsp;Abstract Expressionism -&nbsp;Cityscapes -&nbsp;Drawings -&nbsp;Encaustic - Expressionism -&nbsp;Fiber Art&nbsp;-&nbsp;Figurative -&nbsp;Impressionism -&nbsp;Mixed Media&nbsp;-&nbsp;Pastel -&nbsp;Plein Air -&nbsp;Pop Art -&nbsp;Portraiture -&nbsp;Post-Impressionism -&nbsp;Realism -&nbsp;Sculpture -&nbsp;Still Life -&nbsp;Watercolor

North Shore Fine Art EXPO

Anne Loucks Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Land, Sea and Sky, a new exhibition featuring thirty paintings by Hannah Bureau &amp; Sara MacCulloch, on view in our Glencoe gallery through November 18th. Hannah Bureau's fresh, meditative paintings reflect her New England surroundings. With a soft palette and layers of smooth brushwork, her dreamlike compositions capture the essence of the landscape in a style that moves between abstraction and realism. Sara MacCulloch's paintings are inspired by the rocky coast, fields and vast skies that surround her Nova Scotia studio. Executed in a spontaneous, painterly style with rich color and simplified forms, her work evokes a sense of place, capturing the ever-changing light and atmosphere of the Atlantic coast. Please visit us at 309 Park Avenue in Glencoe to see the show through November 18th. We'd love to see you.

Land, Sea and Sky

Brian Lathan's work can be described as powerful statements rendered in vibrant color. His prints grip the viewer and challenge their perception of the world. Wander and Wallow: Must We Dwell is an exhibition of Lathan’s work that dwells in the fragile space between escapism, indulgence, and restraint, tracing the quiet negotiations we make with ourselves in the name of self-care. It considers how presence and avoidance coexist, and how the desire for escape can gently, almost invisibly, eclipse the needs of the self we house within. Each figure contains a smaller version of themselves, dwelling inside an exposed headspace where a ramshackle interior offers both shelter and unease. The absent crown of the larger figure reveals this inner home at a suspended moment - just before neglect becomes recognizable, before damage announces itself. Fluorescent color and halftone imagery offer their brightness and patterning to soften and obscure the somber tenderness beneath. The viewer is invited to dwell and consider the things we dwell on or with, such as ourselves, our habits, and the inner spaces we construct for care and survival. The work positions the viewer as observer, mirror, and voyeur, allowing questions of coping, presence, and care to surface without resolution. Born and based in St. Louis, Brian Lathan is an artist and educator who explores printmaking, illustration, and sculpture. He examines the dynamics of print, print ephemera, digital illustration, and sculpture, persistently exploring these media as means of expressing personal and subjective commentary and narration. Currently, he teaches printmaking at several universities around St. Louis. Lathan recently received a grant from the Regional Arts Commission for a large mural, which can be seen on Cherokee Street in St. Louis. Wander and Wallow: Must We Dwell will open at Fine Line’s Kavanagh Gallery on Thursday, October 15, and run until November 20. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. A gallery reception will be held on Thursday, October 15, from 6–8 p.m. The artist, Brian Lathan, will be in attendance and speak at 6.30 pm about his art. The reception, like all Kavanagh Gallery receptions, is free and open to everyone.

Wander and Wallow: Must We Dwell – Brian Lathan

Chicago has long been an important center for comics and graphic storytelling. During the early decades of the twenty-first century, the publication Linework, under the guidance of acclaimed cartoonist, designer, and educator Ivan Brunetti, became a gathering point for many of the most compelling voices in Chicago’s contemporary comics scene. Bringing together emerging and established artists, the publication fostered a moment of creative exchange that helped shape the city’s reputation as a hub for alternative comics.This exhibition revisits the Linework publication and the artistic community that formed around it, highlighting both the collaborative spirit of the project and the paths its contributors have taken since. Among them is Chicago-based cartoonist Nick Drnaso, whose graphic novel Sabrina became the first graphic novel longlisted for the Booker Prize.Image: Ivan Brunetti, self-portrait

Linework: Chicago Comics and Community

<a href="https://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/exhibitions/2026/picturing-the-modern-metropolis.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Details</a> In the 20th century, many artists working in the United States were drawn to the city as subject matter. Towering skyscrapers, crowded intersections, and dynamic street scenes that emphasize the fast tempo of urban life became familiar ways of representing the modern metropolis. Using exaggerated form and fragmentation, artists sought to convey the sensory experience of urban spaces. These artists were also proposing new ways of understanding the city by experimenting with modernist forms to represent the spaces that we share with one another. The exhibition includes over 100 prints and photographs from The Block's collection, focusing primarily on the 20th century. It brings together well-known artists, such as Edward Steichen, Vivian Maier, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol, alongside Chicago-based artists including Henry Simon and Yuichi Idaka. Each consistently engaged with the city as a subject in their practice, focusing on the sensory and visual experiences of cities, but also bringing in representations of ideals long associated with life in the city–mobility, diversity, belonging, and individual expression. Together, the artworks invite us to reconsider how artists helped shape our own impressions of the city and found in it a democratized subject matter, full of possibilities for creativity and freedom. Picturing the Modern Metropolis: Prints and Photographs from The Block's Collection&nbsp;is curated by Eduardo Bello, 2025-26 Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow, and Corinne Granof, Academic Curator, at The Block Museum of Art. The Graduate Fellow is generously supported by The Graduate School (TGS), Northwestern University. Image: Yuichi Idaka (American, 1914 - 2012), Untitled [detail] ca. 1946, Gelatin silver print 7 5/8 × 9 7/16 in. Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, gift of the Bauhaus Chicago Foundation, 2024.21.7. Courtesy of the Estate of Yuichi Idaka.

Calendar

Chicago Gallery News