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

ESSENCE&nbsp;witnessed by clouds&nbsp; Eight black artists. Seven men, one woman. Seven Nigerian, one American. Through spirit, story, emotion, nature, and culture, ESSENCE reflects the truth that every human being carries within them a light that gives life value, direction, and meaning, and gives voice to the desire to leave something meaningful behind. Opening Reception: February 21, 2026, 5-9 PM ShadowBoxX Gallery, 116 Washington St, Waukegan IL Zoom Collectors Preview/Artist Talk: Friday February 20, 9 AM

Essence

Register&nbsp;for the Virtual Artist's&nbsp;Talk&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://perspectivegallery.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=04a588cae42ffc5c2d944d823&amp;id=7b45f00ecc&amp;e=d73170d386" target="_blank">here</a>Opening soon, Perspective Gallery is excited to present&nbsp;LENS 2026, our 16th annual international juried exhibition of fine art photography.&nbsp; This year's call for entry saw 1430 images entered by 299 photographers from 38 states and several international countries. This gave our juror,&nbsp;Ann M. Jastrab, Executive Director at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California, an extremely difficult task&nbsp;but she rose to the occasion and has selected 28 phenomenal images which will be on display at our&nbsp;Evanston location, opening on Thursday, March 5, 2026.&nbsp; Featured artists are:Samuel Anderson&nbsp;(Savannah, GA)&nbsp;Robin Bailey (Rolling Meadows, IL)&nbsp;Terry Barczak (Minneapolis, MN)&nbsp;Rupert Chambers&nbsp;(Carmel, CA)&nbsp;Lisa Di Giacomo (Wooster, OH)&nbsp;Alexander Diaz (Jacksonville, FL)&nbsp;Caity&nbsp;Fares&nbsp;(San Diego, CA)&nbsp;David Gardner (San Francisco, CA)&nbsp;Veronica Gray (Laguna Beach, CA)&nbsp;Jim Hill (Riverside,&nbsp;IL)&nbsp;Trevor Jackson (Las Cruces, NM)&nbsp;Dave Jordano (Chicago, IL)&nbsp;Daniel Kariko (Greenville, NC)&nbsp;Chris&nbsp;Kleihege&nbsp;(Chicago, IL)&nbsp;Wheaton Mahoney (Greenfield, MA)&nbsp;Jill Obermaier (Oak Park, IL)&nbsp;Samantha&nbsp;Oulavong&nbsp;(Chicago, IL)&nbsp;Catherine Panebianco (Jamestown, NY)&nbsp;Russ Rowland (New York, NY)&nbsp;Philip Sager&nbsp;(San Francisco, CA)&nbsp;Dina Santos (Santa Cruz, CA)&nbsp;Mark&nbsp;Sawrie&nbsp;(Muncie IN)&nbsp;Connor Schaal (Long Beach, CA)&nbsp;Jeff Schewe (Chicago, IL)&nbsp;riel Sturchio (Iowa City, IA)&nbsp;Eryn Turner (Wauwatosa, WI)&nbsp;Kay Westhues (South Bend, IN)&nbsp;Darby Williams (Bloomington, IN) An&nbsp;opening reception and awards presentation&nbsp;will be held this Saturday, March 7, from 5-7pm. A virtual artist's&nbsp;talk&nbsp;with juror Ann M. Jastrab&nbsp;will take place&nbsp;on Thursday, March 12&nbsp;at 7pm. Ann will share some comments and LENS 2026 artists will discuss their work.&nbsp;This Zoom event is free to join but preregistration is required. You can sign up for the talk&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://perspectivegallery.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=04a588cae42ffc5c2d944d823&amp;id=36d12e0cb7&amp;e=d73170d386" target="_blank">here</a>. ﻿

Artist's Talk with juror Ann M. Jastrab

RECEPTION AND GALLERY TALK: FEBRUARY 19, 7PMCelebrate Women Artists at the Field with Rebecca Banasiak, Peggy Macnamara, and Adrienne Stroup, whose work bridges art and science in bold, imaginative ways. Inspired by the museum’s collections and mission to connect all of us to the natural world, their creations reveal the beauty of discovery and the power of visual storytelling. Join this visionary collective during Women’s History Month, February–March 2026, in celebration of STEAM and creativity.

Women Artists in the Field

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition,&nbsp;In Paper &amp; Shadow. The exhibition will be on display from&nbsp;February 21 - March 15, 2026, and will be free and open to the public. Sarah Nguyen is a mixed media artist, working primarily with paper. Storytelling is central to her hand-cut fiber panels and paintings. Her work has appeared in numerous national and international solo and group exhibitions and publications. Her work has been part of exhibitions in museums and festivals, including (but not limited to) Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum of Asian Pacific Experience, the Daum Museum, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Grounds and Museum, the Truman Museum, Cheekwood Estates &amp; Gardens, and Kansas City’s 2018 Open Spaces. She has taken part in a number of artist residencies from around the world as a visiting artist and teacher, including Serbia, Bulgaria, Japan, and France, as well as the United States.

In Paper & Shadow

Choreographic Place is an exhibition program presented by Bridge, premiering at the Evanston Art Center, that explores the evolving relationships between dance, sculpture, movement, written choreography, and civic space through the framework of William Forsythe’s notion of “choreographic objects”. Bridge collective members Michelle Kranicke, David Sundry, and Michael Workman seek to expand the definition to architectural or sculptural forms designed not simply to occupy space, but to shape how bodies move, and behaviors may be regulated within it, how choreography is written and read, and how movement is negotiated collectively in shared environments.

Choreographic Place

Are you looking for an opportunity to share and discuss your creative practice? Our monthly Artist Critique Group offers a positive and productive space to develop your ideas through in-depth conversations. Bring your complete or in-progress work and join our supportive artist community. All mediums are welcome! Join us for an individual session or register for the full five session series. Series participants will have free access to all of Art Encounter's Weekend Art Walks, and will also have an opportunity to show their work in an exhibition at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in September 2026. Group meets at Space 900 Gallery in Evanston, IL. Email program leader Joanna Pinsky, Artistic Director and Co-founder of Art Encounter, at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:joanna@artencounter.org?subject=CGN%20Art%20Encounter" target="_blank">joanna@artencounter.org</a> with any questions. When: Tuesdays, 1:00–3:00 pmWhere: Space 900, 816 Dempster St., EvanstonMember Price: $35 per session; $140 for full series of 5 sessionsNon-Member Price: $45 per session; $175 for full series of 5 sessions Spring 2026 Series: Feb. 17, Mar. 17, Apr. 21, May 19, Jun. 16 Flexible pricing is available for anyone who inquires. Please email&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(44, 175, 154);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:annie@artencounter.org?subject=Flexible%20pricing%20option%20for%20Artist%20Critique%20Group" target="_blank">annie@artencounter.org</a>&nbsp;for our “pay what you can” registration form. <a style="background-color: rgb(44, 175, 154); color: rgb(238, 247, 239);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/E3YFeWZMnmBqubrOnQPxrg" target="_blank">Register and Submit Payment</a> Visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/artist-critique-group" target="_blank">artencounter.org/artist-critique-group</a> for more information.

Artist Critique Group: A Monthly Series for Practicing Artists

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to&nbsp;Ruth Poor: Beatrice. The exhibition will be on display from February 21 to March 18, 2026, in our Second Floor Atrium Gallery and will be free and open to the public.Beatrice&nbsp;is the culmination of a nearly year-long study and performative execution of "grief-work" as a means to ground oneself amidst the shared loss of environmental sanctity, bodily autonomy, and community from rising authoritarianism, Christo-fascism, and consumerism.&nbsp;Ruth L. Poor, an interdisciplinary artist, embraces an evolving process of creation rooted in research and journaling/sketching as observation. Often implementing or commenting on spiritual/religious practice and ritual as it intersects with the macrocosm of American history and politics, alongside the parallelism of the personal.&nbsp;

Ruth Poor: Beatrice

The title of the exhibition is&nbsp;Her Story. The "her" of the title is our daughter, Temma Day Lowly. The title is also a bit of a feminist twist on "history." The&nbsp;Her Story&nbsp;project consists of vertical format black &amp; white paintings, each of which will be accompanied by a text (title + essay, poem, dictionary entry, etc.) written by my partner (and Temma's mother) Sherrie Lowly.&nbsp;Concurrently with paintings of the&nbsp;Her Story&nbsp;project I will be showing a current collaborative project, the&nbsp;Trio Mandorla. This large drawing also depicts Temma, but with her mother Sherrie and caregiver Ellen Herbert). Begun 3 years ago, this project involves a collaborative component wherein people who are interested can draw onto the 2 parts of the drawing that depict quilts. I have exhibited this project previously, and numerous people have joined in the participatory compontent of the piece.

Her Story

Join us on Thursday, February 12, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, for an exhilarating evening as we unveil a captivating new show at the Kavanagh Gallery!&nbsp;Meet some of the artists and other members of your Fine Line community and view the incredible art.This reception, like all Fine Line receptions, is free and open to everyone. Light refreshments will be served. Artists' talks and award presentations will begin at 6.30 pm.

Paper

Get to know Chicago's galleries and the contemporary art world at large with our interactive Weekend Art Walks! On March 21, we'll view and discuss sculptures, photographs, embroidery, and more in four West Town locations: Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Western Exhibitions, Document Gallery, and the newly-opened Elise Seigenthaler Gallery. Learn more or register at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/weekend-art-walks" target="_blank">artencounter.org/weekend-art-walks</a>.

Weekend Art Walk: West Town Galleries

On Friday, March 6th, we will be having an exhibit opening for featured artist Sheila Arora's show "Impromptu." The opening will run from 5-7 PM on March 6th as First Friday returns. ﻿We hope that you will stop in to meet Sheila and see her joyful paintings, enjoy a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres, and listen to live jazz playing inside the gallery.&nbsp; We are delighted to exhibit the newest work of represented artist Sheila Arora. Sheila works spontaneously, without a plan for her abstract acrylic paintings. Instead, she "listens" to them, which creates a type of dialogue that can be wild, rebellious, casual, and half-organized, but always well structured.&nbsp; Aiming for unexpected marks, awkward color palettes, and a composition that’s off-center but balanced, Sheila feels that her off-the-cuff, thrown-together, daredevil decisions give the paintings life and end up the way she expects - a little impromptu. Image: Sheila Arora, 300 DPI image of "Impromptu."&nbsp;

Impromptu

Photographic artists from around the US will be on display March 5th – 29th at Perspective Gallery for LENS2026, the gallery’s 16th annual juried international exhibition of fine art photography. The show opens Thursday, March 5th, with an Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony on March 7th from 5 to 7 p.m.Juror Ann M. Jastrab, the Executive Director at the Center for Photographic Art (CPA) in Carmel, California, selected 28 artists from the 299 photographers who submitted over 1430 images.&nbsp;This year there were entries from 38 states and several international countries.&nbsp;Artists whose work was selected by Jastrab include: Samuel Anderson, Robin Bailey, Terry Barczak, Rupert Chambers, Lisa Di Giacomo, Alexander Diaz, Caity Fares, David Gardner, Veronica Gray, Jim Hill, Trevor Jackson, Dave Jordano, Daniel Kariko, Chris Kleihege, Wheaton Mahoney, Jill Obermaier, Samantha Oulavong, Catherine Panebianco, Russ Rowland, Philip Sager, Dina Santos, Mark Sawrie, Connor Schaal, Jeff Schewe, Riel Sturchio, Eryn Turner, Kay Westhues, and Darby Williams.A virtual artists’ talk will be held on March 12th at 7 p.m. (CT).&nbsp;Register&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://perspectivegallery.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=04a588cae42ffc5c2d944d823&amp;id=89265e9db3&amp;e=49b9939ea4" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the discussion which will include Ann M. Jastrab, Juror, and LENS2026 artists.Above image: Lisa di Giacomo,&nbsp;1957,&nbsp;LENS2026 Artist

LENS 2026

Opens March 1Sunday, March 1 | 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods | Free&nbsp;Rest and Recharge: Practicing Radical Self Care in an Uncertain World&nbsp;invites visitors into a spacious pause. In a world saturated with constant alerts, urgent headlines, and an unrelenting stream of information, our nervous systems are rarely given time to settle. While some messages truly demand our immediate action, many linger as ambient noise, subtly shaping our thoughts, elevating stress, and eroding our capacity for presence and rest.&nbsp;This exhibition acknowledges the quiet toll of that overload and offers a gentle counterbalance. Through visual art, space, and silence,&nbsp;Rest and Recharge&nbsp;creates an environment that encourages slowing down, tuning inward, and reconnecting with rhythms that sustain us rather than deplete us. The works on view explore rest not as withdrawal or passivity, but as an active, necessary practice—one rooted in attention, care, and renewal.&nbsp;The exhibition features work from over forty artists, including: Joan Ackerman-Zimny, Cat Aldana, Anna Archinger, Beverly Behrens, Sinead Carus, Margarete de Soleil, Maureen Ivy Fisher, Jennifer L. Hodges, Ruth Hutter, Jack Vonty, Moritz Kellerman,Karen Kloubec, Phyllis Levun-Agostino, Hope Limbos, Carol Luc, Patrick Miceli, David Narens, Julie Nauman-Mikulski, Lisa Nemacheck, Jua Nochio, Marcela Adeze Okeke, Jacalin Oser, Mielle Park, Rochelle Peeples, Amy Pilkington, Paula Poda, Rhonda Popko, Marty Potts, Kathryn Rodrigues, Lorra Rudman, Kirsten Saunders, Lilach Schrag, Kathryn Scott, Emily Settles, Vavi Sol, Letitia L. Star, Raychel Steinbach, Steffanie Tulk, Sue Turayhi, J.C. Villalon, Deborah Weil, and Betty Wolff.&nbsp;&nbsp;Join us for an opening reception and artist panel discussion on March 1, 2026, at 1:00 pm. Moderated by Farah Salem, artists Marcela Adeze Okeke, Maureen Ivy Fisher, and Jennifer L. Hodges discuss their own relationship to rest. What brings a sense of grounding or ease? What practices, places, or moments allow the body to soften and the mind to breathe?&nbsp; <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(0, 140, 149);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://u42186243.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.zxVNEzr3j7bKoUk7A4NXGcpGwMfj6vJ4WEjrTTKzH3HdpBNVgaP1Qa1nHWL7mFlITtSdOGvvMjjwxpMBWx-2FIhvLdWS7A9vvCGOD8a7-2BTlRfPGUmDJpVbeZ7ALw-2FFz9Z-2BJCjGJh5rOOxznnYea0fflA-3D-3DydjC_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJV6p50DTUtccMTuJzCj5PiKqNJ-2Fq1PCq6ajZtG-2Bhv9JzGstHV66aqJKMzF1zEpjnbLOzAt0IWllenWNm72BdZHIM756FSXiU3UVl-2F9nGeZTlDejTY4W6zRTHxH7Ob8T-2FyCLUp02bbUpUYzKloWHZj4EAqV1sZ322yaXekVBUDZ42krrAsf3RpJlVPOb7Uq6S2TjRTnJvEeGM5JXfXLtZ9ObIuELILbQKPkk1Vc4SSJe1rsvEW0dpCUl1-2FN3-2F4YhcPcbuZfR2lIx8XNrUFTPglOXqGW1zGz5WvLDBUfkhorbs0-2FFcWwLab3Vo86W0266czf" target="_blank">RSVP to the Reception</a>

Rest and Recharge

Featured artists:&nbsp;J. Adams, Jeff Crisman, Mario Desa, Chad Koeplinger, Dianne Mansfield, Josh Mason, Danny Reed, Dan Santoro, Adam Shrewsbury, Leo Zulueta.Image by Dianne MansfieldOpening alongside&nbsp;KLAUBA,&nbsp;Beyond the Needle&nbsp;is an exhibition featuring ten tattoo artists from across the United States. Also curated by Teresa Hofheimer, each artist works in a variety of media—from ink drawings to photography—representing the wide world of body art.

Beyond the Needle

The Art Center Highland Park is proud to announce its forthcoming exhibition KLAUBA, a survey of the works of painter and tattoo artist George Klauba. This show will be on view at The Art Center from March 6 to April 4, 2026.Curated by gallerist Teresa Hofheimer, this large exhibition of paintings and sculpture spans over two decades, referencing George Klauba’s life works as a Navy officer, a tattoo artist, and eventually a celebrated painter and fine artist.Works by George Klauba are in public and private collections across the U.S., including the New Bedford Whaling Museum, MA; the Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL, and the VermillionCounty War Museum in Danville, IL. Three Moby-Dick paintings have been chosen for the book covers of Melville’s novel.KLAUBA will open with a free, public reception at The Art Center from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on March 6, with all works on display for sale through the exhibition’s run.

George Klauba

Anne Loucks Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition in our Winnetka gallery featuring work by Bernd Haussmann from his Maine and Massachusetts studios. The show will be on view through April 6th and includes 16 of the artist's color saturated paintings on canvas and aluminum. Haussmann’s compositions are built up layer by layer using varied hues and imagery. Organic forms, lines, and gestures transcend textured fields of color, offering a glimpse of what lies beneath the surface. His paintings, though decidedly abstract, represent his concern for the fragility of the natural world and are filled with lush color found in nature. Please stop in to see the show. We'd love to see you.

Bernd Haussmann: Presence, Values and Hues

ChingARTE: The Poetics of Defiance

Reception and Awards: April 9, 7pmGallery Talk with Prize Winners: April 22, 2pm The President’s 18th Annual Art Exhibition highlights the top artwork from Lewis Students and Alumni. This important juried exhibition is hosted by the Department of Art and Design and sponsored by Dr. David Livingston,President of Lewis University. Image Description:&nbsp;Electric Madonna, oil on canvas by Annabelle Makselan, First Place 2025

Reception and Awards: The President’s 18th Annual Art Exhibition

Chair-ish&nbsp;is a presentation of multimodal works made in tandem by Chicago-based artists Alex Chitty and Norman Teague. Working together for the first time, the pairing of their distinct yet complementary approaches to design, craft, and the love of joyous, intuitive making result in an exhibition where the process "IS" the product. Through a collaborative exchange of tactics and speculations, Chitty and Teague create new works that critique, absorb, reposition and remix the narratives, materials, and aesthetics of modern design while inspiring fresh modes of measuring value and utility.

Alex Chitty and Norman Teague: Chair-ish

Pareidolia - Here's Looking at YOU 3/21/26, 6-9PM - 4/11/26, noon-3PM Opening reception 3/21/26, 6-9PM # Have you ever been just minding your own business…when suddenly you notice the dishwasher or that weird mark on the ceiling looking back at you?&nbsp; Yeah. That’s PAREIDOLIA - patterns, faces, or forms that we see in otherwise unremarkable, unrelated objects. ShadowBoxX is assembling a group of artists from across the country who have captured this phenomenon in their works. Pareidolia will feature paintings, drawings, carvings, stitchwork, assemblage, and prints. No digital, no AI, just hands and materials, juried by the ShadowBoxX Collective. This show is for you if you've experienced pareidolia too! Opens March 21, 2026.

Pareidolia - Here's Looking at YOU

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition,&nbsp;La Jaula De Oro | Azul Alberto Nogueron. The exhibition will be on display from&nbsp;March 14&nbsp;–&nbsp;April 19, 2026, with an opening reception on&nbsp;Sunday, March 29, and will be free and open to the public. Inspired by Los Tigres Del Norte song and curated by Azul Alberto Nogueron,&nbsp;La Jaula De Oro&nbsp;asks artists to respond to the illusion of the American Dream from the perspective of marginalized artists, using personal narratives about immigration, assimilation, and acceptance of identity. Artists Taly Inkz, Lily Guillen, and Gnat Rosa Madrid respond to the question: “What does it mean to be disillusioned?” La Jaula De Oro&nbsp;is the first of three exhibitions for our COMPASS Curator Residency, which provides an emerging curator with the opportunity to curate three shows in the Evanston Art Center’s Lobby Gallery space. The EAC’s Lobby Gallery is dedicated to exhibiting emerging and underrepresented artists and curators and responds to current and social events. EAC’s 2026 COMPASS Resident Azul Alberto Nogueron is a queer non-binary multidisciplinary artist from Chicago, IL, whose practice reflects on their personal beliefs and experiences as a trans person to create stories of acceptance, fear, and curiosity. La Jaula De Oro&nbsp;will be exhibited in the Lobby Gallery of the Art Center. The opening reception is free and open to the public. This exhibition is partially funded by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the EAC’s general membership.

La Jaula De Oro | Azul Alberto Nogueron

On View: April 2-24Reception and Awards: April 9, 7pmGallery Talk with Prize Winners: April 22, 2pm The President’s 18th Annual Art Exhibition highlights the top artwork from Lewis Students and Alumni. This important juried exhibition is hosted by the Department of Art and Design and sponsored by Dr. David Livingston,President of Lewis University. Image Description:&nbsp;Electric Madonna, oil on canvas by Annabelle Makselan, First Place 2025

Gallery Talk with Prize Winners: The President’s 18th Annual Art Exhibition

Reception and Awards: April 9, 7pmGallery Talk with Prize Winners: April 22, 2pm The President’s 18th Annual Art Exhibition highlights the top artwork from Lewis Students and Alumni. This important juried exhibition is hosted by the Department of Art and Design and sponsored by Dr. David Livingston, President of Lewis University. Image Description:&nbsp;Electric Madonna, oil on canvas by Annabelle Makselan, First Place 2025

The President’s 18th Annual Art Exhibition

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 7th, 2026 from 2 to 5 PM&nbsp; The Women Painting Women Exhibition expands upon our collective identities as figurative artists. In this exhibition of figure paintings, we challenge the male gaze by exploring alternative topics such as our individual selfhood, archetypical figures and Surreal depictions of the human form. Our focus on our own authentic, complex bodies provides a vehicle for change and elevates our position as artists.&nbsp; Saturday, April 4th at 2 PM: Gallery Talk with Joanna Pinsky, Artistic Director and Cofounder of Art Encounter. Artists: Melissa Arostegui, Pochis Bank, Gaby Bozeman, Kate Citrin, Jennifer Cronin, Karen Fike, Nicole Gordon, Ellen Holtzblatt, Sarah Kaiser, Victoria Loeb, Joanna Pinsky, Lea Pinsky, Mary Porterfield, Patti Ray, Nancy Rosen, and Eleanor Spiess-Ferris.

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