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

Join Art Encounter at the beautiful LeTour Brasserie in Evanston this May for our spring benefit and art auction, Kaleidoscope. Enjoy delicious French-Moroccan fare, cocktails, a raffle, and a silent art auction, all while supporting Art Encounter’s broad menu of community art programs and initiatives. We will be celebrating the impact and legacy of our 2025 Art Impacts Honorees: Natalie van Straaten, Founder of Chicago Gallery News, and her successor Ginny B. Van Alyea, Publisher of Chicago Gallery News. We will also recognize Community Partner of the Year Andy Vick, Executive Director of Downtown Evanston, for his commitment to advancing public art in Evanston and his support of Art Encounter’s mission.Kaleidoscope will provide essential funding for Art Encounter’s work throughout the greater Chicago area, which includes educational outreach programs for schools, senior homes, and social service agencies; art discussion programs for the public in artist studios and exhibition spaces; and a local mural program that makes art accessible to everyone in our community. Link to Register: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/kaleidoscope-2025" target="_blank">https://www.artencounter.org/kaleidoscope-2025</a>

Kaleidoscope Spring Benefit & Art Auction

Join us Wednesday, May 7th at 1pm in CHC 1020 for a special lecture by visiting artist Joseph Altshuler. Joseph Altshuler is Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture, and cofounder of Could Be Design, an award-winning Chicago-based design practice. His teaching, practice, and scholarship explore architecture’s capacity to build lively audiences, initiate serious play, and amplify participation in civic life. From exuberant interiors to interactive public spaces, Could Be Design positions architecture as an active character in the world, enacting a built environment full of vibrant color, shapely form, and intimate encounters. Could Be Design is a 2023 winner of the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers, and their work has been featured at Exhibit Columbus, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Elmhurst Art Museum. Joseph also practices as a curator of contemporary architecture: Could Be Design was named a curator for the 2024-25 cycle of Exhibit Columbus, an international architecture biennial in Columbus, Indiana. This lecture is free and open to the public.

Joseph Altshuler Visiting Artist Lecture

Photographer of the Year and Annual Spring Student Show Apr. 21 - May 15, 2025 Reception will coincide with Humanities Day

Photographer of the Year and Annual Spring Student Show 

The event is part of the&nbsp;Winnetka Home Tour's luncheon. The event will take place in the Garden Room at the Winnetka Community House, which is located at 620 Lincoln Ave., on May&nbsp;16th from 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM. The gallery's pop-up will be located at the front of the room and will include&nbsp;a variety of artwork on display available for purchase. To learn more, please visit our website at&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://vividartgallery.net/" target="_blank">vividartgallery.net</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pop-up Gallery at Winnetka Community House

Join us for a night of Art, Drinks, and Music in support of the Evanston Art Center! Tickets are on Sale now!&nbsp; For more information on the event and ways to support visit our website! <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/sf-0018000000kI1AnAAK/events/vevt:2a1d5d20-8fa6-40a9-960f-09eb22453290/home/story" target="_blank">DETAILS AND TICKETS</a>

The Art Party 2025

Reception and Gallery Talk, May 8, 7-9pm The Lewis University Department of Art and Design is proud to present the Senior Capstone Exhibition. This biannual art show coincides with the capstone course, Senior Project. The course challenges graduating students to put their newly acquired skills and understanding of art to the test by participating in a professional exhibition experience. Artists:Carissa HooverLorain LopezNatalia NykazaCourtney PawliszAlexis PragidesJasmine Pryor&nbsp; Image:&nbsp;Left Corner,&nbsp;Acrylic on Canvas, by Jasmine Pryor

Senior Capstone Exhibition

Perspective Gallery is pleased to present "Student Perspectives 2025," our fourteenth annual juried exhibition of photography by Chicago area high school students. This year, 52 images by 47 students were selected for the exhibition from a group of over 750 submitted images.Our juror this year was Matt Silber,&nbsp;a visual artist based in Chicago working in photography, digital imaging, installation and sculpture. He received his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and has had solo exhibitions in Spain, Germany and the U.S.. His artwork is part of many private and public permanent collections including The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, and The Bidwell Foundation. Siber is Associate Professor, Adjunct in the Photography Department of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.&nbsp; Selected&nbsp;ArtistsChi Arts:&nbsp;Nicodemus Drummond, Nihaiyia Espada,&nbsp;Dahlia Haley,&nbsp;Teagan Murphy, Denise Rua,&nbsp;Brian (BJ) Small, Caitlin Stallone, Sophie Yanny;&nbsp;&nbsp;Evanston Township:&nbsp;&nbsp;Sophie Berger-White, Harrison Boes,&nbsp;Thomas Doyle, Adele Fammeree, Eleanor Pavich,&nbsp;Morgan Witherspoon;&nbsp;Fresh Lens (Lincoln Park):&nbsp;Lilyanna Figueroa;&nbsp;Fresh Lens (Senn):&nbsp;Clara Spence;&nbsp;Geneva;&nbsp;Willow Houck;&nbsp;Glenbrook South:&nbsp;Kiera Kurt;&nbsp;Lane Tech:&nbsp;Jocelyn Alvarez, Martyna Babiarz, Kaila de Freitas, Forrest Durnbaugh, Adelina Flores, Addison Green, Marlon Guaraca, Rory Irwin, Lila Koolman;&nbsp;Libertyville HS: Tanishka Sandeep Chavan, Mason Fluno, Benjamin Truding, Jenna Woodworth;&nbsp;Loyola:&nbsp;Natnael Araia, Brandon Canzolino, Chase Kolssak, Isaac Martinez, Ethan McLean,Hunter Solon, Morgan Szpak;&nbsp;Niles West:&nbsp;&nbsp;Christina Amato,&nbsp;Gabriella Cline,&nbsp;JunHao Gao,&nbsp;Fiona Payne,&nbsp;Vlada Shavurska,&nbsp;Audrey Taylor;&nbsp;Vernon Hills:&nbsp;Max Agam,&nbsp;Braden Sontag,&nbsp;&nbsp;Evelyn Weber, Juror: Matt Siber, Associate Professor, Adjunct in the Photography Department of The School of The Art Institute of ChicagoGabrielle Swidler: “Eye” (Juror’s Award Student Perspectives 2024)

Student Perspectives 2025: Juried Photography Exhibition

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to&nbsp;CAVA | 2025 Later Impressions. The Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists (CA V A) is a not-for-profit organization committed to addressing the needs of artists aged 50+. It is run by a volunteer board representing over 350 artists who are members of the organization. CA V A provides its members with educational programming, community outreach, opportunities to exhibit their work, and social networking events.&nbsp;2025&nbsp;Later Impressions&nbsp;is CA V A’s premiere juried exhibition displaying its members’ most recent work. Featured Artists:&nbsp;Jay Reed, Nancy Van Kanegan, Robert Anderson, J. Erlandson, Dorothy Graden, Jacqueline Ropski, Marco Bendin, and Emily Friel CAVA | 2025 Later Impressions&nbsp;will be exhibited in the First Floor 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. Evanston Art Center, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, is dedicated to fostering the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences. The Art Center offers extensive and innovative instruction in broad areas of artistic endeavor through classes, exhibitions, interactive arts activities, and community outreach initiatives. Evanston Art Center is located at 1717 Central St., Evanston, IL. Evanston Art Center Gallery Hours:Monday–Thursday, 9am–6pm; Friday, 9am–5pm; Saturday &amp; Sunday, 9am–4pm. First and second-floorgallery spaces are accessible. Limited free parking is available.

CAVA | 2025 Later Impressions

KATIE LUO: PETAL, LEAF &amp; BEAUTY May 1 - 25, 2025. Opening Reception takes place on May 4, from 1:00PM - 3:00PM.

Petal, Leaf & Beauty

The “Inside/Out” Exhibition at the Grove Gallery in Evanston, IL&nbsp;explores concepts of the window as metaphor. Windows, whether open or closed, represent dualities: freedom vs. constraint, order vs. chaos, and possibility vs. limitation. The window metaphor sets up narrative elements that address boundaries. In some cases, the viewer is outside, looking in. Conversely, the perspective may be from indoors, looking up and out into the horizon. Some paintings are rooted in fantasy, with colorful, surreal characters freely floating in space. Others are purely depictions of light-filled rooms, with curtains billowing in the breeze. The layered meanings within each picture plane keeps viewers guessing, projecting their own narratives onto each scene. A picture window creates the illusion of depth, whether with pure color or with linear perspective. Regardless of each artist’s technique and intention, the window metaphor is open to interpretation.&nbsp; Artists: Nicole Gordon, David Gista, Leslie Hirshfield, Fletcher Hays, Ellen Holtzblatt, Jennifer Presant, Sarah Kaiser-Amaral, Eleanor Speiss-Ferris, Ken Minami, and Caitlin Winner. The Grove Gallery&nbsp;619 Grove StreetEvanston, IL&nbsp;Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 2 to 7 PM&nbsp;Website: <a style="color: rgb(56, 101, 115);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.grovegallery.shop" target="_blank">www.grovegallery.shop</a>

Inside/Out

On May 2nd, we will be having an exhibit opening for featured artist Allison Svoboda's show "Preternatural."&nbsp;The opening will run from 5-7 PM and will display Larry's photographic work, which&nbsp;is&nbsp;defined by its blend of sharp and soft focus. Describing himself as a wanderer, his curiosity on his travels guides him to unexpected scenes and objects that he uses to create his photos.&nbsp; Image: Larry Simon, 300 DPI image of "fotomat, berlin."

Larry Simon: girovagare: artful wanderings through time and space

First Saturday, Evanston, May 3, 1:00 - 6:00 PMArtist's Talk Sunday, May 18, Noon The exhibition features organic abstract shapes connected by rivers, streams or floods suggesting issues of climate change.&nbsp;The shaped paintings are flat but give the illusion of three dimensions. Hours:&nbsp;Saturdays 1:00 - 5:00 pm(May 24, 1:00 - 3:00 pm)Sunday's 2:00 - 4:00 pmOr by appointment:&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(36, 36, 36);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:joannapinsky@msn.com" target="_blank">joannapinsky@msn.com</a> Image: Awash 46" x 72" Acrylic on 2-D Shaped Gatorboard

AWASH: Paintings by Joanna Pinsky

Fox River Arts Ramble 2025

Anne Loucks Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of&nbsp;Abstract Narratives, a new exhibition in our Glencoe gallery featuring Lori Glavin, Grace Munakata, and Jenny Nelson. On view through June 10th, the show explores the color, texture and stories embedded in the work of these artists.&nbsp;For an exhibition checklist, please click&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(96, 96, 96);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artsy.net/show/anne-loucks-gallery-lori-glavin-grace-munakata-and-jenny-nelson-abstract-narratives" target="_blank">here</a>.Lori Glavin’s paintings and monotypes are saturated with color, light, and bold shapes.&nbsp;She takes inspiration from everyday life and the natural world to collect, combine and layer&nbsp;forms, pattern, and rich color.Grace Munakata's&nbsp;mixed media paintings&nbsp;incorporate drawing, gestural marks&nbsp;and&nbsp;fields of color. Images from distinct elements cluster, evoking stories rooted in nature, conservation, memory and experience.&nbsp;Jenny Nelson's paintings&nbsp;employ spontaneous&nbsp;marks&nbsp;and tactile brush strokes. Her process of building up, editing, and taking away layers&nbsp;of&nbsp;color creates&nbsp;compositions that are&nbsp;energetic, balanced and responsive.Please stop in to see the show.&nbsp;We'd love to see you!

Lori Glavin, Grace Munakata & Jenny Nelson: Abstract Narratives

A Concert Series on the Lincoln Landing 200 West 8th Street Lockport, IL 60441

Friday in the Park - June 2025

Reception: May 16, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.A group show featuring artists represented by Victor Armendariz of Gallery VICTOR. In celebration of The Art Center's 65th&nbsp;anniversary.&nbsp;&nbsp;Every year, The Art Center holds an art show to go along with its annual Spring Benefit. This year, TAC has invited Chicago gallerist Victor Armendariz to curate a new show titled&nbsp;Our Time.This exhibition will celebrate art and legacy, commemorating 65 years of The Art Center Highland Park being the North Shore's home for artistic discovery.

Gallery VICTOR Presents: Our Time

OPEN LENS XV June 5 - July 6, 2025 The Artist Reception is June 14, from 4:00PM - 7:00PM

Reception for Open Lens XV

Celebrate the culminating thesis projects of 2025 MFA candidates at Northwestern's Department of Art, Theory, and Practice.Daniel Dobrow, bree gant, Breanna Robinson, Renee Royale, José Taymani — 2025 Master of Fine Arts degree candidates — present their thesis projects and conclude their residencies in the<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://art.northwestern.edu/?mc_cid=a75727937e&amp;mc_eid=UNIQID" target="_blank">&nbsp;Department of Art, Theory, and Practice at Northwestern University.</a>This exhibition and the associated events are co-organized by the Department of Art, Theory, and Practice and the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University. Support provided by the Norton S. Walbridge Fund; the Myers Foundations; the Jerrold Loebl Fund for the Arts; and the Alsdorf Gallery Endowment.Exhibition Opening CelebrationMay 8, 2025, 5PM – 8PM,&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-celebration-a-new-state-of-matter-tickets-1316600380179?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl?_eboga=false&amp;mc_cid=a75727937e&amp;mc_eid=UNIQID" target="_blank">RSVP</a> The Block Museum of Art and the Department of Art, Theory, and Practice celebrate the 2025 MFA thesis exhibition, A NEW STATE OF MATTER. Join us for an opening reception in the lobby of the museum and experience the work of artists Daniel Dobrow, bree gant, Breanna Robinson, Renee Royale, and José Taymani. Open to all; we appreciate an RSVP!

2025 Art Theory and Practice MFA Thesis Exhibition

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition,&nbsp;Friends of Dorothy’s, curated by Emma Rose Gudewicz.&nbsp;The exhibition will be on display from&nbsp;May 24 - June 29, 2025, and will be free and open to the public.&nbsp;Friends of Dorothy’s&nbsp;examines what it is to be queer today, underscoring the artists’ individual experience with queerness. This exhibition seeks to uplift and highlight LGBTQIA+ voices in an uncertain world. The exhibition title&nbsp;Friends of Dorothy’s&nbsp;derives from queer slang in the mid-20th century. At a time when homosexuality was criminalized, many queer individuals used coded language to identify one another safely in public. "Are you a friend of Dorothy?" was a discreet inquiry from one queer individual to another that didn’t risk revealing a queer person’s identity to potentially dangerous people.&nbsp; Amid the regression of societal acceptance and understanding, we reflect on historical queer communities—their unity and resilience—and how their experiences shape the spaces we create today.

Friends of Dorothy’s

Tobin Fraley

Anne Smith Stephan, Fire and Ice

Evanston Made Group Show

﻿Project Onward Exhibition of the works by Chicago artists from Project Onward that supports artists with developmental and mental disabilities. These sensational works are in a wide variety of media.

Project Onward Exhibition

OPEN LENS XV June 5 - July 6, 2025 The Artist Reception is June 14, from 4:00PM - 7:00PM

Calendar

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