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

Appraisal Days with Heritage Auctions Specialists

Opening: Friday, April 10th, 6-10pm. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/issy-wilson-boundary-layer-opening-at-pagoda-red-tickets-1985607690052?aff=oddtdtcreator&amp;utm_source=Pagoda+Red+Master+List&amp;utm_campaign=d349add43a-20260108_NewArrivals_COPY_01&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_d5a5331306-d349add43a-106923209&amp;goal=0_d5a5331306-d349add43a-106923209&amp;mc_cid=d349add43a&amp;mc_eid=3e481c464e" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" target="_blank">RSVP is required.</a>Herbaceous tequila tasting by Inspiro TequilaImmersive Listening Experience with Catieooooooo A series of multi-media paintings by London-based artist Issy Wilson, Boundary Layer explores the liminal space between earth and air, an overlooked micro-ecosystem where moss cultivates its own conditions for survival. A pioneer species that can shape its surroundings, moss challenges the idea of borders as impenetrable and attests to the impact of quiet perseverance. Dwelling in the boundary layer, mosses are living tapestries with porous and continually renegotiated borders.&nbsp; In a moment when political and social systems increasingly seek to solidify borders and regulate movement, moss suggests an alternative—one rooted in permeability, mutual support, and resilience.&nbsp; Each Boundary Layer work is inspired by London in winter, where mosses emerge as vivid interruptions to misty tones of gray and brown. Dotting the urban landscape like small, forested worlds, the moss bejewels its stark surroundings with moments of color and softness. Even in conditions of constraint, moss continues to thrive, reshape its surroundings, and create new possibilities for growth.&nbsp; Wilson’s paintings symbolize resilience without spectacle, adaptability without erasure, and resistance without domination. Her quiet landscapes remind us that transformation is possible, even when it occurs slowly and in overlooked spaces.

Issy Wilson: Boundary Layer

Gallery VICTOR is proud to present&nbsp;Bruno Surdo, a major exhibition of new work by one of Chicago’s most accomplished contemporary figurative painters. Opening April 11 and continuing through May 16, 2026, the exhibition begins with a public reception on Saturday, April 11 from 12–6 PM.For nearly three decades, Gallery VICTOR has represented Surdo, whose work occupies a rare space where the discipline of Old Master painting meets the urgency of contemporary life. Trained in the atelier tradition, Surdo’s practice is rooted in rigorous draftsmanship, anatomical precision, and the technical lineage of Renaissance and Baroque painting. Yet his subjects are unmistakably of our time, charged with psychological intensity and shaped by the social, emotional, and cultural realities of the present.This exhibition offers a sweeping and immersive view into Surdo’s current direction, bringing together monumental multi-figure narratives, intimate portraits, allegorical compositions, and exquisitely rendered anatomical studies. In works such as&nbsp;Crossroads of Time&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Union of Different Skies, Surdo constructs densely populated urban scenes that function as contemporary stages, spaces where anonymity and intimacy collide, and where individuals exist both together and profoundly alone. These compositions recall the grandeur and complexity of historical painting while confronting the fractured nature of modern experience.Alongside these expansive narratives, Surdo turns inward, exploring vulnerability, desire, and emotional exposure through more focused imagery. Paintings such as&nbsp;Daydreamer,&nbsp;Dreams of Hope, and&nbsp;Guardian&nbsp;capture fleeting yet deeply human moments, while works like&nbsp;Martyrdom of Freedom&nbsp;and&nbsp;Venus of America&nbsp;introduce a sharper, more confrontational edge. In these pieces, Surdo engages directly with contemporary cultural tensions, using symbolism and allegory to probe issues of identity, power, and societal fracture.Equally compelling are Surdo’s mythologically inflected works on paper and canvas, including&nbsp;Ganymede’s Seduction,&nbsp;The Harpies, and&nbsp;The Riddle. Drawing from classical sources, these works reframe archetypal narratives through a contemporary psychological lens, collapsing distinctions between myth and lived experience. Here, Surdo’s ongoing dialogue between past and present becomes especially vivid, revealing the enduring relevance of ancient forms in articulating modern consciousness.Throughout the exhibition, Surdo’s technical mastery remains unwavering, but the emotional tenor of the work pushes into increasingly personal and unguarded territory. The paintings reveal an artist deeply engaged with memory, identity, and the complexities of the human condition, unafraid to confront both beauty and disquiet with equal intensity.A second, more intimate presentation,&nbsp;Bruno Surdo: Unfiltered, will take place at the artist’s studio in Evanston on Saturday, May 2 from 12–4 PM. This special event will offer rare insight into Surdo’s process, with a focused exploration of his work centered on the human body and the raw immediacy of direct observation.Bruno Surdo was born in Chicago and has exhibited widely across the United States, with work held in numerous private and public collections. He is also a dedicated teacher and lecturer, recognized for his commitment to sustaining and advancing the tradition of figurative art.Later this year, Gallery VICTOR will present a special exhibition marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11, centered around Surdo’s monumental painting&nbsp;Tragedy, Memory, and Honor. First exhibited at Chicago’s Daley Center, the work stands as one of the artist’s most powerful and unflinching achievements, a deeply moving meditation on collective loss, remembrance, and national identity. Its return to public view offers a rare opportunity to encounter a work that confronts history with both gravity and humanity. <a href="https://galleryvictor.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e6a1ed366983a0ba9bbe21e1&amp;id=d0c86e304f&amp;e=c95ff8b063" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Off the Wall: In Conversation with Bruno Surdo | April 25, 10 AM - 12 PM</a>

Bruno Surdo: An exhibition in two parts

Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago (MoCP) announces its next exhibition,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=1157c0cf86&amp;e=58cea278c7" target="_blank">MoCP at Fifty: Collecting Through the Decades</a>, on view January 22-May 16, 2026. As we enter the new year, MoCP celebrates its 50th anniversary. Since opening in 1976 and initiating collecting in 1979, MoCP has acquired over 18,000 objects by more than 2,000 artists, representing a broad scope of aesthetics, technologies, and processes. The variety of artworks collected has allowed the museum to engage in conversations across political, social, and cultural landscapes. To celebrate this milestone,&nbsp;MoCP at Fifty&nbsp;examines the evolving practice of building a dynamic collection, presenting a range of objects, from the rarely exhibited to newly acquired works. Together, these selections question and reflect on the role cultural institutions play in shaping the photographic canon. Each of the museum’s five galleries represents a decade of collecting, beginning with the most recent acquisitions (2016-2026) in the first gallery, then moving backwards through time. “Over five decades, the MoCP has built a collection that traces shifting cultural, political, and visual histories. This moment allows us to look back with reflection and celebrate our holdings, knowing that every photograph we steward becomes part of a larger conversation about how images shape our understanding of the world.” Karen Irvine, Chief Curator and Deputy Director Looking at MoCP’s collection decade by decade is as much an archive of history as it is of art. Collections are fluid, often evolving in ways that mirror the values and trends of society at large. The first decades are noticeably missing many women and artists of color, not because such artists were not making work at the time, but because cultural institutions had yet to fully consider the value of varied perspectives and forms of practice. The later decades were collected with intention, not only of addressing gaps in representation, but to embrace conceptual works and works that push the boundary of what defines “photography,” in the process expanding, innovating, and redefining what a photography museum can offer the public. This exhibition displays over 100 objects from the MoCP collection. Featured artists include: Joel Sternfeld (American, b. 1944), Barbara Crane (American, 1928–2019), Matthew Finley (American, b. 1972), Carrie Mae Weems (American, b. 1953), Yasuhiro Ishimoto (Japanese American, 1921-2012), Dayanita Singh (Indian, b.1961), Bob Thall (American, b. 1948), Carlotta Corpron (American, 1901-1988), and various others. Uta Barth, Field #3, 1995; printed 2021. 2021:244

MoCP at 50: Collecting Through the Decades

Gallery Talk with Cheryl Pope

Join GRAY and moniquemeloche galleries for a cross-gallery program connecting the exhibitions Roger Brown: Weathervane at GRAY and Cheryl Pope: ALL THERE IS at moniquemeloche. The afternoon will begin at GRAY with a walkthrough of Roger Brown: Weathervane. Led by artist Cheryl Pope and GRAY Senior Director Anastasia Tinari, the tour will explore how Roger Brown’s distinctive visual language continues to resonate with contemporary artists. Afterwards, the group will meet at moniquemeloche for a sit-down conversation between Ionit Behar, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and Cheryl Pope around her new body of landscape works in ALL THERE IS.

Cross-Gallery Walkthrough with GRAY and moniquemeloche

The Evanston Art Center (EAC), a non-profit arts organization, proudly presents its&nbsp;<a href="https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/sf-0018000000kI1AnAAK/events/vevt:df36c06f-0832-407a-9888-dcabf6d63cdd/home/story" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">37th Annual The Art Party</a>,&nbsp;taking place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 6:00 pm at 1717 Central Street.This yearly tradition includes silent and live auctions that raise money to support EAC’s mission: fostering the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences. Last year, over 230 attendees from the Chicago and North Shore areas helped to raise $100,000 for outreach, scholarship, and exhibition programs.For almost 100 years, EAC has provided public outreach programs, exhibitions, and resources for art education. The Spring Benefit is an integral part of the Evanston Art Center’s success.To purchase tickets, go to our&nbsp;One Cause&nbsp;page. Individual tickets cost $275. The price for all tickets includes a wonderful dinner by J &amp; L Catering and the opportunity to bid on a selection of items in our silent and live auctions. Items include a vibrant range of artwork, hotel stays, restaurant certificates, weekend getaways, jewelry and accessories, and more.This event will be a lovely evening out and an opportunity to support EAC’s important mission. Even if you can’t attend, you can still participate in the&nbsp;<a href="https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/sf-0018000000kI1AnAAK/events/vevt:df36c06f-0832-407a-9888-dcabf6d63cdd/home/story" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">online auction</a>.The Evanston Art Center is dedicated to fostering the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences by offering extensive and innovative instruction in broad areas of artistic endeavor through classes, exhibitions, interactive arts activities, and community outreach.

Evanston Art Center’s The Art Party 2026

Reception and Gallery Talk, May 7, 7-9pmThe 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.Image by: Erika OrnelasArtists:Nicholas AguilarEmilia ConnellAmanda DeweyErika OrnelasMarley PiersonJenna Purdy

Senior Capstone Exhibition

The exhibition&nbsp;<a href="https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/exhibitions/walldrawings-friedhard-kiekeben-and-maria-burundarena" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Walldrawings</a>&nbsp;at Evanston Art Center creates immersive spatial experiences for the viewer through digital wall works made on inkjet-printed paper and pasted vinyl, suggesting dynamic crystalline and hyperbolic abstract repeat forms that invite contemplation and a multiplicity of views and readings.&nbsp;Maria Burundarena was invited to create a dialogue with these works through reflective and mirrored spaces, LED light intervention, and pillar wrappings throughout the gallery. Both artists also show a selection of 'panel paintings' that accompany the site-specific installation works.RCA, trained, the German/American artist&nbsp;Friedhard Kiekeben&nbsp;is currently based in Indianapolis.&nbsp;A minimalist aesthetic manifests in site-specific installations and series of paintings and overpaintings, and has been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums since the late 1980s.The Chicago-based Argentinian artist&nbsp;Maria Burundarena&nbsp;makes site-specific installations using large-scale printed images, light projection, and reflective materials. Her work has been exhibited at ZAZ 10, Times&nbsp;Square, New York, SITE Gallery, Mayfield, MdW Mana Contemporary, Chicago Athletic Association, The Franklin, Heaven Gallery, and Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Walldrawings | Friedhard Kiekeben and Maria Burundarena

Led by Karsten LundKarsten Lund, Senior Curator at the Renaissance Society, will bring participants through a tour of the Part 1 of&nbsp;Palomar, touching on key ideas and inviting conversation.&nbsp;

Exhibition Walk-through

We meet abroad on neutral ground.Forget he of plain food and soft looking shoes, and all that which is common among commoners.&nbsp;Learn to love things so fine that they border on nothing. As for your successful animals and cities - descend upon them and pronounce them good.&nbsp;A princess is unsure of what to eat.&nbsp;And who will chew my food? Who will call and refresh me?She embodies sweetness and wants harmony, but lacks inner power until a crisis forces growth.&nbsp;If you walk slow and there’s no moon, your nightly disappearance will go unnoticed. You will see others in their respective pavilions, enduring their own peculiar tests. Their eyes point in different directions to keep their mythologies intact. Some are clever, some are spoiled, but all are as real as stone.Show them your gift, you are grateful and good. We all drink from the same glass.Fall asleep tonight never to be threatened again by such different but equal beauties.&nbsp;Know that I would make the world a ruby for your little finger, and die in an oval of your tears. So goes the path of the clean heart - see things only as God sees them. Between me and an angel there must be a difference.Image: Scroll,&nbsp;Oil on canvas, 22 x 36 inches

Castle: Amy Pearl Lang

Sale 6502<a href="https://freemansauction.com/auctions/6502-early-20th-century-design?page=1&amp;per=48&amp;tab=overview" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Early 20th Century Design</a>May 20, 2026&nbsp;10:00AM CTLive / Chicago

Early 20th Century Design

Sale 6503<a href="https://freemansauction.com/auctions/6503-modern-design?page=1&amp;per=48&amp;tab=overview" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Modern Design</a>May 20, 2026&nbsp;11:00AM CTLive / Chicago

Modern Design

Artist Talk: Saturday, April 18 starting at 1PM207 E Buffalo St, Suite 404, Milwaukee, WI 53202 (Marshall Building, 4th floor)Kim Storage Gallery is pleased to present Reflections and Undercurrents, a solo exhibition of new&nbsp;paintings by Katherine Steichen Rosing that immerses viewers in the invisible forces shaping forests and watersheds amid&nbsp;climate disruption. Rosing’s work reveals both the resilience and fragile balance of ecosystems under stress, asking what&nbsp;persists—and what quietly disappears—beneath the surface of the landscapes we love.In this body of work, she abstracts hidden ecological processes into vividly hued, densely layered surfaces, merging the&nbsp;visible and invisible through inscribed marks that are later veiled by color, like root systems and currents we cannot fully&nbsp;see. Reflections and Undercurrents introduces submerged forests of yellow-green trunks rising through ultramarine&nbsp;floodwaters, holding the tension between visual allure and the unsettling question of whether we witness temporary&nbsp;inundation or irreversible transformation.Grounded in long-term observation, environmental research, and collaborations with scientists, Rosing’s practice&nbsp;addresses extreme weather cycles—drought, deluge, and intensifying storms—that leave forests stressed and&nbsp;vulnerable, from local neighborhoods to distant northern ecosystems. She understands painting as a way to convey the&nbsp;felt experience of environmental change, creating a contemplative space where beauty and unease coexist and where&nbsp;subtle shifts in color, light, and texture echo broader ecological transformations.Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Rosing is known for environmentally engaged paintings and immersive installations&nbsp;exploring relationships among forests, watersheds, and climate. She has exhibited in over one hundred solo and group&nbsp;shows in museums and galleries, including the Rockford Art Museum, Amos Eno Gallery (New York), the Arts Club&nbsp;(Washington, DC), and the Museum of Wisconsin Art. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, and she holds an MFA from Northern Illinois University. She received the 2022 Forward Art Prize.Image: Blue Damselflies Flitting About My Kayak, Acrylic on canvas, 44 x 55"

Reflections and Undercurrents

Mekkelson's bass note snare emerges simultaneously from two galleries on opposite ends of Chicago.65GRAND in the North Side neighborhood of Humboldt Park, features bass note. Sixteen miles away, in the South Side Morgan Park neighborhood, boundary presents snare.The exhibitions open on April 24 (65GRAND) and April 25 (boundary) and run through May 23.

Heather Mekkelson: bass note

Mariane Ibrahim is proud to present its first solo exhibition with Youssef Nabil,&nbsp;No one Knows but the Sky.&nbsp;Cinema forms the stage upon which the photographic and video work of Youssef Nabil unfolds. Within it, the history of Egyptian cinema coexists with his childhood memories of Cairo, shaped by the film posters of a country that remains a major center of popular culture. Through its images, sounds, and stories, Egyptian cinema has shaped tastes, morals, and even language across the Arab world for decades. Through cinema, Nabil encountered art for the first time, and it remains the lens through which he has continued to observe and register the many transformations of his native land.The artworks presented in this exhibition—one of which gives the exhibition its title, and where the video&nbsp;The Room&nbsp;is shown for the first time—offer a glimpse into the last twenty years of the artist’s practice, where his stylized films move alongside hand-colored images. In these pieces, Nabil applies a meticulous process of painting directly onto the print, transforming each work into a unique object, in the tradition of the Egyptian film posters of his youth.<a href="http://link.marianeibrahim.com/ls/click?upn=u001.QEhnWBve3x4w-2FznpuSOKkHDHeH9lWxp-2BpojXmbdTFEfNIzMO4Fk0hZGVAcuFTnrwuZu5hmOl-2F6D5nZnF86DF23mK0QDSMs06h62FVId6b8EeBA7gPki6Ji8EdgMRK5OAW-2F3sLMS2dDG6EXp646BAWQ-3D-3DlcsV_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVikNEQwxpwEcoOyKbtwuEcOmpV8pZqW9wDkAW98XvXyxFYzbJ4WJEwgS9NSON6MGnCTfJn1AkphRC0R-2FMWpGqOzHnre5xAAnJH0jckxlKiDrzDDB3ft4yXB-2FVIkaItTRuXQ3hju5kyBUW7PMdjkTAgnIQNV3P4O8dFGQ6ATHGnagwAAHuX-2FfZC5QkUT4B0uvuhpa4SC9C81tqNybS1ONfOa17CE42rNNIrUHGi2sfSS-2FFaPjilPEmhUOm6cTxA0BS8lCNIDewVQcr4Jp4CMFh50SF4qaVFpcYFVmre8r5psua2s0dLuDCbAuyL5I5yDiQwdgLSHmoS-2BZCPbt1HOyKCf46Ad4bf2BhPEQ42l1j4xxc0olHXXmTW-2BPDCkLCy1FeWQN2QjhiWSY-2BhnWIEYO-2F21URteTqxj8s0o2nKiHkBoVpNGXD-2FTMmXPcTnRPoWw5yjaypUblX9rBLyNl9X-2FOgoNc9b-2BRvc0A4NqS00FfW4kgkVj9FSXt-2BOEI-2FpxXPYDDmvyfJeO3Fb3p4TKL0tVIDlWjUQCJm5tJWM9yoHfjVoaACgOIJQfCOxSm1f-2F0YSxnV3DEHy-2F40jUgGH0XrfvEZOo2dU6i2dy1XRSdXBxkVc3g9y-2FpGdD6mgFTYrFkJ42Re8IpnJ06TfxH6YlYEmsv0a0DTl0bQKEcW3oxzKvWMPtweY0sHYJHmbjAxmBFzy5ZtEIjNnlu-2BATUuPUlkPWg3QfuUTIh9AGsnaxPjQgYbpSuQtOwHFNPOXN9A5T35bocaAPv9Cg5XX2VlF-2BQWbCGSJoeY0tWc20da-2BL8TSp09Td0-3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" target="_blank">MORE INFORMATION</a> Image: Youssef Nabil,&nbsp;Self-portrait with Roots, Los Angeles, 2008. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim.

Youssef Nabil: No One Knows But the Sky

Join Jackson Junge Gallery in celebrating the past, present, and future of Benjye Troob’s remarkable career in FORMS &amp; HORIZONS: A Retrospective.Spanning more than four decades of drawing and painting, this retrospective highlights Benjye Troob's lifelong dedication to art. The exhibition brings together her select works from the late 1990s to today, offering visitors an intimate look at Benjye’s artistic evolution and her ever-shifting yet unmistakable vision. While her style continues to evolve, her art consistently captures both the vitality of the human form and the beauty of the natural world.Free and open to the public.

Forms & Horizons: A Retrospective

<a href="https://randolphstreetmarket.com/event/randolph-street-market-festival-may-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BUY TICKETS + DETAILS</a><a href="https://randolphstreetmarket.com/vendor-application-may/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BECOME A VENDOR</a>Randolph Street Market FestivalMay 23+2410am to 5pm both days1341 W Randolph StChicago, ILIndoor &amp; Outdoor23RD ANNUAL GARDEN PARTY!Kick off summer with Randolph, we’ll be in full VINTAGE bloom with 200 stellar indoor and outdoor dealers! Our biggest show of the year, an incredible feast for the senses, glorious color, life and GREAT BUYS. Continuous live music, dj’s, food and 3-Market Bars too!

Randolph Street Market Festival

Waterscapes convey emotional depth. The artists in the Horizons Exhibition capture the essence of water by reflecting upon abstract shapes of color and light that shimmer on the surface. They are keenly aware of subtle shifts in temperature, mood and atmosphere.&nbsp;They blur the lines between representation and abstraction. See beyond the horizon through their eyes.&nbsp; This exhibition addresses the fragile relationship humans have with water, our most precious natural resource. Twenty percent of all revenue from sales will be donated to the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Artists: Anna Marie Crovetti, Mark Collins, Catherine Daniels, Cindy Fuller, Ted Glasoe, Louise LeBourgeois, Lynne Miller Jones, Eleanor Speiss-Ferris, Ellen Starr Lyon, and Nina Weiss.&nbsp; Opening Reception: Saturday, May 2nd, 2 to 5 PM &nbsp; May 17th @ 2 PM: Talk "Connections, Conversations and Commitment: Reflections Upon the Great Lakes." Louise LeBourgeois will discuss her connection to Lake Michigan in her paintings. Matt Alsteil will discuss the Alliance’s efforts to ensure clean water via science-based solutions, community engagement.&nbsp; Gallery Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 1 to 6 PMWebsite: <a href="http://www.grovegallery.shop" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(56, 101, 115);" target="_blank">www.grovegallery.shop</a>Contact: Sarah Kaiser, Gallery Director<a href="mailto:sarah@studio215.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sarah@studio215.org</a>773 318 0163

Horizons: the Waterscapes

Uncertain HistoriesJune 14, 2025 - May 24, 2026Chicago Cultural Center, Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Hall Cases, 2nd Floor North Everything in history, once it has happened, looks as if it had to happen exactly that way. We can’t imagine any other. But I am convinced of the uncertainty of history, of the possibility of surprise, of the importance of human action in changing what looks unchangeable.—Howard Zinn (US Army veteran), 1994* The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Hall was built as a memorial to the sacrifices of Union Civil War veterans and their families. According to the renowned American abolitionist Frederick Douglass, their sacrifices were for freedom and a testament to the most profound declaration of human rights in history. Yet, Douglass also argued in a 1877 speech to the GAR, that the task of fully realizing this freedom remained unfinished. In the face of this unfinished task, and the current challenges to freedoms,&nbsp;Uncertain Histories&nbsp;reveals entanglement between past military actions and today’s state repression, between historic declarations and the current struggle for freedom. The creative practices of contemporary veteran artists&nbsp;Darrell W. Fair,&nbsp;Eric J. Garcia,&nbsp;Monty Little (Diné), and&nbsp;Amber Zora&nbsp;draw throughlines that complicate legacies of colonialism and militarism while seeking a more peaceful future. These creative acts of hope transform violent histories into stories of survival and resistance. As celebrated historian and World War II veteran Howard Zinn writes, “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.”* Uncertain Histories&nbsp;is curated by Aaron Hughes in affiliation with the emerging Veteran Art Movement, with support from the DEMIL Art Fund, DCASE, and the City of Chicago.* Howard Zinn,&nbsp;You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times&nbsp;(Beacon Press, 1994).

Uncertain Histories

Live AuctionThis is an auction replete with standouts. Works by Magritte, Tamayo, Ed Paschke, Karl Wirsum and multiple mixed media collages and prints from the celebrated Tony Fitzpatrick will cross the block.A significant work by Bill Traylor leads the Outsider Art session, alongside major works by Howard Finster, Yoakum, Dial, Sparrow, and Dawson. Folk art includes a carved grotto Jesus and Devil train set sculpture from Wisconsin, and three oversize leaves by Ivan Albright lead the fine art session. Design collectors can settle in to a&nbsp;Bouloum Chair by Oliver Mourge for Airbourne International.

Art & Design

On Friday, May 1st, we will be having an exhibit opening for featured artist Erin Kaya's show "Atmospheric Geometry." The opening will run from 5-7 PM and will display Erin's lively, intriguing abstract paintings, which&nbsp;are defined by a strong use of color and geometric shapes, specifically lines and squares.Image: Metropolis Tapestry

Erin Kaya: Atmospheric Geometry

Group Exhibition Opening Reception:&nbsp;May 1, 2026, 6–10 PMExhibition Dates:&nbsp;May 1 – May 29, 2026 Chicago Grand Gallery presents&nbsp;Without Permission, a group exhibition featuring&nbsp;Paul Sierra, Kevin C. Lawler, and David Hauptschein. Bringing together painting, material-based practice, and AI-driven image-making, the exhibition explores shifting identity, surface, and constructed narrative across three distinct artistic approaches. Working across abstraction and figuration,&nbsp;Paul Sierra&nbsp;creates paintings that reflect identity in transition. His work draws from memory and migration, where forms remain fluid and continuously evolving. Kevin C. Lawler&nbsp;approaches painting through material and surface. With a background in traditional gilding and conservation, his work carries a strong sense of craft, where texture and process become central to the visual experience. David Hauptschein&nbsp;presents AI-based digital works that question authorship and image-making in the contemporary moment. Using artificial intelligence as both tool and collaborator, his work constructs layered, often unsettling visual narratives. Without Permission&nbsp;brings these practices into dialogue, where painting, process, and machine-generated imagery intersect. The exhibition resists fixed meaning, instead embracing transformation, tension, and the instability of form.

Without Permission

Get ready to clear some shelf space! Our highly anticipated School &amp; Studio Sale + Fundraiser returns May 2–29, and it’s the perfect opportunity to find something special for yourself, or a unique gift for a loved one. Whether you’re a longtime collector or just looking for that perfect gift, your contribution helps keep our vibrant arts community thriving.

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