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

<a href="https://oh4nipbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ZTVM3iEHVvEKfhwQsCJ46nYsOtugxTCRnJWFhXj3C4aw2b1ikI2RR4bYcKnJo2bJATn5nKUzl94dLIGZzzK25Y46MNSWLvkFmhvBxipnTnvMCQeXwQ1ZwvLH9SnpA4LMbjM42UkAyzISFt19C8admA==&amp;c=OpWSoMN78G4oRFySMyD1OGhkbkImsazZhB2hDzq3Yu3L4fVJztoJXw==&amp;ch=A80OcZyC2k_H1KvHKq452YZCNJAZS-2W9p5885Am_AmD1dQAYpBqUg==" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank">Jackson Junge Gallery</a> is excited to present their third group exhibition of the year, <a href="https://oh4nipbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ZTVM3iEHVvEKfhwQsCJ46nYsOtugxTCRnJWFhXj3C4aw2b1ikI2RR-HxZAJtVFApv_EQP7elVU7vi8Zg5fbFsuRSFYiRsL8u3KCLREJzsf9QXpzXoEL9J_gBwDRGAk6zs_y2B1xYdIU-53YqsoY7zKv3TBHyzAT5tjC0UEhMSxkD7lznfWI9eg==&amp;c=OpWSoMN78G4oRFySMyD1OGhkbkImsazZhB2hDzq3Yu3L4fVJztoJXw==&amp;ch=A80OcZyC2k_H1KvHKq452YZCNJAZS-2W9p5885Am_AmD1dQAYpBqUg==" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank">AFTER DARK</a>, featuring artwork that shines a light on nightlife in Chicago. The exhibition will feature the work of 28 artists local to the Chicagoland area. From the beginning of a big night out, to the eventful CTA ride home, AFTER DARK explores both the&nbsp;well-known and the hidden corners of Chicago&nbsp;﻿after the sun has gone down.

After Dark

Rockford Art Museum (RAM) opens the Rockford Midwestern Biennial exhibition on Friday, May 22, with a preview reception for museum members and exhibiting artists from 5 to 6 p.m., free public opening includes a gallery walk with 2026 Juror Laurie Hogin and an artist awards ceremony at 6 p.m. The museum will be open until 7:30 p.m. RAM, 711 N. Main St., Rockford.The exhibition remains on view through September 27, 2026. The 2026 Rockford Midwestern is the 78th presentation of Rockford Art Museum's juried exhibition, which began in 1913 as an annual showcase of local artists, then expanded eligibility and was known as the Stateline Vicinity Show through 1998. Now a biennial show that surveys new work by contemporary artists across the Midwest, the competition was open to original artwork, in any medium, created since the last biennial by residents of&nbsp;Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.&nbsp; Juror Laurie Hogin selected 98 paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, sculptures, mixed media works, and more from eight states (including nine artists from the Rockford region) for this year’s Rockford Midwestern Biennial.&nbsp;“It’s a stellar showcase of the incredible talent of Midwestern artists today,” RAM Curator Carrie Johnson said. Laurie Hogin received her MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her BFA from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where she also studied cultural anthropology. Her work is exhibited regularly across the country and is in numerous private and public collections, including the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA, the Illinois State Museum, The United States Federal Reserve, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Brauer Museum, Valparaiso, IN, the Racine Art Museum, WI, among many others. She is currently Professor with Tenure and Chair of the Painting and Sculpture Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 2026 Exhibiting Artists:&nbsp;Luke Achterberg (Onalaska, WI); Deidre Argyle (Springfield, MO); Nelson Armour (Chicago, IL); Karen Azarnia (River Forest, IL); Heidi Bailey (Warsaw, IN); Michael Banning (Minneapolis, MN); Audrey Barcio (Muncie, IN); Jason Beck (Rockton, IL); Victoria Bein (Edgerton, WI); Lauren Bertelson (Chicago, IL); Lois Bielefeld (Glendale, WI); Jill Birschbach (Evanston, IL); Rebecca Bissi (Racine, WI); Sharon Bladholm (Chicago, IL); Mark Blassage (South Bend, IN); Jennifer Bock-Nelson (Quincy, IL); Mark Brautigam (Milwaukee, WI); Deborah Brooks (Milwaukee, WI); H. Buchholz (Franklin, WI); Roy Cacek (Ankeny, IA); Rebecca Carlton (Fish Creek, WI); Danielle Casali (St. Charles, IL); Ethan Chan (Chicago, IL); Bob Cholke (Rockford, IL); Bobbye Cochran (Chicago, IL); Brent Cole (Muncie, IN); Bridget Conn (Nashville, IN); Benjamin Cook (Louisville, KY); Kevin Corotis (Oak Park, IL); Dragana Crnjak (Boardman, OH); Gary Cudworth (Oswego, IL); Geornica Daniels (Cedarburg, WI); Anita Dawson (Columbus, OH); Jacob Del Negro (Racine, WI); Sessah DelaRue (Belvidere, IL); Brian DePauli (Saint Louis, MO); Jason Dunda (Chicago, IL); Renee Meyer Ernst (Davenport, IA); Darlys Ewoldt (Chicago, IL); Deirdre Fox (Chicago, IL); Rhonda Gates (Rockford, IL); Shelley Gilchrist (Evanston, IL); Tanya Gill (Chicago, IL); Rita Grendze (Geneva, IL); Camryn Gulledge (Springfield, MO); Denis Hagen (Hiawatha, IA); Fletcher Hayes (Chicago, IL); Alan Hobscheid (Chicago, IL); Ellen Holtzblatt (Chicago, IL); Larsen Husby (Chicago, IL); Jeff Ignatius (Rock Island, IL); Shane-Jahi Jackson (Morris, IL); Noah Kashiani (Chicago, IL); Kara Knutson (Oconomowoc, WI); John Kurman (Arlington Heights, IL); Diane Lamboley (Clayton, MO); Isaiah Lee (Chicago, IL); CoCo Ree Lemery (Chicago, IL); Braydon Letsinger (Springville, IN); Diane Levesque (Kenosha, WI); Paula Kloczkowski Luberda (Naperville, IL); Tanya Lunina (Geneva, IL); Lisa Madden (Mokena, IL); Ellen Mahaffy (Eau Claire, WI); Valerie Mangion (Muscoda, WI); T. Michael Martin (Murray, KY); Madeline Martin (Milwaukee, WI); Aeron Maxwell (Chicago, IL); Don McCurdy (St. Charles, IL); Tom McHale (Rockford, IL); Nancie King Mertz (Rockford, IL); Ryan Peter Miller (Chicago, IL); Zach Mory (Glen Ellyn, IL);&nbsp;Thérèse&nbsp;Mulgrew (Chicago, IL); Louisa Murzyn (Munster, IN); Catherine Nelson (Grayslake, IL); Dan Oliver (Chicago, IL); Robert C Osborne (Racine, WI); Mark Pack (Kansas City, MO); Mielle Park (Vernon Hills, IL); Lorraine Peltz (Chicago, IL); Denise Presnell (Sheboygan, WI); Jessie Rebik (Galena, IL); Jason Reblando (Norman, IL); Kimberly Rodey (Wheaton, IL); Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch (Lexington, KY); Kurt Schabell (Loves Park, IL); Edwin Shelton (Michigan City, IN); Dan Simoneau (Kenosha, WI); DeAnna Skedel (Kansas City, MO); Shalen Stephenson (Chicago, IL); Kathy Snow Stratton (Buffalo, MN); Dan Swanson (Rockford, IL); Tori Tasch (Hartland, WI); Ron Testa (Wilmette, IL); Ged Trias (Rockford, IL); Mark Weller (Waunakee, WI); A M Yeager (Bloomington, IL) Awards will be presented at the preview for members and exhibiting artists on Friday, May 22, including the prestigious Dean Alan Olson Purchase Award ($2,000) plus Juror’s First Choice ($750), and two Juror’s Choice awards ($500 each). The Rockford Midwestern Biennial is organized by Carrie Johnson and juried by Laurie Hogin. This exhibition and its related educational programming are sponsored by the Dean Alan Olson Foundation; and partially supported by a grant from the&nbsp;Illinois Arts Council Agency. Free admission is sponsored for the duration of this exhibition by the Dean Alan Olson Foundation. Galleries are open Thursday through Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. THE 2026 ROCKFORD MIDWESTERN&nbsp;EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMINGAll programs take place at Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St., Rockford LECTURE WITH EXHIBITING ARTISTS&nbsp;THU, JULY 23, 5:30 PM, FREE, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, NO REGISTRATION REQUIREDJoin us for a conversation with exhibiting artists from our Midwestern Biennial as they discuss their inspirations and processes. COFFEE WITH THE CURATOR&nbsp;FRI, SEP 11, 9 AM, FREE, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, NO REGISTRATION NECESSARYGet a behind-the-scenes look into the process of curating the feature exhibition with Executive Director/Curator Carrie Johnson. Complimentary coffee provided.

2026 Rockford Midwestern Biennial

In-person&nbsp;Artist’s Talk:&nbsp;Thursday Sept. 17th, 7 PM.&nbsp; Perspective Gallery is proud to present a new show by fine art photographer, Maria Finitzo. It will be the first public viewing of her work, titled, Ice &amp; Light which revisits a body of photographs made in 1993 on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic, one of the most remote and rapidly changing landscapes on earth. Unresolved at the time of their making, the original color transparencies were set aside for three decades before being rediscovered. Their return underscores both the material endurance of analog photography and the fragility of the subjects depicted. The ice shelves of northern Ellesmere Island, among the oldest in the Northern Hemisphere, have since undergone significant loss due to climate change, rendering these images a record of a landscape in disappearance.The Gallery will also host a companion show by Perspective member William Bridges. Titled “MY Photographic Memory?”, this exhibit features recent work in which he explores an alternate possible linkage between memory and photography.&nbsp;He writes, “Some people are said to have “photographic memories”, the ability to recall comprehensive, detailed pictures of everything they have ever seen.&nbsp;I am asserting that everyone has a photographic memory, but that the type of visual image differs from one person to the next. What I am trying to offer here are not crystallized pictures of the past, but photographs of how my recollections appear in my head.”&nbsp;

Maria Finitzo: Ice and Light

This crowd-pleasing annual juried exhibition featuring artists of West Michigan was carefully curated from more than 300 submitted entries, ranging from paintings, prints, and photos to mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed-media works.

2026 West Michigan Area Show

The work of West Michigan’s talented artistic community is on view during the annual&nbsp;West Michigan Area Show.&nbsp;This crowd-pleasing annual juried exhibition was carefully curated from more than 300 submitted entries, ranging from paintings, prints, and photos to mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed-media works.Local artists from 14 West Michigan counties submit their art for a chance to be juried into the show.&nbsp;More than $6,000 will be awarded and entries can range from paintings, prints, and photos to mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed-media works.2026 WMAS JurorThis year’s juror is Xuxa Rodríguez, Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Curator of Contemporary Art at Duke University’s Nasher Museum. Prior to her role at Duke, Rodríguez served as the Associate Curator of Contemporary Arts at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Rodríguez will present an ArtBreak lecture on Wednesday, May 27, at noon in the KIA auditorium.2026 WMAS Awards<ul><li>$1,000 Helen Sheridan Memorial Grand Prize</li><li>$ 500 Second Place</li><li>$ 400 Third Place</li><li>$ 300 Fourth Place</li><li>$ 200 Fifth Place</li><li>Portage Community Art Award</li><li>Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo’s People’s Choice Award</li><li>The Martin Maddox Prize for Imaginative Realism</li><li>Ninth Wave Studio Award for Ingenuity in Mixed Media or Intermedia</li><li>Art League Award</li><li>Signature Artists, LLC, Award</li><li>Eclectic Glass Guild of Southwest Michigan</li><li>Kalamazoo Log Cabin Quilters’ Art Quilt Award</li><li>Southwest Michigan Printmakers Excellence in Printmaking Award</li><li>Kalamazoo Book Arts Center Book, Print, and Paper Award</li><li>West Michigan Potters Guild Award for Ceramics</li><li>The Ward H. and Cora E. Nay Director’s Purchase Prize</li></ul><a href="https://www.kiarts.org/events/tag/wmas/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click here to see upcoming events in connection with this exhibition</a>.

As part of In/Between, Amanda Browder: Civic Sparkle activates one of RAM Downtown’s interior gallery spaces, inviting visitors to experience the artist’s large-scale textile work from a closer perspective. Civic Sparkle features portions of a previous work by Browder, alongside behind-the-scenes content from the creation of Zig &amp; Zag—the piece which adorns the outside of the museum. Together, these works highlight Browder’s collaborative, community-driven practice which celebrates shared creativity, memory, and the power of art to reimagine place.

Amanda Browder: Civic Sparkle

Explore the artistry of traditional Japanese paper-making with Human Body Watermarks, led by artist Mami Takahashi. Tickets $45. Materials included.

Workshop: Japanese Papermaking

Michigan Avenue Galleries, Chicago Cultural&nbsp;Center&nbsp;Photographer Lauren Deutsch and filmmaker Jonathan Woods present an immersive exhibition translating the energy of Chicago’s improvised music scene into color,&nbsp;movement&nbsp;and visual form. Developed&nbsp;by the Tangible Sound Collaborative, the project celebrates the city’s legendary experimental music community and honors the influence of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).&nbsp;Through photography, film and installation, the exhibition explores how music can inspire visual expression while celebrating the artists and ancestors whose creativity continues to shape Chicago’s cultural identity.&nbsp;

Tangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher Ground 

Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra present a dynamic program exploring the energy, rhythm, and humanity of city life.

CSO Chamber Music: City Rhythms

Winnetka Gallery - 564 Lincoln AvenueAnne Loucks Gallery is pleased to annnouce the opening of Summer Days, a solo exhibition featuring photographer, Joshua Jensen-Nagle. The show features sixteen of the artist's large scale works from his Dreams and Journeys, Endless Summer and American Vacation series.Jensen-Nagle is well known for his captivating photographs of beaches, mountains, parks, and grand public spaces. His images capture aerial views of leisure and travel, rendering figures as colorful, semi-abstract elements bathed in light and immersed in the beauty of their surroundings. Details of sun soaked beaches, majestic landscapes, and dramatic architecture become a distant memory, as he transforms his images into a dream state for the viewer. His photos invite viewers into the frame to form their own interpretations. “My lens is not meant to document a reality, but rather attempts to capture a feeling experienced within the photograph, allowing the viewer to reflect on their own memories and dreams.Please stop in the Winnetka gallery to see the show and celebrate summer ~ we'd love to see you!

Joshua Jensen-Nagle: Summer Days

September Exhibit: Julie CowanExhibit:&nbsp;Garden Geometry LithographsSeptember 1 - 30, 2026 ﻿On Friday, September 11th, the Hubbard Woods Design District will once again come alive with its monthly First (Actually Second) Friday event! The evening will include more than 15 participating businesses throughout the neighborhood and feature promotions, complementary cocktails, live music, and more.

Julie Cowan: Garden Geometry Lithographs

Photography historian Greg Foster-Rice examines the relationship between picture-making and lived urban experience.

The Modern Metropolis & Images of the City

<h4>Debuting satellite project space</h4> In celebration of Chicago Exhibition Week, inaugural project with Stephen Eichhorn opens Thursday, September 17th, 5-8PMat 1801 W Hubbard Street, Chicago <a href="mailto:britton@secristbeach.com?subject=Preview%20request%20for%20Second%20Star" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(63, 150, 229);" target="_blank">Request Preview</a>

Second Star

Please join us to celebrate this monumental exhibition on two separate days.&nbsp; PREVIEW on Friday, September 11 • 5 to 8 pm&nbsp;at our River North gallery at 716 N. Wells.&nbsp; OPENING RECEPTION with the artist on Saturday, September 19 • 4 to 6 pm at 700 N. LaSalle Street in Chicago.&nbsp; Since the public opening on June 2nd of the open air exhibition on Chicago's North Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile)&nbsp;Chicago had not seen a public art display of this magnitude in 27 years. Carole Feuerman is best known for her figurative sculptures depicting swimmers and dancers. She is the only woman to sculpt in this style, creating lifelike works for both indoor and outdoor spaces. From landing on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, to thousands of Chicago residents and tourists from around the world, we have been inundated with inspiring messages that have given joy to millions of people who have strolled along the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue.

Carole Feuerman: MONUMENTS OF STILLNESS

AUCTION: Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 10am CSTJoin us for Weird Tales! Explore rarities of tattooing, enter a crypt of the odd and curious, and prepare to believe that life exists beyond our world. Featuring narrative art of UFO abductions by David Huggins, rare tattoo flash and memorabilia, and curios across several categories, Weird Tales! is one of Potter &amp; Potter’s most eclectic auctions to date. (And that's saying something.)Pre-register for the auction now at <a href="http://url2796.potterauctions.com/ls/click?upn=u001.Xrkv5MDx4JU-2BcO33dbI1-2BQkLeC4Nhem9skMoCbF6bGTlMpvd2axwZTvc5s4Oz2NRU7Oh0eZgvyu-2FMgZ1o1EWkmFlzCAEZ9i8k8M43OQqvtDo-2FlXZ-2BLIOf9mha-2Bs8-2BukydF2OwfA7UdLQdHFxtPG7XYjYbZB519UmNWB48LO-2BJLY-3DnDad_F-2B18IOO1ZU6iY4K-2F9Q9GBGu5rvP-2BL20ZUrVQMSgnAy2dkeZXZkSsnZVlr-2Bsr2mNTUSMMfJD2V-2FRPtVrL8NfH4CxZq2HdWeK5k3cug4Qed3Bnfz-2F2FvGiCoEu-2Bs-2BIv-2BsLRXpOOmDpvrZfNZt3mDM0FLnrUH80amJVZ2-2F9qUgU5vRDWLikQnWHhRPztsPkDJpFWiLOXSniw2IkDzQuVh2C-2FE-2BRsn7QkQkqeDGZ7KWTT-2F-2FfzlC1XYKinNpbuv6-2FEnC1oWH9vbiMpRkcg7HJEg8KJ8ZmiJMQOQEZ-2FXTZCTfEvd1qhE7o7mIINdShvE-2F-2FuosO" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank">POTTERAUCTIONS.COM</a><a href="http://url2796.potterauctions.com/ls/click?upn=u001.Xrkv5MDx4JU-2BcO33dbI1-2BQkLeC4Nhem9skMoCbF6bGTwWvV7W6IocFx6yAX4Lr8y5Skx7M5G-2B4Pgmfgpym8LjQ-3D-3DgvMa_F-2B18IOO1ZU6iY4K-2F9Q9GBGu5rvP-2BL20ZUrVQMSgnAy2dkeZXZkSsnZVlr-2Bsr2mNTUSMMfJD2V-2FRPtVrL8NfH4CxZq2HdWeK5k3cug4Qed3Bnfz-2F2FvGiCoEu-2Bs-2BIv-2BsLRXpOOmDpvrZfNZt3mDM0FDB4ZrDtEUw3HNCLRuaJ5cAeNqUGHteqWvORSOXYAHIrFxO3QEmLIRwH-2F7Y9TX1Br-2B54LMDDVyDsjQp8bmg-2BskhK9vvRJx34bxhENi1KHiL9MIxuqiTnGC0msOwfJLiAF2tebZJ7OJJcjUnRf8WivPT7rq0c4UbrzjkdSAJUnLD4" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank">Register now</a> or <a href="http://url2796.potterauctions.com/ls/click?upn=u001.Xrkv5MDx4JU-2BcO33dbI1-2BQkLeC4Nhem9skMoCbF6bGTwWvV7W6IocFx6yAX4Lr8ysLJDk6xWcmZMLAkQMEZtkA-3D-3DZiA7_F-2B18IOO1ZU6iY4K-2F9Q9GBGu5rvP-2BL20ZUrVQMSgnAy2dkeZXZkSsnZVlr-2Bsr2mNTUSMMfJD2V-2FRPtVrL8NfH4CxZq2HdWeK5k3cug4Qed3Bnfz-2F2FvGiCoEu-2Bs-2BIv-2BsLRXpOOmDpvrZfNZt3mDM0FP82L76BsbEl5E2Jcvfthia4RBn-2F6CAjNxspygpwvO6DNVuUMNHPzSi6Wan18O6wBCOmh1FIajYuf7SZG9GRoYUlODZyDDH7yWJslbp5Uuc1aitmuyc0d2ma-2FMfntUxmPS65kl-2BOgWK1rb6a9c1uZQsKJsqSjvo-2FiOAvFzVLGmVO" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank">Sign in</a> below. EMAIL us or call 773.472.1442 to leave phone or absentee bids.

Weird Tales!

Support art by supporting the artists and curators behind it.&nbsp;This is what Chicago Artists Coalition does best. From our&nbsp;<a href="https://tnxbinhbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aWOgG3-QwiZXDZQRj96bZL1a0zjJLzpOa7avhrk3w6qHeqqJXDgyTkorcAxQlllcndMUCmy0eSmLzM2EiNbxPoYSl9AtQj_QiPX8nZLGECKQoNNaZdk_WEs-bFSxXBLI4k88Aji-TaIXPIBNJDtN6c0ICVeNQZhXwOQ_stGWqeZQxGjOK_k4mcfbwCWzHvDL&amp;c=6TuOc1glnf8wNmuH18hfjSBThJcyvO7QrcLVR8V3HHeTqJ9w4rlTZQ==&amp;ch=lEs5Zd_sxxv2eTNQNVcqge1aWyrU2Ksdy7Yky23Lv2IYfQxIjPzDKQ==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">residency program</a>&nbsp;to our public offerings like&nbsp;<a href="https://tnxbinhbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aWOgG3-QwiZXDZQRj96bZL1a0zjJLzpOa7avhrk3w6qHeqqJXDgyTuoBo3-j10MnpKCo5I-OnEfnJ6uqjI5Q_OT9HJRWWrRRtPCWxQygYJeuxHEohdWLAb_3pr0yx-CeBiAOPyvqsUnxPi79Msvn3Me9b-aaXvTP27OmIngzeXXWDDx2roWbqqJkGO8YhC4p8Mwu_Gj6tRrWJaYqjrBgcA==&amp;c=6TuOc1glnf8wNmuH18hfjSBThJcyvO7QrcLVR8V3HHeTqJ9w4rlTZQ==&amp;ch=lEs5Zd_sxxv2eTNQNVcqge1aWyrU2Ksdy7Yky23Lv2IYfQxIjPzDKQ==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">professional development</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://tnxbinhbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aWOgG3-QwiZXDZQRj96bZL1a0zjJLzpOa7avhrk3w6qHeqqJXDgyTuoBo3-j10Mngn_TfgKonsrIYi65Np5Z6l5OtSwAA1DBiOcdt9x7drbETKKcB820KgmJKBM8JxK73DSF0bG-6zhu4ldQx9f_9PO5NmXB0Ehs9vNULiOmM0FX6icfQScAsFd-SRbPIYSw&amp;c=6TuOc1glnf8wNmuH18hfjSBThJcyvO7QrcLVR8V3HHeTqJ9w4rlTZQ==&amp;ch=lEs5Zd_sxxv2eTNQNVcqge1aWyrU2Ksdy7Yky23Lv2IYfQxIjPzDKQ==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Resources</a>&nbsp;section of our website, we believe helping artists and curators level up in their careers begins with the basics: relationship-building and knowledge-sharing. Thursday, October 1 at&nbsp;<a href="https://tnxbinhbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aWOgG3-QwiZXDZQRj96bZL1a0zjJLzpOa7avhrk3w6qHeqqJXDgyTuoBo3-j10Mnbb3w3DEZu0Lk-IplYPh0IYMBjiomDT1Iy3OBRV6H5YK-4NYoSlktP1aNaWBYp1w69SVnn7RhFYIr8XB18aW0mQ==&amp;c=6TuOc1glnf8wNmuH18hfjSBThJcyvO7QrcLVR8V3HHeTqJ9w4rlTZQ==&amp;ch=lEs5Zd_sxxv2eTNQNVcqge1aWyrU2Ksdy7Yky23Lv2IYfQxIjPzDKQ==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ignite Glass Studios</a>Event begins at 6pm Dress to impress in your 90s &amp; neon attire! Enjoy a special performance and music by CAC Alum&nbsp;<a href="https://tnxbinhbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aWOgG3-QwiZXDZQRj96bZL1a0zjJLzpOa7avhrk3w6qHeqqJXDgyTuoBo3-j10Mn-66lm0jk6GBm4YGgKAcuziz0R_1vVkEZslzOLNatNr7DaUQXZ9i6dCOLtGy6flQf3-F-NmyUII4Zha0qMQtSYzlwUCdPm7FbnTPiK44bZZU=&amp;c=6TuOc1glnf8wNmuH18hfjSBThJcyvO7QrcLVR8V3HHeTqJ9w4rlTZQ==&amp;ch=lEs5Zd_sxxv2eTNQNVcqge1aWyrU2Ksdy7Yky23Lv2IYfQxIjPzDKQ==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jacqueline Guerrero (AKA Disc Jacqui)</a>. Bites and beverages included! Early bird pricing through September 1:Artist/Arts Worker/Student Early Bird - $50Individual Early Bird - $100<a href="https://tnxbinhbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aWOgG3-QwiZXDZQRj96bZL1a0zjJLzpOa7avhrk3w6qHeqqJXDgyTuoBo3-j10MndkAc8N5axfoDxaXt0SW1Au3tuCxIc5hmzTik8JNcgjw53S-WuUGHpRViccsrh7cXkG7UO67MgWZH0iYn8hakvbxFNM6gk0uLDB98GndWIVLB2UTBgdchhyaYAv5lwEv1lYM9xRjg9rFjUc6s5N1sKg==&amp;c=6TuOc1glnf8wNmuH18hfjSBThJcyvO7QrcLVR8V3HHeTqJ9w4rlTZQ==&amp;ch=lEs5Zd_sxxv2eTNQNVcqge1aWyrU2Ksdy7Yky23Lv2IYfQxIjPzDKQ==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get Your Tickets Today!</a> This evening, CAC honors Ginny B. Van Alyea and her long history of supporting the Chicago artists community through&nbsp;<a href="https://tnxbinhbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aWOgG3-QwiZXDZQRj96bZL1a0zjJLzpOa7avhrk3w6qHeqqJXDgyTooAv94DJMrDymhrV0-kBsVu5jgWYxKgvK5shtHh0dFSdtjphWluauRA5Usyv0BETKE9NBfcoH6sHfPf_z4DO7YE1L9YAipDG0DlAZ21bBfaWrUq3MB2ojo=&amp;c=6TuOc1glnf8wNmuH18hfjSBThJcyvO7QrcLVR8V3HHeTqJ9w4rlTZQ==&amp;ch=lEs5Zd_sxxv2eTNQNVcqge1aWyrU2Ksdy7Yky23Lv2IYfQxIjPzDKQ==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chicago Gallery News</a>. Help us continue help emerging artists and curators in Chicago by supporting our mission today and celebrating with us!Timeline:6-7pm - Check In/Cocktails/Food7pm - Welcome + Disc Jacqui performance7:20pm - About CAC + Paddle Raise7:45pm - Dance floor opens

Celebrate 52 Years of CAC with a 90s & Neon Fundraiser

Renaissance Court Gallery, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IllinoisReception: September 24, 3 - 5pm The Big Picture: Midwest Large Format Asylum: Large Format Photography, opening this August at the Renaissance Court Gallery in the Chicago Cultural Center. This exhibition brings together more than 70 works by photographers from the greater Midwest and beyond, celebrating the enduring vitality of large format photography — from historic view camera traditions to contemporary artistic practice.&nbsp;The show is organized by the Midwest Large Format Asylum, an association of large-format photographers, dedicated to continuing the traditional practices of large format photography and expanding them. At a time when digital photography and AI increasingly shape how images are made, The Big Picture invites us to slow down and consider the continued power of craft, attention, material process, and the hand-made image. The exhibition will also include artist talks, demonstrations, hands-on workshops, a cyanotype workshop, a large format self-portrait experience, and the Chicago premiere of George Tice: Seeing Beyond the Moment. Curated by Hillary Irene Johnson, MFAOrganized by the Midwest Large Format Asylum Alongside The Big Picture, we’re offering a full series of public programs exploring large format photography — from historic processes to hands-on experiences. Visitors can attend talks and demonstrations on wet-plate collodion, long-term documentary work, historic and contemporary cameras, cyanotype, photographic motion, and more. There will also be chances to make your own cyanotype and even create a large format self-portrait using a 4 × 5 view camera. Some workshops require advance registration. All events are free and open to the public at the Renaissance Court Gallery at the Chicago Cultural Center Workshops and Presentations 1. History of Large Format Photography and the Collodion ProcessThursday, August 13, 12:30–2:30 pmWet-plate collodion is one of the most important early photographic processes in the history of large format photography.Join Eric Nelson and D Anson Brody for a lecture and demonstration exploring the history, material beauty, and technical demands of this process, which requires each glass or metal plate to be prepared, exposed, and processed while still wet. 2. Creating a Long-Term Photo DocumentaryMonday, August 17, 12:30–2:30 pmWhat does it mean to build a photographic project over decades?Chris Walker has spent more than 30 years photographing youth culture through rural county fairs. In this program, he will discuss the technical, aesthetic, and conceptual choices that shaped the work, including his move from 35mm film to an 8 × 10 inch view camera. 3. Introduction to Large Format Photography: What’s the Big Deal?Thursday, August 20, 10:30 am–12:30 pmWhy do artists still choose large format photography in a digital age?This introductory program brings together historic and contemporary cameras, including Deardorff, Crown Graphic, Cirkut, stereo, and ultra-large format cameras. Photographers will share their cameras, examples of their work, and what continues to draw them to this slow and powerful format. 4. Taking Your Own Large Format Self-PortraitFriday, August 21, 10:30 am–1:30 pmExperience large format photography firsthand.In this hands-on program, Francis Fullam will guide participants in making their own self-portrait with a 4 × 5 inch view camera and direct positive paper. Photographs will be developed on site at the Renaissance Court Gallery.Space is limited to 20 participants, and advance registration is required.&nbsp;Register by calling the Renaissance Court Gallery (312) 744-4550. 5. Making Your Own CyanotypeThursday, September 10, 10:15 am–12:30 pmMake your own cyanotype.Cyanotype is one of the earliest photographic processes, known for its distinctive deep blue color. In this hands-on workshop, Ryan Zoghlin will introduce the process and provide materials for participants to assemble and expose their own images using sunlight.Participants will take home their finished cyanotype prints.Space is limited to 24 participants, and advance registration is required.&nbsp;Register by calling the Renaissance Court Gallery (312) 744-4550. 6. Screening of George Tice: Seeing Beyond the MomentMonday, September 21, 12:30–2:00 pmJoin us for the Chicago premiere of George Tice: Seeing Beyond the Moment.This 72-minute documentary offers an intimate look at the life, process, and artistic development of George Tice, an influential postwar photographer known for his work with the 8 × 10 inch view camera. 7. Reception: Come Meet The Big Picture PhotographersThursday, September 24, 3:00–5:00 pmJoin us for the public reception for The Big Picture.Meet participating photographers, view the exhibition, and learn more about the cameras, processes, and ideas behind the works on display. The exhibition includes large format photographs spanning abstraction, landscape, portraiture, still life, documentary photography, and more.Light refreshments will be served. 8. Expanding Photographic PossibilitiesMonday, September 28, 12:30–2:00 pmHow can still photography reveal motion?Seder Burns will discuss the history of photographic motion studies, from Eadweard Muybridge to contemporary experiments, and introduce his current work with a large format digital scanning camera he developed.This program explores new ways of seeing movement, time, and photographic possibility.

The Big Picture: Midwest Large Format Asylum: Large Format Photography

Special Note: This exhibition takes place at Glass Curtain Gallery – 1104 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, ILThe Museum of Contemporary Photography and School of Visual Arts at Columbia College Chicago proudly present the Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts &amp; Social Issues exhibition featuring 2025-2026 fellow Lali Khalid.Khalid’s exhibition will be on view&nbsp;June 25-October 3, 2026&nbsp;at Columbia College Chicago’s&nbsp;Glass Curtain Gallery&nbsp;with exclusive programming during Filter Photo Festival.In partnership with CAIR Chicago, Khalid’s multimedia project of video, audio, and photography represents personal narratives within Muslim culture and the everyday by providing a broader perspective beyond stereotypes and inviting conversation on belonging, resilience, and the importance of representation.Click the embedded links to learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lalikhalid.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lali Khalid</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://google.com/search?q=CAIR+Chicago&amp;rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS1078US1079&amp;oq=CAIR+Chicago&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDEzODlqMGo0qAIAsAIA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CAIR Chicago</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.colum.edu/academics/initiatives/diane-dammeyer-fellowship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Diane Dammeyer Fellowship for Photographic Arts &amp; Social Issues</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.colum.edu/academics/visual-arts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">School of Visual Arts</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.filterphoto.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Filter Photo</a>.

Diane Dammeyer Fellowship Exhibition: Lali Khalid

Papercutting as a creative handcraft has roots in many cultures, including centuries-old examples from China, the Polish tradition of&nbsp;wycinanki,&nbsp;and the Mexican history of&nbsp;papel picado. Celebrating handwork and recognizing its potential to connect across time, space, and geography, this exhibition combines various forms of papercutting.&nbsp;Through large- and small-scale works, contemporary makers expand upon tradition, adding their voices to rich creative lineages. To further illustrate this concept, shadow puppet theater utilizing paper silhouettes will be performed throughout the run of the show.Cut It Out&nbsp;is part of&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.handwork2026.org/" target="_blank">Handwork 2026</a>, Craft in America’s nationwide semiquincentennial collaboration showcasing the importance of the handmade and celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America.

Cut It Out: Papercutting Traditions and Beyond

September 4–October 3, 2026 Opening Reception: Friday, September 4, 2026, 5:00–9:00 PM Closing Reception and Conversation: Saturday, October 3, 2026, 1:00–3:00 PM — Moderated by Chanelle Lacy Oliva Gallery presents Witness to Bedlam, a two-person exhibition featuring Olivia Petrides and Lynn Basa. Bringing Petrides’s fractured works on paper into proximity with Basa’s ceramic forms, the exhibition examines disorder through its physical traces. Through ruptured structures, obscured language, unstable surfaces, cavities, and accretions, Witness to Bedlam considers what remains after coherence has broken down. Rather than treating disorder as spectacle, Petrides and Basa work across paper and clay with rupture, compression, and residue, creating forms that are unsettled but deliberate, marked by seams, collisions, fissures, and the suggestion of an unnamed aftermath. Petrides presents works from her ongoing Split / Divide series, created with ink, gouache, and collaged newspaper on paper. Extended fields are interrupted by visible divisions, as though each composition has been broken apart and provisionally reassembled. Newsprint survives beneath veils of black ink and abrasive passages of yellow, pink, blue-gray, and mineral green. Printed language is cut, obscured, and absorbed into gestural surfaces, turning information into material. The works resist both conventional abstraction and descriptive landscape. They suggest damaged records, storm systems, geological faults, and walls layered with successive histories. Each composition holds together, but its unity remains visibly contested. Basa’s ceramic sculptures occupy related terrain through radically different means. Her forms shift between artifact, organism, vessel, fossil, and geological specimen. Surfaces are fissured, blistered, folded, and encrusted. Openings resemble mouths, vents, shells, or excavated chambers, with glaze and glass gathering inside cavities or clinging to irregular edges. The objects appear simultaneously ancient, damaged, and newly formed. Where Petrides works through division across the plane, Basa builds outward from rupture. Petrides preserves interruption through seams and exposed fragments of language. Basa transforms fracture into volume. Together, their work presents bedlam as a material condition that can be mapped, excavated, and observed without being resolved. The title Witness to Bedlam emphasizes the position of the observer. To witness is not necessarily to understand. Petrides and Basa do not impose order on disorder. Their work records its pressure, studies its remnants, and gives form to what remains difficult to name. About the Artists: Olivia Petrides is a painter, illustrator, and Associate Professor Adjunct at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she has taught since 1985. She received an Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship in 2024 and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2021, in addition to multiple Illinois Arts Council project grants. Her research and residency history includes extended work in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. Lynn Basa is a Chicago-based artist whose work is held in numerous public, private, and museum collections, including the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the Spencer Museum of Art, and the Tacoma Art Museum. Her work appeared in Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical, organized by the American Craft Museum, and in the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling Threadworks exhibition. Basa has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, and Creative Capital. She is the author of The Artist’s Guide to Public Art and holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MPA in public art policy from the University of Washington.

Witness to Bedlam with Olivia Petrides and Lynn Basa

The closing conversation will bring Petrides and Basa together to discuss their respective practices, the relationship between paper and clay within the exhibition, and the ideas surrounding rupture, material, fragmentation, and observation that connect their work. Closing Reception &amp; Conversation Saturday, October 3, 2026 1:00–3:00 p.m. Moderated by Chanelle Lacy Location Oliva Gallery 3816 W. Armitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 About the Moderator Chanelle Lacy is a curator, cultural producer, and Reiki Master whose work exists at the intersection of contemporary art, community, and healing. Passionate about bringing ambitious, rigorous, and deeply considered projects to life, she works closely with artists at all stages of their careers to nurture expansive practices and contribute to a more inclusive and evolving art historical canon. Her curatorial practice is grounded in a commitment to amplifying voices that have been historically underrepresented, while creating meaningful points of connection between artists, institutions, and communities. Chanelle is also the founder of On Ancestral Wings, a creative healing platform rooted in the belief that marginalized communities carry an innate capacity for power, restoration, and transformation. Through energetic modalities and inner exploration, the platform creates space for reconnection, remembrance, and collective healing. This impulse to bring art and healing into dialogue is central to Chanelle’s practice, where she is continually creating space for unexpected worlds, ideas, and ways of being to meet. Currently serving as the Managing Director at Gertie, Chanelle works alongside the organization’s founder to shape the platform’s artistic vision, programming, partnerships, and growth. She is also at the helm of citywide cultural activations including Chicago Exhibition Week (CXW), advancing Gertie’s mission to deepen engagement with Chicago’s artists, institutions, collectors, and broader cultural community.

Closing Reception & Conversation: Witness to Bedlam

The Smart Museum of Art is honored to present&nbsp;<a href="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/teamlab-everything-exists-in-infinite-continuity/?mc_cid=7d709976d5&amp;mc_eid=a6ad3ea4a5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">teamLab: Everything Exists in Infinite Continuity</a>. The exhibition marks the international art collective’s first major institutional presentation in the midwestern region.Fall Exhibition OpeningSaturday, October 3rd2:00–5:00 pm Celebrate the Smart's new fall exhibitions,&nbsp;teamLab: Everything Exists in Infinite Continuity,&nbsp;Nina Chanel Abney: Between Us, and&nbsp;How Do We Heal?. The opening reception will include music, hors d’oeuvres, and a themed cocktail.&nbsp; This program is free and open to all; RSVP is encouraged.&nbsp; <a href="https://us.list-manage.com/jGc6cNTyz27?e=a6ad3ea4a5&amp;c2id=3a4d5daac20b4519a6f4b77114bff5af" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" target="_blank">Register Here</a>

Fall Exhibition Opening

Bad at Sports&nbsp;| 21st Anniversary and Season One Wrap PartyAnne &amp; Kern Terrace Garden and Edlis Neeson Theater&nbsp;Bad at Sports,&nbsp;the world’s oldest contemporary art podcast, wraps its 21-year first season with a series of interview events around the museum. Tailgate in the afternoon with episodes live on the MCA Terrace, followed by a celebratory recording of the climactic and unforgettable episode 999 in the Edlis Neeson Theater.

Bad at Sports | 21st Anniversary and Season One Wrap Party

How do you throw a brick through the window… is inspired by artist and activist Johanna Hedva, who poses the question, “How do you throw a brick through the window of a bank if you can’t get out of bed?” Hedva’s statement questions the rights and opportunities of individuals with disabilities as they navigate forms of protest.Through new commissions and recent works, artists Yani aviles, Chloe P. Crawford, Nat Decker, Jeff Kasper, Carly Mandel, Jeffrey Meris, and Libby Paloma look toward Hedva’s work to prioritize modes of dissent that influence personal, political, and social systems.&nbsp; Each artist uses strategies of movement, communication, interruptions in time and space, or moments of play to achieve such transformation. As Hedva suggests in her question, the most meaningful strategies for challenging cultural systems and governing bodies are actions that take place beyond the streets. By circulating these artists’ processes of resistance, this exhibition makes enacting a revolution become more approachable and possible on both individual and communal scales.How do you throw a brick through the window… is co-organized by Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG) with the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC).

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