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

Woman Made Gallery proudly presents its&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://womanmade.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77610ec6940e4a7c0d652a863&amp;id=768a5f3dc5&amp;e=a3993dd90f" target="_blank">27th International Open</a>, a juried exhibition held during Women's History Month featuring 41 women and non-binary artists from the US, Canada, Europe, and Hong Kong. Juror Nirmal Raja selected works that push conceptual and material boundaries across a wide range of mediums.<ul><li>Opening reception on Saturday, February 28, from 4–7 p.m.</li><li>Closing Reception with Artist Walkthrough on Saturday, March 28 from 2–4 p.m.</li></ul>EXHIBITING ARTISTSKatalina Barrera, Shweta Bist, Lauren Petrick Brooks, Amy Cannestra, Julie Carcione, Marcy Chevali, Shannon Cleere, Isabella Covert, Geornica Daniels, Jenie Gao, Lilly Handley, Fion C. Y. Hung, Andrea Jablonski, Natalie Jackson, Indira Freitas Johnson, Jori Jori, Kanishka, Yuliya Klochan, Ling-lin Ku, Xinchen Li, Lue LIKETHEHIGHWAY Khoury, Kimberly Lyle, Valerie Mann, Asia Mathis, Caroline McAuliffe, Kiki McGrath, Naomi Middelmann, Kim Miller, Rebecca Oehler, Gina Lee Robbins, Emma Scarafiotti, Sandrine Schaefer, Andrea Seguraz, Rahimat Onize Shaibu, Meg Stein, Stevia Roxanne, Jessica Swank, Yidi Wang, Lydia Wickham, Isabel Zeng, Sihan Zhang&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://womanmade.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77610ec6940e4a7c0d652a863&amp;id=d177978dde&amp;e=a3993dd90f" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://womanmade.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77610ec6940e4a7c0d652a863&amp;id=4dae8206d0&amp;e=a3993dd90f" target="_blank">See their works and statements.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE JUROR&nbsp;Nirmal Raja&nbsp;holds a BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and an MFA from UW–Milwaukee, where she was named Graduate of the Decade. Her honors include the 2020 Mary L. Nohl Fellowship and the 2022 Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year Award. Her work explores migration, women, and cultural memory.VISIT THIS EXHIBIT AT WOMAN MADE GALLERYAddress: 1332 S. Halsted St, ChicagoHours: Wednesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.

27th International Open

Volume Gallery's new location, 1700 W Hubbard, Chicago, IL The Heresy of Legacy, the first exhibition at Volume Gallery’s new, expanded, space, explores the cyclical nature of movements and currents in art, architecture, and design—how innovation emerges in friction with established legacies, and how heresy becomes the foundation for new canons. This group exhibition considers what happens when today’s artists engage the paradox of history: honoring the influence of the past while consciously dismantling it. Rooted in the history of the avant-garde, the exhibition acknowledges how reactionary moves have continually propelled art, architecture, and design forward. Stanley Tigerman once encouraged a protégé to “take the baton—run with it, stab him with it, stab someone else with it, pass it forward and be stabbed by it—just don’t decline it.” This call to action embodies the spirit of the exhibition: a recognition that creative inheritance is both a gift and a weapon—a cycle of making, unmaking, and remaking. The exhibition will feature carefully curated historical and contemporary practices that operate within this matrix: giving equal weight to legacy and heresy, embracing complexity rather than purity, and acknowledging that rebellion itself eventually ossifies into tradition. Through this lens,&nbsp;The Heresy of Legacy&nbsp;will trace the continual renegotiation between reverence and rupture—how artists and designers today contend with inherited ideals, materials, and forms, and how they point toward future iconoclasms. Featuring:Selva AparicioRichard ArtschwagerGarry Knox BennettLia CookJessica Jackson HutchinsNorman KelleyHoward KottlerWilliam J. O’BrienRO/LUSarah RosalenaJoyce ScottStanley TigermanRobert Venturi and Denise Scott BrownJames WinesThaddeus WolfeClaire Zeisler Image: Lia Cook,&nbsp;New Master Draperies: Leonardo I, 1990

The Heresy of Legacy

Oliva Gallery marks its ten-year anniversary with&nbsp;MMM…., a group exhibition presented in conjunction with International Women’s Day. The exhibition opens March 6, 2026, and features work by Melanie P. Brown, Mia Capodilupo, and Michelle Stone. The title references both the shared first initials of the participating artists and the visual and sensory richness of their work.Together, the exhibition brings painting, sculpture, installation, and performance-informed practices into dialogue, highlighting distinct yet complementary approaches to material, gesture, space, and perception.Melanie P. Brown presents work rooted in her long-standing practice of painting in direct response to sound and music. Since 2020, Brown’s process has centered on live and recorded sound as a catalyst for color, gesture, and mark-making. Preparing extensive palettes and integrating pastel and charcoal, she translates rhythm, texture, and spatial perception into layered compositions. Brown frequently performs live painting in collaboration with musicians, treating the act of painting as a time-based, multisensory event. The resulting canvases function as residual records of these four-dimensional collaborations. Brown lives and works in Chicago and holds a BA from Knox College and an MFA in Painting from American University.Mia Capodilupo contributes sculptural and installation-based work informed by physical contact, spatial experience, and material tension. A sculptor and installation artist originally from Boston, Capodilupo has exhibited widely in museums, galleries, and alternative spaces across the United States. Her practice includes large-scale public and semi-permanent installations commissioned by the cities of Chicago, Atlanta, Bellevue, Washington, and the Indianapolis Art Center, as well as a permanent work at the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois. Capodilupo holds an MFA in Sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute and serves as Gallery Director at Lillstreet Art Center. She is also the founder and director of Ignition Project Space in Chicago.Michelle Stone presents constructed, impasto acrylic sculptures alongside related paintings and drawings. Her work occupies a space between figuration and abstraction, often expanding into wall-based, floor-based, and immersive installations. Stone’s practice investigates memory, narrative, and the human condition through layered surfaces, fragmented forms, and evolving structures. Her paintings and sculptures emphasize transformation, erosion, and psychological space, with imagery emerging through accumulated gestures and textures. Stone is affiliated with Ceres Gallery in New York City and Dialogue Chicago and maintains a studio with Greenleaf Artists. She lives and works between Chicago and New York. MMM….&nbsp;affirms Oliva Gallery’s decade-long commitment to presenting contemporary work while foregrounding the voices and practices of women artists. The exhibition aligns with International Women’s Day to future emphasize this focus of the gallery.Artists:&nbsp;Melanie P. Brown, Mia Capodilupo, Michelle StoneOccasion:&nbsp;International Women’s Day and Oliva Gallery Ten-Year Anniversary For additional information, images, or press inquiries, please contact Oliva Gallery.About Oliva GalleryOliva Gallery is dedicated to showcasing exceptional work by contemporary artists with roots in the Midwest and beyond. Through exhibitions spanning painting, sculpture, and mixed media, the gallery fosters critical dialogue, interdisciplinary exploration, and inclusive cultural engagement.

MMM.... 

Join us for a conversation between exhibiting artist Mami Takahashi and Zachary Cahill from the Gray Center of Arts and Inquiry 2:00pm-3:30pmCheck-In at 1:30pmFree with RSVP Join us at the International Museum of Surgical Science for a conversation between exhibiting artist Mami Takahashi and Director of Programs and Fellowships at the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry, Zachary Cahill.This talk is a part of Mami Takahashi's exhibit&nbsp;Soft Evidence, opening at the IMSS on March 6th.<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-talk-mami-takahashi-in-conversation-with-zachary-cahill-tickets-1984499965819?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank">Register Here</a>

Artist Talk: Mami Takahashi in Conversation with Zachary Cahill

Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to present&nbsp;I Dream I Cross the River in One Stride, a group exhibition bringing together the work of Clémence Gbonon (b. 1994), Brittney Leeanne Williams (b. 1990), and Autumn Wallace (b. 1996).&nbsp;The exhibition is inspired by ideas explored in Lorraine O’Grady’s seminal essay&nbsp;Olympia’s Maid: Reclaiming Black Female Subjectivity.&nbsp;If, as O’Grady argues, the Black female body has long functioned as the unseen reverse side of Western femininity—present as stereotype, absent as subject—these artists reclaim the right to produce images that are self-authored, multiple, and unafraid of excess. Across painting and sculpture, Gbonon, Williams, and Wallace refuse inherited dichotomies and instead inhabit what O’Grady calls a “both/and” space: sensuous and thoughtful, wild and monumental, intimate and vulnerable, queer and undefined.Presented together, these artists do more than correct an art-historical omission; they propose a contemporary grammar for seeing and feeling lived experience. In dialogue with O’Grady’s text, the exhibition suggests that reclaiming female subjectivity today means moving beyond rescue from the male gaze toward a more radical act: freeing these figures from the historic script altogether. Here, the artworks become sites of self-knowledge, contradiction, pleasure—spaces where the right to complexity is not negotiated but asserted.Image: Brittney Leeanne Williams,&nbsp;Interruption 7, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Berggruen, NY.

I Dream I Cross the River in One Stride

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

Biba Schutz, Emilie Pritchard, Joanne Grimonprez and Sandra Salaices each explore the point at which architecture and jewelry converge. As we navigate through space, our bodies are constantly surrounded by the language of architecture. But how does jewelry enter this conversation? This exhibition exemplifies how our bodies can become the space that holds this architectural language.

Built for the Body: the Intersection of Architecture & Jewelry

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

Exhibition and free admission sponsored by Dean Alan Olson Foundation and Rosecrance Behavioral Health&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homecoming: In Color&nbsp;celebrates the reopening of Rockford Art Museum after a year-long renovation closure. This exhibition features a selection of popular pieces and hidden gems, showcasing the rich diversity of our revered collection. Come witness the power of art and community as we welcome you back to a vibrant space of creativity!We can’t wait to reconnect with you to celebrate our galleries being open again. In addition to the exhibition, you’ll get the opportunity to engage with interactive art activities, artist talks, and guided tours designed to deepen your appreciation and understanding of the collection. Whether you’re a longtime patron or visiting for the first time, this is an opportunity to reconnect with the art that inspires and moves us.Join us in celebrating creativity, community, and the enduring power of art. We look forward to welcoming you back!Homecoming&nbsp;is organized by Rockford Art Museum Chief Curator, Carrie Johnson. The exhibition is sponsored by Dean Alan Olson Foundation and Rosecrance Behavioral Health, and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Homecoming: In Color

<a style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.21cchicago.com/" target="_blank">21c Museum Hotel Chicago</a>&nbsp;is unveiling a new exhibition with&nbsp;Truth or Dare: A Reality Show. The exhibition opens to the public on March 15, 2025, and remains on view until March 2026 throughout the 21c Chicago gallery spaces. At a hotel where curiosity shapes every experience, the latest exhibition presents a thematic group exhibition of 70 multimedia artworks by 52 artists from across the globe exploring the slippery terrain between fact and fiction.&nbsp;Truth or Dare&nbsp;features works by artists Jorge Méndez Blake, Leandro Erlich, Vibha Galhotra, Jane Hammonds, Ann Hamilton, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Pedro Reyes, Federico Solmi, Siebren Versteeg, and many others, including Chicago-based photographer Laura Letinsky.Located in Chicago’s vibrant River North neighborhood,&nbsp;Truth or Dare: A Reality Show&nbsp;opens to the public with a reception on Friday, March 21stfrom 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. An introduction to the exhibition by 21c Museum Hotel’s Chief Curator, Alice Gray Stites, will be followed by a presentation by featured artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at 7 p.m. The world-class museum is free and open 24/7, 365 days a year.“Highlighting uncertainty and contradiction, the artworks featured in&nbsp;Truth or Dare: A Reality Show&nbsp;emphasize the importance of questioning both knowledge and belief by utilizing illusion to entice, entertain, and explore the contemporary relationship between fact and fiction, presence and absence, reality and imagination,” said Alice Gray Stites, Chief Curator of 21c Museum Hotels.The suspension of disbelief is invoked in works that simulate games, maps, and tricks of the eye and hand, to engage and connect. A ping-pong table altered with a mirror for a game of one-on-one by Trong Gia Nguyen, a gravity-defying black rectangle modeled on the alien monolith in Stanley Kubrick's&nbsp;2001: A Space Odyssey&nbsp;by Josh Azzarella, and Charles Matton's hologram figure projected in a miniature library are at once playful and prescient critiques of how and where we search for knowledge and meaning. Anthony Adcock's steel&nbsp;Column&nbsp;is actually oil paint on wood; Addie Wagenknecht's flower vase is crafted from 3D printed Liberator guns; and Paolo Ventura's detailed photographs of scale models suggest that nothing is as it seems. Alejandro Almanza Pereda's dynamic video reimagines a Caravaggio still life under water, where fruit, glasses, and flatware rise and fall, defying a fixed arrangement.Collapsing the immediate distance between what is seen and what is known, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s&nbsp;Zero Noon&nbsp;is a clock that runs on internet-refreshed statistics, conflating time and data into a screen-based experience of consumption. Drawing on hundreds of sources, the clock tells the local time based on various metrics, such as the average number of daily human breaths, the number of firearms produced in the U.S. per day, the number of cups of tea drunk in the UK, etc. Each day at noon, the clock resets, and the numbers all revert to zero, ever so briefly suspending the exponential onslaught of these indices of activity worldwide.&nbsp;The new exhibition highlights the global contemporary environment available in 21c Chicago’s expansive and art-filled event spaces. The unique spaces offer an opportunity to gather creatively, with the capacity to host gatherings from 10 to 300. Named a Gold Medal Winner in the Best Boutique Hotel and Best Décor categories of Northstar Meetings Group’s annual awards, 21c Museum Hotel Chicago encourages curiosity and collaboration for all events.&nbsp; About the ArtistRafael Lozano-Hemmer is a media artist working at the intersection of architecture and performance art. He creates platforms for public participation using technologies such as robotic lights, digital fountains, computerized surveillance, media walls, and telematic networks. Inspired by phantasmagoria, carnival, and animatronics, his light and shadow works are "antimonuments for alien agency". He was the first artist to represent Mexico at the Venice Biennale with an exhibition at Palazzo Van Axel in 2007. He has also shown at Biennials in Cuenca, Havana, Istanbul, Kochi, Liverpool, Melbourne NGV, Moscow, New Orleans, New York ICP, Seoul, Seville, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Wuzhen.&nbsp;Collections holding his work include MoMA and Guggenheim in New York, TATE in London, MAC and MBAM in Montreal, Jumex, and MUAC in Mexico City, DAROS in Zurich, MONA in Hobart, 21C Museum in Kanazawa, Borusan Contemporary in Istanbul, CIFO in Miami, MAG in Manchester, SFMOMA in San Francisco, ZKM in Karlsruhe, SAM in Singapore and many others. About 21c Museum Hotels21c Museum is a multi-venue museum located in seven cities. One of the largest contemporary art museums in the U.S., and North America’s only collecting museum dedicated solely to art of the 21st century, each property features exhibition space open free of charge to the public, combined with a boutique hotel and restaurant. It was founded in 2006 by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson; philanthropists, preservationists, and collectors, committed to expanding access to contemporary art as a means of catalyzing revitalization and civic connection. 21c presents a range of arts programming curated by Museum Director, Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites, including both solo and group exhibitions that reflect the global nature of art today, as well as site-specific, commissioned installations, and a variety of cultural events. The organization collaborates on arts initiatives with artists and organizations worldwide, including Speed Art Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Artadia, Creative Time, For Freedoms, and others. About 21c Museum Hotel Chicago&nbsp;Located steps from the famous Magnificent Mile shopping district in River North, 21c Museum Hotel Chicago offers an art-filled escape in the heart of the city. The 297-room hotel, with 106 suites, boasts extraordinary contemporary art with a multi-venue museum that provides curated exhibitions and cultural programming for both visitors and the local community. For a perfect night out in River North, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Lure Fishbar, provides world-class seafood and sushi, premium steaks, burgers, craft cocktails, and more. Recently awarded the Northstar Meetings Group Gold Medal Award for the Best Boutique Hotel and Best Décor in the Midwest, 21c Museum Hotel Chicago’s art-filled event spaces offer inspiration for creative gatherings for groups ranging from 10 to 300. For more information, visit&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.21cchicago.com/" target="_blank">https://www.21cchicago.com/</a>.&nbsp; Image: Valerie Hegarty, Still Lives with Crows, 2006

Truth or Dare: A Reality Show

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

Apr.&nbsp;2,&nbsp;2026&nbsp;| 4–8 p.m.&nbsp; DCASE&nbsp;invites artists,&nbsp;creatives&nbsp;and cultural workers to the&nbsp;Chicago Cultural Center Open House&nbsp;for&nbsp;an evening of workshops, networking&nbsp;opportunities&nbsp;and creative exploration across multiple floors of the historic&nbsp;jewel of the city.&nbsp;Visitors can&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in hands-on workshops, artist talks, portfolio&nbsp;reviews&nbsp;and networking sessions designed to support Chicago’s creative community. Programs will span disciplines including music, film, theater, visual&nbsp;arts&nbsp;and professional development for artists.&nbsp;Highlights include&nbsp;creative career workshops, an indie filmmaker pitch showcase presented by Film Girlz Brunch, an artist opportunities fair, exhibition tours and speed networking with Chicago curators, along with open rehearsals and wellness programming for creative workers.&nbsp;Please see the full schedule below.&nbsp; Learning Lab&nbsp;– 1st&nbsp;floor&nbsp;5–7 p.m.&nbsp;— Artist&nbsp;Statements and Biographies&nbsp;Workshop&nbsp;Welcome Center&nbsp;– 1st&nbsp;floor&nbsp;4–5 p.m.&nbsp;—&nbsp;Artist Pitch Workshop&nbsp;with Arts Administrator&nbsp;Sam Brown&nbsp;5:30–6:30 p.m.&nbsp;— “The Creative Core” Social Hour&nbsp;&nbsp;Dance Studio&nbsp;– 1st&nbsp;floor&nbsp;6–7:30 p.m.&nbsp;— Dance Studio Residency Open Rehearsal: Anniela Huidobro&nbsp;G.A.R. Hall&nbsp;–&nbsp;2nd&nbsp;floor&nbsp;4–5 p.m.&nbsp;— Drumming Workshop with Victoria Djembe&nbsp;5:15–6 p.m.&nbsp;— “From Vision to Stage” Theater Workshop with Kendra Jamaica (DAMA Productions)&nbsp;6:15–7 p.m.&nbsp;— Clowning Performance Workshop with Journey of Newport Theater&nbsp;7–8 p.m.&nbsp;— “A Soft Place to Land” Wellness Workshop for Creative Workers&nbsp;G.A.R. Rotunda&nbsp;–&nbsp;2nd&nbsp;floor&nbsp;4–8 p.m.&nbsp;— DCASE Opportunities Fair&nbsp;5–6:30 p.m.&nbsp;— One-on-One Project Development Sessions with DCASE staff&nbsp;Claudia Cassidy Theater&nbsp;–&nbsp;2nd&nbsp;floor&nbsp;Creative Futures in Film (presented by Film Girlz Brunch)&nbsp;4–5:30 p.m.&nbsp;— Indie Filmmaker Pitch &amp; Connect Showcase&nbsp;5:30–6:30 p.m.&nbsp;— Short Film Screening + Q&amp;A&nbsp;6:30–7:30 p.m.&nbsp;— Creative Career Clarity Workshop&nbsp;7:30–8 p.m.&nbsp;— Open Networking&nbsp;Preston Bradley Hall&nbsp;–&nbsp;3rd&nbsp;floor&nbsp;4–8 p.m.&nbsp;— Chicago Collage Community Hands-On Collage Workshop&nbsp;5–6 p.m.&nbsp;— OVERRIDE Artist Showcase&nbsp;4:30–7:30 p.m.&nbsp;— Headshots &amp; Artist Photos&nbsp;6–7:30 p.m.&nbsp;— Speed Networking / Portfolio Review with&nbsp;Chicago Curators&nbsp;Room 408&nbsp;– 4th&nbsp;floor&nbsp;5–6 p.m.&nbsp;— Chicago Cultural Center Exhibitions Open Call Information Session&nbsp;6:30–7:30 p.m.&nbsp;— Financial Foundations for Artists&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.CSSunAOBvEOR4GhykBjJWSEl7sOst6aCSgGL2K3IvKea1SI6X6gzS7GyCUocjm4W78o__0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLurliSnTAPDeTMjcpIoytOOx4olIMMV-2FUlia6rP-2BnJxXYH5O8tvn-2Fktq8OM7hVEsSIVa5QMZTlavNfGLkxY-2Bv5Ob8cNxVZY2QQwdDW7CjMxGACT3QdirHvuvzc-2FrsOP9qq38FKVrw-2Bh9GrF70Ft5aI-2BeeVEG8iEJxdq72iFHEuA2XjgPI5AIdjwXTzN8kUMnGuZ9F5XTVLtJ4Pjvk4VSHRbIwau3nTMbwt0gvogMtwpMeYjX7Zr1G46rTY6L4R9F632LQcisR3qFoHYdjzi-2B-2FP5yFbFxCQVFvH7Mrjy7toBeGguYMkGtoH-2FoVkFAXMe7w-3D-3D" target="_blank">Ladder Up</a>&nbsp;Exhibit Hall&nbsp;–&nbsp;4th&nbsp;floor&nbsp;5 p.m.&nbsp;— Curator Tour:&nbsp;Alberto Aguilar: I just really want to tell you this one thing&nbsp;

Chicago Cultural Center Open House 

Chicago-based artist Luna Prysiazhniuk presents&nbsp;Exposed, a solo exhibition of oil paintings focused on the structural presence of the urban landscape.In this body of work, Chicago bridges, elevated tracks, and industrial corridors become both subject and framework. The paintings explore weight, steel, surface, and the tension within built form. Structure is not treated as background — it becomes active, physical, and emotionally charged.Through layered brushwork and dense material surfaces, architecture shifts from something fixed and solid into something moving and alive. Steel exposed to time, weather, and light becomes a metaphor for endurance and transformation.

Exposed

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

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jmkac.org/exhibition/familiar-texture/?utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--3ltRN229IYW6amwf9BwlVoynj9P-wWQnCqcp7iqRNGTlfMqSkuurGL0gvDRvyto79NLfEDi-NC3vxrvl6oHLkgUth4KUD_YekpyhDAXRiMjpD1io&amp;_hsmi=343424237&amp;utm_content=343424237&amp;utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Details</a> Childhood memories of home are reconstructed in the form of textiles and fibers by artists Hangama Amiri, Keith Jackson, Yvette Mayorga, Tressa Prisbrey, and Dalila Sanabria. Each artist presents interior settings such as a bedroom inspired by fantasies, a living room of communal gatherings, or a storage space that marked the passage of time. Each of these sites memorialize social and environmental influences that shaped the future of an individual. The use of or reference to textiles and fibers, such as clothing, blankets, boxes, carpet, or upholstery, imbues memories and feelings with a tactile quality found in the rooms re-created by each artist. Importantly, they do not depict themselves or others in these scenes. This anonymity encourages imagined conversations, interactions, sounds, or scents of homeland to emerge from a variety of perspectives. By relying on textures—both literally and figuratively—the exhibition provides context for domestic spaces where an origin story is found, and a familiar emotional weight is recognized. Together, the works celebrate the right to choose from narratives of the past and how these stories inform and enrich the fiber of one’s being. Image: Yvette Mayorga, Bedroom After 15th (detail), 2022; acrylic piping on Disney TV, purses, shoes, lotion, wooden shelves, lamp, ceramic, bookbag, sneakers, Hello Kitty bubble blower, clock, faux books, mirrors, wood, pillows, wall paintings, nightstand, acrylic piping on bike, acrylic piping on canvas, and video; 9 x 9 x 10 ft. Courtesy of the artist.

Familiar Texture: The Fibers of Childhood and Home

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

From March through November, we’re returning to Free First Tuesdays! On the first Tuesday of every month, enjoy extended hours from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm - admission is free for all, no residency restrictions.

Free First Tuesdays

The Renaissance Society is thrilled to announce that artist&nbsp;Maurizio Cattelan&nbsp;will conceive and orchestrate&nbsp;RenBen 2026, taking place on&nbsp;Wednesday, April 8, 2026, during Chicago's EXPO Art Week.&nbsp;Known for his provocative and darkly humorous approach to contemporary art, Cattelan has spent four decades creating works that spark conversation, to say the least. From his infamous solid gold toilet&nbsp;America&nbsp;to his hyperrealistic sculptures, Cattelan's work consistently captivates audiences while questioning authority, religion, celebrity, and the art world itself.&nbsp;RenBen is the Renaissance Society’s annual artist-centered gala and the institution’s most important fundraising event, vital to sustaining its experimental exhibitions and programs throughout the year. Each edition invites a single artist to design every aspect of the evening, from the space and performances to the food and choreography. Past editions have been conceived by Meriem Bennani (2025), Kevin Beasley (2024), Adam Linder (2023), and Piero Golia (2022), each expanding what an artist-driven benefit can be.&nbsp;For RenBen 2026, Cattelan will draw on his established signature forms of playful inversion, surprise, and surrealist elegance. Guests can expect his subversive wit and theatrical sensibility. “BEING AN ARTIST IS NOT A JOB, IT'S A MALFUNCTION,” he shared.&nbsp;Maurizio Cattelan's work has been featured in major museums and exhibitions worldwide, including solo shows at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the Beyeler Foundation in Basel. His collaborations through&nbsp;Toiletpaper&nbsp;magazine and with brands including Kenzo, Berluti, Longchamp, and Seletti—demonstrate his ability to merge high art with popular culture, making him an ideal artist to reimagine RenBen.&nbsp;All proceeds from RenBen 2026 support the Renaissance Society's program of exhibitions,&nbsp;Intermissions, concerts, public programs, and publications—all free and open to the public.&nbsp;RenBen 2026 takes place during Chicago's EXPO Art Week, in alignment with EXPO CHICAGO contemporary art fair, attracting cultural figures from around the globe.&nbsp;Additional details will be announced in early 2026.&nbsp;Corporate sponsorships and in-kind gift opportunities are available.&nbsp;Please contact Polina Kasian at&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:pkasian@renaissancesociety.org" target="_blank">pkasian@renaissancesociety.org</a>&nbsp;for more information.&nbsp;Underwriter and Benefactor sponsorships and individual tickets are now available&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/TqGCpLmdPWCEh8kci33nKQ" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp; Photo:&nbsp;Maurizio Cattelan by Alberto Zanetti.

RenBen 2026

<a style="color: rgb(0, 124, 137);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=2520d7f3f7&amp;e=95b957c616" target="_blank">Vernissage</a>Navy Pier Festival HallApr 9, 2026 | 10 am–12 pm&nbsp; The Women’s Board of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago invites you to attend this year's spectacular benefit, the Vernissage Champagne Brunch, on the opening day of <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.expochicago.com/" target="_blank">EXPO CHICAGO</a> Contemporary Art Fair at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. The MCA is proud to participate in the 13th year of EXPO CHICAGO, which presents artwork from more than 170 leading galleries from around the world. Proceeds from Vernissage raise significant funds in support of the MCA Learning department, whose programs offer compelling opportunities to explore, challenge, discuss and reflect on the MCA’s exhibitions and programs, as well as the world of contemporary art and culture.

Vernissage

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

Kim Storage Gallery is pleased to present Snack Shop, a solo exhibition featuring paintings created at a pivotal moment in Gabrielle Marie Stone's practice. At a time when continuing her painting practice felt uncertain, the artist considered converting the front exhibition space of her studio into a snack shop—a practical solution to keep the lights on and sustain her creative work. While the snack shop concept never came to fruition, the paintings in this exhibition are the first pieces that occupied that never-to-be retail space. Intimate and episodic, they offer entry points rather than resolutions, inviting viewers into a world that sits somewhere between necessity and indulgence. Like little snacks, these works provide sustenance inquieter ways—not essential, yet deeply nourishing. Snack Shop names both the space and practice as it almost was, honoring the conditions in which the work was made: adaptive, provisional, and hopeful. The paintings retain their inherent dreamlike and atmospheric qualities, yet the exhibition grounds them in the real economies and lived decisions of making art today—a reflection on vulnerability, resilience, and the creative impulse that persists even in uncertainty. Gabrielle Stone (b. 1990) is a contemporary abstract painter based in Chicago, IL. Her work explores the nature of place using color, form, and materiality to depict environments that are whimsical in their reimagining. Influenced by her deep attachment to physical spaces, Stone’s paintings communicate geometry and structure while embodying its very dissolution. Stone holds a Bachelor of Arts in studio art and creative writing from Carleton College where she studied under artists Fred Hagstrom and David Lefkowitz, art historian Ross Elfline, and curator Margaret Pezalla-Granlund. The late artist, Larry McKim, was also a significant mentor in her early years before leaving the east coast. On view: February 27 – April 10, 2026Opening Reception: Friday, February 27 from 5 to 8PM Image: Sound of Satin, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 46”&nbsp;

Snack Shop

Our winter show, Beneath the Surface: Featuring Arlene Byster and Patricia Markos Dolan, opens on Thursday, February 5th with a reception in the gallery from 5-7pm. Both artists will be in attendance and we hope you'll join us for an evening of arresting art, engaging conversation and light refreshments!Beneath the Surface will be on view through April 11th.

Beneath the Surface: Featuring Arlene Byster and Patricia Markos Dolan

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.

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