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

Opening Weekend Celebrations: October 4th - 5th, 2025 ﻿The Smart Museum of Art presents&nbsp;Theaster Gates's first&nbsp;solo museum exhibition in his hometown of Chicago. A self-designated “keeper of objects,” the artist Theaster Gates investigates the value of things and their potential to hold layered meanings. He has been dedicated to investing in the care of these objects as a way to nurture stories and voices – often Black stories and voices – largely overlooked by history or institutional structures. The exhibition&nbsp;Theaster Gates: Unto Thee&nbsp;is rooted in several core collections of objects that have been part of Gates’s artistic practice which he acquired through the University of Chicago, where he is Professor of Visual Arts. Ranging from the Department of Art History’s glass lantern slides and&nbsp;display vitrines from the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly the Oriental Institute), to paint-stained concrete from the floors of Midway Studios and wooden pews made for Bond Chapel, all objects have been discarded and identified as no longer needed. In creating new works with them over the years – and, as will be done again, in new installations at the Smart – Gates challenges that notion of stasis by instead excavating more histories, more stories. These installations will be accompanied by Gates’s more recent work including paintings, ceramics, film, and pieces incorporating the archive of the Johnson Publishing Company. Rooted in materials and Gates’s interest in the process of making,&nbsp;Unto Thee&nbsp;embodies the relationships Gates has fostered within the University of Chicago, local communities, the South Side and broader Chicago. It underscores the artist’s unassailable belief in the potential of art to connect with and transform communities. The exhibition is accompanied by a site-specific installation as part of the Museum’s Threshold Lobby Series, which will be on view through July 2026. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://uchicago.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aba2086a45b4ee8391b89447b&amp;id=6d81ba16bf&amp;e=a6ad3ea4a5" target="_blank">Read the Exhibition Listing</a>

Theaster Gates: Unto Thee

Lecture in Photography: Joel SternfeldThursday, February 26, 202612:00 pm Ferguson Lecture Hall600 S. Michigan Ave.Chicago, IL

Lecture in Photography: Joel Sternfeld

Celebrate MoCP and our 50th anniversary at our annual benefit auction party DARKROOM on February 26, 2026. Tickets are on sale now!&nbsp;DARKROOM brings together hundreds of photography enthusiasts, artists, and arts patrons for an evening to support the museum.This year, we honor photographer Joel Sternfeld with the Silver Camera Award while showcasing nearly fifty artists in our auction and offering one-of-a-kind live arts experiences on-site at DARKROOM.Click the button below to visit our website, purchase tickets, or make a donation today.<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=e633f30ff4&amp;e=62775191de" target="_blank">Purchase DARKROOM Tickets</a>

DARKROOM Annual Benefit Auction Party

With delight, Corbett vs. Dempsey presents&nbsp;Capo Testa, an exhibition of new sculptures and paintings by Lui Shtini. This is the artist's fourth solo show at CvsD.Inspired by a cape in Sardinia facing the Strait of Bonifacio, which Shtini has visited many times over the last ten years,&nbsp;Capo Testa&nbsp;is both a continuation and a point of departure. Shaped by sea and time, the cape's boulders have captivated Shtini for years, conjuring imaginary environments populated by their own personnages and producing unique narratives. These scenarios, imbued with a kind of beautiful desolation, have prompted a series of new large-scale paintings, two of which are featured here. These works, fastidiously executed on aluminum, continue Shtini's long-term interest in abstract landscape, but where earlier iterations often dealt with saturated color, here color has been evacuated, emphasizing instead line, volume, and composition, as the artist puts it, "making the delivery of the whole as a visual expression more immediate."These large, nearly monochromatic grey-and-white paintings compile and document the artist's observations and emotions, and even contemporary events, culling them into stark posthuman snapshots. Shtini explains: "The compositions aren’t literal depictions of the above but are rather more abstract and open ended. As I am making them, they begin to crystallize as slowly revealed visions. A feeling of urgency pins down these visions in images. The images come together in a fluid and improvisational way, characteristic of my practice."As companions to the paintings, which operate in the space almost like stage sets, Shtini introduces a series of figurative, mask-like sculptures fitted to personally-designed metal mounts, either free-standing or wall-hanging. These sculptures, too, emerged from Shtini's engagement with Sardinian landscape and the country's cultural traditions. Composed of cork, a material abundant in Sardinia and central to the island's culture and economy, they start in a rough state and proceed through a lengthy process of observation, alteration, and refinement, during which the persona inherent in the original material reveals itself by means of cutting, carving, sanding, and layering.Shtini draws on Sardinia's carnival tradition – a pagan celebration deeply rooted in the island's mythology and the interconnectedness of human, animal, and nature. It is important to Shtini, who has always seen cork as a magical material, that these sculptures were created in proximity to the region where the cork used to make them was collected. Working closely with local harvesters to source irregular pieces that match his vision, Shtini has extended the intimate connection between material and place.Shtini's approach to sculpture mirrors his painting practice through improvisational methods and the use of traditional formats – portraiture, landscape, still life, and now the mask. In&nbsp;Capo Testa, for the first time these two worlds, which occupy different dimensions, collide in a haunting evocation where humanity is merely a trace, but the spaces of narrative persist.Lui Shtini,&nbsp;#14,&nbsp;2025,&nbsp;cork, juniper wood, steel,&nbsp;19 x 13 x 8 1/2 inches.

Lui Shtini: Capo Testa

Artists: Andrew Bearnot, Larry Bell, James Collins, Shingo Francis, Kate Joyce, Jan Tichy, Ruth Root and Kim Uchiyama “Colours are the deeds and sufferings of light.”&nbsp;- Goethe&nbsp; SECRIST | BEACH is pleased to present the salon invitational exhibition&nbsp;Luminous Matter.&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;brings together a group of eight artists that formally and conceptually explore the interconnectedness of color, light, and form. The exhibition includes an intergenerational roster of artists and was curated with the assistance of gallery artists’ Luftwerk.&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;is presented concurrently with Luftwerk’s debut solo exhibition&nbsp;The Sun Standing Still.&nbsp;These exhibitions will be on view from December 5 through February 14, 2026 at 1801 W. Hubbard St. An opening reception will take place on Friday, December 5 from 5 to 8PM.Luminous Matter&nbsp;is an exhibition that examines the interdependent and generative relationship between three elemental constituents of visual experience: color, light, and form. Each, in isolation, holds an autonomous aesthetic and conceptual presence; yet, in their convergence, they produce the perceptual and emotional conditions through which we apprehend the world. This exhibition proposes that the meeting point of these three tropes — their overlaps, tensions, and dissolutions — can offer a renewed lens through which to consider the nature of perception itself.While color, light, and form have historically served as fundamental building blocks of visual art, they also occupy complex theoretical terrain. Goethe’s assertion that “colours are the deeds and sufferings of light” provides an entry point into this dialogue: color emerges not merely as a surface attribute, but as an event — a manifestation of interaction, time, and transformation. Light, meanwhile, becomes both a material and a metaphor, shaping visibility and revealing the interstitial boundaries between presence and absence. Form, often regarded as static or structural, is here treated as fluid and responsive, contingent upon the oscillations of both light and color.In this exhibition, these three forces are explored not as fixed categories but as active agents of experience. They are seen as participants in an ongoing exchange between the physical and the psychological, the empirical and the affective. The works assembled for&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;engage with this exchange through a range of media — from painting and installation to light-based and spatial practices — each probing how visual phenomena can evoke states of emotion, cognition, and embodied perception.At its conceptual core,&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;contends that perception is never neutral. It is conditioned by memory, by emotion, and by cultural systems of meaning. The exhibition therefore foregrounds the socio-emotional register of perception: how color can serve as a proxy for mood or identity; how light, in its absence or excess, can structure both social and psychic space; and how form operates as a vessel for the unseen forces of attention, gesture, and time. These investigations bridge the rational and the intuitive, inviting viewers to inhabit a space where vision becomes a mode of introspection.In dialogue with this group presentation, a solo exhibition by the Chicago-based artist collaborative&nbsp;Luftwerk&nbsp;(Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero) expands the conversation into an immersive field of light and spatial perception. Known for their site-responsive installations that manipulate color and luminosity to alter architectural experience, Luftwerk’s practice offers a vivid articulation of the exhibition’s central inquiry: how light not only illuminates but transforms — both materially and psychologically.Situated within the gallery’s newly expanded 10,000-square-foot space,&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;is conceived as an experiential continuum rather than a static arrangement. Viewers are invited to navigate a choreography of light, hue, and shape that evolves with each movement and glance. This mutable environment underscores the exhibition’s central thesis: that meaning is not located solely in the object, but in the relational encounter between viewer, artwork, and environment.Ultimately,&nbsp;Luminous Matter&nbsp;seeks to reactivate our sensitivity to the subtle transactions that occur at the thresholds of perception. In an era saturated by digital imagery and artificial illumination, this exhibition returns to the primal forces of color, light, and form — not as mere formal devices, but as conduits of human experience, capable of evoking wonder, reflection, and the quiet rediscovery of seeing itself.

Luminous Matter

With winter in full swing, we invite you to shake off the cold and join us for Gallery Night next Friday, January 16, as we open *Great Lakes Modernism*, a new exhibition featuring stunning paintings by Reginald Baylor.There’s no better way to beat the winter doldrums than an evening of art, conversation, and community.&nbsp;Reginald Baylor’s vibrant new paintings bring warmth and energy to the coldest time of year, with bold colors and compelling narratives that remind us why Milwaukee is such a dynamic place to live and create.This exhibition introduces Baylor’s exciting new direction: Great Lakes Modernism. These six paintings celebrate our region’s distinctive identity, capturing the unique light of Lake Michigan, the geometry of our urban landscape, and the creative spirit that thrives here year-round.Mark your calendar for January 16 and plan to make Lily Pad Gallery West part of your Gallery Night route.&nbsp;Reginald will be on hand to discuss his work.

Reginald Baylor: Great Lakes Modernism

Corbett vs. Dempsey is thrilled to present&nbsp;Brian Calvin, Maureen Gallace, Diane Simpson, featuring work by each of the three artists. Calvin and Simpson are CvsD artists and have exhibited extensively with the gallery; this is CvsD’s first exhibition with Gallace and her first commercial presentation in Chicago.Quiet intensity. Methodical investigation. Attention to the meaning of materials, the signifying power of the slightest detail, and the rewards of deep observation and thoughtful consideration. Calvin, Gallace, and Simpson do not make work that looks like one another’s. Simpson is a sculptor; Gallace and Calvin are very distinct painters. But a core crossover connects them: the unwavering dedication to what their work might reveal. One might think of composer Morton Feldman or guitarist John Fahey or painter Giorgio Morandi, all of whom spent their artistic lives digging rather than ranging. Or composer Igor Stravinsky: “The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself of the chains that shackle the spirit.”The exhibition came together organically. CvsD invited Calvin, who in turn invited two of his favorite artists, one based in Chicago (Simpson), one in New York (Gallace). As the show came together, Calvin’s logic unfolded. Where on first blush his bold, graphically complex portraits might seem distant from Gallace’s sumptuous, softly palleted, gesturally rich landscapes and seascapes, in fact both artists are masters of facture, their sights trained on the riches revealed by a focused practice. Likewise, Simpson has spent five decades unpacking and retooling the way objects meet the eye, with her unique approach to visual perspective and her precise deployment and détournement of commonly available materials.In&nbsp;Brian Calvin, Maureen Gallace, Diane Simpson, CvsD presents five works by Gallace, three of them immaculate beach scenes on paper and two paintings on board – a diaphanous house portrait in a spectrum of blue hues and a vivid image of flowers seen at close range. Calvin’s contributions include an imposing vanitas tondo in which the circle of the canvas is echoed by a bright pink hand-mirror, portraits with multiple figures sharing facial features, and several modestly scaled works painted on ceramic substrates. Simpson is represented by two classic, free-standing sculptures, both of which utilize fiberboard in the creation of wondrous works inspired by women’s clothing.Brian Calvin,&nbsp;Another Happy Hour,&nbsp;2025, acrylic on linen, 27 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches

Brian Calvin, Maureen Gallace, Diane Simpson

Lines Roar&nbsp;(2018) was created by the artist Ellen Berkenblit in collaboration with directors Mónica Brand and Francisco Lopez of Mogollon (Brooklyn). Intermingling footage recorded by the artist in her studio and home, as well as photographs of her family and others taken by her father, the film gives a glimpse into the intersection of Berkenblit’s life and work, an intimate examination of what drives the artist’s practice. Original Score by Zeena Parkins; Zeena Parkins: Harps/Electronics/Tuning Forks; Ikue Mori: Electronics.This film was commissioned by The Drawing Center and co-produced by Anton Kern Gallery.

Ellen Berkenblit: Lines Roar

SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change September 19, 2025–February 26, 2026 Over the past decade, the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has sustained an international forum on architecture and urbanism centered in Chicago and has continued to produce the largest exhibition of contemporary architecture in North America every two years. CAB exhibitions and public programs have engaged over 2.2 million visitors with innovative ideas in design through over 400 original projects created by architects, artists and designers from nearly 50 countries. CAB is excited to celebrate its tenth anniversary with CAB 6, the next iteration of the Biennial to be held in 2025, led by Florencia Rodriguez, a writer, editor and Director of and Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago's School of Architecture (UIC/SoArch), who will be the Biennial's first Latina Artistic Director.&nbsp; Titled&nbsp;Shift: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, CAB 6 will present an expansive and multi-faceted exploration of the field of architecture and the built environment globally, specifically as they respond to and are remade by a rapidly changing world. In tandem with exhibitions, installations, events and a robust youth education program throughout Chicago, CAB 6 will also produce a series of initiatives, both local and virtual, that will expand the intellectual footprint of the Biennial beyond the city itself.&nbsp; The sixth edition of CAB, which is free and open to the public, will open its central exhibition in the Chicago Cultural Center on September 19, 2025 and run through February 28, 2026. * Opening Weekend The 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial,&nbsp;SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change,&nbsp;launches this September with a dynamic weekend of exhibitions, events, panel discussions, and activations that will continue across the city through February 2026.&nbsp; The Biennial officially opens to the public on&nbsp;September 19, 2025, with exhibitions at the&nbsp;Chicago Cultural Center,&nbsp;Graham Foundation,&nbsp;Stony Island Arts Bank, a site-specific installation on the grounds of the&nbsp;Griffin Museum of Science and Industry,&nbsp;and a special performance and opening celebration at the&nbsp;historic&nbsp;Roundhouse&nbsp;at&nbsp;The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Across these sites, more than 70 architects, artists, and designers explore the profound cultural, social, and environmental transformations shaping our world today. The projects on view engage the uncertainty of our time, but also offer visions of creativity, resilience, and possibility—asking how architecture can contribute to the futures we want to imagine together. Opening weekend also highlights programming from local partners, including the Chicago Architecture Center, National Public Housing Museum, and De Paul Art Museum, among others. These collaborations underscore the Biennial’s commitment to linking global conversations with Chicago’s unique architectural and civic landscape. The following is an outline of special programming and events throughout the opening. Select each event to find further information. We look forward to continuing citywide expansion of the Biennial with the opening of a new exhibition site in&nbsp;November&nbsp;that brings together over&nbsp;25 large-scale projects&nbsp;advancing the ideas at the heart of&nbsp;SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change.&nbsp; We invite you to join one of our many programs during opening weekend, and continue exploring as the Biennial unfolds through February 28, with successive moments of programming that spotlight its thematic capsules and partner initiatives across the city.

Chicago Architecture Biennial 2025

Inside the&nbsp;Roger Brown Study CollectionOn View at the Art Preserve Opening Saturday, October 11, at the Art Preserve, a new installation brings a selection from artist&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://jmkac.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=972c21ce29cd75dcf33b15668&amp;id=355550f260&amp;e=198a7ee908" target="_blank">Roger Brown</a>’s eclectic Chicago home collection into public view for the first time since its acquisition. Containing over 2,000 works by fellow Chicago Imagists and non-mainstream artists, Brown’s collection reflects his playful sensibility, Southern heritage, and deep admiration for his mentor, artist Ray Yoshida. Visitors will encounter a vibrant mix of folk and Indigenous art, thrift store finds, souvenirs, fine art, costumes, and pop culture objects—all echoing Brown’s unique eye for composition, narrative, and the silhouetted form. This introductory installation—situated near Yoshida’s own home environment collection at the Art Preserve—highlights the visual and conceptual connections between the two artists. Among the featured objects is Brown’s rear stairwell shelf, a striking vignette modeled after Yoshida’s signature shelves, packed with quirky toys, thrifted paintings, and references to artist Jesse Howard. Brown’s love of Southern pottery, mid-century cars, and figures also shines through, offering a rich glimpse into his singular artistic world. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://jmkac.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=972c21ce29cd75dcf33b15668&amp;id=2526874222&amp;e=198a7ee908" target="_blank">Explore the Installation</a>

The Roger Brown Study Collection

<a style="color: rgb(237, 125, 49);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK8yW-2BXyw5UQYrM55ZmS7mjePlRYQZlyaKPtMRp0luyHNesq46Np7sE-2F-2FPT2ta0hzX4-3DrDWG_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLQij9mq4AdTVgAgcfJX-2F-2FPTu332zUjMMqljcxl9w9r3NoRmsXeaDJt17yw0Bwdc3Xwn40iqTGYQf4nKFTgHyvqC1JX7YVIcYK01LpLq2CgQ-2FdzxHBkxuepSll1dN5U2zjwahWMisDGxBM-2B2Va361iP-2BPGr0H6PvTvjVGhVJNKfGtNDPbavuE8bnyAogeomoNlnsYTa5SsoMvxvMqQ7JceljQp4sQ4UnA8oE659YoY-2F-2B9NyCYC3qx41foND8EiD9xmT8oA3bL8-2F1HZEEroCpMLEkNlyaB2WuePtkTT6hb4q7csh9U55niPVSACtiVelAng-3D-3D" target="_blank">Monumental: Larger than Life-Size</a>—a new exhibition that invites viewers to explore “oversized” artwork from the museum’s permanent collection—opens at the Racine Art Museum (RAM) on August 1, 2025. This exhibition relates to the question of why human beings are fascinated by “real life” things that are rendered larger or smaller than life-size. Throughout art history, there are many examples of everyday objects that became mysterious or more compelling because of a shift in scale. From oversized body parts and clay vessels to an abnormally large bronze pear, the works on display in&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;encourage viewers to consider how size affects expectations and opinions of art. RAM Director of Exhibitions and Collections Lena Vigna believes that, depending on a viewer’s perspective, this exhibition could be considered serious, playful, or both:“Oversize fruit, such as the bronze pear and the glass plum, encourages viewers to contemplate complex issues such<s>&nbsp;as</s>&nbsp;the relationship between consumerism, health, and safety. Are bigger and better products good for the environment or our health?” questions Vigna. “At the same time, large ceramic feet and heads are fantastical, calling to mind fairy tales and legends. Reflecting the concerns of contemporary artists who use traditional materials in unexpected ways, the works on display reflect things that are simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar as they blur the boundaries between reality and mystery.”Why are human beings fascinated by “real life” things that are rendered larger or smaller than life-size? Throughout art history, there are many examples of everyday objects that became mysterious or more compelling because of a shift in scale. From oversized body parts and clay vessels to an abnormally large bronze pear, these works from RAM’s collection encourage viewers to consider how size affects their expectations and opinions. On display in RAM’s street-facing Windows on Fifth Gallery,&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;will be available for continual, free public viewing—24 hours a day, seven days a week. Further information about&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;is available on RAM’s website,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(237, 125, 49);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK8yW-2BXyw5UQYrM55ZmS7mjePlRYQZlyaKPtMRp0luyHNesq46Np7sE-2F-2FPT2ta0hzX4-3D68Mw_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLQij9mq4AdTVgAgcfJX-2F-2FPTu332zUjMMqljcxl9w9r3NoRmsXeaDJt17yw0Bwdc3Xwn40iqTGYQf4nKFTgHyvqC1JX7YVIcYK01LpLq2CgQ-2FdzxHBkxuepSll1dN5U2zjwahWMisDGxBM-2B2Va361iPqPfxW42d4UX-2BEcYUi3JwvltYehZmIc-2BNM5oNTkLrlKdneP79LTAo8eQqYKhBe7ApfubFH63l5xIreTpq4X2-2FLM2OwP2AuroQc26AsyY9i2WBh4Eb25XVgINlB2oaWsOzs2A2G0RTkQXQj35S1rogNT47TPMqCW6apD2KYgQ0yaA-3D-3D" target="_blank">ramart.org</a>.&nbsp;

Monumental: Larger than Life-Size

this morning there was&nbsp;light,tomorrow morning there&nbsp;will be light,but where is light?&nbsp;&nbsp;- Etel Adnan SECRIST | BEACH is pleased to announce our representation of, and the debut solo presentation for, Chicago-based artist collaborative&nbsp;Luftwerk.&nbsp;Titled&nbsp;The Sun Standing Still, this&nbsp;exhibition features a suite of new sculptures, wall reliefs, and a site-specific installation by Luftwerk that investigate the dynamic interplay between sunlight and the Earth’s revolution. This exhibition is presented concurrently with&nbsp;Luminous Matter, an invitational survey co-organized with Luftwerk and featuring 8 artists. Both exhibitions open Friday, December 5 from 5–8 PM and remain on view through February 14, 2026.The time before and after daylight, when everything appears muted yet quietly spectacular, reveals a distinct and transitory palette. Capturing the fleeting and subjective perception of light and atmosphere, the works on view in&nbsp;The Sun Standing Still&nbsp;explore how color, devoid of literal representation, can evoke emotional and sensory responses. Fittingly, the exhibition dates include December 21, better known as the Winter Solstice, or the first day of winter. This is the day when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun, resulting in the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year.&nbsp;Beyond its astronomical importance, this day also marks the culturally symbolic rebirth of the sun: a renewal imbued with hope, resilience, and the cyclical rhythm of time.Expanding upon their ongoing investigations into the relationship between perception, space, and light, Luftwerk draws conceptual parallels to Claude Monet’s 1872 painting&nbsp;Impression, soleil levant&nbsp;(Impression, Sunrise), the work that gave name to Impressionism. Just as Monet sought to capture the immediacy of light, Luftwerk transforms that fleeting energy into sculptural and immersive forms, translating light itself into color and vibration.The Sun Standing Still&nbsp;features a range of sculptural objects and a large-scale installation that together create a harmonious, meditative environment. With a focus on heightened perception, color, light, and form become the primary materials shaping an experience that unfolds through the viewer’s movement. This reciprocal interaction—light cast as color onto form—reveals a complex dialogue between energy and perception. Filtered through the celestial rhythm of the sun’s path, Luftwerk’s phenomenological approach opens a space for reflection, renewal, and tangible meaning. Luftwerk&nbsp;(Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, lives and works in Chicago) have exhibited broadly at institutions including: Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL; Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred University, Alfred, NY; Cheekwood Estate &amp; Gardens, Nashville, TN; Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA; Museum für Gestaltung, Zürich; Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL and Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL. Throughout their practice, Luftwerk has develop a robust portfolio of projects that engage with notable modern and contemporary architecture including: Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago, IL by Gehry Partners;&nbsp;Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona and Farnsworth House, Plano, IL by Mies van der Rohe; Ford Residence, Aurora, IL by Bruce Goff; Millennium Park, Chicago, IL by SOM; Fallingwater, Mill Run, PA and Robie House, Chicago, IL by Frank Lloyd Wright; and Netsch Residence, Chicago, IL by Walter Netsch. The artists have realized numerous large-scale permanent public and private commissions in Atlanta, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Harare, Tampa, and Kansas City. They have received numerous awards, including project awards from the AIA Chicago, Graham Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council. Their work is in several public and private collections including the Public Art collections of Chicago and Fulton County, Museum Buchheim, USF Institute for Research in Art.&nbsp;Their work has been featured in publications such as Artforum, Hyperallergic, Time Magazine, The New Yorker.&nbsp; Adnan, Etel.&nbsp;Journey to Mount Tamalpais, 1986. The Post-Apollo Press.

Luftwerk: The Sun Standing Still

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition by Eli Williamson,&nbsp;Fellowship.&nbsp;The exhibition will be on display from January 24 - March 1, 2026.In&nbsp;Fellowship, South Side Chicago native and photo essayist Williamson&nbsp;visually&nbsp;explores the sacred spaces where Black men and boys learn, grow, and heal in each other’s presence. Through imagery, the exhibition asks: Where are the rituals that teach manhood?&nbsp;Fellowship&nbsp;is an installment of Williamson's ongoing series,&nbsp;The Four Virtues,&nbsp;a four-part monograph that cements the virtue of Black men and boys through images and writing.Fellowship&nbsp;will be exhibited in the Lobby Gallery of the Art Center. The opening reception is free and open to the public. This exhibition is partially funded by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the EAC’s general membership.Evanston Art Center, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, is dedicated to fostering the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences. The Art Center offers extensive and innovative instruction in broad areas of artistic endeavor through classes, exhibitions, interactive arts activities, and community outreach initiatives.

Eli Williamson: Fellowship

Perspective Gallery presents&nbsp;"HOLD,"&nbsp;Perspective Gallery’s 2026 Invitational Exhibition featuring works by selected BFA students from the School of the Art Institute.&nbsp;Curated by Aimee Beaubien, Professor &amp; Chair in the Department of Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,&nbsp;"HOLD" features work by six emerging artists currently pursuing their BFA, and working within the Department of Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Abigail Brooke Ackles, Ethan Kunoff, Isabel Lim, Collin Lust, Sarah Price, Dev Kili Stolkiner.The&nbsp;Opening Reception&nbsp;will be held on Saturday, February 7th, 2026 from 5-7pm at Perspective Gallery. Guests will have the opportunity to experience the art firsthand and meet the artists. On Thursday, February 19th at 7 PM, Perspective will host an&nbsp;Virtual Artist’s Talk&nbsp;via Zoom on February 19th, 2026.The curator and the exhibiting artists will be present to answer your questions and discuss their work.&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://perspectivegallery.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=04a588cae42ffc5c2d944d823&amp;id=a5bc6d2433&amp;e=49b9939ea4" target="_blank">Register here</a>&nbsp;for the Artists’ Talk.&nbsp;"HOLD" is a meditation on loss, distance, identity, and memory. This exhibition reflects the many ways images attempt to grasp what is already slipping away. Together, these works ask us toconsider what we keep, what we return to, and what holds us. We are invited to enter this space of continuum, where photographs become conduits between generations, between past and present, between the remembered and the reconstructed.

Hold

In this conversation with tattoo artist Beth Mintzer and decorative arts curator Elizabeth McGoey, discover how Tiffany lamps have shaped artistic expression from historic interiors to contemporary tattoo studios.

Ornament & Identity: From Tiffany Studios to Tattoo Studios

Portraits encompass many forms, including traditionally posed portraits, candid portraits, environmental portraits, conceptual or symbolic portraits, and self-portraits. Representations of real or imagined individuals, couples, families, groups, etc.., in which their images are the primary focus are portraits.Artistically inspired portraits strive to capture the subject’s personality, mood, essence, and character to communicate their uniqueness, story, voice or importance.Cover Art: Jennifer McNultyRBG: Fight Photo prints &amp; mosaic tiles 22×17 2025

Pictures of You

This exhibition focuses on works that explore memory, the marks we leave behind, and the passage of time.Each piece creates a dialogue between permanence and transience, asking: What do we leave behind, and what do we carry forward? Together, the works form a canvas of time—an immersive space for reflection, memory, and discovery.Featuring the works of tenant artists of the Bridgeport Art Center. (list artists?)Image: Reload – Kelvin Larue Taylor 202324 x 36 Photo Print Luster Photos

Traces In Time

A curated group exhibition for this moment in time, a space for honesty, reflection, and emotional depth.In a world that feels loud and uncertain, we invited artists to express what words alone cannot. Expression may be fierce or fragile, joyful or aching, intimate or expansive. It may speak of identity, memory, resistance, longing, or hope.This exhibition explores abstraction not just as a style, but as a release, a way to process lived experience and the emotional charge of simply being human.Presented by VibrantCast, where art is accessible, affordable, and meant to be experienced and owned.We connect people to emerging talent through digital discovery and live immersive events, spotlighting the meaning behind the work and the artists who create it.VibrantCast is a place where everyone is welcome and creativity is held in the highest regard.&nbsp;We invite you to find what moves you and start your collection.Artwork: Rick Sullivan, Double Door. 30 x 40 acrylic on canvas

Art Speaks: Abstract Expressions

The Arts Club’s Exhibition of Visual Artist Members is a beloved tradition that brings great pride and prestige to the institution and its membership. Following an inaugural exhibition of paintings by John Singer Sargent in 1916, the second exhibition ever mounted at The Arts Club was of work by our members. Although its structure has changed over the past century, the goal of the exhibition remains the same: to celebrate and showcase the creative efforts of our artist members across a range of media, styles, genres, and forms.To continue The Arts Club’s tradition of showcasing a current and dynamic representation of our members’ practices, participants are asked to submit works completed within the past two years. Some of the artists members are participating in this exhibition for the first time; others have participated for several decades.It is a remarkable accomplishment to have reached the 92nd Artist Exhibition, the 91st of which featured a record-breaking 84 artist participants. We celebrate most sincerely our artist members’ capacity to thrive, make new and exciting work, and forge community through turbulent times.Photo: Installation view,&nbsp;91st Exhibition of Visual Artist Members, January 2024. Photo: Michael Tropea.

The 92nd Exhibition of Visual Artist Members

Jackson Junge Gallery is starting off their 2026 season with&nbsp;I’M FINE, a solo exhibition featuring 14 paintings by in-house artist, Sam Arnold.&nbsp;I’M FINE&nbsp;is an introspective art exhibition reflecting on the unique intersection of health and creative expression. The show is a documentation of Arnold’s health journey, exploring whether her artwork reflects the intensity of what she’s going through, or if she’s simply become really good at masking pain. Most people don’t realize Arnold’s work is deeply personal—they just see “happy paintings.” But each one is her way of escaping, of traveling when she physically can’t.&nbsp;I’M FINE&nbsp;offers a window into the evolving landscape of Arnolds’s internal and external world.<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://oh4nipbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MdeqxSD7AhgGMdktnwgKJPU-3V_0ViuYEk-SzxrfkajRROBC20V3ontPTyx0ok9mVgDH5bPvF32O2VgqEbyP8D13gnrNxGHKNdu8Q7yN3nwubnI3ZZ9QNSvuvzxfL8lLw_GiSBOtfWqj0TDW7l-FeJfIbSi2339AJB2y-N_exhk=&amp;c=D18LkDeXhS-Hwtppn61l8orMZ4WQuLRgmjvo_vIAwX9jITqNv3kMEQ==&amp;ch=D3sVuegGAaBng0ApsfdabTWRauvxwWpyTmcZ_NBY5EzclnmQznMQDg==" target="_blank">Viewers of Sam Arnold’s bright work may be surprised to learn that the artist’s life has been chronic pain and PTSD for 14 years. For Arnold, illness is a full-time job - juggling appointments, insurance, treatment research, and just getting through the day. She reports having 220 doctors appointments last year and taking 28 pills a day. There’s always been a contrast between Arnold’s bright and colorful artwork, and the dark things going on. Previously, she has let people form their own ideas about her art without revealing this. But this is Arnold’s life. She makes decisions every day regarding how illness impacts her, that most people don’t have to think about. For years, she has wanted to challenge herself to be more open and vulnerable and to make her pain more obvious in her work instead of masking and saying “I’m Fine”.</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://oh4nipbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MdeqxSD7AhgGMdktnwgKJPU-3V_0ViuYEk-SzxrfkajRROBC20V3ontPTyx0ok9mVgDH5bPvF32O2VgqEbyP8D13gnrNxGHKNdu8Q7yN3nwubnI3ZZ9QNSvuvzxfL8lLw_GiSBOtfWqj0TDW7l-FeJfIbSi2339AJB2y-N_exhk=&amp;c=D18LkDeXhS-Hwtppn61l8orMZ4WQuLRgmjvo_vIAwX9jITqNv3kMEQ==&amp;ch=D3sVuegGAaBng0ApsfdabTWRauvxwWpyTmcZ_NBY5EzclnmQznMQDg==" target="_blank">September 2024 presented a unique opportunity for Arnold. The prospect of starting a new pain management treatment inspired the artist to record her upcoming medical journey through painting.&nbsp;</a>I’M FINE&nbsp;is a journal of Arnold’s year, each painting a monthly entry. The first, “September 2024”, pictures a bright blue and green coastal landscape, representative of Arnold’s optimism before starting a new treatment that her quality of life would improve. Unfortunately, Arnold would undergo an extremely adverse reaction and be forced to change her plans. Going from one treatment to another is no unfamiliar experience for someone with chronic illness. Arnold thus decided it was natural to continue documenting her experiences. “November 2024” saw experimentation with another failed treatment plan reflected in the month’s painting. A bold landscape with golden yellow fields speckled by green trees and a cool blue river running through. Intense pink lines break up the river, literal illustrations of pain running through Arnold’s body. Six months of surgery followed.Sam Arnold would spend most of the past year focusing on both her physical and mental health while creating art about it - chronicling multiple procedures, surgeries, med changes, and weekly sessions with both a therapist and psychologist. Arnold wanted to work true to her changing feelings through the year. Every month she would put away her other paintings, so they didn’t influence each other. “February 2025” sees a stark evolution to an abstract style different from the more representational works of the previous 5 months, which becomes even more jarring in “March 2025”, a green painting streaked with aggressive yellow and red smears which Arnold explains as a manifestation of her anger this month towards her increasing medical issues. March is the only painting missing Arnold’s meticulous black outlining iconic to her work. Arnold shared how difficult it was not to return to the painting and “finish” it with her outline, but she resisted to stay true to March’s emotions.Pain is a common theme for Sam Arnold living with chronic illness, and extensively represented in her work the past year. Grief is another type of pain that Arnold sadly portrays, experiencing the loss of two family members in January and July. Amongst all the vulnerability Arnold shows in&nbsp;I’M FINE, she’s described the paintings from these two months as being the most deeply personal. “January 2025” paints an aerial map of the broken bridge between Florida and Sanibel Island in intense shades of teal and navy. A devastating hurricane destroyed the bridge and Arnold’s family property on the island. The visual of the broken bridge represents Arnold’s inability to visit the place most cherished by her lost family member, keeping her from them, and symbolic of the pain of their passing.Another unique aspect of&nbsp;I’M FINE&nbsp;is the participation of the artist’s therapist, who has agreed to write a few phrases describing the artist’s mental state after sessions from September 2024 to September 2025. Arnold has not seen these notes, but they will be revealed at the opening of her exhibition, which she has said is “terrifying and vulnerable, but also feels incredibly important.”&nbsp;I’M FINE&nbsp;has been an experiment to see if Arnold’s paintings reflect what she has going on, or if she has continued to mask her pain within her bright work. Arnold has found some pieces more outwardly reflective of her pain than usual, especially those with decaying figures like the decomposing Elmo plushie being overtaken by leaves in “December 2024” or the degraded baby doll in “June 2025”. However, other pieces still feel like they conceal Arnold’s pain such as the finale, “September 2025”. She imagined the last piece as being a joyful conclusion to a year of successful treatments, but instead Arnold frustratingly feels she is in the same place she was a year ago. So even if the colorful landscape of September does feel joyful, it is only because Arnold has returned to masking pain in her art. Creating&nbsp;I’M FINE&nbsp;may not have been as cathartic as Arnold hoped, in fact it was hard and uncomfortable, but she still believes that hard things are worth trying.Arnold hopes that her artwork will contribute to the conversation on mental health. From her art, you may discover that you don’t always know what is going on in people’s lives. People may not outwardly admit to their feelings, even an honest person like Arnold unintentionally hides her pain in her upbeat demeanor. View her meaningful exhibition,&nbsp;I’M FINE, at Jackson Junge Gallery January 12th&nbsp;– March 1st, 2026. The gallery will be holding the exhibition’s opening reception on Friday, January 16th, from 6pm - 9pm, free and open to the public. It is curated by Owner Chris Jackson, Gallery Director Kaitlyn Miller and Assistant Gallery Director Kristen Arcus.

I'm Fine

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

Essence

The Newberry’s physical collection is vast, containing over 1.6 million books, 600,000 maps, 1,300 unique archival collections, and much more. Altogether, this material fills over 27.5 miles of shelving.In the mid-1990s, prompted by the rise of the internet, new imaging technology, and increasing demand, the Newberry began to digitize its material. While this work initially supported specific publications and exhibitions, the benefits quickly expanded. Now, digitization is central to our mission, making a significant and ever-growing portion of our holdings accessible to scholars globally, fostering new types of research, and engaging a broader public.This exhibit offers a snapshot of our&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://collections.newberry.org/" target="_blank">digital collection</a>, showcasing some of our most popular educational and interactive digital resources.<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newberry.org/calendar/from-page-to-pixel" target="_blank">Details</a><h3> </h3>

From Page to Pixel: Discovering the Digital Newberry

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mocp.org/events/lecture-in-photography-bob-thall/" target="_blank">Lecture in Photography: Bob Thall</a> Thursday, March 12, 20266:00-7:30 pmMoCP600 S. Michigan Ave.Chicago, IL Please join MoCP and Columbia College Chicago School of Visual Arts for a Lecture in Photography with Bob Thall. *Ferguson Lecture Hall is located on the ground level of 600 S. Michigan Ave. For several decades, Bob Thall has been known for his formally rigorous and deadpan portrayals of the urban and suburban landscape in Chicago, photographing in sharp detail a view camera. His new project looks at cities across the US and his long term commitment to black and white large format work. Thall served on the faculty at Columbia College Chicago from 1976 to 2017 and chaired the Photography Department from 1999 to 2011. His work and scholarship have played a crucial role in the museum’s history and the broader educational landscape. Lectures in Photography is co-sponsored in partnership with MoCP and Columbia College Chicago School of Visual Arts.

Lecture in Photography: Bob Thall

Antonius-Tín&nbsp;Bui&nbsp;(they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work traverses the realms of hand-cut paper, community engagement, performance, and soft sculpture to visualize hybrid identities or histories that confront the unsettling present. Bui’s hybridized identity as a queer, genderfluid, and Vietnamese American informs the way they employ beauty as a refuge for fellow marginalized communities. Their intensive paper-cutting process is exceptionally meditative; each sheet of paper&nbsp;represents&nbsp;an archive of memories and oral histories, mirroring the intergenerational trauma that so many refugee communities are faced with. Through their rigorous and reductive process, they deconstruct the white canvas, metaphorically carving out space for the narratives that are so often omitted from recognized histories.  &nbsp;Bui (b.1992, Bronx, NY) received their BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. Bui has had recent solo exhibitions at&nbsp;Various Small Fires, Dallas, TX (2024);&nbsp;moniquemeloche,&nbsp;Chicago, IL (2023);&nbsp;Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA (2020);&nbsp;Laband&nbsp;Art Gallery, LMU, Los Angeles, CA (2019); Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX (2018).&nbsp;Bui’s work has been presented in group exhibitions at&nbsp;the&nbsp;National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.;&nbsp;Portland State University, OR; The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY; Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC; Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA; Picker Art Gallery,&nbsp;Colgate University,&nbsp;Hamilton, NY;&nbsp;the&nbsp;McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX; Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY; USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA; Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX; Blaffer Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX; among others.  Bui will present a solo exhibition at&nbsp;moniquemeloche&nbsp;in 2026.&nbsp;Public collections include the&nbsp;Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC;&nbsp;University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI; New York Historical Society, New York, NY;&nbsp;BMO Harris Bank Corporate Art Collection, Chicago, IL; Bank of America Art Program, Newark, DE; JP Morgan Chase Art Collection, New York, NY;&nbsp;Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, Portland, OR; Eaton Workshop, Washington D.C.; Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, AR; Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington D.C.; and the Pennsylvania College of Art &amp; Design, Lancaster, PA.&nbsp;They are a recipient of The&nbsp;Outwin&nbsp;Boochever&nbsp;Prize (2021) and MICA Alumni Grant (2018). Bui is a fellow of the 2022&nbsp;Queer|Art|Mentorship&nbsp;program, and has received additional fellowships from MASS MoCA&nbsp;(2025);&nbsp;Golden Foundation, New Berlin, NY (2024);&nbsp;James Castle House, Boise, ID (2022); Kimmel Nelson Center for the Arts, Nebraska City, NE (2022); Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA (2019); Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY (2024,&nbsp;2019); The Growlery, San Francisco, CA (2019); and Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX (2018). Bui lives and works in&nbsp;Chicago, IL.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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