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

Brendan Fernandes: In the Round

Letica Pardo: Carcasa (109 E. Ontario St.)Through a material reconfiguration of the Mies van der Rohe stair and walls from The Arts Club building, the installation foregrounds aspects of architectural production often minimized or rendered invisible within dominant historical narratives. Originally produced for The Arts Club’s former location, the stair was salvaged from demolition and reinstalled in the institution’s current building, becoming an object in the collection.Translating the stair into exposed rebar—a material typically embedded within built infrastructure and intentionally concealed—brings construction to the surface. The seemingly unfinished structure draws attention to manual labor carried out by immigrant workers who have sustained the U.S. building industry. Silicone casts taken from travertine slabs surrounding the staircase function as reversed impressions of the stone, revealing internal veining and voids as surface textures. Together, the rebar structure and silicone casts establish a dialogue between structure and body, visibility and concealment, and value and labor.Reducing architecture to bone and skin, Carcasa (109 E. Ontario St.) approaches modernism as a system whose authority and visibility were produced through selective recognition. In doing so, it positions architecture as a cultural record of collective making shaped by social relations.This project was curated by Executive Director and Chief Curator Janine Mileaf.This site-specific installation involved production assistance by Dishan Rahman, and metal fabrication by Alejandro Castellanos, Ernesto Garcia, Jair Martínez, José Martinez, Ricardo Martínez, Danilo Medina, Ernesto Medina, Gonzalo Medina, Nelson Ramírez, Francisco Rivadeneyra, Heriberto Valdez, Daniel Valencia, Randi Vigueras, D5 Design and Metal Fabrication.Special thanks goes to Gallery Manager Colby Starck and preparators Reggie Williamson, Xavier Hughes, and Adele Henning. Carcasa (109 E. Ontario St.) (detail), Leticia Pardo. Photo by Fran Peñaflor.

Letica Pardo: Carcasa

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence defined “unalienable rights” as “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” And five years after the end of the Revolutionary War, the founding generation ratified a new Constitution to, among other things, “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” What it meant to dedicate a country to liberty was immediately contested and continues to be contested to this day. For whom were these “Blessings of Liberty” to be secured? Under what circumstances could individuals expect the inalienable right of liberty to be recognized? What justifies limitations on liberty, and what does a dedication to liberty demand of us?Though Americans grappled with these issues in all times and places, nothing crystallized the tensions around liberty quite like war. President Abraham Lincoln, in his address at the newly dedicated Gettysburg National Cemetery in the midst of the Civil War, centered his reflection on this very question: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” At the site of so much death and destruction, he wondered whether a nation, “so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.”Conceived in Liberty: Cartoons, Caricatures, and Illustrations in the Wartime US, 1812-1918&nbsp;will draw on the Newberry’s collection to show how artists living through wartime “conceived” cartoons, caricatures, and illustrations that grappled with questions about liberty. These images appeared throughout broader print culture (newspapers, magazines, sheet music, broadsides, posters) as well as in more private contexts, such as diaries, letters, or sketchbooks. Whether patriotic or dissenting, available to the masses or only to a few, wartime imagery reveals in dramatic, visually compelling ways how the people of the US have used the occasion of war to question, revise, challenge, and champion this core value of the country since its founding 250 years ago.<a href="https://www.newberry.org/calendar/conceived-in-liberty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DETAILS</a>

Conceived in Liberty: Cartoons, Caricatures, and Illustrations in the Wartime US, 1812-1918

<a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hyde Park Art Center</a>, the renowned non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, is proud to announce&nbsp;Jeff Carter: The Singer Pavilion Project, on view&nbsp;June 6 – September 20, 2026. Exploring the historic and architectural significance of the Singer Pavilion—the only building remaining of the former Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Bronzeville, the exhibition prompts critical reflection on the Modernist promise of social progress, and considers how architectural ideals are compromised by histories of institutional failure, abandonment, and inequality.Since 2020, Carter has developed an extensive body of work exploring the site, history, and significance of the Singer Pavilion, a structure he refers to as a “Modernist ruin.” The exhibition presents eleven artworks, including sculptures, digital images, sound works and installations. Several artworks in the exhibition are made using materials extracted from the abandoned site: a waiting room chair, vinyl records, and native plants that have reclaimed the neglected landscape. The excavated materials were transformed into sculptures and conjure both the life in and around the building during its active years as a psychiatric institute (1948-2009) and the building’s dereliction following the hospital’s closure in 2009. A series of ‘zines developed in collaboration with artists with connections to the hospital and the surrounding Bronzeville community will be included.Founded in 1881, Michael Reese Hospital was a major research and teaching hospital, and one of the oldest and largest hospitals in Chicago, providing care to all people regardless of religion, nationality, or race. Its architecture, whose designers included Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus School, is considered by preservationists to hold historic value. ABOUT THE ARTISTJeff Carter (1967, he/his) is a multimedia artist living and working in Chicago. He earned his BFA at the University of Colorado, Boulder and his MFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His practice includes sculpture, kinetics, sound, installation, and digital media. Jeff has exhibited his work in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Renaissance Society, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the Hyde Park Art Center. His work has been shown internationally at the Hayward Gallery, London, the Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan, the IKEA Museum, Sweden, and the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, University College Cork, Ireland. His solo shows include the Chicago Cultural Center and the DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York, and Galeria Valle Orti, Valencia, Spain. A previous project about the demolished Michael Reese Hospital campus,&nbsp;The Common Citizenship of Forms&nbsp;(2011), was reviewed in Art In America and profiled in the 7th edition of Bauhaus Magazine. He is a Professor in The Art School at DePaul University. ABOUT THE HYDE PARK ART CENTERHyde Park Art Center, at 5020 South Cornell Avenue on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, is a hub for contemporary arts in Chicago, serving as a gathering, production, and exhibition space for artists and the broader community to cultivate ideas, impact social change, and connect with new networks. Since its inception in 1939, Hyde Park Art Center has grown from a small collective of artists to establishing a strong legacy of risk-taking and experimentation, emerging as a unique Chicago arts institution with social impact. Today, the Art Center offers a diverse suite of programs for artists and art lovers of all backgrounds, ages, and stages in their careers including: contemporary art exhibitions in six galleries; an open-access community-based school with 2,000 annual enrollments; weekly arts education to 1,000 elementary school students in public schools; weekly and summer teen programs for 100 teen artists; professional-advancement programs for artists; a local and international artist residency; and public programs that connect residents with Chicago art and artists. The Art Center’s Oakman Clinton School + Studio is the nation’s first fully contribute-what-you-can visual art school for all ages. The Art Center functions as an amplifier for creative voices of today and tomorrow, providing the space to cultivate new work and connections. For more information, visit<a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.hydeparkart.org</a>.

Jeff Carter: The Singer Pavilion Project

Willem de Kooning Drawing&nbsp;is the first exhibition to explore the full scope of Willem de Kooning’s drawing practice and how it was foundational to his boundary-breaking artistic career. Featuring more than 200 artworks including rarely-seen drawings—alongside paintings, sculptures, and prints—this exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to experience the totality of his graphic production over seven decades and sheds light on his experimentation with materials, tools, and techniques.

Willem de Kooning Drawing

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is excited to welcome the public to our upcoming exhibition,&nbsp;Glass Castles | Curated by Azul Alberto Nogueron. The exhibition will be on display from August 8 - September 20, 2026 with an opening reception on Sunday, August 9, 1-3pm that will be free and open to the public.Glass Castles&nbsp;is a whimsical, surrealist exhibition of works about spirituality and religious trauma curated through the queer perspective.&nbsp;Glass Castles&nbsp;is the second of three exhibitions curated by Azul Alberto Nogueron as part of their time as the EAC's COMPASS Resident.The COMPASS Curator Residency provides an emerging curator with an opportunity to curate three shows in the Evanston Art Center’s Lobby Gallery space. The EAC’s Lobby Gallery is a space dedicated to exhibiting emerging and underrepresented artists/curators and responds to current social events. This dynamic and inclusive space draws in new curators, artists, and audiences. Glass Castles | Curated by Azul Alberto Nogueron&nbsp;will be exhibited in the Lobby Gallery on the FirstFloor 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.

Glass Castles | Curated by Azul Alberto Nogueron

The 78th Greenwich Village Art Fair is a two-day outdoor event held at Rockford Art Museum featuring juried artists, live music by local musicians, children’s art activities, a local vendor marketplace, food trucks, cocktails, and more.Established in 1948, GVAF is the longest-running art fair of its kind in the Midwest. All artwork on display at Greenwich Village Art Fair is original and produced entirely by the hands of the exhibiting artist.Admission proceeds support Rockford Art Museum, located at 711 North Main Street in downtown Rockford, Illinois.<a href="https://us.list-manage.com/j5SLl2sLHHP?e=7aced3c85f&amp;c2id=022ea89fe4e8ce5503f91bd1a7cb9b2e" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click here</a>&nbsp;for more information.&nbsp;

Greenwich Village Art Fair

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is thrilled to announce&nbsp;Dancing the Revolution. This exhibition is the first of its kind to explore and expand the visual, political and spiritual histories of dancehall and reggaetón through contemporary art—two dynamic genres that have transcended their grassroots origins to shape global culture. From Kingston to San Juan through London, Toronto, New York City and Panama,&nbsp;Dancing the Revolutionpositions music and dance as a revolutionary practice for collective liberation rooted in the struggle against colonial oppression. Dancehall and reggaetón are not only musical genres but cultural practices and powerful expressions of resistance and joy—reminders of the Caribbean's centuries-old traditions of dance and music as means of liberation and protest rooted in Black Atlantic history and culture.&nbsp;Dancing the Revolution&nbsp;showcases pivotal moments and themes from these histories, starting with the sound system—a mobile disco that embodies both a community experience and a vital civic institution.&nbsp; Presenting work across varied mediums,&nbsp;Dancing the Revolution&nbsp;includes painting, sound sculptures, installations, photographs, and video, showcasing how artists have been and continue to be inspired by these histories and the visual forms that emerge from them. The exhibition features more than 35 artists, including Isaac Julien, Jean Michel Basquiat, Edra Soto, Alberta Whittle, Carolina Caycedo, supakid and Lee "Scratch" Perry. A special commissioned mixtape project invites visitors to learn about the evolution of these popular genres in Panama and hear iconic songs that have paved the way for the global phenomenon of reggaetón. Audiences also will be able to purchase the exhibition’s bilingual catalogue (Spanish/English), which features scholarship on topics such as sound system and sonic aesthetics in painting, dancing and protest during Puerto Rico's&nbsp;Verano del 19, or Summer of 2019, and Panama’s reggae en español, as well as extensive illustrations reproducing exhibition artworks. Dancing the Revolution&nbsp;considers music and dance as powerful tools for sexual and political liberation. The exhibition’s title is inspired by the shifting RPMs (revolutions per minute) that mark the tempo and history of Caribbean popular music, including historic events like Verano del 19 (which famously included protests attended by singers iLe, Residente, Ricky Martin, and Bad Bunny). At this critical moment of collective action, LGBTQ+ and feminist activists led&nbsp;perreo combativo, or “combative twerking,” on the steps of San Juan Cathedral prior to Governor Ricardo Roselló’s resignation, transforming reggaetón’s characteristic dance into a form of political protest. This reclamation of public space through dance—an act deeply rooted in dancehall history and culture—demonstrates how music and dance can serve as bold acts of collective resistance and emancipation. Dancing the Revolution&nbsp;is curated by Carla Acevedo-Yates, former Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator and Director of Curatorial Initiatives, with Iris Colburn, Curatorial Associate, Nolan Jimbo, Assistant Curator, Cecilia González Godino, former Marjorie Susman Curatorial Fellow, and nibia pastrana santiago, Curatorial Consultant.

Dancing the Revolution

Have you ever kneaded wet dough? It feels amazing. Smack smack thwap stretch flop. Throw it in the air and see what happens. It can be any shape you want.&nbsp;Fruit flies like dough too. Buzzzzz buzz buzz.My face is stiff and my arms are somewhat immobilized by a complex arrangement of bandages, but a sweet young thing named Annie sits&nbsp;patiently&nbsp;next to me, holding a plastic cup with a straw up to my parched lips. Pink sparkling rosé, my favorite. It’s about the little things. Miami Beach. Printed minidress. Chunky necklace on tan skin.... Cars slow down to get a better look at me....

Jesse Bond: Own Who You Are

CAVA's Signature Annual Juried Exhibition&nbsp;Later Impressions&nbsp;Opens August 7 at The Art Center Highland Park (Highland Park, IL). More than ninety contemporary works by artists age 50 and older will fill the galleries of The Art Center Highland Park when the Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists (CAVA) presents Later Impressions, its signature annual juried exhibition and longest-running yearly exhibition, August 7 through September 26, 2026. The exhibition marks CAVA's first partnership with The Art Center Highland Park and showcases artwork created within the past two years, emphasizing the continued creativity and vitality of experienced artists.&nbsp;&nbsp;Selected from more than 230 submissions, the exhibition features 93 works spanning painting, photography, printmaking, encaustic, pastel, mixed media, and sculpture in bronze, wood, metal, assemblage, and other media. Installed throughout the Main Gallery, the Cindi Elkins Gallery, the main foyer, and additional first-floor spaces, the exhibition offers visitors an immersive fine art experience.&nbsp;Fellow Highland Park artist Julie Scoma describes her acrylic painting “Clouds” as quiet and meditative, adding that she values CAVA because "so often people don't find their art until later in life."CAVA’s Exhibition Manager Susan Bennett believes The Art Center Highland Park provides an exceptional setting for CAVA's signature exhibition, allowing visitors to experience the remarkable diversity of the artwork. James Lynch, Executive Director of The Art Center Highland Park, called the exhibition "a wonderful way to close out our gallery season. Many of CAVA's members regularly exhibit at TAC, and we're excited to welcome both familiar and new artists into our galleries,” while TAC Gallery Manager Caleb Smith said the exhibition will foster new artistic connections and creative collaborations.Awards of Excellence, including Best in Show, will be presented during the Opening Reception on Friday, August 14, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., with awards announced at approximately 6:30 p.m. Admission to both the exhibition and reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. All artwork is available for purchase with proceeds supporting independent artists and The Art Center Highland Park.CAVA will also present its annual Learning Symposium on Saturday, September 26, from noon to 3:00 p.m. at The Art Center Highland Park. Topics include estate planning for visual artists, the VibrantCast digital platform, and a panel discussion on gallery representation for older artists. The symposium is free for CAVA members and open to the public for a $10 fee.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;About CAVAFounded in 1988, the Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting, exhibiting, and promoting experienced visual artists through exhibitions, education, professional development, and community engagement. Learn more about&nbsp;CAVA, its events and exhibitions, or to become a member at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wearecava.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.wearecava.org</a>.&nbsp;About The Art Center Highland ParkThe Art Center Highland Park is the North Shore's home for artistic discovery and creative exploration, offering exhibitions, classes, and programs for artists and the community. Learn more at&nbsp;<a href="http://theartcenterhp.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">theartcenterhp.org</a>.&nbsp;The Art Center Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road in Highland Park IL and is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. -- 4:00 p.m.&nbsp;Closed Sundays.

Later Impressions

Please join us for a new installation, Interrobang, by Jenal Dolson to kick off the project space at 65GRAND. Enveloped in an overtly bright, striped environment, Interrobang stages a dynamic interplay of color, pattern, and optical vibration, destabilizing perceptual assumptions and enacting a phenomenological encounter in which space, surface, and body are inseparably entangled. In this way, the paintings hold gesture as the body holds touch: as residue, as a lingering presence - embodying the interrogative tension of the interrobang itself. Image: Jenal Dolson,&nbsp;Play House,&nbsp;2026, oil and pumice on canvas, 41.25 x 34 inches

Jenal Dolson: Interrobang

Kim Storage Gallery is pleased to present Mythologies, a solo exhibition of new oil paintings by Tim Anderson, on view August 21 through September 26, 2026.The works draw on a lifetime of research into world mythology — the ancient, the obscure, and the enduring — tracing the stories that have shaped human culture across every civilization since the beginning of recorded time, and long before.Mythology is not a relic. It lives on in literature, graphic novels, and film — in every retelling of the eternal struggle between good and evil, love and fear. What Anderson finds so compelling is not the differences between these stories across cultures, but their profound similarities. The names and faces change; the essential human truths beneath them do not.The works in Mythologies also sit with a deeper silence: the knowledge that the vast majority of cultures and civilizations that have existed on this earth left behind little that survives. Their stories, their wisdom, their ways of making meaning are largely gone. Against that absence, mythology functions as a thread of continuity — connecting what we know to what has been lost, and asking what it means that the same stories keep returning.Image: Tim Anderson, Aphrodite, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30”

Tim Anderson: Mythologies

September 26, 2026, 11:00am-12:30pm$35 | Student: $18While plenty can be learned by walking Chicago's streets, a whole hidden history can be seen in its alleys. Discover how Chicago became the alleyway capital of the country, dig into the history of urban trash, and see Chicago architecture from a new perspective on this alleyway walking tour. This tour with curator and historian Madeline Crispell will trace a route through the Gold Coast and end at Washington Square Park, covering everything from how activists like Jane Addams worked to clean up the alleyways to how a new generation of green alleys can help the city adapt to a changing climate.

Walking Chicago’s Alleys

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

Racine Art Museum announces inaugural multi-arts festival; In/Between debuts

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>.

2026 West Michigan Area Show

Gelsy Verna (1962–2008) was a Haitian-Canadian artist, educator, and collaborator who taught at UW–Madison and left a lasting impact on students and colleagues. Working primarily in collage and drawing, Verna used symbols, text, and layered images to explore how meaning is never fixed, but constantly shifting.Throughout her work, Verna often challenged familiar cultural icons. In one series, she reimagined Martin Luther King Jr. with different hairstyles, patterns, and even Mickey Mouse ears. In another, she portrayed Marilyn Monroe with brown skin. With wit, courage, and imagination, these works invite viewers to question how identity, history, and power are constructed.Mother, Father, Please Help Me&nbsp;was drawn and redrawn over several years in collaboration with artist and frequent collaborator David Dunlap. Built through many layers of images and marks, it functions as a palimpsest—a surface that holds traces of earlier versions beneath what we see now. The work embodies Verna’s belief that images and symbols change over time, and that new meanings emerge through revision, proximity, and combination.This artwork has both a front and a back, and both are essential to fully experiencing the piece. To allow visitors to encounter the complete work, the reverse side has been carefully reproduced and printed for display.Recently acquired by MMoCA from the artist’s estate,&nbsp;Mother, Father, Please Help Me&nbsp;is among the last major works available from Verna’s studio. Verna died suddenly in 2008 at just 46, leaving behind a rich artistic legacy that her sister, Mahalia Verna now works to preserve.&nbsp;

Gelsy Verna: Mother, Father, Please Help Me

<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

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

Bill Bridges: MY Photographic Memory

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 

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

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!

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.

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