Art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more important than the finished art object.&nbsp;

Conceptual / Performance

<h3>Developed during the Italian Renaissance, primarily for aesthetics or beauty, the highest art was that which allowed the full expression and display of the artist's imagination.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – Pre 18th Century

<h3>Graphic Art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional. It includes calligraphy, photography, painting, typography, computer graphics, and bindery.&nbsp;</h3>

Graphic Art

Works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.

Artists' Books

The exploration of video art and music or sound set, including visual music, abstract film, audiovisual performances and installations.

Video / Sound

The objects produced by shaping pieces of clay that are then hardened by baking, or the skill of making such objects.

Ceramics

An artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are carved, modeled, casted, and constructed into a three-dimensional art object.&nbsp;

Sculpture

The process of creating artworks by printing, typically on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints that have an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting.

Printmaking

<h3>Something made in an earlier period that is collected and considered to have value because it is beautiful, rare, old, or of high quality.</h3>

Antiques and Artifacts

Imagery where the subject matter centers around a view or depiction of Chicago.&nbsp;

Chicago Scenes & Regionalism

Old Masters refer to any painter of skill who worked in Europe before about 1800.

Old Masters

Socio-Political art is used to help the public understand a particular social or political issue.

Socio-Political

<h3>The attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions, or implausible, exotic, and supernatural elements.</h3>

Realism

<h3>Artwork (particularly paintings and sculptures) that is clearly derived from real objects and is representational.</h3>

Figurative

<h3>Individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. Glass art ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces, to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glass jewelry and tableware.</h3>

Glass

<h3>Artwork that often deals with Rococo, the Enlightenment, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – 18th & 19th C.

From the Tate Museum's website: Modernism refers to a global movement in society and culture that from the early decades of the twentieth century sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern industrial life. Building on late nineteenth-century precedents, artists around the world used new imagery, materials and techniques to create artworks that they felt better reflected the realities and hopes of modern societies.

Modernism

<h3>Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that continue to challenge boundaries.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – Contemporary

<h3>Art that is concerned with the design and decoration of objects that are chiefly prized for their utility, rather than for their purely aesthetic qualities including, ceramics, glassware, metalware, furniture, textiles, clothing, and more.</h3>

Furniture & Decorative Arts

<h3>Emerging art is work by artists who are still building their artistic careers and have not yet reached a more established and widely recognized status.&nbsp;</h3>

Emerging

<h3>Fiber art refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour on the part of the artist as part of the works' significance, and prioritizes aesthetic value over utility.</h3>

Fiber Arts / Textiles

The quality of dealing with ideas rather than events. Freedom from representational qualities in art.

Abstraction

<h3>Art by African-American artists.</h3>

African-American

<h3>The art and science of designing and making buildings, or the style of a building.</h3>

Architecture

<h3>Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, an emphasis on light and its changing qualities, and inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience.</h3>

Impressionism

From the Tate Museum's website: Abstract expressionism is the term applied to new forms of abstract art developed by American painters such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning in the 1940s and 1950s. It is often characterized by gestural brush-strokes or mark-making, and the impression of spontaneity.

Abstract Expressionism

Numismatics

Relating to Africa or people of African descent.

African

Eastern European art is a product of recent history. It can be traced to the division of Europe into the Western and Soviet spheres of influence of the allied victory over Germany in World War two.

Eastern European

LGBTQIA+

Feminist

Considered one of the most influential periods of art, featuring movements including Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism.

Early 20th Century

Skill and experience, especially in relation to making objects by hand.

Craft

<h3>The skill of making plans, drawings, or arrangements to show how a building or product is made.</h3>

Design

Asian art is diverse and rich, spanning thousands of years and dozens of countries. It is known for its ritual bronzes, beautiful ceramics, calligraphy, jades, textiles, painted landscapes, garden design, pagodas and stupas, and woodblock prints.

Asian

Italian

<h3>An artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space.</h3>

Installations

An art form that combines visual art with dramatic performance.

Performance

Some of the most prominent, highly influential artists, who challenged preconceptions and pushed the limits of visual art, shaping the art world of our time.

Modern Contemporary Masters

Created in accordance with the vision of the artist as a photographer, using photography as a medium to bring something to life that only lives in the artist's mind.

Photography

The design movement in interior, product, graphic design, architecture, and urban development from roughly the 1930's to 1965.

Mid-Century

A movement in art and literature that flourished in the early 20th-century. Surrealism aimed at expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control.&nbsp;

Surrealism

An innovative discipline which seeks to unify a large range of art forms. This is creatively achieved by combining an array of artistic insights and crafts such as film, literature, performance, music and sound, drama, visual arts, or design.

Multi-Media

<h3>The depiction of landscapes in art—natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composition.</h3>

Landscape

Plein air is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look.

Plein-air

Printed 2-D artwork which is designed to be affixed to a vertical surface, may consist exclusively of images, or images and text.

Poster / Lithography

<h3>A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.</h3>

Portraits / Portraiture

<h3>These works are often stunningly beautiful, and encourage the viewer to engage with the rich history of research and experimentation that led to the piece’s conception.</h3>

Scientific

<h3>The Art of the American West is defined by geographical subject, consists of historic and contemporary works of art which focus on varying expressions of individuals, landscapes, ideals, and myths of the American West.</h3>

Western (The American West)

<h3>Borrowed from Wikipedia: In visual arts, music, and other mediums, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella. It derives from the reductive aspects of modernism and is often interpreted as a reaction against abstract expressionism and a bridge to postminimal art practices.</h3>

Minimalism

<h3>Occupying the space between fine art and the everyday, functional art refers to aesthetic objects that serve utilitarian purposes. The genre is remarkably inclusive, it encompasses everything from furniture and lighting to dishes and even books.</h3>

Functional Art - Jewelry / Fashion

A range of artistic practices encompassing both historical approaches to nature in art and more recent ecological and politically motivated types of works.

Wildlife / Nature

Watches & Timepieces

Sports Collectibles

3-Dimensonal

Rare Books / Manuscripts

Western European art represents a continuous, though disrupted, tradition from antiquity until the present time. Until the mid-19th century it was primarily concerned with representational and Classical modes of production. After the mid-19th century modern, abstract and conceptual forms gained favor.

Western European

Comics

Large Scale (over 6')

Visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues. Common forms and media include spray paint graffiti, stencil graffiti, poster art, sticker art, street installations, and sculpture.

Pop / Street Art / Graffiti

Indigenous & Native

Chicago Imagists

East Asian

Medieval / Renaissance 

Non-Western

Southeast & South Asian

<h3>Art produced by self-taught or naïve art makers. Typically, those labeled as outsider artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.</h3>

Folk / Outsider / Self Taught

American Regionalism

Literary Arts

Mosiac

Includes manuscripts, prints, drawings, collages, and paintings on paper.

Works on Paper

Prints and Drawings

West Asia  & North Africa

Middle Eastern & Islamic

Land Art

<h3>Artistic expression of Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, as well as Latin and Hispanic Americans living in other regions. Latin American art has roots in the many different indigenous cultures that inhabited the Americas before European colonization in the 16th-century.</h3>

Hispanic/Latinx

“Here at theNate (Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park) you will find a collection of over 30 monumental, master-work sculptures situated within 100 acres of prairie landscape. This “museum-in-the-prairie” is open for public viewing 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk, and is free of charge – even parking on the campus of Governors State University is free!&nbsp; GovState and theNate are connected to Chicago’s Millennium Park Metra Station by the Metra Electric Line; an 8-minute walk (or shuttle ride) from the University Park Metra Station to GovState’s campus and theNate will begin to reveal the beauty of the prairie and the outdoor sculpture collection. Sept 12, 2026: The Prairie Party at theNate Download our FREE <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.otocast.com" target="_blank">Otocast app</a> for a self-guided tour, complete with recordings of artists talking about their work!&nbsp;Image: John Henry, Illinois Landscape, No. 5, 1975. Photo credit: Guy Rhodes

Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park

The Chicago Cultural Center is a historic and architectural gem located in the heart of downtown Chicago. Originally built in 1897 as the city’s first public library, the Cultural Center is a stunning example of neoclassical architecture, featuring a grand marble staircase, magnificent Tiffany stained-glass dome, and ornate mosaics throughout the building.&nbsp; The Cultural Center is a vibrant hub of arts and culture, offering a wide range of free public programs, exhibitions, and events. Visitors can explore the building’s many galleries, performance spaces, and event rooms, which showcase a diverse array of visual art, music, dance, and theater. Whether you’re a local resident or a visitor to the city, the Cultural Center offers an enriching and inspiring experience that celebrates the power of art to unite and inspire. Image: the exterior of the Chicago Cultural Center as see from Michigan Ave.

Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Sculpture International - CSI is a non-profit organization with over 300 local, national and international members. Since 2004, CSI has been&nbsp;championing sculptors and the creation of sculpture, with local and regional exhibitions,&nbsp;large-scale public art, and educational&nbsp;outreach. 2026 CSI Exhibits: <ul><li>12th Year of Sculpture in the Parks and The Chicago Tree Project in collaboration with the Chicago Park District</li><li>Outdoor Exhibitions at Big Marsh Park, Miller Beach, Evanston and more</li><li>Indoor Exhibitions at Indiana University (Kokomo Art Gallery), Leslie Wolfe Gallery, Chicago and more.</li><li>Ongoing exhibitions of artwork by CSI members and AALANA-BIPOC fellowship recipients at CSI Projet Space</li></ul> We offer a broad range of programs for our members and for the public that include: + <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagosculpture.org/sculpture-in-the-parks" target="_blank">Sculpture in the Parks:</a> 20 large- scale sculptures by CSI members in 20 different parks throughout Chicagoland in collaboration with the Chicago Park District + <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagosculpture.org/exhibitions-events" target="_blank">Project Space Group Exhibitions:</a> Juried CSI member&nbsp;exhibitions at CSI Project Space, Evanston Art Center, Koehnline Museum of Art, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, the Beverly Arts Center, Epiphany Center for the Arts, among others. • Little, but BOLD!&nbsp;– Holiday Group Show: December 13, 2025 – January 30, 2026• AALANA-BIPOC Fellowship Exhibit: March 6 – 27, 2026• Whispers from the unfamiliar – CSI Group Exhibit: May 16 – June 18, 2026• Abstract Expressionism&nbsp;– CSI Summer Group Exhibit: July 18 – September 11, 2026• By Degree V&nbsp;– Emerging Artists: September 26 – October 23, 2026• Artist Spotlight&nbsp;– CSI Members: October 30 – November 30, 2026• Little, but BOLD!&nbsp;– Holiday Group Show: December 12, 2026 – January 29, 2027 + <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagosculpture.org/csi-project-space" target="_blank">Educational Outreach with Project Space:</a> Experimental art space for CSI emerging artists and community outreach programs like free public art making workshops for youth, adults and seniors&nbsp;We believe in creating community through sculpture. Become a member and exhibit your work, Support us with a Donation, or Learn more about upcoming events and workshops at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://chicagosculpture.org" target="_blank">chicagosculpture.org</a>&nbsp;Image: (left)&nbsp;Healing HeArts&nbsp;by Michael Alfano at Berger Park;&nbsp;(left) “Pyx” by&nbsp;John Upchurch <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1763092937/dcc5itadzifpvahau7fh.jpg">

Chicago Sculpture International (CSI)

Art Encounter is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and connecting people of all ages and backgrounds through interactive engagement with visual art. All programming is built around the belief that meaningful encounters with original art can open a window to learning and help us better understand ourselves and the world around us. We have three areas of programming:• <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/about-public-and-member-programs" target="_blank">PUBLIC AND MEMBER PROGRAMS</a>Interactive art tours and exclusive visits to local artists’ studios, galleries, private collections, and special exhibitions in the Chicago area, plus domestic and international <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/art-encounter-travel" target="_blank">art travel</a>. Programs are open to the public, and members of Art Encounter receive discounts and special access, as well as other benefits throughout the year.&nbsp;• <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/community-outreach" target="_blank">OUTREACH PROGRAMS</a>Hands-on educational programs and creative art workshops for public school students, residents of assisted living facilities, and adults with disabilities throughout the Chicago area with fewer resources or access to arts engagement.&nbsp;• <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/about-murals" target="_blank">EVANSTON MURAL ARTS PROGRAM</a>Our local public art initiative, bringing world-class murals to the Evanston area and beyond.&nbsp; We welcome you to learn more about our upcoming programs for the public and more at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artencounter.org/" target="_blank">artencounter.org</a> The cohesive thread between all our programs is the art encounter: an engaging, inclusive approach to learning rooted in the power of bringing people together through art.&nbsp;Photo by Alyce Henson;&nbsp;artwork by Kelly Sinnapah Mary at the DePaul Art Museum

Art Encounter

Frederik Meijer Gardens &amp; Sculpture Park, one of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, was recently named the Top Sculpture Park in the United States by USA Today’s “10Best” and listed as the 81st most visited museum in the world by The Art Newspaper, the leading global art news publication. The 158-acre main campus features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; one of the country’s largest interactive children’s gardens; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens, including a replica 1930s-era farm garden; an eight-acre Japanese garden featuring contemporary sculpture; and a 1,900-seat outdoor amphitheater garden, showcasing an eclectic mix of world-renowned touring musicians each summer. The permanent collection highlights hundreds of sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists: Magdalena Abakanowicz, El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder,&nbsp;Mark di Suvero, Marshall Fredericks, Henry Moore, Michele Oka Donor, Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, Auguste Rodin, Richard Serra, Yinka Shonibare CBE and&nbsp;Ai Weiwei, among others. Indoor galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions&nbsp;have hosted shows by Jonathan Borofsky, Edgar Degas, Jim Dine, Richard Hunt, Cristina Iglesias, Rebecca Louise Law, Pablo Picasso, George Segal and others.&nbsp; Frederik Meijer Gardens &amp; Sculpture Park promotes the enjoyment, understanding and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment, and the arts. Education programs welcome 80,000 students and guests each year. Culinary Arts &amp; Events offerings include weddings, corporate meetings and award-winning catering. Photo by Michael Moran

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

SECRIST | BEACH, located in the West Town neighborhood at the corner of&nbsp;Wood and Hubbard Streets, occupies a double bow-truss, sky-lit 10,000 sq. ft. space that features an expanded approach to contemporary exhibition experiences. Our reinvigorated programming presents solo artists’ exhibitions alongside curated surveys by like-minded creators, elaborating the dialogue around related topics.&nbsp; Additional programming includes panel discussions, space activations, and&nbsp;curatorial invitationals. As we dive into our third decade we offer a revitalized&nbsp;mission as a gift to engage our art community locally and at large.&nbsp; Image: Installation view: Jacqueline Surdell

Secrist | Beach

ShadowBoxX Gallery is a new art space in Waukegan, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. As founder and artist, Michael E. Voss fosters a community of artists celebrating the creativity that lives within us. ShadowBoxX Gallery honors the catharsis that artwork and creativity bring. ShadowBoxX Gallery is home to curated fine artwork from local, U.S. and international artists, hosting group and solo art exhibitions each month. ”The gold is in the shadow.” – Carl Jung Images by StudioJ Media <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1765498285/zwstvjuepzu36nvvvsli.jpg"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1765498287/rq2ilz5snruc3vptyfkd.jpg"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1765498288/onqu2g4npdhkuvdroc0z.jpg">

Large Scale (over 6')

Other Specialties

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