Year of Public Art Events
Year of Public Art > Events
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Past Events |
The University of Chicago
Artwork: Concrete Happenings
January 1–June 11, 2017
Concrete Happenings invites art-lovers and car-lovers, artists and scholars, drivers and pedestrians to confront the power of public art. This series of exhibitions and interactive public programs offers opportunities to engage with “Concrete Traffic” – a Cadillac encased in concrete by Fluxus artist Wolf Vostell in 1970 and installed at a University parking garage last year.
arts.uchicago.edu/concretehappenings
University of Chicago Campus North Parking Garage, 5525 S. Ellis Ave.
FREE
The Trust for Public Land/ The 606
Artwork: Turning Sky
January 7, 2017, 4pm
As part of the annual Walk With Light, The 606 unveils the new installation “Turning Sky” by Chicago-based artists Luftwerk. The work is an ever-shifting light installation where nature, art and technology merge to translate current weather data—wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure – onto LED lighting on the Milwaukee Avenue bridge.
The 606, 1800 N. Milwaukee Ave.
FREE
Steel Petal Press
Artwork: Letterpress Demonstration and Q&A
Second Saturdays of the month, January 14–June 10, 2017, 2–3pm
From printers row to the invention of the flatbed press over 100 year ago, Chicago has a long and rich history in printing arts. Steel Petal Press uses historic machines to demonstrate the process of letterpress printing from start to finish.
2321 N. Milwaukee Ave.
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Exhibit: The Pride & Perils of Chicago Public Art
January 14–July 30, 2017
For over 200 years, Chicago has been putting art in public places. Sometimes it’s loved. Sometimes it’s hated. To further complicate matters, times change – and so do people and tastes. See for yourself in this exhibition of stories and historical public artwork of the past 200 years.
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
The University of Chicago
Exhibit: Fantastic Architecture: Vostell, Fluxus and the Built Environment
January 17–March 17, 2017
Opening reception on Sunday, January 22, 2017, 4–6pm
Presented as part of Concrete Happenings, this exhibition situates Wolf Vostell’s practice within the context of the international Fluxus movement and its interest in the built environment. Organized by the Neubauer Collegium, the exhibition will feature works from the University’s Special Collections at the Regenstein Library and loans from local, national, and international collections.
Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society, 5701 S. Woodlawn Ave.
FREE
The University of Chicago
Vostell Concrete, 1969–1973
January 17–June 11, 2017
Opening reception: January 22, 2017, 4–6pm
Presented as part of Concrete Happenings, this exhibition explores the Fluxus movement co-founder’s use of concrete as a material and artistic motif in a surprising number of ways in the late 1960s and early 70s, including his colossal “Concrete Traffic” (1970) sculpture that is part of the University’s public art collection.
arts.uchicago.edu/concrete-happenings
Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave.
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Exhibit: Eugene Eda’s Doors for Malcolm X College
January 21–June 25, 2017
This exhibition will reunite all 32 doors painted by Eugene Eda for the stairwells of the original, now demolished Malcolm X College. Painted in 1971 by one of the principal artists of the Wall of Respect, the monumental doors are a landmark of the Black Arts movement in Chicago.
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum
Exhibit: Urban Culturalism
January 30–February 1, 2017 (12-7pm) and February 9 – 11 (5-8pm)
Exhibit and celebration to rededicate the “Urban Culturalism” movement launched in Pullman with the opening of the museum in 1995.
10406 S. Maryland Ave.
$20
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Exhibit: The Subject is Chicago: People, Places, Possibilities
February 11–April 9, 2017
Six distinguished artists and curators, Miguel Aguilar, Janice Bond, Jesse Lee Cochran, Tempestt Hazel, Nicole Marroquin and Tricia Van Eck selected one artist from each of Chicago’s fifty wards, in order to engage a broad cross-section of Chicago artists, few of whom have exhibited previously at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
DuSable Museum of African American History
Special Event: Project Respect – Artist Meet & Greet and Reception
February, 17, 2017, 6–8pm
Honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1967 dedication of the Wall of Respect, Project RESPECT includes an art installation, workshops facilitated by local artists and more.
740 E. 56th Pl.
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Exhibit: The Wall of Respect: Vestiges, Shards and the Legacy of Black Power
February 25–July 30, 2017
Guest curated by Romi Crawford, Abdul Alkalimat and Rebecca Zorach, this exhibition chronicles how the Organization of Black Arts and Culture – a collection of 14 designers, photographers, painters and others – designed and produced one of the most significant projects in Chicago’s storied public art history – now covered over, at 43rd St. and Langley Ave.
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
Connie Noyes
Artwork: Good Mourning Café
March 1 & 3, 2017, 6–9pm
The Good Mourning Cafe is a traveling art installation, social experiment and community outreach program conceived by artist and psychotherapist Connie Noyes. The cafe provides a free and safe space for Chicagoans to tell personal stories related to death and dying while exploring the painful emotions that accompany mourning.
Elephant Room Gallery, 704 S. Wabash Ave.
FREE
Art Institute of Chicago
Talk/Tour: Public Art and the Art Institute of Chicago
Fridays, March 3 and May 5, 2017, 12pm
Presented by the Department of Museum Education
111 S. Michigan Ave., Meet in Griffin Court
FREE with admission
Glass Curtain Gallery at Columbia College
Exhibit: Revolution at Point Zero: Feminist Social Practice
March 9–April 24, 2017, 9am–5pm
As the launch of an ongoing research project led by Neysa Page-Lieberman and Melissa Potter examining the legacy of feminism in socially-engaged art, this exhibit features women-identified, North American artists whose work focuses on themes of domestic labor; human trafficking; racial and gender justice; healing through consciousness-raising and radical acts of the personal and political.
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
FREE
Navy Pier, Polk Bros Park
Artwork: Impulse
March 10–May 21, 2017
Impulse is a publicly activated light and sound experience that allows guests to create compositions with unique, urban instruments. It was originally created for the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership in Montreal, Canada b Lateral Office and CS Design.
Streeterville Neighborhood Advocates
Tour: Streeterville Public Art Project
March 13, 2017, 7pm
The Streeterville Public Art Project increases awareness, appreciation and investment in public art in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago.
681 N. Fairbanks Ct.
FREE
The University of Chicago
Tour: From Spaces to Places: Public Art Walking Tour
Third Wednesdays of the month, March 15–June 21, 2017, 5:30–6:30pm
UChicago Arts and the Office of Civic Engagement present monthly tours of a small sample of the stunning works that have helped shape the University’s intellectual and cultural life, from works that boldly claim open spaces to those tucked unexpectedly between buildings.
Starts: Black Sphere, across from Cobb Hall, 5811 S. Ellis Ave.
FREE
Roman Susan Art Foundation
Exhibit: Property
April 1–30, 2017
In a collaborative project by Roman Susan Art Foundation and the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, this storefront window exhibition features new image-based works that reflect the way neighborhoods grow, mutate and persist as a result of property development.
7363 N. Greenview Ave.
FREE
Audience Architects
Performance: Chicago Dance Month 2017
April 1–30, 2017
Audience Architects, the leading service organization for building and engaging dance audiences in Chicago, kicks off the fifth annual Chicago Dance Month. Highlighting the breadth, diversity and artistic richness of the Chicago dance community, Chicago Dance Month features a wide variety of performances, classes, educational opportunities, open rehearsals and more.
Multiple locations
Highlights of Chicago Press and Bronzeville
Tour: Great Migration Public Art Tour
Select dates, April 8–April 22, 2017, 1–3pm
Bernard Turner, founder of Highlights of Chicago Press, leads a tour of Bronzeville's King Drive Walk of Fame, the largest exhibit of public art in Chicago featuring 91 plaques that highlight neighborhood notables such as Richard Wright, Dinah Washington and Gwendolyn Brooks along with artistic benches, murals and monuments.
Meeting Place SE Corner Bronzeville -- 35th and King Drive
$15
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago
Performance: B-Series
April 14–15, 2017
A celebration of the cultures, histories and aesthetics of hip-hop and street-dance forms such as breaking, popping and Chicago footwork, the B-series spotlights some of the most talented street dancers in the region. Curated by Kelsa Robinson, visiting lecturer at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.
1306 S. Michigan Ave.
FREE
University of Illinois at Chicago and Open Engagement
Special Event: Open Engagement 2017: Justice
April 20–23, 2017
Open Engagement (OE) is the largest artist-led conference dedicated to expanding the dialogue around and creating a site of care for the field of socially-engaged art.
University of Illinois at Chicago
FREE/Sliding Scale
Out of Site Chicago
Performance: EnChance
Friday, April 21
- Sara Zalek, 5-7pm - UIC Halsted Blue Line Stop
- Joshua Kent, 5-7pm - Trade Center Plaza
Saturday April 22
- Janet Schmid, 5-7pm - UIC Halsted Blue Line Stop
Out of Site Chicago facilitates unexpected encounters of public performance that directly involve the public. The works by Janet Schmid, Sara Zalek, Nora Sharp, Joshua Kent and Mothergirl demonstrate dance as an interactive medium and empower participants with group choreography.
FREE
Sounding Bronzeville
Spring Fling at Sounding Bronzeville
April 22, 2017, 1-4pm
Come and join us as we open up the season to see the beginning blossoms of the season and what visitors have come to the Burnham Wildlife Corridor during the winter months.
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
FREE
Contratiempo
Artwork/Performance: Caracol–A Gathering Space
Select dates, April 29–September 30, 2017
Caracol (Like snails, immigrants carry their home with them) is a community and artist-developed installation program inspired by the themes of migration, language and literature as identity builders. The weekend art programs in this living laboratory among the lakefront’s native ecology examines how we connect to the land, the city and across our communities.
Burnham Wildlife Corridor Gathering Space north of 31st Street Beach at the Lakefront
FREE
Chicago Sculpture Exhibit
Artwork: CSE Celebrates 50 With 50
May 8, 2017–May 2018; Kickoff party on Friday, June 23, 2017
Fifty large-scale public sculptures will be on unveiled throughout Chicago over a three-week period beginning on May 8, 2017. All activities are free and neighborhoods will be provided resources and assistance to make each unveiling a "happening."
Multiple locations
FREE
Sounding Bronzeville
May 20, 2017, 1-4pm
Meditation, sound therapy and storytelling.
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
FREE
Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center
Exhibit: 99/1
June 3–August 13, 2017
99/1 is an exhibition program that will explore sculpture and design concepts in relation to the longstanding Percent-for-Art Ordinance of the Chicago Public Art Program. The exhibit features 3D works by Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center members who work in public sculpture, alongside an open call presentation of speculative new designs for public artworks in Chicago.
6433 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Public Art in Rogers Park Map Launch Event
June 4, 2017
Join Rogers Park Business Alliance in celebrating the launch of our Public Art in Rogers Park Map. We invite all neighbors and visitors alike to walk the vibrant streets of Rogers Park and experience Mile of Murals guided tours while enjoying our award winning Glenwood Sunday Market. The Public Art in Rogers Park Map is an online, interactive digital map (also available in hard copies) that features over 70 murals and sculptures in the neighborhood.
Two one-hour tours of the Mile of Murals Project at 11am and 1pm
For more information visit, www.rpba.org or call 773.508.5885.
Glenwood Sunday Market, 6962 N. Glenwood Ave. Chicago, IL 60626
Tiny Tapp & Café
Performance: Tales from the Riverbank
June 11-September 10, 2017
7-9pm
Tiny Tapp launches a multidisciplinary performance platform against the stunning backdrop of the Chicago River.
Illinois Humanities
Performance: An Evening at the Pekin Theater featuring Reginald Robinson
June 17, 2017
Illinois Humanities with City of Chicago Cultural Historian Tim Samuelson presents a stylistic reenactment of performances at the Pekin Theatre featuring ragtime pianist and MacArthur Fellow Reginald Robinson, a full band and performance ensemble. Established in 1905 and lauded as the “Temple of Music,” the Pekin was the first black-owned musical and vaudeville stock theater in the country.
Sounding Bronzeville
JUNETEENTH
June 18, 2017, 1-4pm
"JUNETEENTH" at Sounding Bronzeville and Sankofa for the Earth collaboration celebration on African and Black-American Folklore.
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
FREE
Chicago Park District and Synapse Arts
Performance: Weave Trees
June 21, 2017, 11am–9pm
As part of the annual Make Music Chicago festival, this performance event takes place within a site-specific installation of textiles that hang from trees. Throughout the day, 30 minute dances activate the textiles, and the dancers will lead arm-knitting workshops to help add onto the handmade installation.
Loyola Park, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave.
Chicago Park District and Chicago Sculpture International
Tour: Sculpture Around Town
June 21, 24 and 25, 2017
Trolley tours highlight the Chicago Sculpture International’s Sculpture In the Parks (15 sculptures near Chicago Park District cultural centers) and the Chicago Tree Project (30 sculptures made from dead trees). Each tour highlight a different area of the city from north to south to west sides and include talks by the artists.
Starts/Ends: Chicago Cultural Center, west alley
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Special Event: Taste of Chicago Street Art & Graffiti Alley
July 5–9, 2017, 12-6pm
A new arts activation at Taste, local artists will create works of art right in front of you. Featuring: Miguel "Kane One" Aguilar, Tyrue "Slang" Jones, Bunny XLV and ZORZORZOR.
Grant Park, Between Buckingham Fountain Plaza and North Rose Garden
FREE
Dance in the Parks
Performances
July 11–August 5, 2017
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays, 6pm
In its 9th season of free, portable, professional dance concerts, Dance in the Parks' will perform at 16 neighborhood parks throughout the city as part of Mayor Emanuel's Night Out in the Parks initiative. Visit danceintheparks.org for a full listing.
Citywide Park District locations
FREE
Art on Clark
July 18, 2017
Opening Night Party at Gaslight Bar & Grille (2450 N. Clark), 6-8pm
Ten sculptures will be on display as part of this public art program designed to brighten and enhance one of Lincoln Park’s vibrant cultural hubs. Learn more about the sculptures and artists using the Art on Clark self-guided sculpture tour available through Otocast, a mobile app for narrated audio guides.
Art on Clark is a program designed to showcase the talents of local artists, beautify the neighborhood and transform Clark Street’s sidewalks into an open art gallery for all to enjoy. Lincoln Park residents and visitors are invited to experience the art while enjoying the sights, foods and shops that populate Clark Street.
www.lincolnparkchamber.com/visitors/itineraries/artonclark/
Chicago Artist Coalition
Hatch/Bolt
Exhibition
July 21-August 10, 2017
BOLT Residency: Luis Sahagun
HATCH Projects: Anna Showers-Cruser, Cameron Clayborn, Sydney Shavers, curated by Ariel Gentalen
Sounding Bronzeville
July 22, 2017, 1-4pm
Freestyle dance workshop and sounds of the didgeridoo.
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
FREE
Everyone's Picasso: 50th Anniversary Celebration
August 8, 2017, 12-1:30pm
To mark the sculpture's 50th anniversary, public historian and artist Paul Durica - along with an intergenerational cast of collaborating organizations, artists, and advocates from across the city -will restage the unveiling of the Chicago Picasso.
Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.
FREE
Green Scene Chicago
Performance: Three Sisters Tale
August 10-11, 2017
Staged and performed outdoors at a community garden, this family-friendly play is adapted from an Iroquois legend that imparts this wisdom of planting corn, beans and squash (the three sisters) together.
This project is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
Yollocalli Arts Reach
Exhibit: Yollocalli Summer Youth Exhibition
August 11, 5:30pm
An exhibit featuring work created by Street Art Studio and Public Art Internship, videos and photos from Camera Flux, documentary work from Young Run Chi, cool zines from Yollocalli Youth Council and audio work from Your Story, Your Way.
2801 S. Ridgeway Ave.
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Film: Public Art Film Series
August 12-13, 2pm & August 14-15, 6:30pm
The Chicago Cultural Center will screen a series of films that offer a time capsule to an era in Chicago when public art, murals and sculpture were just beginning to take form.
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Talk: 50 Years Later: Reflections on Chicago's Picasso
August 15, 2017, 12:15pm
Cultural historian Paul Durica will moderate a conversation among Chicago artists, YouMedia teens and representatives from the Studs Terkel Radio Archive in a discussion examining the impact of this iconic artwork on the public art landscape since its dedication on August 15, 1967.
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
Chicago Public Library
Talk: The Chicago Picasso: A Point of Departure
August 15, 2017, 6pm
Art historian Patricia Balton Stratton, along with an esteemed group of panelists will discuss her new book The Chicago Picasso: A Point of Departure.
Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St.
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Film: Public Art Film Series
August 15, 2017, 6:30pm
As part of the Public Art Film Series, the Chicago Cultural Center will screen films related to the Picasso's 1967 dedication.
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
FREE
Sounding Bronzeville
Watermelon Chatter
August 19, 2017, 1-4pm
Intergenerational dialogue on how to manifest dreams and discuss resources available to youth. Watermelon slices provided.
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
FREE
Polish Triangle Coalition
Performance: Tuesdays at the Triangle
Thru August 29
Join the Polish Triangle Coalition for music, dance and spoken word/poetry every Tuesday evening from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Bring a lawn chair or just stop by after work for a quick bite to eat from one of our food vendors and meet someone new in the neighborhood.
Ashland, Division and Milwaukee
www.polishtrianglecoalition.org
Statue Stories
Tour
July-August 31, 2017
If statues could talk, what would they tell? Hear David Schwimmer, Shondra Rhimes, Malcolm London, Tracy Letts and other Chicago actors bring some of Chicago's most iconic statues to life.
Locations citywide
FREE
Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology
Tour: Soundwalks in the Parks
Thru August 2017
Rediscover Chicago’s unexpected soundscapes in all their verdant and imaginative splendor.
Expo Chicago and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Artwork: OVERRIDE
August 28-September 2017
A collaboration between EXPO Chicago and DCASE, the Override Billboard Project is a temporary citywide public art exhibition that will activate the 28 LED digital billboards in Chicago’s City Digital Network with works by leading international artists.
Locations citywide
FREE
Bronzeville Art District
Tour: Bronzeville Trolley Tour
Third Friday July-September, 6-9pm
The Bronzeville Art District hosts a trolley tour of six fine art galleries in historic Bronzeville.
Sculpture Around Town Lecture Series
September 9-23, 2017
Chicago Sculpture International Announces Fall 2017 "Sculpture Around Town" lecture series
Organization dedicated to bringing sculpture to the community is partnering with the Chicago Park District to offer workshops and lectures on outdoor art exhibits September 9th, 16th, and 23rd.
Th lectures are hosted at Chicago Park District Cultural Centers where sculptures by CSI sculptors are exhibited. This includes the Sculpture in the Parks exhibit, which features 18 free-standing sculptures near Chicago Park District Cultural Centers and the Chicago Tree Project Exhibit, which includes 30 sick or dying trees that have been transformed into vibrant public art. At each lecture, participants will enjoy viewing the sculptures and get hands-on interaction with the artists.
Six 45-minute Saturday lectures will be offered:
- Marget McMahon and The Gift of Art Sculpture Workshop at Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West - September 9, 10:30am-12:30pm
- Paul Russal at Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr. - September 9, 11:30am-12:15pm
- Nichole Beck at Ridge Park, 9625 S. Longwood Dr. - September 16, 11:30am-12:15pm
- Melanie Cooper Pennington at Calumet Park, 9801 S. Avenue G - September 16, 10:30-11:15am
- Ruth Aizuss-Migdal at Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave. - September 16, 10:30-11:15am
- Janet Austin at Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt Ave. - September 23, 10:30-11:15am
Expo Chicago
Special Event
September 13-17, 2017
Expo Chicago presents a series of on-site programs at Navy Pier as well as off-site programming throughout the city.
Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
Fee: $20-40
Sounding Bronzeville
September 16, 2017, 1-4pm
Bike to skate, walk, run to Sounding Bronzeville.
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
FREE
Edgewater Artist in Motion
Special Event: Edgewater Arts Festival
September 23-24, 2017, 11am-6pm
The Edgewater Arts Festival offers an impressive, multicultural and multigenerational lineup of Chicago art artists that attracts thoughts of art lovers and buyers from all over the city.
1140 W. Granville
Illinois Humanities and Chicago Humanities Festival
Performance: Crowd Out
October 1, 2017
Beginning in June 2017, the Illinois Humanities and the Chicago Humanities Festival will join forces with community organizations across the city to host a series of 50 gatherings-one per ward-culminating in the American premiere of David Lang's crowd out, a performance by 1,000 voices representing the entire city.
Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
FREE
Chicago Transit Authority
Artwork/Tour: CTA Public Art Collection
May–October, 2017
The Chicago Transit Authority is home to a significant collection of site-specific public artworks permanently displayed in over 50 rail stations. Commissioned through a joint community-engagement and curatorial process, the CTA Public Art Collection represents the work of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, the majority of whom are Chicagoans.
Multiple locations
FREE
Wabash Arts Corridor
Exhibition: A More Perfect Union
September 1-October 20, 2017
For the second annual Wabash Arts Corridor exhibition, A More Perfect Union takes an expanded look at inclusivity and features murals by artists from all over the world.
623 S. Wabash Ave.
FREE
Dedication of Lakeview Mural by Anthony Lewellen
Friday, November 3 at 8:30am
Intersection of Lincoln/Ashland/Belmont
Columbia College Chicago
Exhibition: ¡Sí, Se Puede!
September 5-November 4, 2017, 9am-5pm
Six artists will immerse themselves in archives of Victor Alemán, Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and their work with the United Farm Workers to curate ephemera from these activists' work and create new works, public artworks along the Wabash Arts Corridor and in Pilsen and Little Village.
students.colum.edu/deps/glass-curtain-gallery
Glass Curtain Gallery, 1104S. Wabash Ave.
FREE
University of Chicago
Tour: From Spaces to Places: Public Art Walking Tour
Second and Fourth Thursdays, September 14-November 9, 5:30-6:30pm
University of Chicago presents bi-weekly tours of a small sample of the stunning works that have helped shape the University’s intellectual and cultural life.
Starts: Black Sphere, across from Cobb Hall, 5811 S. Ellis Ave.
Terrain Biennial
Exhibition: Terrain Biennial
October 1-November 15, 2017
October 1: Opening Block Party
The 3rd Annual Terrain Biennial repurposes private spaces, such as front yards, and fills them with artworks that challenge traditional notions of home, neighborhood and public art. The Biennial will engage spaces across the country, with a focus on the City of Chicago's 50 wards.
Locations citywide
FREE
Chicago Children's Museum
Exhibit: A Room of My Own
January 5–November 20, 2017, 10am–5pm
Introduce your children to the world of art at Chicago Children's Museum. Delight in the display of illuminated rooms showcasing children's ideas about being in charge of a "room of their own". Listen to excerpts of conversations with artist Jamie Topper and children who contributed to this unique project.
700 E. Grand Ave. on Navy Pier
Target FREE Family Night on Thursdays, 5–8pm
FREE for ages 15 and under on the first Sunday of the month
Chicago Children's Museum
Performance: Made in Chicago
First Thursday of the month, January 5–December 7, 2017, 5:30–7:3pm
Introduce your children to the world of music, performance and dance at the Chicago Children's Museum’s Made in Chicago monthly performance series. Enjoy a theater-like environment in the museum's Great Hall where you can be certain child-friendly, engaging productions will be performed by Chicago's leading youth talent.
700 E. Grand Ave. on Navy Pier
Target FREE Family Night on Thursdays, 5–8pm
University of Chicago
Program: Art in the Nuclear Age
September 16-December 9, 2017
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Henry Moore's landmark sculpture "Nuclear Energy," the University of Chicago will host a series of programs that explore how art has shaped nuclear age.
5801 S. Ellis Ave.
FREE
Chicago Architecture Biennial
Special Event
September 16, 2017-January 7, 2018
For the second edition 100 firms from more than 30 countries will display surprising new works that "Make New History," about how the present informs the past and how local resonates globally.
chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. and locations citywide
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Special Event: Public Art Festival
October 2017
October is also the perfect time to get out and explore your favorite public artworks across the city—from Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”) in Millennium Park to The Picasso on Daley Plaza, vibrant murals throughout the Pilsen neighborhood and Alison Saar’s Monument to the Great Northern Migration in Bronzeville . There are so many ways to explore—including the Public Art Chicago app, the Statue Stories Chicago project and public art information on the Choose Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Park District and DCASE website.
Grant support provided by Allstate Insurance Company
Locations citywide
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Exhibition: CTA Lightbox Series
Starts October 2017
For the Year of Public Art, CTA has partnered with DCASE to highlight the perspectives of Chicago artists and neighborhoods. The illuminated lightboxes appear at the Loyola Red Line, and the Central, Cicero, Indiana, 43rd and King Drive stations along the Green Line.
Locations citywide
FREE
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Artworks: 50x50 Neighborhood Arts Projects
October 2017
The 50x50 Neighborhood Art Project is a collaboration between DCASE, Aldermanic Offices and residents and artists to bring new public art projects to all 50 wards.
Locations citywide
FREE
HotHouse
Cuba Si! Bloqueo No! Looking at the Cuban Revolution
October 13 - November 3, 2017, 6-9pm
Opening Reception: Friday, October 13, 6-10pm
Photographers:
- Marc PoKempner
- Rose Blouin
- Marguerite Harberg
- Eric Torres
Saturday, October 14, 4-6pm
Introductory remarks by Marguerite Harberg and Eric Torres
Program Selection of Documentary Shorts by Eric Torres.
All Guantánamo is Ours, a 37 minute film with English subtitles, shows the perspective and sentiment of the Cuban people, in particular those living in the towns around Guantanamo, about the illegal occupation of the U.S. Naval Base.
Friday, November 3, 6-11pm
6pm: Closing Reception
7-11pm: Film Screening double feature $5
7pm: Eyes on the Rainbow 20th Anniversary screening!
Filmed in 1997, Eyes of The Rainbow: A documentary film with Assata Shakur was recorded in Cuba 33 years after her exile. It encompasses the African Spirit Oya to illustrate the struggles Shakur has faced as a Revolutionary. Director: Gloria Rolando
Closing remarks by Fanny Rushing and Prexy Nesbitt
9pm
Special thanks to Simon Pyle at Latitude and Peter Kuttner for their kind assistance
Uri-Eichen Gallery, 2105 S. Halsted
Creative Spirit Chicago
Special Event: Arts in the Dark: The Halloween parade celebrating Chicago's creative community
October 21, 2017, 6-8pm
Arts in the Dark unites the city’s diverse creative community in a magical nighttime parade.
Columbus Dr. from Balbo St. to Monroe St.
FREE
Sounding Bronzeville
Sounding Bronzeville's Fall Harvest
October 21, 2017, 1-4pm
Bike to skate, walk, run to Sounding Bronzeville.
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
FREE
Art Institute of Chicago
Talk: The Future of Public Art in Chicago
November 30, 6pm
Presented by The Department of Museum Education, DCASE Commissioner Mark Kelly and others will discuss the future if public art in Chicago.
111 S. Michigan Ave.
FREE Thursday Evenings to Illinois Residents
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Performances: Caroling at Cloud Gate
November 24-December 15, 2017, 6pm
Bundle up and get ready to belt out some holiday classics at these festive part concerts/part sing-alongs in front of Chicago's beloved public artwork. Local choral groups lead hundreds of celebrants in song.
Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
FREE
Chicago Artist Coalition
Hatch/Bolt
Exhibition
October 6-26, 2017
BOLT Residency: Huong Ngo
HATCH Projects: Lesley Jackson, Matt Mancini, Meg Leary, curated by Danny Floyd
November 3-23, 2017
BOLT Residency: Mayumi Lake
HATCH Projects: Rebecca Himelstein, Joseph Wilcox, curated by Meg T. Noe
December 1–21, 2017
BOLT Residency: Preview 7
HATCH Projects: Amy Leners, Yesenia Bello, Nicole Mauser, curated by Sheridan Tucker
Hyde Park Art Center
Exhibition: Bill Walker: Urban Griot
November 5, 2017-April 8, 2018
William "Bill" Walker was a prolific muralist best known for creating the iconic Wall of Respect on Chicago's South Side. Urban Griot highlights Walker's artwork beyond the wall in a series of drawings and paintings that he made between 1979 and 1984.
5020 S. Cornell Ave.
FREE
Chicago Park District
Blog: Year of Public Art
In honor of the Year of Public Art, the Chicago Park District (CPD) has partnered with the Chicago Parks Foundation (CPF) to present a monthly blog series about public art in parks.
chicagoparksfoundation.org/year-of-public-art/
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Artwork: Wabash Avenue Flying Creatures
The Flying Creatures Initiative is a series of kinetic street sculptures -- or modern gargoyles -- designed to animate Chicago’s streetscapes. Creative youth programs from across the city will work with their students to create the flying creatures.
Wabash Ave. and Lake St. to Harrison St.
FREE