Our Art Picks are created in collaboration with The Visualist, Chicago’s leading visual arts calendar, and cross-promoted through Windy City Times, one of the longest locally-published LGBTQ weeklies with a national reach. Click here to get our Art Picks and latest articles delivered to your inbox monthly.
This is a growing list, so check back often for new additions.
Through November 17
Terrain Biennial 2019
Various Locations + Cities
Free
Through December 15
Down Time: On The Art of Retreat
Smart Museum of Art: 5550 S. Greenwood Av
Free
Fri, Nov 1, 5-7pm
Sin Cinta Previa: Latin(a)x & Queer Archive Video Series
6018NORTH: 6018 N Kenmore Ave
$0-40
Fri, Nov 1, 6-9pm
Shawn Rowe: V
Filter Photo: 1821 W Hubbard St
Free
Fri, Nov 1, 6-10pm
Carlos Barberena: Graphic Resistance
Pilsen Outpost: 1637 W 18th St
Free
Thurs, Oct 31 – Sun, Nov 3
SOFA Chicago
600 E Grand Ave
$20-$35, Get Tickets
Fri, Nov 1, 6:30-8pm
RaD Lab Fellowship Info Session
Threewalls: 2738 W North Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 1, 7-9pm
Lakshmi Ramgopal: Lykanthea
Comfort Station Logan Square: 2579 N Milwaukee Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 1, 7pm
Ism, Ism, Ism: Recycled Cinema
Block Museum of Art: 40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston
Free
Fri, Nov 1, 7-8pm
Damon Locks and the Black Monument Ensemble
South Shore Cultural Center: 7059 S South Shore Dr
Free
Fri, Nov 1, 8:30pm
Ism, Ism, Ism: Estrellas de Ayer: Latin Camp
Block Museum of Art: 40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston
Free
Fri, Nov 1, 9:30pm
Found Footage Festival Vol 9 in Chicago
Music Box Theatre: 3733 N Southport Ave
$11
Sat, Nov 2, 5pm
Spatial Justice with Maria Gaspar and Susana L. Vasquez
Logan Center for the Arts: 915 E 60th St
Free
Sat, Nov 2, 3pm
Tanisha C. Ford: Dressed in Dreams
Logan Center for the Arts: 915 E 60th Street
Free
Sat, Nov 2, 5pm
Suketu Mehta: An Immigrant’s Manifesto
International House: 1414 E 59th St
Free
Sat Nov 2, 12-3pm
Real Talk: Women of Color. An Afternoon of Connecting
6018North: 6018 N Kenmore Ave
Free
Sat Nov 2, 12-5pm
Villarte Recorrido de Ofrendas 2019
26th St, 60623
Free
Sat Nov 2, 1-2pm
Ibram X. Kendi: How to Be an Antiracist
International House at the University of Chicago: 1414 E 59th St
$10-23
Sat Nov 2, 2-4pm
A New Blueprint: Discussing Diversity in Preservation
Augustana Lutheran Church: 5500 S Woodlawn Ave
Free
Sat Nov 2, 3-5pm
Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation – Program Two
Block Museum of Art: 40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston
Free
Sat Nov 2, 4-7pm
Power to the People: Black Panther Party 10 Point Film Program
Stony Island Arts Bank: 6760 S Stony Island Ave
Free
Sat Nov 2, 4-7pm
Florine Démosthène: Between Possibility and Actuality
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery: 437 N Paulina St
Free
Sat Nov 2, 4-7pm
Brendan Fernandes: Restrain
Moniquemeloche: 451 N Paulina St
Free
Sat Nov 2, 6-9pm
Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955-1989)
Iceberg Projects: 7714 N Sheridan Rd
Free
Sat Nov 2, 7-9pm
Belonging in the USA
Chicago Filmmakers: 5720 N Ridge Ave
$8
Sat Nov 2, 7-10pm
Roman Susan Anniversary Celebration
Roman Susan: 1224 W Loyola Ave
Sat, Nov 2, 3-10pm
Noche de Muertos at Ojo de Fortuna
Ojo De Fortuna: 2024 S Ashland Av
$5-10 Donation
Sat Nov 2, 7:30pm
ways of knowing
Experimental Station: 6100 S Blackstone Ave
$15-20
Sat, Nov 2, 3pm
Discussion: LaToya Ruby Frazier with Pamela Brown, Marilyn Moore, and Frances Turnage
Renaissance Society: 5811 S Ellis Av
Free
Sun Nov 3, 11am-12pm
Henry Louis Gates: 2019 Chicago Tribune Literary Award
Harris Theater for Music and Dance: 205 E Randolph Dr
$20-69
Sun Nov 3, 1-2pm
Gary Tinterow on Inclusive Museums
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave
$10-20
Sun Nov 3, 3-4pm
Kwame Onwuachi: Notes From a Young Black Chef
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave
$15-42
Sun Nov 3, 3-5pm
Julia Klein: And then: Closing Reception
Material: 2025 W Belmont Ave
Free
Sun Nov 3, 4-7pm
Cuba Si, Bloqueo No!: Looking at Revolutionary Cuba
PO Box Collective: 6900 N Glenwood Ave
Free
Sun Nov 3, 5pm-12am
Stand Firm, Stand Here: an assembly of others
Ohklahomo: 2518 W Iowa St
Free
Sun, Nov 3, 2-5pm
Artist Talk: Dear Jazz…A Love Letter
South Side Community Art Center: 3831 Michigan Av
Free
Mon Nov 4, 5:30-9pm
2019 3Arts Awards Celebration
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave
$50-100
Tues, Nov 5, 6pm
Voices: Tiona Nekkia McClodden
Gallery 400: 400 S Peoria St
Free
Tue, Nov 5, 6-7:15pm
In Progress: Emilio Rojas
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave
Free
Tue, Nov 5, 6-7:30pm
Aaron Williamson
The Art Institute of Chicago: 230 S Columbus Dr
Free
Tue, Nov 5, 7-9pm
Poetry off the Shelf: Sarah Gambito & Janine Joseph
Poetry Foundation: 61 W Superior St
Free
Wed, Nov 6, 6-8pm
Art, Intersectionality, and Activism: A Conversation Commemorating Rotimi Fani-Kayode
DePaul Art Museum: 935 W Fullerton Ave
Free
Wed, Nov 6, 6-8pm
Lessons from a Learning Community of Potters in Oaxaca
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts: 4 W Burton Pl
Free
Wed, Nov 6, 6:30pm
In-Session by J’Sun Howard and Collaborators
Threewalls: 2738 W North Av
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 10am-4pm
Beyond Our Borders Workshop and CrossHatch Symposium
High Concept Labs: 2333 S Throop St
$25
Thurs, Nov 7, 4-7pm
Restraint | Jessica Pierotti: How to Work Together Part 2
Leather Archives & Museum: 6418 N Greenview Ave
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 5-7pm
The Petty Biennial.2
Glass Curtain Gallery: 1104 S Wabash Ave
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 5:30-6:30pm
The Benefits of Accessory Dwelling Units: Preservation Snapshots
AIA Chicago: 35 E Wacker Dr
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 6-8pm
Public Newsroom 124: Creating A World Beyond Racism and Fascism
Build Coffee: 6100 S Blackstone Ave
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 6-8pm
An Evening with Hiwa K
Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago: 164 N State St
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 7-9pm
Gentrify This! Land of the Freedom of Slumlords & Land Snatchers
6018North: 6018 N Kenmore Ave
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 7-9pm
Poetry & Dance: Floe: The Seldoms & Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué
Poetry Foundation: 61 W Superior St
Free
Thurs, Nov 7, 7-9:30pm
The Prison in Twelve Landscape
The Block Museum: 40 Arts Circle Dr
Free
Nov 7 – Nov 9
Beyond Our Borders Workshop and CrossHatch Symposium
High Concept Labs
2233 S Throop St
$0-$25
Fri, Nov 8, 6-10pm
Tessellate
Spudnik Press Cooperative: 1821 W Hubbard St
Free
Fri, Nov 8, 7-9pm
Dinner Conversation About Standing Up for Justice & Equity
6018North: 6018 N Kenmore Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 8, 6-9pm
Hubbard St Lofts Open House
Hubbard St. Lofts: 1821 W Hubbard St
Free
Fri, Nov 8, 7pm
Sacrificed Youth (青春祭)
Logan Center for the Arts: 915 E 60th St
Free
Fri, Nov 8, 7-10pm
Rebecca Tanda: A history, a fragment, a territory
EXTRA Projects: 3551 W Diversey Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 8, 7-9:30pm
Amazing Grace (Aretha Franklin Film)
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel: 5850 S Woodlawn Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 8, 7:30-10pm
Dinner Conversation About Standing Up for Justice & Equity
Museum of Contemporary Photography: 600 S Michigan Ave
$0-25
Sat, Nov 9, 2pm
Emilio Rojas
DePaul Art Museum: 935 W Fullerton Ave
Free
Sat, Nov 9, 3-4:30pm
Monumental Resistance: Public History and Social Justice
DePaul Art Museum: 935 W Fullerton Ave
Free
Sat, Nov 9, 6-9pm
Martha Poggioli: “Rational Behavior”
2523 W Chicago Av
Free
Sat, Nov 9, 6-10pm
Lasting Impressions
LVL3: 1542 N Milwaukee Ave
Free
Sat, Nov 9, 7-9pm
Reginald Dwayne Betts
Poetry Foundation: 61 W Superior St
Free
Sun, Nov 10, 3-6pm
Opening Reception for The Int’l Boutique for Middle Aged Ladies
Goldfinch: 319 N. Albany
Free
Sun, Nov 10, 7:30-9:30pm
Kaela Norwood + Francesca Baron: FUSED
Links Hall: 3111 N Western Ave
$20
Tues, Nov 12, 6pm
In Progress: Seed Lynn and Sadie Woods
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Av
Free
Wed, Nov 13, 6-8pm
Video Playlist
Museum of Contemporary Photography: 600 S Michigan Ave
Free
Wed, Nov 13, 6-8pm
Public Newsroom 125: Lewis Wallace and The View from Somewhere
DePaul University College of Communication: 14 E Jackson Blvd
Free
Wed, Nov 13, 7-9pm
Grace Period
6018North: 6018 N Kenmore Ave
Free
Wed, Nov 13, 8-10pm
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace
First Sip Cafe: 1057 W Argyle
Free
Thurs, Nov 14, 6-7pm
Artist Talk: Ashley Freeby with Sarah Nishiura
Hyde Park Art Center: 5020 S Cornell Ave
Free
Thurs, Nov 14, 6-8pm
Filipa César: Spell Reel
Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago: 164 N State St
Free
Thurs, Nov 14, 6-8pm
WIP Photo Slideshow: Memory and Archive
Mana Contemporary: 2233 S Throop St
Free
Thurs, Nov 14, 6-9pm
Border Land X Scapes & The Future
Spudnik Press Cooperative: 1821 W Hubbard St
Free
Thurs, Nov 14, 7-9pm
POETRY’s Fall Party
Poetry Foundation: 61 W Superior St
Free
Nov 14-15, 9am-4pm daily
People-Powered Publishing Conference 2019
Columbia College Chicago: 1104 S Wabash Av
$25, Register Here
Fri, Nov 15, 12pm
Photos at Noon: Contemporary Photography in China and Beyond
Museum of Contemporary Photography: 600 S Michigan Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 6-9pm
Julietta Cheung & Danny Floyd: “Disauders & Marorders”
Roots & Culture: 1034 N Milwaukee Av
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 6pm
Jessica Christy: Domestic Tides / Indigenous Mind
Spudnik Press Cooperative: 1821 W Hubbard, Suite 302
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 6pm
Camille Norment: Untitled (red flame)
Logan Center Gallery: 915 E 60th St
Free
Fri, Nov 15-17th
Chicago Art Book Fair 2019
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel: 12 S Michigan Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 5:30-8:30pm
BODIES: SAIC Intro to Designed Objects
International Museum of Surgical Science: 1524 N Lake Shore Dr
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 5:30-8:30pm
Anna Martine Whitehead: Notes on Territory
SITE/less: 1250 W Augusta Blvd
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 6-9pm
Re: Title // Immigrant & Refugee Youth Art Gallery
Hairpin Arts Center: 2810 N Milwaukee Ave
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 6-9pm
Jessica Christy; Domestic Tides / Indigenous Mind
Spudnik Press Cooperative: 1821 W Hubbard St
Free
Fri, Nov 15, 6pm
Five Works: Kelly Kristin Jones
Mana Contemporary 2233 S Throop St
Free
Sat, Nov 16, 6-9pm
Tracy Marie Taylor: While I was Away
Roman Susan: 1224 W Loyola Ave
Free
Mon, Nov 18, 1-5pm
Arte Útil/ Useful Art: Case Studies from the Chicago Area Workshop
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum: 800 S Halsted St
Free
Mon, Nov 18, 6-8pm
A Black Harvest Feast: Film Screening with Chicago Filmmakers
7059 S South Shore Dr
Free
Mon, Nov 18, 7-10pm
My Seditious Heart: Arundhati Roy in Chicago
Chicago Teachers Union: 1901 W Carroll Ave
$5-100
Tue, Nov 19, 5-8pm
The Abyss Looks Back within Direct Message: Art, Language, and Power
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Av
Free
Tue, Nov 19, 1-8pm
Arte Útil/ Useful Art Seminar & Reception: the Coefficient of Art
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum: 800 S Halsted St
Free
Tues, Nov 19, 6pm
In Progress: Alex Chitty and Raven Munsell
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Av
Free
Wed, Nov 20, 7pm
Lineage: The Black Dance Legacy Project
Logan Center for the Arts: 915 East 60th St
Free
Wed, Nov 20, 6-7:30pm
The Politics of Taste: Ana María Reyes on Beatriz González
The Block Museum: 40 Arts Circle Dr
Free
Wed, Nov 20, 6-7:30pm
The Politics of Taste: Ana María Reyes on Beatriz González
The Block Museum: 40 Arts Circle Dr
Free
Thurs, Nov 21, 6-8pm
Image Employment
Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago: 164 N State St
Free
Thurs, Nov 21, 6pm
In Conversation: Sampada Aranke and Morgan Quaintance
Logan Center for the Arts: 915 East 60th St
Free
Thurs, Nov 21, 7-9pm
Poetry off the Shelf: Cave Canem Legacy Conversation
Poetry Foundation: 61 W Superior St
Free
Thurs, Nov 21, 7-9:30pm
Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby: Amazements
The Block Museum: 40 Arts Circle Dr
Free
Fri, Nov 22, 7-8:30pm
Notes on Territory
Green Line Performing Arts Center: 329 E Garfield Blvd
Free
Fri, Nov 22, 7-11pm, Runs through Dec 5
To Gather Together
Co-Prosperity Sphere: 3219 S Morgan St
Free
Fri, Nov 22, 6pm
Soundtrack: Rae Chardonnay
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave
Price of Museum Admission
