Created in collaboration with The Visualist, Chicago’s leading visual arts calendar, Sixty’s Art Picks is a wide selection of Midwest arts events, handpicked for our audience of artists, cultural workers, and curators, prioritizing the spaces and events of historically marginalized peoples. Our list is broad but by no means comprehensive; please look at venue calendars to find more events.
All times are listed in Central Standard Time unless otherwise noted. Click here to get our Art Picks and latest articles delivered to your inbox monthly. You can find Art Picks from previous months here.
Before attending any in-person events, we hope you’ll read this open letter cowritten by a group of disabled queers to the Chicago party community, demanding COVID-safe protocols and mindful gathering to protect the most vulnerable members of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this letter is to reach organizers who plan events and cultivate spaces for queer community building and joy. Please remember to mask; the pandemic is on-going.
W/E
Opening May 1, 6-9pm on view through December 31 @ Side Street Studio Arts
Nelson W. Armour: Teaching
May 3, 2026 @ Perspective Gallery
We can make any two stories touch: 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition at Northwestern University
Opening May 7, 4:30-6:30pm on view through June 14 @ Block Museum of Art
2026 Studio Sale
Opening May 21st, from 5pm – 8pm on view through May 24th @ Arts of Life
Click a button below to jump to a specific week of events.
May 1-June 20, 2026
Robert Anthony Ketchens
Contemporary Art Center of Peoria: 305 SW Water St, Peoria, IL
Free
May 1-June 20, 2026
Raphael Iaccarino
Contemporary Art Center of Peoria: 305 SW Water St, Peoria, IL
Free
May 1-3, 2026
Chicago Leather Pride Weekend 2026
Leather Archives & Museum: 6418 N Greenview Ave, Chicago
Various Prices
May 1-July 11, 2026
Cerro Gordo Photo Show: 46
The Charles H. MacNider Art Museum, Center Space Gallery: 303 2nd St. SE, Mason City, IA
Free
Friday, May 1, 5PM
48 Hour Film Project Weekend Kick-off
Arts + Literature Laboratory: 111 S. Livingston St., Madison, WI
Free
Friday, May 1, 5-8PM
Jesse Ly: try, take time – take time, try
Filter Photo: 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 207 Chicago
Free
Friday, May 1, 6-8PM
2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition: Too Much, Not Enough I
Logan Center Exhibitions: 915 E 60th St, Chicago
Free
Friday, May 1, 6-9PM
Bethany Cordero: Plurality of Structure
Ignition project space: 3839 W Grand Ave, Chicago
Free
Friday, May 1, 6-9PM
W/E
Side Street Studio Arts: 15 Ziegler Ct, Elgin, IL
Free
Friday, May 1, 6-10PM
Between Voice and Silence In memory of Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art: 2320 W Chicago Ave
Free
May 2-October 18, 2026
Born in the USA: American Studio Glass
The Flint Institute of Arts Museum + Art School: 1120 East Kearsley St, Flint, MI
Free
Saturday, May 2, 10AM-6PM
Art Spaces 2026
Various Spaces near Lawrence, KS
Free
Saturday, May 2, 12-3:30PM
Art and The Landfill
Public Space One: 538 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA
Free
Saturday, May 2, 1-3PM
The Sanctuary Circle
First Church of the Brethren: 425 S Central Park Blvd, Chicago
Free
Saturday, May 2, 1-3PM
Karla Santana: Lotería
Spudnik Press: 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago
Free
Saturday, May 2, 3-9PM
Celebrate May Day at Haymarket House
Haymarket House: 800 W Buena Ave, Chicago
$10+
Saturday, May 2, 4-5PM
VOLUMES Performance with Mark Guiliana
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: 724 S. 12th St, Omaha, NE
Free
Saturday, May 2, 5-8PM
Creations by Jenny
Envision Arts Gallery and Community Engagement Center – Patricia A. Peer Window Gallery: 535 W Douglas Ave #160, Wichita, KS
Free
Sunday, May 3, 12-6PM
I too am written/También soy escritura: An Anthology for Escucha Mi Voz
PS1 Close House & Cloud House: 538 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA
Free
Sunday, May 3, 10AM-1PM
Spring 2026 Puppetry Workshop: Puppet Design Strategies (Level 1)
Fine Arts Building, Studio 433: 410 S Michigan Ave, Suite 560, Chicago
$65
Sunday, May 3, 2-5PM
First Annual Chicago and Vicinity Riso Exhibition
Epiphany Center for the Arts: 201 S Ashland Ave, Chicago
Free
Sunday, May 3, 3-5PM
Larissa Borteh: In the Wind
Devening Projects: 3039 W Carroll Ave, Chicago
Free
Sunday, May 3, 3-5PM
Alain Biltereyst: Great Moments
Devening Projects: 3039 W Carroll Ave, Chicago
Free
May 5-27, 2026
15th Annual Square Foot Exhibit
Bismarck Art & Galleries Association: 422 E Front Ave, Bismarck, ND
Free
Wednesday, May 6, 5-8PM
Late Wednesdays: May
National Museum of Mexican Art: 1852 W 19th St, Chicago
$10
Thursday May 7-10
Ayodele African Drum & Dance Conference
Sherman Park: 1301 W 52nd St, Chicago
$18-20
Thursday, May 7, 4:30-6:30PM
We can make any two stories touch: 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition at Northwestern University
Block Museum of Art: 40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston
Free
May 7-12, 2026
The 29th Annual Asian American Showcase
Gene Siskel Film Center: 164 N State St, Chicago
Various prices
Friday, May 8, 11AM-6PM
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Graduate Exhibition Two 2026
SAIC Galleries: 33 E Washington St, Chicago
Free
May 9-October 4, 2026
Floating Gardens of the Chicago River and México
National Museum of Mexican Art: 1852 W 19th St, Chicago
Free
Saturday, May 9, 10AM-7PM
Lenexa Art Fair
Lenexa civic campus: 17101 W 87th St. Pkwy, Lenexa, KS
Free
Thursday, May 14, 7-10PM
This Perfect Home Inside of a Mountain Nobody Can See Or Hear You in Here
Comfort Station Logan Square: 2579 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Free
May 15-July 3
Canvas, Color, & Vision
Bridgeport Art Center: 1200 W 35th St, Chicago
Free
Friday, May 15, 6-9PM
Emma Rossoff
Comfort Station Logan Square: 2579 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Free
Friday, May 15, 6-9PM
Allen Moore and Wendy Robles & Michael Zhang
Roots & Culture: 1034 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Free
Saturday, May 16, 10AM-5PM
Art Walk Middleton
Downtown Middleton: Middleton,WI
Free
Saturday, May 16, 10AM-4PM
Merriam Turkey Creek Festival
Antioch Park: 6501 Antioch Rd, Merriam, KS
Free
Sunday, May 17, 3-5PM
Democratic Vistas & Gospel Love Heart
James Watrous Gallery, Overture Center, third level: 201 State St, Madison, WI
Free
May 19–July 12, 2026
Welcoming the World to Lawrence
Spencer Museum of Art: 1301 Mississippi St, Lawrence, KS
Free
Wednesday, May 20, 6-8PM
May Queer Stitch Night
Gerber/Hart Library & Archives: 6500 N Clark St, Chicago
Free
Thursday, May 21, 5-8PM
2026 Studio Sale
Arts of Life: 2010 W Carroll Ave, Chicago
Various Prices
Friday, May 22, 6-8PM
2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition: Too Much, Not Enough II
Logan Center Exhibitions: 915 E 60th St, Chicago
Free
Friday, May 29, 6-10PM
The Doctors: Exploring 1970’s Teen Social Scenes and the Emergence of Chicago House Music Culture
First Church of the Brethren: 425 S Central Park Blvd, Chicago
Free
May 29-August 23, 2026
On Wonder, Mind, & Magic: Jeanette Andrews
Elmhurst Art Museum: 150 S Cottage Hill Ave, Elmhurst, IL
Free
Saturday, May 30, 5PM (EST)
Mery Steel Presents Diamonds in the Rough: Songs of John Prine
Natalie’s Grandview: 945 King Ave, Grandview Heights, OH
$20
Through May 2, 2026
MUFF2026
Various Locations: Milwaukee, WI
Various Prices
Through May 2, 2026
MISSING: When East Village Artists Came to Main Street
Cressman Center: 100 East Main Street, Louisville, KY
Free
Through May 3, 2026
Nelson W. Armour: Teaching
Perspective Gallery: 1310-1/2B Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL
Free
Through May 3, 2026
Close to the Clouds: Encountering Digital Diasporas
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: 724 S. 12th Street, Omaha, NE
Free
Through May 9, 2026
Valley Pottery: 2,000 years and Deep Mapping
ArtReach St. Croix’s Royal Credit Union Foundation Gallery: 224 N. 4th Street, Stillwater, MN
Free
Through May 17, 2026
Amy Kligman: Being Still /. Still Being
Real Tinsel: 1013 West Historic Mitchell Street, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Through May 23, 2026
Noelle Africh: Signal
Twelve Ten Gallery: 1104 W Thorndale Ave. Chicago
Free
Through May 24, 2026
I Used to Live in Chicago: A Multidisciplinary Exhibition Exploring Memory, Displacement, and Cultural Resilience
Blanc Gallery: 4445 South King Drive, Chicago
Free
Through May 31, 2026
Creative Resistance Captured in Tintype: Immortalizing Art as Activism
Contemporary Arts Center: 44 E. 6th Street, Cincinnati, OH
Free
About the image maker: “Buflo” is a Latino graffiti artist who has been painting illegally for more than 10 years. Lately he channels his earliest memories of doing graffiti through short stories giving a glimpse on what one artist might go thru during painting a night in the south side of Chicago.
