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.
This month’s featured image is from a series of photographs featuring forest’s dear friend Iman Payne, a Black queer farmer based in Detroit. In forest’s words: “Black farmers have faced systemic discrimination and violence, which forced many to lose their land or relinquish ownership, leading to a decline in Black-owned farms. Some shifted to sharecropping, while others moved to cities like Detroit in search of better opportunities. Today, efforts continue to reclaim land and advocate for Black farmers’ rights.”
Click a button below to jump to a specific week of events.
Tuesday, September 1, 7-8pm
What Anarchism Offers a World on Fire with Ashanti Alston, Paul Messersmith-Glavin, and Kim Feicke
Pilsen Community Books: 1531 W 18th St, Chicago
Free
Wednesday, September 2, 2:30-4:30pm
Jazmine.: an ode to Octavia and that which is forever
McHenry County College | Galleries One & Two: 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake, IL
Free
September 3-6, 2026
Sound and Gravity festival
Various Locations in Chicago
Free
September 3-6, 2026
Chicago Jazz Festival
Millennium Park 201 E Randolph St, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 3, 7-8pm
Off the Page — a Night of Queer Comix Readings
Dorothy: 2500 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
$12-17
Thursday, September 3, 8-10pm
Whisper & Shout
Contemporary Art Center of Peoria: 305 SW Water St, Peoria, IL
$5-12
September 4-7, 2026
Socialism 2026 Conference
Various Locations in Chicago
$15-$155
September 4-October 31, 2026
Emily Culver: Holotyped
The Sculpture Center: 12210 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH
Free
Friday, September 4, 5-8pm
Anat Wegier: THE ROOMS THAT MADE ME
ARC Gallery: 1463 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
Free
Friday, September 4, 5-8pm
Thoughtful Impressions – Laura Kittle
Lubeznik Center for the Arts: 101 W 2nd St, Michigan City, IN
Free
Friday, September 4, 5-9pm
Meowsterpieces: A First Friday Feline Art Fundraiser
Indianapolis Propylaeum: 1410 N Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN
Free
Friday, September 4, 5-9pm (EST)
IndyEast Art Walk
1000 Words Gallery: 3328 East 10th St, Indianapolis, IN
Free
Friday, September 4, 6-9pm
Azadeh Hussaini: State of Being
Ignition project space: 3839 W Grand Ave, Chicago
Free
Saturday, September 5, 2-4pm
The Abolitionist Atlas and Counter-Mapping as a Tool for Movement Building
Spudnik Press: 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago
Free
Saturday, September 5, 4-8pm
Movies That Make Me Cry
Purple Window Gallery: 2233 S Throop St, Unit 845, Chicago
Free
Saturday, September 5, 5-7pm
The Gift is Present Presence – Sara Zalek and Norman Long
Big Marsh Park: 11559 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago
Free
Saturday, September 5, 5-9pm
I Am A Rock I Am A Roll
KIOSK: 3054 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago
Free
September 8-November 7, 2026
Seen and Unseen
Intersect Arts Center: 3636 Texas Ave, St. Louis, MO
Free
Tuesday, September 8, 6-8pm
Jazz Gallery Art Critique Session
Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts: 926 East Center St, Milwaukee, WI
Free
September 10-November 7, 2026
Plein Air Okoboji
Pearson Lakes Art Center: 2201 HWY 71, Okoboji, IA
Free
Thursday, September 10, 6-8pm
If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground
Museum of Contemporary Photography: 600 S Michigan Ave, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 10, 6-8pm
Rock Island Art Guild Fine Arts Exhibition Opening Reception
Figge Art Museum: 225 West Second St, Davenport, IA
$10-$14
Thursday, September 10, 6-9pm
Poetry & Archival Discovery: An Author Talk with Elizabeth Hoover & Noa Micaela Fields
Gerber/Hart Library & Archives: 6500 N Clark St, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 10, 6-9pm
Paint Crawl: Monet’s The Japanese Footbridge
Galesburg Community Arts Center: 349 E Main St. Galesburg, IL
$35-$40
Thursday, September 10, 7-9pm
F.E.K. Draw
Gerber/Hart Library & Archives: 6500 N Clark St, Chicago
$10
September 11-October 2, 2026
OSU MFA 2nd Year Show
ROY G BIV: 435 West Rich St, Columbus, OH
Free
Friday, September 11, 8:30am
Tierra Mojada: Scent of my memories
Latino Arts, Inc: 1028 S 9th St, Milwaukee, WI
$5
Friday, September 11, 5-7pm
Palak Patel: Can I get my friends to hold my hand?
Spudnik Press: 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago
Free
Friday, September 11, 6-8pm
Press & Pull: A Legacy of the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop: Opening Reception
Gallery 400: 400 S Peoria St, Chicago
Free
September 12, 2026-January 3, 2027
Birds in Art
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum: 700 N 12th St, Wausau, WI
Free
Saturday, September 12, 2-3pm
I Bear Witness: The Untold Stories of American Race Riots
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center: 202 S Broadway, Urbana, IL
Free
Saturday, September 12, 1-2pm(EST)
Fighters for Freedom Special Exhibition Tour
Dayton Art Institute: 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH
$5-$15
Saturday, September 12, 6-8pm
The Fire is Here: Staying Still with Hieu Minh Nguyen
The Loft Literary Center: Suite 200, Open Book Building 1011 Washington Avenue South Minneapolis, MN
$5-$10
Saturday, September 12, 6-9pm
Joseph Grigely: Monologue of A Deaf Man
M. LeBlanc: 3514 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago
Free
Saturday, September 12, 6-9pm
Reevah Agarwaal: Now I Braid My Own Hair
Boundary: 2334 W 111th Pl, Chicago
Free
Sunday, September 13, 1pm
2026 DSI Production Institute Film Showcase
Logan Center for the Arts, The University of Chicago: 915 E 60th St, Chicago
Free
Wednesday, September 16, 11am-12pm
A conversation with Rhonda Holy Bear
Spencer Museum of Art: 1301 Mississippi St, Lawrence, KS
Free
Wednesday, September 16, 6-9pm
Blue Hour ft. Hussain Ahmed and Ali Black
Haymarket House: 800 W Buena Ave, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 17, 5-8pm
GORDON CHEUNG: CONSENSUAL HALLUCI/NATION
Kavi Gupta Gallery: 835 W Washington Blvd, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 17, 5-8pm
Karla Wong: Journeys of Being
Intuit Art Museum: 756 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 17, 5-8pm
Jesús Hilario-Reyes
Tala: 1644 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 17, 5:30-6:30pm
VOICES: Dakota Mace
Center for Native Futures: 56 W Adams St, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 17, 6-7pm
Artist Talk: María Berrío
Minneapolis Institute of Art: 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Friday, September 18, 4pm (EST)
Fall 2026 Exhibitions Opening Celebration
Wexner Center for the Arts: 1871 North High St, Columbus, OH
Free
Friday, September 18, 6-8pm
Ari Norris: Really Really
REAL TINSEL: 1013 West Historic Mitchell St, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Friday, September 18, 6-9pm
Memory in Transformation — Bodies and Posthuman Imaginaries
The Research House for Asian Art: 3217 S Morgan St, Chicago
Free
Friday, September 18, 7-10pm
ART CONNECTION: PAST MEETS PRESENT
The Bridgeport Art Center: 1200 W 35th St, Chicago
Free
Friday, September 18, 6-9pm
Urban Grain
Elephant Room Gallery: 704 S Wabash Ave, Chicago
Free
September 19, 2026-January 31, 2027
Hot off the Grill! Glass Works of John Miller
Fort Wayne Museum of Art: 311 E Main St, Fort Wayne, IN
Free
Saturday, September 19, 9:30-10:30am
Donuts, Coffee, and Printmaking
St Louis Artists’ Guild: 12 North Jackson Ave, St. Louis, MO
$10
Saturday, September 19, 2-3:30pm
Ecologies of Architecture: Aleksandra Kędziorek and Jeff Carter
Hyde Park Art Center: 5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago
Free
Saturday, September 19, 4-6pm
VAF 10th Anniversary Party
Graco Park Pavilion: 15 8th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Sunday, September 20, 10am-12pm
Intro to the Indie Web
Cloud House at PS1 Close House: 538 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA
Free
Tuesday, September 22, 5-8pm
PRINT AGAINST THE MACHINE
Big Grove Brewery & Taproom: 1225 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA
Free
September 22, 2026-February 21, 2027
teamLab: Everything Exists in Infinite Continuity
Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago: 5550 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago
Free
September 23-27, 2026
33rd Chicago Underground Film Festival
Chicago: Gene Siskel Film Center and The Harper Theater
$100
Thursday, September 24, 5:30-7pm
Lessons in (Art Space Accessibility)
Hyde Park Art Center: 5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago
Free
Thursday, September 24, 7pm
The Sapphire Gayla: 45 Years of Gerber/Hart
Gerber/Hart Library & Archives: 6500 N Clark St, Chicago
$250+
September 25-December 19, 2026
Inner Worlds: Visions from the Hirshhorn Collection Works by Mary Bauermeister, Yayoi Kusama, and Niki de Saint Phalle
Wrightwood 659: 659 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago
$20
Friday, September 25, 5-8pm
Sonja Thomsen and Aaron R. Turner: LIGHT SLIP – ARCHIVE, ABSTRACTION, & PHENOMENA
Filter Photo: 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 207, Chicago
Free
Friday, September 25, 6-8:30pm
Where Memory Lives: 40 Years of Día de Muertos
National Museum of Mexican Art: 1852 W 19th St, Chicago
Free
September 26-27, 2026
the 20th annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Various locations in Chicago
Free
September 26-November 7, 2026
New/Now: Pondering Change
South Haven Center for the Arts: 600 Phoenix St, South Haven, MI
Free
Saturday, September 26, 10am-5pm
Opening Festival: ‘Merciless’— Indigenous Lands Since 1776
Weisman Art Museum: 333 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Saturday, September 26, 12-2pm
Michael Workman: Writing as Cultural Archaeology and the Poetics of Place
International Museum of Surgical Science: 1524 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago
Free
Saturday, September 26, 1-3pm
DIY Skeletons for Puppet Creatures By Emilie Wingate [Hybrid: In-person or online]
Chicago Creative Use Exchange: 2124 W 82nd Pl, Chicago
Sliding scale
Saturday, September 26, 4:30-6pm
Fall Equinox Acoustic Ecology Hike
Meadowbrook Nature Preserve: 109 W 700 North, Valpariso, IN
Free
Sunday, September 6
Home Grown Vol. III
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art: 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
Free
Sunday, September 13, 1pm
“quiet as it’s kept” Visual Gallery Exhibition Closing Reception
Elastic Arts: 3429 W Diversey Ave #208, Chicago
Free
Sunday, September 13
MOTHER TIME: Measuring ourselves within the landscape
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: 724 S 12th St, Omaha, NE
Free
Sunday, September 13
Miatta Kawinzi: An Alphabet of Unfolding
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: 724 S 12th St, Omaha, NE
Free
Sunday, September 20
Jeff Carter: The Singer Pavilion Project
Hyde Park Art Center: 5020 S. Cornell Ave, Chicago
Free
Sunday, September 20
Greater Columbus: The 2026 Visual Arts Fellowship Exhibition
Columbus Museum of Art: 480 E Broad St Columbus, OH
$16+
Sunday, September 20
Topographies Mapping Being and Belonging
Des Moines Art Center: 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA
Free
Saturday, September 26, 3pm
When the Landscape Recognizable Today was Shaped
Watershed Art & Ecology: 1821 S Racine Ave, Chicago
Free
About the image maker: na forest lim (they/them) is an autistic, queer, and trans artist, film director, and photojournalist from South Korea. They practice sustainable poetic living in Waawiyaatanong and use visual storytelling to tenderly lift up the resilience of marginalized individuals and communities.
