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.
Click a button below to jump to a specific week of events.
Mon, April 1, 5pm
Visiting Artist Talk: Iman Raad
Kresge Hall, Northwestern University: 1880 Campus Dr, Evanston, IL
Free
Mon, April 1, 5-7pm
Jessica Stockholder: For Events
Hutchinson Courtyard, The University of Chicago: 1131 E 57th St, Chicago
Free
Tues, April 2, 6-8pm
Confronting the Legendary Great Plains
Nebraska Innovation Campus: Auditorium: 2021 Transformation Dr, Lincoln NE
Free
Wed, April 3, 12-1pm
Matthew Metzger in conversation with Andi Crist, Katelyn Patton, and Samuel Schwindt
Gallery 400: 400 S Peoria St, Chicago
Free
April 4-6, 7pm(CST)
Anonymous Ensemble: Llontop
Wexner Center for the Arts: 1871 N High St Columbus, OH
$6-48
April 4-14, 2024
Onion City Experimental Film Festival
Various Locations
Prices vary by event
Thurs, April 4, 12:30pm
Wanda Hollensteiner Conservation Lecture with Hannah Segrave
Wright Museum of Art: 700 College St, Beloit, WI
Free
Thurs, April 4, 2-6pm
Workshop: Miniature Weaving Wall Hanging
Kenosha Public Museum: 5500 1st Ave, Kenosha, WI
Free
Thurs, April 4, 5-7pm(CST)
What Is Real?
Beeler Gallery: 60 Cleveland Ave (Entrance on E. Gay St.), Columbus, OH
Free
Thurs, April 4, 5-7pm(CST)
Author Reading: Susan Muaddi Darraj
Indy Reads: 1066 Virginia Ave, Indianapolis, IN
Free
Thurs, April 4, 5:30pm
Kickstarter Tutorial with Matt Jones
Sugar Maple: 441 E Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Thurs, April 4, 8-9pm
Live @ LOW END | Lisel
724 S 12th St, Omaha, NE
Free
April 5-6, 2024
Puerto Rican Archives: Preserving Community Memory
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture: 3015 W Division St, Chicago
Free
April 5-6, 2024
The Cher Show
Mary W. Sommervold Hall Stage at the Washington Pavilion: 301 S Main Ave. Sioux Falls, SD
$29-124
April 5-May 25, 2024
Regional High School Student Show
Foundry Art Centre: 520 N Main Center, St. Charles, MO
Free
April 5-August 18, 2024
Robin F. Williams: We’ve Been Expecting You
Columbus Museum of Art: 480 E Broad St, Columbus, OH
Free
Fri, April 5, 4-7pm
Currents 123: Tamara Johnson
Saint Louis Art Museum: One Fine Arts Dr, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO
Free
Fri, April 5, 5-8pm
DOOMSCAPES AND THE DIGITAL BEYOND
ARC Gallery: 1463 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 5, 5-8pm
Grant William Thye: Release
Vertical: 2006 W Chicago Ave, #1R, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 5, 5-8pm
April First Friday
LUX Center: 2601 N 48th St, Lincoln , NE
Free
Fri, April 5, 6-8pm
Lawrence Agyei: DRILL
Blanc Gallery: 4445 S King Dr, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 5, 6-9pm
Czr Prz: Travel Through the Ether
Elephant Room Gallery: 704 S Wabash Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 5, 6-9pm
JENAL DOLSON: Radicle Dream
65GRAND: 3252 W North Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 5, 6-9pm
Carolyn Cardenas and Bobby Ross: Familiar Stories
August House Studio: 2113 W Roscoe St, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 5, 8-11pm
[We Don’t Know Yet] What a Cinema Can Do: A Night of Live Sound and Moving Image
Public Works: 2141 W North Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 5, 8:30-11pm
Open-Styles Street Dance Session
PS1 Close House (Dance Hall): 538 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA
Free
April 6-July 28, 2024
Victoria Martinez: Braiding Histories
Chicago Cultural Center: 78 E Washington St, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 6, 10:30-11:30am(CST)
Drag Story Hour with Prince Brentlee and Aqua Marie!
Indy Reads: 1066 Virginia Ave, Indianapolis, IN
Free
Sat, April 6, 12-3pm
Open Art Studio
Yours truly: 833 E Center St, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Sat, April 6, 1-3pm
The Secrets Women Keep
Independence Branch, Chicago Public Library: 4024 N Elston Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 6, 1-4pm
The United Colors of Robert Earl Paige
Hyde Park Arts Center: 5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 6, 1-4pm
Parapluie
Hyde Park Arts Center: 5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 6, 2-4pm
Dog Tarot Release Party with Megan Lynn Kott
Sugar Maple: 441 E Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Sat, April 6, 2-4pm
Creating More Hours: Workshop #4: Cookie Decorating
Generator Space: 1804 Vinton St, Omaha, NE
Free
Sat, April 6, 2-6pm
Grid Luck
Mayfield: 505 Marengo Ave, Forest Park, IL
Free
Sat, April 6, 4-7pm
Sangwoo Yoo: Ephemeral Echoes
Comfort Station Logan Square: 2579 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 6, 6-8pm(EST)
2024 MFA Exhibition Opening Reception
MSU Broad Art Museum: 547 E Circle Dr, East Lansing, MI
Free
Sat, April 6, 6-10pm
Brad Stumpf and Jeffly Gabriela Molina: Esta Casa Es Un Cuerpo / This House Is A Body
ARTRUSS: 4553 W Diversey Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 6, 7pm
Freedom From and Freedom To
Elastic Arts: 3429 W Diversey Ave, #208, Chicago
$10-15
Sat, April 6, 7pm
William Parker’s Mayan Space Station
Xavier Hall: 3733 W Pine Mall, St. Louis, MO
$10-20
Sun, April 7, 1-3pm
Art Exhibit by Anthony Deon
Cathedral Arts Project: 3900 Webster St, Omaha, NE
Free
Sun, April 7, 1-4pm
David Cordero: NEAR MISS
Space & Time: 3307 W Irving Park Rd. Chicago
Free
Sun, April 7, 2-5pm
Tom Meacham: Simile
Devening Projects: 3039 W Carroll Ave, Chicago
Free
Sun, April 7, 2-5pm
Eleanna Anagnos: Lucid
Devening Projects: 3039 W Carroll Ave, Chicago
Free
Sun, April 7, 2-3pm
The Power of Small Things with Artist Tilly Woodward
Brunnier Art Museum, Scheman Building: 1805 Center Dr, Ames, IA
Free
Sun, April 7, 3-6pm
Susan Giles: Words to Grasp
Riverside Arts Center Freeark Gallery: 32 E Quincy St, Riverside, IL
Free
Sun, April 7, 3:15pm
Sing Omaha Choral Concert
Cathedral Arts Project: 3900 Webster St, Omaha, NE
Free
April 8-May 12, 2024
There are Two Elephants in this Room: 2024 BFA in Studio Art Senior Capstone Exhibition
Des Lee Gallery: 1627 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO
Free
Tues, April 9, 7-8pm
Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt with Orisanmi Burton, Damon Locks and Maryan Kashani
Pilsen Community Books: 1102 W 18th St, Chicago
Free
April 10-September 8, 2024
Everyday States of Awe – Selections from the Ceramic Work of Bill Gossman
Rochester Art Center: 30 Civic Center Dr, SE, STE 120, Rochester, MN
Free
Wed, April 10, 6-8pm(CST)
Poetry Open Mic with Indiana Humanities
Indy Reads: 1066 Virginia Ave, Indianapolis, IN
Free
April 11-25, 2024
2024 Milwaukee Film Festival
Various Locations
Various costs
Thurs, April 11, 8-9pm
Live @ LOW END | claire rousay
724 S 12th St, Omaha, NE
Free
April 11-14, 2024
Artists Run Chicago: Here and Now
Navy Pier: 600 E Grand Ave, Chicago
$30-175
April 12-14, 2024
BARELY FAIR
Color Club: 4146 N Elston Ave, Chicago
Free
April 12-May 18, 2024
A Change of Scenery
St. Louis Artists Guild: 12 N Jackson Ave, St. Louis, MO
Free
April 12-May 18, 2024
Source by Maddie Aunger
St. Louis Artists Guild: 12 N Jackson Ave, St. Louis, MO
Free
April 12-July 22, 2024
POW-litical Comics: From Ripon to the RNC
MOWA: 205 Veterans Ave, West Bend, WI
Free
April 12-August 11, 2024
Arte Diseño Xicágo II • From the World’s Fair to the Present Day
National Museum of Mexican Art: 1852 W 19th St, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 12, 5-8pm
Paul Mpagi Sepuya: Infinite Like Night
DOCUMENT: 1709 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 12, 5-7pm
Regin Igloria: Seven Skins Catalog Release Party
Glass Curtain Gallery: 1104 S Wabash Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 12, 6-7pm
Sandra Binion: Autobiography of Looking
Experimental Sound Studio: 5925 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 12, 7-10pm
Brendan Fernandes: New Monuments
General John Alexander Logan Monument in Grant Park: S Michigan Ave & E 9th St, Chicago
Free
April 13-June 8, 2024
Jerry Phillips: Phantom Redux
Good Weather: 1524 S Western Ave, Suite 121, Building A, Chicago
Free
April 13-July 7, 2024
Fantastic Realms: Myths, Magic, and Folklore
Fort Wayne Museum of Art: 311 E Main St, Fort Wayne, IN
Free
Fri, April 13, 1 and 7pm
THE THIRD MAN (1949)
Virginia Theatre: 203 W Park Ave, Champaign, IL
Free
Fri, April 13, 12-2pm
Family Day: Paper Quilting Workshop with Jason Wesaw
Museum of Contemporary Photography: 600 S Michigan Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 13, 12-2pm(CST)
Nathalie Joachim
Wexner Center for the Arts: 1871 N High St Columbus, OH
$6-36
Fri, April 13, 2pm
Collaborative Publishing Workshop with Temporary Services
Walker Art Center: 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Sun, April 15, 10am-11:30am
Write to Political Prisoners in Russia (at Mount Zion Temple)
Mount Zion Temple: 1300 Summit Ave, St. Paul, MN
Free
April 14-July 21, 2024
Jerry Phillips: Phantom Redux
Cleveland Museum of Art: 11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH
$0-15
Tues, April 16, 7pm
Arthouse Cinema – Student Movie Night
The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum: 521 Main Ave, Moorhead, MN
Free
Tues, April 16, 7:30-10pm
Marcus is Walking
University of North Dakota: 281 Centennial Rd, Grand Forks, ND
$10-20
Wed, April 17, 10:30am-12pm
SPARK! The Secret of Muddy Water
John Michael Arts Center: 608 New York Ave, Sheboygan, WI
Free
Wed, April 17, 6:30pm
Pete Hill, author of River Profiles: The People Restoring Our Waterways
Boswall Books: 2559 N Downer Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Wed, April 17, 7-8pm
SHORT WAR with Lily Meyer and Amanda Goldblatt
Pilsen Community Books: 1102 W 18th St, Chicago
Free
Wed, April 17, 7-8pm
Rachel Wiley Poetry Reading + Book Signing
Rose and Eugene Presents: 701 N Phillips Ave, Unit 135, Sioux Falls, SD
$10
Thurs, April 18, 6-9pm
Muses: An Evening of Jazz
Elmhurst Art Museu: 150 Cottage Hill Ave, Elmhurst, IL
Free
Thurs, April 18, 6:30pm
Sergio M González, author of Strangers No Longer: Latino Belonging and Faith in Twentieth-Century Wisconsin
Boswall Books: 2559 N Downer Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Thurs, April 18, 7-10pm
Courage in Community: The Gerber/Hart Spring Soiree
Sidetrack The Video Bar: 3349 N Halsted St, Chicago
$125-350
Thurs, April 18, 7:30-9pm
Not From Here with Eunji Kim
The Lincoln Lodge: 2040 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 19, 5-7pm
The City of Sioux Falls’ 11th Annual ArtAbility
The Underground by Rehfeld’s: 431 N Phillips Ave, Sioux Falls, SD
Free
Fri, April 19, 5-8pm
T R A N S C I E N C E: UIC 2024 BFA Thesis Exhibition
UIC School of Art and Art History: 400 S Peoria St, Chicago
Free
Fri, April 19, 7pm
Compensation by Zeinabu irene Davis
Walker Art Center: 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN
$12-15
Fri, April 19, 11pm
DRONE SLEEPOVER
Grace Episcopal Church: 637 S Dearborn St, Chicago
$45-50
April 20-May 26, 2024
87th Annual Detroit Public Schools Community District Student Exhibition
DIA: 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
Free
April 20-July 14, 2024
The Paintings of Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso: A Retrospective
Fort Wayne Museum of Art: 311 E Main St, Fort Wayne, IN
Free
April 20, 2024-March 30, 2025
The Vessel: Form and Function
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art: 410 Third Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA
Free
April 20, 2024-April 6, 2025
Eternal Love and Loss
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: 4525 Oak St, Kansas City, MO
Free
Sat, April 20, 10:30am-4:30pm
Milwaukee Zine Fest
Milwaukee Central Library: 814 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Free
Sat, April 20, 11am-1pm
Street Wisdom Walkshop
Horner Park: 2741 W Montrose Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 20, 1-2pm
Wild Boar to Baconfest: Pigs in History and Popular Culture
Bishop Hill Heritage Association: 103 Bishop Hill St, Bishop Hill, IL
Free
Sat, April 20, 2pm
The Alchemy of Publishing Workshop with Co–Conspirator Press
Walker Art Center: 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Sat, April 20, 6pm
Intermissions: Devin T. Mays
The Renaissance Society: 5811 S Ellis Ave, Swift Hall, 4th Fl, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 20, 6-9pm
The Bridge: Malley/Irabagon/Rivoal/Lemêtre/Zerang
LVL3: 1542 N. Milwaukee Ave, 3rd Floor, Chicago
Free
Sat, April 20, 7pm
Code Unknown by Michael Haneke
Walker Art Center: 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN
$12-15
Sat, April 20, 9pm
The Sidepieces
Hungry Brain: 2319 W Belmont Ave, Chicago
Free
Sun, April 21, 9pm
Shapeshifters
Hungry Brain: 2319 W Belmont Ave, Chicago
Free
Tues, April 23, 7:30pm
Perugia Press Showcase: Melody S. Gee, Carolina Hotchandani & Catherine Anderson
The Focal Point: 2720 Sutton Blvd, Maplewood, MO
$15
Tues, April 23, 7:30pm
Flex: Written by Candrice Jones
Penumbra Theatre: 270 N. Kent St, St. Paul, MN
$20
April 24-July 21, 2024
Dreaming Our Futures: Ojibwe and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ Artists and Knowledge Keepers
Rochester Art Center: 30 Civic Center Dr, SE STE 120, Rochester, MN
Free
Wed, April 24, 7pm
Granny Bingo Night: Disco Edition
Milwaukee Improv: 20110 Lower Union St, Brookfield, WI
$15
Wed, April 24, 9pm
TsuShiMaMiRe
Empty Bottle: 1035 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL
$10
April 25-September 29, 2024
Domestic Idols
Minneapolis Institute of Art: 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Thurs, April 25, 5:30-8pm
UIS Visual Arts Senior Student Exhibition
UIS Visual Arts Gallery: One University Plaza Health and Sciences Building, 201, Springfield, IL
Free
Thurs, April 25, 6-8pm
Last Chance Exhibition Tour Night: Peter Xiao: A Room That One Is In (And All Things In It)
FIGGE ART MUSEUM: 225 W Second St, Davenport, IA
Free
April 26, 2024
Exploring Double Consciousness
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: 315 E Warren Ave., Detroit, MI
Free
Fri, April 26, 6-8pm
John-Michael Korpal: A Year in the Life of a Tree
Warren Park: 2045 W Pratt Blvd, Chicago
Free
April 27-July 5, 2024
Sequence
Riffe Gallery: 77 S High St, Columbus, OH
Free
April 27-July 21, 2024
She blew up the art world.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: 4525 Oak St, Kansas City, MO
$22
Sat, April 27, 10am-4pm
16th Street Studios Spring Studio Open House
Racine Arts and Business Center: 1405 16th St, Racine, WI
Free
Sat, April 27, 7pm
Silvita Brown: Ellas y Yo Mexicanas
National Museum of Mexican Art: 1852 W 19th St, Chicago
$15
Sat, April 27, 7pm
John Harmon: Book Reading and Solo Piano Performance
Arts + Literature Laboratory: 111 . Livingston St, Suite 100, Madison, WI
$10-20
Sat, April 27, 7pm
The Best of Video Poetry 2024
Arts + Literature Laboratory: 111 . Livingston St, Suite 100, Madison, WI
$15
Sat, April 27, 7pm
Werk: Chicago’s Premiere Queer Comedy Show
The Lincoln Lodge: 2040 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
$12-16
Sat, April 27, 7:30-9pm
The Swans of Harlem: Reclaiming the History of Black Ballet
Francis W. Parker School: 330 W Webster Ave, Chicago
$0-25
Sun, April 28, 5pm
Standing Bear Opera
Cathedral Arts Project: 3900 Webster St, Omaha, NE
Free
April 28-October 13, 2024
Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution
Cleveland Museum of Art: 11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH
$0-15
April 29- May 10, 2024
Opening Passages: Photographers Respond to Chicago and Paris
BUILD Chicago: Austin Headquarters, 5100 W Harrison St, Chicago
Free
April 29- May 31, 2024
Charles Lee: Combing Out My Brain
James Memorial Art Center: 621 1st Avenue W, Williston, ND
Free
Mon, April 29, 6PM
Athletes and Activism
Penumbra Theatre: 270 N. Kent St, St. Paul, MN
$20
Closing April 7
UNCHARTED WAYS THROUGH: MAPS, LAND, AND THE IMAGE
Uncharted Ways Through: Maps, Land, and the Image
Grand Rapids Art Museum: 101 Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids, MI
$0-12
Ending April 14
Revolutionary Times
Flint Institute of Arts:1120 East Kearsley Street, Flint, MI
$0-10
Ending April 14
The Wisconsin Artists Biennial
Museum of Wisconsin Art:205 Veterans Ave, West Bend, WI
$15
Ending April 19
Thomas Rickers: Retrospective
Eide/Dalyrymple Gallery: 30th St. and South Grange Ave, Sioux Falls, SD
Free
Ending April 28
BORDER CANTOS | SONIC BORDER
Grand Rapids Art Museum: 101 Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids, MI
$0-12
Ongoing
Imani Elizabeth Jackson
Obsidian: Online
Free
Tues, April 2, 6:30-8:30pm
TANDA: Red Diaper Babies: Childhood in the League of Revolutionary Struggle by Maggie Wong
Chuquimarca: Online
Free
Wed, April 3, 12:30-1:30pm
Culture of Care with Rhonda Wheatley: Releasing the Past & Cutting Ties
Threewalls: Online
Free
Wed, April 3, 7:30pm
The Other Four Artist Talk
Weisman Art Museum: Online
Free
Wed, April 3, 6-8pm
Culture of Care with Rhonda Wheatley: Releasing the Past & Cutting Ties
Threewalls: Online
$40-50
Tues, April 9, 6:30-8:30pm
TANDA: Decolonizing Death: Lessons From Marronage, Black Spirituality, & Afrofuturism by sun-Lynn Hunter
Chuquimarca: Online
Free
Sun, April 14, 2-3pm
The Enthronement of Merchandise with the Aura of Amusement
Brunnier Art Museum: Online
Free
About the illustrator: Julia O’Brien was born and raised in Colorado before earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work explores how the body can hold histories and tell stories as the boundary between internal and external identity. She describes herself as an image maker and a storyteller who loves learning new skills and hearing silenced voices.
