Click here to get our Art Picks and latest articles delivered to your inbox monthly.

FEATURED

Mon, Dec 12, 6:30pm
Wrote One: A Gathering of Arts Writers + Media Makers in Chicago
Rootwork Gallery (645 W 18th)
Free

Wed, Dec 15, 6:30pm
Movement Matters: The Integral Necessity of Dance Criticism
High Concept Labs (2233 S. Throop St.)
$10 suggested, RSVP

---

December Art Picks

We update this list throughout the month, so check back often.

Fri, Dec 2, 6pm
Amor Fati (Opening Reception)
Anansi kNOwBody, Angela Davis Fegan, Bryan C. McVey, Cassandra Stadnicki, John Steck Jr., and Woomin Kim
Chicago Artists Coalition (217 N Carpenter St)
Free

Fri, Dec 2, 6pm
Preview 6: We’ve Met Before (Opening Reception)
Featuring Amanda Joy Calobrisi, Annette Hur, Ginger Krebs, Hương Ngô, Jeffrey Michael Austin, Juan Camilo Guzmán, Kaveri Raina, Luis Sahagun, Mayumi Lake, and Yvette Mayorga
Chicago Artists Coalition (217 N Carpenter St)
Free

Fri, Dec 2, 6pm
NEW AGE NOW: Art Auction
Featuring Claire Ashley, Rebecca Beachy, Rami George, Sofia Leiby, Heather Mekkelson, Michael Milano, Aay Preston-Myint, Edra Soto, Hui-min Tsen, Andrew Yang, and Philip von Zweck.
Sector 2337 + Green Lantern Press (2337 N Milwaukee Av)
$30-100

Dec 3 – 31st
iDon’t: Robert Burnier, Alex Chitty, Diego Leclery, Mican Morgan, Alison Ruttan, Chris Smith, Jenn Smith
Slow (2153 W  21st St)
Free

Runs through April 2, 2017
Art AIDS America Chicago
Alphawood Gallery (2401 N Halsted St)
Free

Featured Programs:
Sat, Dec 3, 10am – 1pm
Opening Lectures, Panels + Performances
with Avery R Young and Joseph Ravens
Alphawood Gallery (2401 N Halsted St)
Free

Dec 9 – Dec 17
Queer, Ill + Okay
Oracle Productions (1802 W Berenice)
Free

Dec 3-4, 11am – 6pm
Renegade Craft Fair
Bridgeport Art Center (1200 West 35th St)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 3pm
Bystander Intervention and De-Escalation Tactics Workshop with Jes Skolnik
Elastic Arts (3429 W Diversey #208)
Free

Dec 3, 11-5pm, Dec 4, 12pm
Holiday Pop-Up Market
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art (756 N Milwaukee Av)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 12-1pm
Hoyun Son Richter + Josh Rios in Conversation
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington St)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 12-2pm
Taller de derechos/Know your rights workshop
Rudy Lozano Chicago Public Library (1805 S Loomis St)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 2-3pm
Animated Kwanzaa films by Carol Munday Lawrence
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts  (915 E 60th St)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 2-4pm
Agonizing, then Organizing Round 2
Grace Episcopal Church (637 S Dearborn)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 6-9pm
Glyph // Mairead Case, Lindsay Deifik, and Laura Judkis
ACRE (1345 W. 19th St)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 6-9pm
Sweet Betweens
Hume (3242 W Armitage Ave)
Free

Sat, Dec 3, 7:30pm; Sun, Dec 4, 2pm
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater 20th Anniversary Kickoff Performance
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
$45-$150, Get Tickets

Sat, Dec 3, 8pm
KRAMPUSNACHT
Co-Prosperity Sphere (3219 S Morgan St)
Free

Sun, Dec 4th, 12pm
[Old/New] Psychedelic Providence
Tiger Strikes Asteroid Chicago (319 N Albany)
Free

Sun, Dec 4 – Feb 19, 2017
Jan Tichy: Installation No. 21
Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S. Cornell Av)
Free

Sun, Dec 4, 12pm
Grabadolandia
National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W 19th St)
Free, but bring yo $$

Sun, Dec 4, 3-6pm (Artist talk at 5pm)
Good Machines: Taylor Hokanson, Richard Holland, Eric Lunde, Niki Passath, Jesse Seay, & Philip von Zweck
The Riverside Arts Center Freeark Gallery + Sculpture Garden (32 East Quincy St, Riverside)
Free

Sun, Dec 4, 1pm
Gil Riley: Arena
Julius Cæsar (3311 W Carroll Ave)
Free

Sun, Dec 4, 3-4:30pm
Robyn C. Spencer – “The Revolution Has Come” – Jane Rhodes
The Seminary Co-op Bookstores (5751 S Woodlawn Ave)
Free

Mon, Dec 5, 6pm
Love Liberation: 50 Years of Black Panther Party History
Saieh Hall for Economics (5757 S University Av)
Free

Mon, Dec 5, 8:30pm
Salonathon: Beholder
Beauty Bar Chicago (1444 W. Chicago Av)
Free, RSVP

Tue, Dec 6, 6pm
MCA Talk: The Rational Dress Society presents A History of Count
Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E Chicago Av)
Free

Wed, Dec 7, 7pm
How To Make It In Chicago
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel (12 S Michigan Ave)
Free

Wed, Dec 7, 6pm
Community Organizing Series: Strategy & Campaign Development
Chicago Freedom School (719 S State St)
$35 at the door, dinner provided

Wed, Dec 7, 5:30pm
Artists’ Guide to Mental Health
Chicago Artists Coalition (217 N Carpenter St)
$5, Get Tickets

Dec 7-10th
Second Annual Festival of Poets Theater
Links Hall (3111 N Western Av) + Sector 2337 (2337 N Milwaukee Av) 
$10-30, Get Tickets

Wed, Dec 7, 7pm
DJ Ayana Contreras
Boleo (122 W. Monroe Street, 15th Fl)
Free

Wed, Dec 7, 9pm
Enthralling Cavalcade of Remarkable Anybodies, Special Somebodies, and Incredible Everybodies
The Empty Bottle (1035 N Western Av)
$5

Wed, Dec 7, 7:30pm
Live Talk: Don’t Mourn, Organize
Uncommon Ground (1401 W Devon Av)
$12, Get Tickets

Thur, Dec 8, 6pm
Artist Talk with Designer Norman Teague
Blanc Gallery (4445 S King Dr)
Free

Thur, Dec 8, 8pm
Zine Fest Karaoke Fundraiser
Beauty Bar Chicago (1444 W Chicago)
$5

Thurs, Dec 8, 8pm
Therapy Sessions
Hungry Brain (2319 W Belmont Av)
Free

Thur, Dec 8, 7pm
American in Transition: Official Launch Party
Reunion (2557 W North Ave)
$10-20 at the door

Fri, Dec 9, 6pm
The Leaving: An Exhibition of Taking and Leaving Behind
Work by Andrea R. Sanchez
Rootwork Gallery (645 W 18th St)
Free

Fri, Dec 9, 7pm
Car Town
Adventureland Gallery (1513 N Western Ave)
Free

Fri, Dec 9, 7pm
The Crisis of Representation, Illustrated with Plants + Flowers
Curated by Hamza Walker
Fernwey Gallery (916 N Damen Ave)
Free

Fri, Dec 9, 7pm
AMFM Presents: The Jazz Series Holidaze
La Catrina Cafe (1011 W 18th St)
$5

Fri, Dec 9, 6pm
Being There
ADDS DONNA (3252 West North Avenue)
Free

Fri, Dec 9, 2pm
Lecture: Delinda Collier
Art Institute of Chicago (111 S Michigan Av, Price Auditorium)
Free with museum admission

Fri, Dec 9, 7pm
Lana Crooks & Andrew Bell – Opening Reception
Rotofugi Designer Toy Store & Gallery (2780 N Lincoln Av)
Free

Fri, Dec 9, 7pm
Not Just Another Pretty Face
Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S Cornell Av)
$35

Fri, Dec 9, 5pm, Sat Dec 10, 10am
Outsider, Ethnographic and Folk Art Pop-Up Sale
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art (756 N Milwaukee Av)
Free

Fri, Dec 9, 6-10pm
Make/Sale
Chicago Art Department (1932 S Halsted St)
Free

Fri, Dec 9, 8:30pm
Orisha Dance Chicago with Iré Elese Abure – Global Dance Party
Old Town School of Folk Music (4545 N Lincoln Ave)
$12, Get Tickets

Fri, Dec 9 – Sun, Dec 11
Harlem Fine Art Show Chicago
Life Creative (1655 W Walnut St)
$20 – $50, Get Tickets

Sat, Dec 10
Welcome to The End
The Franklin (3522 W Franklin)
Free

Dec 10-11, 3pm each day
VOICES HEARD: Expressions Of Visionary Black Women
A 2 Day Festival curated by Nicolle Mitchell
The Promontory (5311 S Lake Park Ave)
$10-20, Get Tickets

Dec 10-11, 1-5pm each day
Vends + Vibes 2016: An Arts Marketplace
Arts + Public Life (301 E Garfield Blvd)
Free

Sat, Dec 10, 12pm
Merry Mercado
The Mission (1431 W Chicago Av)
Free

Sat, Dec 10, 5pm
Black + Brown: AfroQbano, Jennifer Ligaya, Viktor le. Givens, and Sherwin Ovid 
Currency Exchange Cafe
Free

Sat, Dec 10, 6pm
Prints of Unusual Size Opening Reception
Hoofprint Workshop (2433 S. Oakley Av)
Free

Sat, Dec 10, 6:30pm
The Science of Walking Through Windows, Barry Dwyer
Elephant Room Gallery – South Loop (704 S Wabash Ave)
Free

Sat, Dec 10, 1-3pm
CD Wu
Shane Campbell Gallery (2021 S Wabash)
Free

Sat, Dec 10, 2pm
Artist Talk: Edgar Arceneaux
Depaul Art Museum (935 West Fullerton Av)
Free

Sat, Dec 10, 9pm
Artform: Discussion/Exhibit/Loft Party
Elastic Arts (3429 W Diversey)
$10, Get Tickets

Sun, Dec 11, 11am
Chicago Intersectionality Action Committee Meeting
Schubas (3159 N. Southport Av)
Free

Sun, Dec 11, 5pm
Etc Records + Dark Matter Series Presents: Electronic Buffet
Elastic Arts (3429 W Diversey #208)
$5

Sun, Dec 11, 8:30pm
Séance, V. 13: We Call Forth America, the living
Iceberg Projects (7714 N Sheridan Rd.)
Free

Sun, Dec 11, 12pm
Beauty Breaks: Session 7 | Affirmations
F4F (2846 W 21st St)
Free
**Beauty Breaks is EXCLUSIVELY for black-identified folks, folks of the African diaspora and Afrodesciendentes.**

Mon, Dec 12, 8pm
Kahil El’ Zabar, David Murray and Harrison Bankhead
HotHouse presents at the Alhambra Palace Restaurant (1240 West Randolph)
$25, Get Tickets

Tue, Dec 13, 5pm
Making Matters, Hosted by Rape Victim Advocates
The Awakenings Foundation (4001 N Ravenswood Av)
Free

Tue, Dec 13, 6pm
MCA Talk: Kimberly Drew and Rashayla Marie Brown
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E Chicago Av)
Free

Tue, Dec 13, 6pm
Observe, Experiment, Speculate: Parsons & Charlesworth in Conversation
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington St)
Free

Wed, Dec 14, 8pm
GrindHouse: Decadent Asylum & Silverhead
Comfort Film (2579 N Milwaukee Av)
Free

Fri, Dec 16, 6pm
Embroidered 13: Pop-up Show
Featuring Alice Lam, Brooks Golden, Brian Steckel, CHema Skandal!, Cujo Dah, Johnny Sampson, KASHINK, Max Sansing, Randi Drozd, Thor Goodlife, Tom Bold & Uriel Correa.
Pilsen Outpost (1958 W 21st St)
Free