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. Any events highlighted in green are and events the editorial team is excited to see. 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.
Click a button below to jump to a specific week of events.
November 1-30, 2023
PALESTINIAN VOICES Free Film Screenings
Arab Film and Media Institute: Online
Free
Wed, November 1,6-7:30pm
Native Futures: Le’Ana Asher and Lydia Cheshewalla
40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston
Free
Thurs, November 2, 6-9pm
Fall Party
Plains Art Museum: 704 First Ave N Fargo, ND
Free
Thurs, November 2, 7-9pm(EST)
Broad Underground: Record, Recollect, Repatriate
MSU Wells Hall: 619 Red Cedar Rd, East Lansing, MI
Free
November 3 – 16, 2023
29th Black Harvest Film Festival
Gene Siskel Film Center: 164 N. State Street, Chicago
Tickets Required
Fri, November 3, 5-8pm
1/24th Light Over Light
Volume Gallery: 1709 Chicago Ave 2nd floor, Chicago
Free
Fri, November 3, 5-10pm(EST)
Opening Celebration of Terri Sisson Park
Tube Factory artspace: 1125 Cruft St, Indianapolis, IN
Free
Fri, November 3, 5-8pm(EST)
Dia de los Muertos Celebration
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI
Free
Fri, November 3, 5-8pm(EST)
OPEN SPACE: ART ABOUT THE LAND
The Anderson Museum of Art: 32 W 10th St, Anderson, IN
Free
Fri, November 3, 5-8pm
November First Friday Event
The Burkholder Project: 719 P St, Lincoln, NE
Free
Fri, November 3, 6pm
PORTRAITS
The Pharmacy Gallery & Art Space: 623 E Adams St, Springfield, IL
Free
Fri, November 3, 6-7pm
Conversation: The Intersection of Contemporary Art and Hip Hop
Saint Louis Art Museum: One Fine Arts Dr, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO
Free
Fri, November 3, 6-9pm
Then and Now
Artists’ Cooperative Gallery: 405 S 11th St, Omaha, NE
Free
Fri, November 3, 7-8:30pm
Following My Spirit Home: Sam Zimmerman
Birchbark Bizhiw: 1629 Hennepin Ave, #275 Minneapolis, MN
Free
Sat, November 4, 3-5pm
THE WRITER’S ROOM: A Town Hall on Dance + Performance Writing
Online + at Blanc Gallery: 4445 S. Dr. MLK Drive, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 4, 1pm
ArtSmart: The Art of Collages with Diasporal Rhythms
Navy Pier: 600 E Grand, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 4, 1-3pm
DR. BURROUGHS LEGACY DAY
South Side Community Art Center: 3831 Michigan Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 4, 2-5pm
Shamiana: Grow & Gather
Devon & Artesian, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 4, 2pm
Game Misconduct book signing
Macy’s State Street: 111 N State St, Lower Level, Chicago, IL
Free
Sat, November 4, 4-7pm
Waveforms
High Concept Labs: 2233 S Throop St, 4th Floor, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 4, 6-8pm
Kiki—A Sky of Changing Lights… Book Launch & Reading
Chicago Art Department: 1926 S Halsted St, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 4, 6-9:30pm
Little Lizard w/ Vanity Plate, Ghouls and Parliament Lite
The Aquarium: 226 Broadway N, Fargo, ND
$10-12
Sat, November 4, 6-9pm
Vice Grip
LVL3: 1542 N Milkwaukee Ave, 3rd floor, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 4, 7pm
Philip Daniel Concert
The Golden Husk: 129 S 16th St, Ord, NE
$12-100
Sat, November 4, 7pm-12am
Heaven Gallery Annual Benefit 2023: Becoming!
Heaven Gallery: 1550 N Milwaukee Ave, #2, Chicago
$30-40
Sun, November 5, 1-3pm
Vice Grip
High Concept Labs: Online
Free
Sun, November 5, 2pm(EST)
Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos—Artist Talk
Detroit Institute of Arts: 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
Free
Sun, November 5, 3-5pm
Sean Noonan and Alberte Tranberg: A Net for Catching Days
Devening Projects: 3039 W Carroll Ave, Chicago
Free
Mon, November 6, 6-7:30pm
There’re Worse Things Than Being Dead
East Peoria Campus, Academic Building: 1 College Dr, East Peoria, IL
Free
Tues, November 7, 1-2:30pm(EST)
Gallery Chat: Underneath Everything
Grand Rapids Art Museum: 101 Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids, MI
Free
Wed, November 8, 10:30am
Joslyn Around Town
Omaha Public Library, Abrahams Branch: 5111 N 90th St, Omaha, NE
Free
Wed, November 8, 3-5pm(EST)
Dementia Friendly Film Series
Dementia Friendly Bloomington: 505 W 4th St. Bloomington, IN
Free
Wed, November 8, 5:30-7pm
Chicago Underwater: The Impacts of Flooding
Gallery 400: 400 S Peoria St, Chicago
Free
Wed, November 8, 7pm
GEOFF MCFETRIDGE: DRAWING A LIFE
The Trylon Cinema: 2820 E 33rd St, Minneapolis, MN
$15
Wed, November 8, 7-8pm
Queer Book Club
Quatrefoil Library: 1220 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Thurs, November 9, 5-7pm
Rhonda Wheatley: There Are Universes…
Glass Curtain Gallery: 1104 S Wabash Ave, Chicago
Free
Thurs, November 9, 6-8pm
Thirsty Thursdays at the Blue Rider
Blue Rider: 118 1st Ave, Southeast Minot, ND
Free
Thurs, November 9, 8-9pm
Live @ LOW END | Marc Vilanova
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: 724 S. 12th St, Omaha, NE
Free
November 10, 2023- January 5, 2024
Derrick Woods-Morrow: Scirocco – Arifi: Where the Sand Meets the Sea
ENGAGE-Projects: 864 N Ashland Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, November 10, 6-9pm
Courtney Mackedanz: Bad Pasture
Roman Susan: 1224 W Loyola Ave, Chicago
Free
Fri, November 10, 7:30pm
Hasta La Muerte: A Day of the Dead show by Las Cafeteras
ORPHEUM THEATER: 409 S 16th St, Omaha, NE
$22
Fri, November 10, 7:30pm
Bette Smith
HOLLAND MUSIC CLUB: 1200 Douglas St, Omaha, NE
$15-30
Fri, November 10, 8pm
Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival Day One : Takashi Shallow, Devon Osamu Tipp
Elastic Arts: 3429 W Diversey Ave, #208, Chicago
$15
Fri, November 10, 8pm(EST)
Soul Clap – Open to Close
Spot Lite Detroit: 2905 Beaufait St #4, Detroit, MI
$20-25
Sat Nov 11, 5-7:30pm
Dialogues
Patron Gallery: 1612 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
Free
November 11-December 16, 2023
INTER/INTRA (2023)
Camp Washington: 2940 Colerain Ave, Cincinnati, OH
Free
November 11, 2023- February 25, 2024
Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship 2023
Eiteljorg Museum: 500 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN
Free
November 11, 2023- March 4, 2024
Candace Hunter: The Alien-Nations and Sovereign States of Octavia E Butler
Hyde Park Art Center: 5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 11, 11am-3pm
The Art of Pysanky with Kathleen Nepsha-Suchok-Eich
TMORA: 5500 Stevens Ave, Minneapolis, MN
Free
Sat, November 11, 2-3:30pm
Kid’s Day: Indigenous Lifeways in the Central Illinois River Valley
Dickson Mounds Museum: 10956 N Dickson Mounds Rd, Lewistown, IL
Free
Sat, November 11, 2-4pm
On the Homestead — Judy Thompson
Bone Creek Art Museum: 575 E Street, David City, NE
Free
Sat, November 11, 3-4pm
Book Launch: Microbium: The Neglected Lives of Micro-Matter
The Seminary Co-op Bookstore: 5751 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 11, 7-9pm
Big Fish
Devonshire Cultural Center: 4400 Greenwood St, Skokie, IL
$15-20
November 12-December 14, 2023
Katie Vasbinder: Flow & Pop
Bismarck State College Galleries: 1500 Edwards Ave, Bismarck, ND
Free
Sun, November 12, 2:30pm
WITH PETER BRADLEY
The Trylon Cinema: 2820 E 33rd St, Minneapolis, MN
$15
Sun, November 12, 7-9:30pm
Dirty Laundry: a night of film & immersive storytelling by Gina Cornejo
The Martin: 2500 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
$15-25
Tues, November 14, 7-8:30pm
Before Roads and Rails: Waterways to the Midwest
Online
Free
Wed, November 15, 7-9pm
Get Lit. Open Mic Night
Lit. on Fire Books: 712 W Main St, Peoria, IL
Free
Wed, November 15, 7:30pm
Juliann Wang ‘Notes in the Wind’ 16-Channel Listening Experience
Elastic Arts: 3429 W Diversey Ave, #208, Chicago
$15
Thurs, November 16, 2023
The Future Is Not What It Used To Be: ArtsLink Assembly 2023
Experimental Station: 6100 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago
Registration Required
November 16, 2023
Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Thanksgiving Luncheon
Peoria Civic Center: 201 SW Jefferson Ave,Peoria, IL
Free
November 16, 2023
Form, Growth, and Variation: The Experimental Prints of Helen Phillips
Wright Museum of Art: 700 College St, Beloit, WI
Free
Thurs, November 16, 6-7:30pm(EST)
Artist Performance: Access Hollywood: Pure Michigan
MSU Broad Art Museum: 547 E Circle Dr, East Lansing, MI
Free
Thurs, November 16, 7-9pm
The Loft’s Fall 2023 Student Reading
The Loft at Open Book: 1011 Washington Ave, South Minneapolis, MN
Free
Thurs, November 16, 8-9pm
Live @ LOW END | M34N STR33T
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: 724 S. 12th St, Omaha, NE
Free
November 17-19, 2023
Orlando: My Political Biography
Detroit Film Theatre: 5200 Woodward Ave,, Detroit, MI
Free
November 17, 2023-January 7, 2024
Dan Jones: Changing Seasons
The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum: 521 Main Ave, Moorhead, MN
Free
Fri, November 17, 9am-5:30pm
Friends of the Library Book Sale
Urbana Free Library: 201 W Green St, Urbana, IL
Free
Fri, November 17, 4pm
Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson
Center for Great Plains Studies: 1155 Q St, Lincoln, NE
Free
Fri, November 17, 6pm
THE VULNERABLES: An Evening With SIGRID NUNEZ
A Room of One’s Own: 2717 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI
Free
Fri, November 17, 7pm(EST)
Friday Night Live! Sunitha Anathaswamy and Xiao Dong Wei
Rivera Court: 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
Free
Fri, November 17, 7-9pm(EST)
Akea Brionne
Library Street Collective: 1274 Library St (Alley), Detroit, MI
Free
Fri, November 17, 7-11pm
CPS Lives, Class of 2023 Vol. II
Heaven Gallery: 1550 N Milwaukee Ave, #2, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 18, 2pm(EST)
Stories and Dances of the Ho-Chunk Nation
Rivera Court: 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
Free
Sat, November 18, 6-9pm
HOMOGENEOUS HUES
The Bridgeport Art Center: 1200 W 35th St, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 18, 6-9pm
POP!
The Bridgeport Art Center: 1200 W 35th St, Chicago
Free
Sat, November 18, 6:30-8:30pm
Justin Henry Miller: Regards From The Black Hole
Contemporary Art Center of Peoria: 305 SW Water St, Peoria, IL
Free
Sun, November 19, 2-4pm
Illinois Archaeology Lecture Series
Dickson Mounds Museum: 10956 N Dickson Mounds Rd, Lewistown, IL
Free
Fri, November 24, 7pm(EST)
Friday Night Live! Odu Afrobeat Orchestra
Rivera Court: 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
Free
November 28, 2023 – March 30, 2024
Indigenous Portraits Unbound
Newberry Library: 60 West Walton Street, Chicago
Free
Wed, November 29, 6-7:30pm(EST)
Power of Influence: The Intersection of Arts and Sports for Social Change
MSU Broad Art Museum: 547 E Circle Dr, East Lansing, MI
Free
Wed, November 29, 7:30pm
Black Nativity: Written by Langston Hughes
Penumbra Theatre: 270 N. Kent St, St. Paul, MN
$20
Thurs, November 30, 12-2pm
Beyond Access: Disability and Urban Design
Art Design Chicago: 2233 S. Throop (Mana Contemporary)
Free
Through December 10
James Kao : Thicket
Chinese American Museum of Chicago: 238 West 23rd St
Free
About the illustrator: Diana C Pietrzyk is a multidimensional creative from Chicago with a love for things that twinkle and glow. She explores her passion through illustration, painting, photography, graphic design and animation. Her style is very colorful, fun and glows.
