Our Art Picks are created in collaboration with The Visualist, Chicago’s leading visual arts calendar, and cross-promoted through Windy City Times, one of the longest locally-published LGBTQ weeklies with a national reach. Click here to get our Art Picks and latest articles delivered to your inbox monthly.
This is a growing list, so check back often for new additions.
Featured
Thur, October 5, 9-5pm
Symposium: Alternative Histories, Alternative Archives
Co-Prosperity Sphere (3219 S Morgan St)
Free
Fri, October 6, 6-8pm
Carlos Matallana: Brea
Build Coffee (6100 S Blackstone Av)
Free
Fri, October 6, 6-9pm
Homecoming
Curated by Sabrina E Greig
ACRE Projects (1345 W 19th St)
Free
Tues, October 17, 6:30-8pm
The Role of Cultural Institutions in Decolonizing History and Historical Narratives
A Sixty Panel for the Chicago Architecture Biennial featuring Heather Miller and Dave Spencer from the American Indian Center.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington St), 1st Floor Room for Books
Free
Tues, October 24, 6:30-8pm
Cultural Memory, Erasure, and Chicago’s Public Art
A Sixty Panel for the Chicago Architecture Biennial featuring Juarez Hawkins (Artist, curator at Chicago State University), Caroline O’Boyle (Trust for Public Land, The 606), and Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes (Artist, The Brown Wall Project)
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington St), 1st Floor Room for Books
Free
October Art Picks
Sat, September 30 – November 15
Terrain Biennial | Outpost at Enos Park w/ DEMO Projects
Enos Park, Springfield
Free
October 1-29, 2017
Inherit Chicago w/ Chicago Cultural Alliance
Various locations around Chicago
Free
Sun, October 1, 12-3pm
Love and Protect Art Party
In These Times (2040 N Milwaukee Ave)
Free
Sun, October 1, 2-6pm
AMFM Soul Sunday
AMFM Gallery (2151 W 21st St)
Free
Sun, October 1, 2-6pm
Enemy Kitchen
Museum of Contemporary Arts Chicago (220 E Chicago Ave)
Free
Sun, October 1, 2-7pm
Terrain Biennial Kick-Off
Terrain Exhibitions (704 Highland Ave and various locations)
Free
Sun, October 1, 2-3:30pm
Hungry for Stories #8 — Frugal Poets’ Guide to Life feat. Cynthia Gallaher
Read/Write Library Chicago (914 N California Ave)
Free
Sun, October 1, 2-7pm
Andy Young: En Garde N
Terrain Biennial at 520 Wesley Ave
Free
Sun, October 1, 2-7pm
Terrain Biennial at 5909 W Race Ave
The Kaczynski Home (5909 W Race Ave)
Free
Sun, October 1, 3-4pm
CROWD OUT: The Performance
Millennium Park (201 E Randolph St)
Free
Sun, October 1, 3-6pm
Conundrum Conversation No Safety in Silence
Phantom Gallery Chicago Network (436 E 47th St)
Free
Sun, October 1, 4-6pm
Closing: Eretz HaKodesh, Eretz HaChalul (Holy Land, Hollow Land)
Hume Chicago (3242 W Armitage Ave)
Free
Sun, October 1, 4-6pm
William Camargo: We Fed Them Cactus
Mathis Gallery University of Wisconsin Parkside (900 Wood Road, Kenosha)
Free
Mon, October 2, 7-9pm
First Monday Jazz: Kenya McGuire Johnson
Currency Exchange Café (305 E Garfield Blvd)
Free
Tues, October 3, 6-7:30pm
In Progress: Coriama Couture with Felicia Holman
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E Chicago Ave)
Free
Tues, October 3, 8-11pm
Kiara Lanier’s EP Listening Party
Silent Funny (4106-08 W Chicago Ave)
Free
Wed, October 4, 4:30-5:30pm
Checks and Balances
Loyola University Chicago Mundelein Center for Fine and Performing Arts (1020 W Sheridan Rd)
Free
Wed, October 4, 4:30-7pm
La Pasión del Artista
Christopher Art Gallery at Prairie State College (202 S Halsted St, Chicago Heights)
Free
Wed, October 4, 5:30-7pm
Literary Horizons & Cross-Cultural Contact
Newberry Library (60 W Walton St)
Free
Wed, October 4, 6-7pm
Tropical Malady: Queerness and Political Critique in the Cinema of Apichatpong Weerasethakul
McLean Ballroom at SAIC (112 S Michigan Ave)
Free
Wed, October 4, 6-7pm
Full moon breathwork and meditation
Plus Gallery Chicago (1800 W 18th St 1R)
$5-15
Wed, October 4, 6-7pm
Love and Then Some: 1960s Protest and Liberation, Civil & Human
Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr)
Free
Wed, October 4, 6-8pm
Matter/Structure/Architecture
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
Wed, October 4, 6-8:30pm
#NoCopAcademy! Art Making Party
Grace Episcopal Church (637 S Dearborn St)
Free
Wed, October 4, 6:30-8:30pm
Self-Care for the Cultural Worker
Bourgeois Pig Cafe (738 W Fullerton Ave)
Free
October 5-8
Marc Bamuthi Joseph: /peh-LO-tah/—a futbol framed freedom suite . . .
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E Chicago Ave)
$10-30
Thurs, October 5, 12-1pm
Adaptive Reuse: Before it was Hip
DuSable Museum of African American History (740 E 56th Pl)
Free
Thurs, October 5, 6-7:30pm
Thinging Bodies presented by Danny Giles
Gallery 400 (400 S Peoria St)
Free
Thurs, October 5, 6:30-8:30pm
Understanding Indigenous Roots: An Intercultural Discourse
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (3001 Central St, Evanston)
$12
Thurs, October 5, 6:30-8:30pm
Collected Voices Film Fest: Opening Night
The Silver Room (1506 E 53rd St)
$10
Thurs, October 5, 9pm-2am
Party Noire Presents: Pussy Power IV
The Promontory (5311 S Lake Park Ave W)
Free
October 6-8, 2017
Chicago South Side Film Festival
Studio Movie Grill (210 W 87th St)
$16-40
October 6-8, 2017
Evanston Public Library Storytelling Festival
Evanston Public Library and 5 downtown Evanston venues
Free
Fri, October 6, 3-6pm
What I Learned About Healing, Performance by Matt Bodett
Gallery 400 (400 South Peoria Street)
Free
Fri, October 6, 5-7pm
Artists of Expressions
Carbondale Community Arts (304 W Walnut St, Carbondale)
Free
Fri, October 6, 6-9pm
A is for Artist
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (2320 W Chicago Ave)
Free
Fri, October 6, 6-9pm
Hương Ngô: And the state of emergency is also always a state of emergence
Chicago Artists Coalition (217 N Carpenter St)
Free
Fri, October 6, 6-9pm
A Rainbow in Curved Air
Chicago Artists Coalition (217 N Carpenter St)
Free
Fri, October 6, 7-9pm
Songs of Innocence and Experience: 1960s Rock & Roll Films
Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr)
Free
Sat, October 7, 12-1pm
Call + Response at the Floating Museum
Polk Brothers Park at Navy Pier
Free
Sat, October 7, 11am-3pm
Opening Closings: Reactivating Closed Chicago Public Schools
Former Anthony Overton Elementary School (4927 S Indiana Ave)
Free
Sat, October 7, 11:30am-11:30pm
Logan Five Year Bash
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
Sat, October 7, 6-9pm
Print Factory Art Party: 10th Anniversary Benefit for Spudnik!
Spudnik Press Cooperative (1821 W Hubbard)
$20-100
Sat, October 7, 2-3pm
Thiago de Paula Souza, Curator Talk
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
Sat, October 7, 2-4pm
Cauleen Smith: If Thoughts could Heal
DuSable Museum of African American History (740 E 56th Pl)
Free
Sat, October 7, 4-5:30pm
Misty De Berry: little sister: An Afro Temporal Solo-Play
Threewalls (2738 W North Ave)
Free
Sat, October 7, 5-7pm
Moss Def L. and Erin Smego and Heidi Wiren Bartlett
Ignition project space (3839 W Grand Ave)
Free
Sun, October 8, 11am-2pm
Pond Restoration Walk with Deep Time Chicago + Studio Gang
Lincoln Park Nature Boardwalk (2001 N Clark St)
Free
Sun, October 8, 1-5pm
The Meet Up
La Catrina Cafe (1011 W 18th St)
Free
Sun, October 8, 2-5pm
Altered Translation – closing event
Corner (2912 N Milwaukee Ave)
Free
Sun, October 8, 2-4:30pm
Female Power Models in Indian and Greek Mythology
National Hellenic Museum (333 S Halsted St)
Free
Sun, October 8, 3-4:30pm
Eve L. Ewing in conversation with Hanif Abdurraqib
The Seminary Co-op Bookstores (5751 S Woodlawn Ave)
Free
Sun, October 8, 8-10pm
Quintessence of Vibrancy
Filmfront (1740 W 18th St)
Free
Mon, October 9 – 14, 2017
Black Arts International: Temporalities & Territories
Northwestern University, various locations
Free, some RSVP required
Mon, October 9, 6-9pm
ChiResists: A Decolonial Open Mic
La Catrina Cafe (1011 W 18th St)
Free
Wed, October 11, 3-4pm
Seeing Space: Conversation with an Astrophysicist
SAIC Sullivan Galleries (33 S State St)
Free
Wed, October 11, 4:30-7:30pm
Raul Ortiz: Ash Tree on Pink Sky
Big Walls Gallery at Governors State University (1 University Parkway, University Park)
Free
Wed, October 11, 7-9pm
Candlelight gentle yoga, open level
Plus Gallery Chicago (1800 W 18th St 1R)
$5-15
Thurs, October 12, 7-9pm
Structure as Poetry
Ace Hotel Chicago (311 N Morgan St)
Free
Thurs, October 12, 7-10pm
Lost and Found: Exploring Dyke Spaces of the 70s & 80s
Reunion Chicago (2557 W North Ave)
Free
Thurs, October 12, 5-7pm
Disruptive Perspectives
Museum of Contemporary Photography (600 S Michigan Ave)
Free
Thurs, October 12, 6-8pm
West Side Arts: Claiming and Reclaiming Space
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum (800 S Halsted St)
Free
Thurs, October 12, 6-7pm
Greg Tate and Cauleen Smith
The Art Institute of Chicago (111 S Michigan Ave)
Free
Thurs, October 12, 6-9pm
I ‘Heart’ ART 2017
Stony Island Arts Bank (6760 S Stony Island Ave)
Free
Thurs, October 12-14, 7:30pm
Reggie Wilson / Fist + Heel Performance Group: CITIZEN
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (1306 S Michigan Ave)
$10-30
October 13-19, 2017
Returns: the First of Three Programmatic Explorations of Pan-Africanism
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free, for speaker info and to explore the year-long online platform for the project, click here.
October 13-15, 2017
Logan Center Bluesfest
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
Fri, October 13, 6-10pm
Opening: Altar Call. The Architecture of Black Sacred Space
Rootwork Gallery (645 W 18th St.)
Free
Fri, October 13, 6-7pm
MCA Talk: Vince Staples
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E Chicago Ave)
$10-20
Fri, October 13, 6-9pm
Jesse Malmed & Derrick Woods-Morrow “Flat Rate Shipping”
Roots & Culture (1034 N Milwaukee Av)
Free
Fri, October 13, 6:30-8:30pm
Returns: Chicago’s Africa: Identity, Scholarship and Politics
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
Fri, October 13, 7-9pm
Common Threads: Chinese, Haitian, and Ukrainian Fashion Connections
Ukrainian National Museum (2249 W Superior St)
$10
Sat, October 14, 12:45-5pm
Returns: Panel Discussions
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
Sat, October 14, 6-9pm
For the Wanderer
The Franklin (3522 W. Franklin Blvd.)
Free
Sat, October 14, 1-5pm
Behind the Mask: Real Me
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art (756 N Milwaukee Ave)
$15
Sat, October 14, 9am-4pm
Closing Reception for Self-Reliance Library
Compound Yellow (244 Lake Street, Oak Park)
Free
Sat, October 14, 2-3pm
Obama Presidential Center Panel
DuSable Museum of African American History (740 E 56th Pl)
Free
Sat, October 14, 4-7pm
Passing Time: (In)significant Moments
SAIC Sullivan Galleries (33 S State St)
Free
Sat, October 14, 8:30pm-12am
2017 Gala After Party
Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S Cornell Ave)
$70-80
Tue, October 15, 3-5pm
Understanding Indigenous Roots: An Intercultural Discourse (Part II)
South Side Community Art Center (3831 S Michigan Ave)
Free
Mon, October 16, 7-8:30pm
The State of Our Union: What does it mean to be American today?
Harris Theater (205 E Randolph St)
$15
Mon, October 16, 6-7:30pm
Mark Dion Lecture
The Art Institute of Chicago, Rubloff Auditorium (230 S Columbus Dr)
Free
Mon, October 16, 6:30-8:30pm
Screening: I Am Not Your Negro
Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr)
Free
October 17-21
Lit & Luz Festival 2017
various locations
$0-100
Tues, October 17, 6-8pm
Amanda Williams
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E Chicago Ave)
Free
Tues, October 17, 7-10pm
Lit & Luz Festival Kick-off + Earthquake Recovery Fundraiser
Ace Hotel Chicago (311 N Morgan St)
Free
Wed, October 18, 11am-12:30pm
Immigration Dialogue through Mural Art
UIC Latino Cultural Center (803 S Morgan St)
$15
Wed, October 18, 12-1:15pm
Legacy of Activism: Chicago’s Generations of Dissent
Morningstar (22 W Washington St)
$15
Wed, October 18, 5:30-6:45pm
The Fight for a Black Middle Class
Morningstar (22 W Washington St)
$15
Wed, October 18, 6-9pm
David Hartt: in the forest
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts (4 W Burton Pl)
Free
Wed, October 18, 7-8pm
Potluck, circle and intention setting
Plus Gallery Chicago (1800 W 18th St 1R)
Free
Thurs, October 19, 4-6pm
Take a Stand: An Exclusive Tour of the Illinois Holocaust Museum’s New Exhibit
Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center (9603 Woods Dr, Skokie)
$15
Thurs, October 19, 6:15-8:15pm
Chicago International Film Fest: Rogers Park
AMC River East 21 (322 E Illinois St)
$8-20
Thurs, October 19, 6pm
A Memory Palace of Fear
Silent Funny (4106 W Chicago Ave)
$10-20
Thurs, October 19, 6-7pm
NIC Kay: Screamin Limbs (A Conversation with Senga Nengudi’s Improvisational Gestures)
DePaul Art Museum (935 W Fullerton Ave)
Free
Thurs, October 19, 6pm
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: Chicago Public Art Group’s Fundraiser Celebration
The Chicago Center for Arts & Technology (1701 W. 13th St.)
$25-75
Thurs, October 19, 6-7pm
Conversation: The Art of Purvis Young
Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr)
Free
Thurs, October 19, 6-8pm
Returns: Roundtable with Françoise Vergés
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
Thurs, October 19, 7-9pm
En Español: Poetry, Prose, and Polemics
Sector 2337 + The Green Lantern Press (2337 N Milwaukee Ave)
Free
Thurs, October 19, 7:30-9:30pm
How the Arts Affect Neighborhoods
Beverly Arts Center (2407 S Kedzie Ave)
Free
October 20-21, 2017
2017 18th Street Pilsen Open Studios
Chicago, Lower West Side
Free
Fri, October 20, 10am-12pm
The Future of Place: Redefining Architectural Experiences
IA Collaborative (218 S Wabash Ave)
Free
Fri, October 20, 5-8pm
¡Sí, Se Puede! Exhibition Tour and Catalog Release Party
Glass Curtain Gallery (1104 S Wabash Ave)
Free
Fri, October 20, 6:30-9:30pm
That Belongs in a Museum!
Irish American Heritage Center (4626 N Knox Ave)
Free
Fri, October 20, 7:30pm
Elevate Chicago Dance
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (1306 S Michigan Ave)
$24-30
October 21 – December 17, 2017
Dianna Frid: IT TAKES TIME
Opening Reception: Oct 20, 5-7pm
University Galleries at Illinois State University (11 Uptown Circle, Suite 103, Bloomington-Normal)
Free
Sat, October 21, 12pm
Roots of Pilsen, linking Pilsen to it’s history
PERSEPOLITAN Gallery (1714 S Ashland Ave)
Free
Sat, October 21, 1:30-3pm
The Power of Art in Public Places
Elmhurst Art Museum (150 S Cottage Hill Ave)
Free
Sat, October 21, 1:30-3pm
Articulating Time and Space
SAIC Sullivan Galleries (33 S State St)
Free
Closing Sat, October 21
Rine Boyer: People Watching
Elephant Room Gallery (704 S Wabash)
Free
Sat, October 21, 2-4pm
Floating Museum and Andrew Schachman
DuSable Museum of African American History (740 E 56th Pl)
Free
Sat, October 21, 7pm
Marginalia
Links Hall (3111 N Western Ave)
$10
Sun, October 22, 3:30-5:30pm
Screening: 63 Boycott and Edith+Eddie
Amc Rivereast 21 (322 E. Illinois St)
$8-20
Tues, October 24, 6pm
Voices: Gibson + Recoder
Gallery 400 (400 South Peoria Street)
Free
Wed, October 25, 6-7pm
Talk: Abraham Cruzvillegas
Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr)
Free
Wed, October 25, 6-8pm
Forbidden Newberry
Newberry Library (60 W Walton St)
$20-25
Thurs, October 26, 6:30-8:30pm
Muslim American Journeys: Preserving Heritage and Spotlighting Voices
National Hellenic Museum (333 S Halsted St)
Free
Thurs, October 26, 7-9pm
Nigeria in Self-Conversation: Films of Femi Odugbemi Documentary Shorts
Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr)
Free
Thurs, October 26, 7-9pm
Folding and Unfolding: Graphics, Human Nature and Surprise
2337 + The Green Lantern Press (2337 N Milwaukee Ave)
Free
October 26-27 // Thurs: 9-5pm, Fri: 9-1pm
Public Art Symposium, Thurs: 9-5pm, Fri: 9am-1pm
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington)
Free
Fri, October 27, 7-9pm
The Films of Femi Odugbemi: Gidi Blues
Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr)
Free
Fri, October 27, 6-8pm
Drumming Up Power!
Hana Center (4300 N California Ave)
Free
Sat, October 28, 2-5pm
Singing Stones Closing
DuSable Museum of African American History (740 E 56th Pl)
Free
Sat, October 28, 6-9pm
Lost and Found: Stories of Displacement
Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture (6500 S Pulaski Rd)
Free
Sat, October 28, 7-11pm
/Shift/: Honey Pot Performance’s Annual Gala
Chicago Art Department (1932 S. Halsted)
$40
Sat, October 28, 6pm
BlackBook Sessions: Rahmaan Statik & Dredske
Elephant Room Gallery (704 S Wabash)
Free
Sun, October 29, 3-8pm
Día de los Muertos Xicágo
National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W 19th St)
Free
Mon, October 30, 12-2pm
Moshe Safdie: Humanizing Megascale
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts (4 W Burton Pl)
Free
Mon, October 30, 7-8:30pm
Performing Black Masculinities: Where, How and for Whom?
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St)
Free
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Featured Image: Promo image for Performing Black Masculinities discussion on October 30th at the Logan Center for the Arts. The image is a photograph from Cynthia Oliver’s “Virago-Man Dem” happening on November 2, 3 and 4, 2017 at The Dance Center Columbia College Chicago. The image shows two dancers, one in the foreground, one blurred in the background, both in the middle of a motion, against a bright red background. Find out more about the upcoming performance at this link.
