Sixty Search Dropdown Menu

October Art Picks

A look at the exhibitions, talks, performances, screenings, and more to see this month.

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. This is a growing list, so check back often for new additions.

Throughout 2018 we will be highlighting exhibitions and events that are part of Art Design Chicago ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB, a year-long celebration of the unique and vital role Chicago plays as America’s crossroads of art and design, creativity and commerce, organized by the Terra Foundation for American Art. As part of an editorial partnership with Illinois Humanities, Sixty will also be highlighting events that are part of Envisioning Justice 29214950_1698778206852179_8455692137873276928_n, a 19-month project that looks into how Chicagoans and Chicago artists respond to the the impact of incarceration in local communities and how the arts and humanities are used to devise strategies for lessening this impact.

FEATURED

Tues, Oct 2, 6-8pm
Black Lunch Table: Wikipedia Edit-a-thon
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Free

Thurs, Oct 4, 6-7pm
The Vanishing City: Excavating the World’s Fair ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Newberry Library: 60 W Walton St, Chicago, IL 60610
Free

Oct 5, 6-9pm
Three Hares
featuring Bobby Gonzales, Kate Conlon, and Olivia Petrides, curated by Greg Ruffing
Chicago Artists Coalition (2130 W Fulton St)
Free

Wed, Oct 10, 6-8pm
An Introduction to Disability Justice and Allyship: Infusing Accessibility into your Art, Cultural, and Activist Spaces
Gallery 400: 400 S Peoria St, Chicago, IL 60607
Free

Thurs, Oct 11, 5-7pm
Up through Dec 21, 2018
Opening Reception: The Many Hats of Ralph Arnold: Art, Identity, and Politics ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Museum of Contemporary Photography
Free

Fri, Oct 12, 6-7pm
“Say It With Pictures” Then and Now: Chicago’s African American Photographers ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Featuring: Deborah Willis
Ferguson Hall, Columbia College Chicago: 600 South Michigan Av.
Free

Fri, Oct 12, 6-9pm
An Undoing: Work by Preetika Rajgariah and Zuri Washington
Roots & Culture: 1034 N. Milwaukee Av
Free

Fri, Oct 19, 8:30am-7pm
The 22nd Gwendolyn Brooks Writers’ Conference on Black Literature and Creative Writing
Chicago State University: 9501 S King Dr, Chicago, IL 60628
Free

Sat, Oct 27, 11am – 4pm
Black FolkUs, Revisited ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Woodlawn, Chicago
Free, RSVP required

October Art Picks

Mon, Oct 1, 6-7pm
Jan Susler: A Brief History of Political Prisoners in the US
SAIC Sullivan Galleries: 33 S State St, 7th floor, Chicago, IL 60603
Free

Mon, Oct 1, 3-5pm
Having Better Political Conversations: A Facilitator Training
Harold Washington Library: 400 S State St, Chicago, IL 60605
Free

Tues, Oct 2, 6:30-8pm
Ruby Pinto
Public Church II at LSTC Fall 2018 LSTC: 1100 E 55th St, Chicago, IL 60616
Free

Tues, Oct 2, 7-10pm
Mexico ’68: Rojo Amanecer
Filmfront: 1740 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608
Free

Tues, Oct 2, 7:30-8:45pm
Dorothée Munyaneza with Kadidi: Unwanted
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Free

Wed, Oct 3, 4-7pm
Virtual Asian American Art Museum Launch Party and Panel ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
DePaul Art Museum: 935 West Fullerton Av
Free

Wed, Oct 3, 5:30-7pm
The Virtual Asian American Art Museum Launch
DePaul Art Museum: 935 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Free

Wed, Oct 3, 6-7:30pm
Danh Vo in Conversation with Hendrik Folkerts
The Art Institute of Chicago, Rubloff Auditorium: 230 S Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60603
Free

Thurs, Oct 4, 5-8pm
Community-Hosted Art Collections (Preview)
Roman Susan: 1224 W Loyola Ave, Chicago, IL 60626
Free

Thurs, Oct 4, 6-9pm
Emilio Rojas: The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s Monuments
Chicago Artists Coalition: 2130 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612
Free

Thurs, Oct 4, 6-8pm
Tricontinental ’66 and Other Acts of Liberation
Stony Island Arts Bank: 6760 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60649
Free

Thurs, Oct 4, 6-8pm
Steffani Jemison: Sensus Plenior
Conversations at the Edge: 164 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601
$6-11

Oct 5-7, 2018
Pilsen Community Books First Annual Fair
Co-Prosperity Sphere: 3219 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60608
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 6-9pm
Emilio Rojas: The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s Monuments
Chicago Artists Coalition (2130 W Fulton St)
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 3-4pm
Hans Haacke
The Art Institute of Chicago: 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 5-9pm
Leah Shirley: Free Bleed
Genesis: 720 N Milwaukee St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 2pm
Perverse Decolonization with Jan Sowa, Ronak K. Kapadia, and Patrisia Macías-Rojas
Logan Center Terrace Seminar Room: 915 E 60 St
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 6-8pm
Elaine Hsu: Earth Is So Much More Wonderful Than Heaven
gallery no one: 1579 N Milwaukee Ave, Room 303, Chicago, IL 60622
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 6-9pm
A Landscape Madeup
ACRE Projects: 1345 W 19th St, Chicago, IL 60608
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 7-9pm
Walkout! 1968 and 2018 School Walkouts
Uri-Eichen Gallery: 2101 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608
Free

Fri, Oct 5, 9-12pm
After Dark feat. Hairy Who? 1966-1969 ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Art Institute of Chicago (111 S Michigan Ave)
$15-35

Fri, Oct 5, 7:30-10:30pm
Sambizanga
Stony Island Arts Bank: 6760 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60649
Free

Sat, Oct 6, 9am-2pm
2018 Young Feminist Conference
Chicago Teachers Union Center: 1901 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL 60612
Free

Sat, Oct 6, 2-4pm
Up Is Down – Exhibition Opening Talk with Author Thomas Dyja, The Third Coast ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Featuring: Thomas Dyja, Corinne Granof, Amy Beste
The Block Museum of Art: 40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston
Free

Sun, Oct 7, 1-3pm
Afrofuturism Symposium Day 1
Oriental Institute: 1155 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637
Free

Sun, Oct 7, 2:30-5pm
Cornbread, Earl & Me
Studio Movie Grill: 210 W 87th St, Chicago, IL 60620
$12

Sun, October 7, 12-3pm
LIVING WITH THE NON-HUMAN: Kelly Neibert and Zhiyun Yang
Gallery KIN: 6319 N Greenview Av, 3rd Fl
Free

Mon, Oct 8, 6-7:30pm
Sumakshi Singh
The Art Institute of Chicago, Rubloff Auditorium: 230 S Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60603
Free

Mon, Oct 8, 5-7pm
Create Collaborate Mobilize w/Neighbors 4 Environmental Justice
Mckinley Park Community Play Garden: 3518-28 S. Wolcott
Free

Mon, Oct 8, 5:30-7pm
Genuflect
Saint Vincent De Paul Catholic Parish Church (1010 West Webster Av)
Free

Mon, Oct 8, 6-9pm
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Film Screening and Discussion
McCormick Foundation Center: 1870 Campus Dr Evanston, IL 60208
Free

Tues, Oct 9, 8-11pm
Ezra Claytan Daniels & Ben Passmore: Comics That Interrupt
The Nightingale: 1084 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Free

Tue, Oct 9, 6-8pm
In Progress: Shawné Michaelain Holloway
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E Chicago Av)
Free

Tues, Oct 9, 6-7:30pm
Dani and Sheilah ReStack
Gallery 400: 400 S Peoria St, Chicago, IL 60607
Free

Thurs, Oct 11, 5:30-8pm
Public Newsroom 82: Let’s Take a Soundwalk Around Woodlawn
Experimental Station: 6100 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
Free

Thurs, Oct 11, 6-8pm
In Conversation: A Hard White Body, a Porous Slip
Logan Center Exhibitions: 915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637
Free

Thurs, Oct 11, 6-8pm
Martino Stierli: Montage and the Metropolis
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts: 4 W Burton Pl, Chicago, IL 60610
Free

Thurs, Oct 11, 7-9pm
Penny Lane: The Pain of Others
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
$8-10

Thurs, Oct 11, 7:30pm
Charged Spaces/Changing Bodies
Pivot Arts: 5252 N Broadway St, 2nd Fl, Chicago, IL 60640
$20

Thurs, Oct 11, 7:30pm
Not For Sale
UrbanTheater Company at Batey Urbano: 2620 W Division St, Chicago, Illinois 60622
$15-25

Fri, Oct 12, 6-9pm
Contemporary Ukrainian Graphics
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art: 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Free

Fri, Oct 12, 7:30-9:30pm
Kevin Coval & Langston Allston: Milwaukee Ave Chapbook Release
Volumes Bookcafe: 1474 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Free

Fri, Oct 12, 7:30-10:30pm
Pan-African Festival of Algiers
Stony Island Arts Bank: 6760 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60649
Free

Sat, Oct 13, 9am-1pm
Diasporal Rhythms’s 2018 Home Tour of Art Collectors ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
DuSable Museum of African American History: 740 E 56th Pl, Chicago, IL 60637
$30-90

Sat, Oct 13, 2-6pm
AfroRhythmic
Stony Island Arts Bank: 6760 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60649
Free

Sat, Oct 13, 8-10pm
Feeling GOOD: A MADD Tribute To Nina Simone
Harold Washington Cultural Center: 4701 S Martin Luther King Dr, Chicago, IL 60653
$40

Sat, Oct 13, 8:15pm
The Color of Art
Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago: 164 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601
$6-11

Thurs, Oct 18, 5-7pm
Bad News
Ralph Arnold Gallery: 1131 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626
Free

Thurs, Oct 18, 5:30-7:30pm
How do you see me?: Panel Discussion
Catherine Edelman Gallery: 300 W Superior St, Chicago, IL 60654
Free

Thurs, Oct 18, 6-8pm
Hélène Crouzillat and Laetitia Tura: Les Messagers
Conversations at the Edge: 164 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601
$6-11

Thurs, Oct 18, 6:30-9:30pm
Soap Box Ball 2018: A Night of Storytelling with City Bureau
South Shore Cultural Center: 7059 S South Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60649
$50-500

Thurs, Oct 18, 7-9pm
Contemporary Art, Mexico
Co-Prosperity Sphere: 3219 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60608
Free

Thurs, Oct 18, 7:30-9pm
Sun Ra Arkestra
The Art Institute of Chicago: 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603
$10-20

Oct 19-20, 2018
Unfinished Business!: A Symposium for The Time Is Now! ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Columbia College Chicago, Stage Two: 618 South Michigan Av / Logan Center for the Arts: 915 E 60th St.
Free

Fri, Oct 19, 6pm
Lit & Luz Festival of Language, Literature, and Art
Hideout Inn: 1354 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
$5

Sat, Oct 20, 6-9pm
The Black Perspectives Tribute: Ruth Carter
Hideout Inn: 1354 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
$15

Sat, Oct 20, 6-9pm
Yvette Mayorga: Pastillage
Roman Susan: 1224 W Loyola Ave, Chicago, IL 60626
Free

Sat, Oct 20, 6-8pm
Lit & Luz Festival: Live Magazine Show
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
&8-15

Sat, Oct 20, 7pm
Gather Presents Ayanah Moor and Udita Upadhyaya
Comfort Station Logan Square: 2579 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60647
Free

Sun, Oct 21, 10am-5pm
Elevate Chicago Dance 2018
Chicago Cultural Center: 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602
Free

Sun, Oct 21, 7-10pm
Everyman Feast and Tournament
Links Hall: 3111 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
$5-40

Tue, Oct 23, 5:30pm
Participatory Arts: The Legacy of Hull-House Artists ADC-Abbreviated-Mark-Color-RGB
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum: 800 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60607
Free

Wed, Oct 24, 6-7pm
Art from the Land of the Pharaohs
The Art Institute of Chicago: 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603
Free

Thurs, Oct 25, 6-7pm
Photography and the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago: 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603
Free

Thurs, Oct 25, 6-8pm
The New Bauhaus: A Behind the Scenes Look
The Arts Club of Chicago: 201 E Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60611
Free

_
Featured Image: Kate Conlon’s “Washington’s Axe,” (2018), from the show Three Hares at Chicago Artists Coalition, opening Friday, October 5th. The image shows a brown plywood axe mounted to a white wall, hanging at an angle.  

More by This Author