A multi-genre storytelling project about the life journey of a lyricist, Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist illuminates the distinctive practices, systems, philosophies, and political ideologies that have shaped hip-hop’s emcees and lyricists. Combining craft, prose, oration, and exposé, the work presents the coming-of-age story of an emcee, immersing audiences in a world of courage, self-determination, and devotion. Using text, sound, film, and performance, Prophet stands as a critical and embodied offering to the scholarly, civic, and ancient bodies of radical Black expression. The MCA’s pre ..read more

Spring into Art at the Cornelia Arts Building May 2024 Open Studios See two full-floors of working art studios at one of the largest artist studio buildings on Chicago’s North side. On Friday May 10th, from 6 – 10 pm, and on Saturday May 11th, from 11 am – 3 pm, the Cornelia Arts Building at 1800 West Cornelia Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, opens its doors to the public to meet many of the talented artists and artisans in person, explore their art practices up close, and purchase art and crafts directly from their makers. Currently over 90 local artists and artisans work here, including painters ..read more

Spring into Art at the Cornelia Arts Building May 2024 Open Studios See two full-floors of working art studios at one of the largest artist studio buildings on Chicago’s North side. On Friday May 10th, from 6 – 10 pm, and on Saturday May 11th, from 11 am – 3 pm, the Cornelia Arts Building at 1800 West Cornelia Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, opens its doors to the public to meet many of the talented artists and artisans in person, explore their art practices up close, and purchase art and crafts directly from their makers. Currently over 90 local artists and artisans work here, including painters ..read more

Join us for the opening reception of an extraordinary exhibition featuring the works of Bethany Cordero and Deborah Newmark. Bethany Cordero delves into the depths of identity, memory, and the fleeting nature of the self. Through her sculptural assemblages, she explores the remnants of thoughts and memories, crafting symbolic bridges between the self of today and the liminal spaces of tomorrow. Each piece is a fusion of ancient materials, serving as containers for the congruency and contradictions of past and present. Deborah Newmark’s work is a contemplation of the boundaries between thoughts ..read more

Join us for TANDA: Bridging Diasporic Divides: Synthesizing Family Through Visual Art by Natasha Moustache Session Details Date: 05/07 Time: 6:30-8:30pm CT / 7:30-9:30pm ET Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83766146223 Meeting ID: 837 6614 6223 Virtual online session Sessions are open to the public Closed captions available Sessions are not posted online Drawing from my experience as a first-generation person of African descent my arts practice centers around reassembling the fracturing I witnessed early on between the African and Black American communities. I use photography and domestic i ..read more

Maker’s Markets 2024 Celebrating our 6th year in Downtown Evanston, the Maker’s Market is a unique shopping experience and one of Evanston’s most accessible and fun community art and shopping events! Outdoors, in a covered parking garage, this market features hundreds of unique and one-of-a-kind, handmade goods like art, craft, wearables, jewelry, stationary, handbags, etc. Vendors of all ages are welcome to sell and represent a diverse mix of artisans taking their goods direct to shoppers. INFO to sell here and sign up links below. Hosted by Evanston Made and Downtown Evanston, this event is ..read more

Stasias Gallery is pleased to present eyemind, a two-person exhibition with Chicago based painters, Anne Harris and Noelle Africh. Stasias is located at 44 E. Cedar St. in Chicago, IL. The exhibition will run from May 4th – June 8th, 2024. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 4th, 5-9 pm. Free and open to the public. Anne and Noelle exchanged words (and bits of favorite poems): presence flesh poetry face subtlety intensity nuance touch uncanny ephemeral anticipation transition contradiction ghosts keep speaking The absence of the Witch does not Invalidate the spell– Harbingers wa ..read more

Three floors of artwork for sale │Experience a variety of fine art by 30+ local artists, enjoy a glass of wine and meet the artists. Sponsored by onShore Security, this month’s free event debuts a new exhibit featuring: Bruce Lee Vernon Bruce Vernon is a seasoned artist with a passion for drawing that spans over 60 years. Born and raised in a small farming town of North Liberty, Indiana. Vernon’s love for art was evident from an early age. Despite his asthma, he found solace in drawing and honed his skills in pen and ink. His artistic focus is on Chicago architecture and Banyan trees, which is ..read more

In celebration of the opening of Virginia Jaramillo: Principle of Equivalence, join us for a roundtable conversation on Jaramillo’s profound commitment to abstraction with the exhibition’s originating curator, Erin Dziedzic, Catherine Morris, Sackler Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, and Iris Colburn, MCA Curatorial Associate. Please note that Courtney Martin is no longer able to participate. English and Spanish CART captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) will be provided. The post Talk | Roundtable on Virginia Jaramillo first appe ..read more

“This work indexes a process of intensive interaction with a quotidian material: tissue paper, a secondary accessory, usually accompanying gifts, and discarded after a single use. In an accumulative and repetitive procession, Villanueva Linares massages an enduring softness into this material, activating its fibers and making it function as a stable fabric for asserting the monumental. This generous transmogrification of such a simple substance collapses time into the material and probes its potential for storing memory. Natalia’s shape shifting gesture brings to bear the writer Saidiya Hartma ..read more