NewsChicago
Driehaus Museum in Chicago reactivates an ornate historic auditorium for the arts
Built for the American College of Surgeons in 1926, the Beaux Arts space will be used for lectures, concerts, workshops and other events
NewsMental health
Art campaign shows the many sides of mental illness
The Florida-based artist Ian Woods has created layered portraits of mental health advocates
NewsObituaries
Mary Beth Edelson, feminist art pioneer, has died, aged 88
She was a founding member of the Heresies Collective and made activism as well as spirituality a major part of her practice
NewsPrizes
Chicago’s Joyce Foundation awards $75,000 each to four artists’ projects
Sydney Chatman, Daniel Minter, Kameelah Janan Rasheed and Santiago X will create new works in Great Lakes cities that “honour individual and collective resiliency”
NewsObituaries
Karl Wirsum, life-long Chicago painter and member of the Hairy Who, has died, aged 81
An early interest in comics never left him, as could be seen in his colourful figurative work that reflected a love of robots and toys, as well as an admiration for El Greco
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Ray Johnson at David Zwirner to Dawoud Bey at the Whitney
NewsArtists
The places you can’t go: Ellen Harvey recreates lost places
Her Disappointed Tourist project now includes more than 200 sites submitted by the public
PreviewExhibitions
Dawoud Bey on his new show spanning 1970s street photography to poignant nocturnal landscapes
The US photographer's travelling exhibition, which opens at the Whitney Museum in New York, charts his four decades documenting the African American experience
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Artists withdraw their works from Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago group show
The move is the latest surge of simmering tensions between the museum, its workers and local arts groups
NewsObituaries
Richard Driehaus, Chicago philanthropist and architecture patron, dies at 79
After purchasing and renovating the 1883 Nickerson House, he opened the historic mansion as an art and design museum
PreviewExhibitions
In new exhibition, timeless favourite Frida Kahlo finds fresh relevance during a time of isolation and illness
Delayed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, a show of the beloved Mexican artist’s work prepares to open in the Chicago suburbs with a full slate of virtual programming
NewsColette
Underground New York artist Colette is reborn ‘victorious’ as crowdfunding saves her legendary Living Environment
The French Tunisian performer is hoping to find a permanent home for her immersive installation, hidden in storage for nearly 15 years
NewsDeaccessioning
Union League Club of Chicago considers selling a prized Monet to stay afloat
The decision has divided members, but there are hopes the work might stay in the Windy City
NewsObituaries
Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, Outsider art champion and Art Preserve founder, has died, aged 79
She helped establish the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin as one of the leading institutions dedicated to self-taught artists
News US politics
Chicago students help Jenny Holzer get out the vote
Young citizens, many of them voting in their first presidential election, provide phrases to be shown on LED billboard trucks across the city
NewsFunding
Chicago non-profit 3Arts awards $150,000 to three women artists
In its largest round of grants ever, the arts club turned artist funder has created a new “Next Level” series of prizes
Newselection 2020
Anti-Trump artist billboards greet presidential candidates in Cleveland
Ahead of Tuesday’s debate, political action committee Artists United for Change rolled out a new campaign to #VoteThemOut aimed at five battleground states
AnalysisFakes & copies
Experts weigh in on alleged art forgery ring in Michigan
Art historians explain why the work of lesser known artists with rising markets, like George Copeland Ault and Gertrude Abercrombie, might become the target of a fakes scheme
NewsMonuments
What to do with all those toppled monuments? Artist suggests turning Chicago dump site into sculpture park
The conceptual artist JB Daniel has offered a location for America’s unwanted statues in an industrial wasteland bounded by the Calumet River
NewsAttribution
Does a Minnesota college own a portrait by Edvard Munch?
Scientific evidence points to St Olaf College’s Portrait of Eva Mudocci being the real deal, but scholars of the artist’s work are reserving judgement
PreviewExhibitions
A careful collector’s gift of African objects and Modern art is celebrated in Detroit
New exhibition is dedicated to Margaret Demant—a passionate booster of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ collection
NewsRestoration
Theaster Gates hits the floor at Park Avenue Armory
The Chicago artist will mill a portion of the period wood for the $4m project to replace the historic New York building's floor
News
Proposal for a Judy Chicago museum divides a New Mexico town
Some residents object to exhibition space, arguing that the artist’s work is pornographic
NewsAuctions
Public art advocates—and the artist himself—speak out against sale of Chicago library’s Kerry James Marshall mural
The work, commissioned in the 1990s for $10,000, is due to be sold at Christie’s, New York for an estimated $10m to $15m
PreviewExhibitions
Hairy who? The group that put a spell on the 1960s Chicago art scene
Art Institute of Chicago hosts first major survey of the loose artist collective
NewsBuilding projects
Tadao Ando designs Chicago art space dedicated to architecture and socially engaged work
The inaugural show at Wrightwood 659 will focus on Ando and Le Corbusier
ReviewExhibitions
Chicago’s Surrealists get the homecoming they deserve at the Arts Club
An exhibition at the historic private members club gives recognises a lesser known group of artists
PreviewExhibitions
Key figure of the Chicago Black Renaissance, Charles White, finally gets his due
Chicago, New York and Los Angeles to celebrate artist and activist after lengthy search for works
News
Is Chicago’s Spertus museum making a come back?
After years of financial problems and timid programming, the Jewish cultural institute is re-emerging with projects like Ellen Rothenberg’s installation on immigration
NewsExpo Chicago
Expo Chicago opens a week of cross-collaboration in the city
A confluence of events and exhibitions makes the Windy City an art and design Mecca
NewsExpo Chicago
Expo Chicago courts the high-minded collector with interdisciplinary offerings
This year’s edition is designed to maximise crossover potential with the second Chicago Architecture Biennial
NewsPublic art
The story behind the ‘controversial’ Picasso sculpture that became a symbol of Chicago
When it was first unveiled 50 years ago in the city centre, the monumental "homely" figure was not beloved by all
News
Knight Foundation give $1.87m in grants to support digital projects at 12 museums
Among the winners is Lumin, a mobile app tour of the Detroit Institute of Arts that uses augmented reality and 3D animations to guide visitors through the museum
NewsCommercial galleries
Richard Gray Gallery opens new warehouse space in West Town, Chicago
A show of new work by Jim Dine inaugurates the building, while a concurrent display of his painting and drawing from the 1960s opens in the New York outpost
NewsBiennials & festivals
Terra Foundation reveals ambitious plans for Art Design Chicago in 2018
The year-long multi-venue festival will celebrate the city’s art and design legacy with 25 exhibitions
NewsArt fairs
'Manhattan advancing, Chicago unafraid': what to see at Expo Chicago
International galleries bring works that appeal to the local scene and collectors