Film
A Sweeping Look at Chicago During Turbulent Times
The docuseries City So Real takes a deep dive into the city amidst last year's mayoral election and police brutality protests.
Chicago
Art
Amoako Boafo’s Textured, Intimate Portraits Produced During the Pandemic
Both on and off the canvas, Boafo’s practice is dedicated to honoring the intimate space held between Black artists and their subjects.
Announcement
Wrightwood 659 Reopens With Balkrishna Doshi Exhibition
Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People brings a retrospective of the Indian Pritzker Prize-winning architect's work to Chicago, on view September 9 through December 12, 2020.
News
MCA Chicago Converts Part-time Positions to Full-time, Resulting in Loss of 20 Jobs
“This isn’t really what we asked for,” one MCA employee told Hyperallergic. “A lot of the part-time staff don’t necessarily want to be full-time, they have other commitments. What they were asking for was more support."
Art
Chicago Artists Fuel the Movement for Prison Abolition
Independent artmakers have emerged as facilitators and fundraisers for the continuing abolition movement. In Chicago, a coronavirus outbreak at Cook County Jail in April became a catalyzing moment.
Interview
"The Maladjusted RULE!": A Conversation With Vaginal Davis
The intersectional nature of Davis’s commentary on Black feminism, sexuality, and the distinction between sex and gender has aged incredibly well — much like the artist herself.
Opinion
An Open Letter From the Chicago Arts Community on Police-free Schools and Defunding the CPD
Over 1,000 Chicago artists, educators, and cultural workers have signed an open letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, the Chicago Board of Education, CPS principals, and LSC representatives, and the alderpersons of the 50 Chicago wards across the city.
News
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Agrees to Halt Contracts With City Police
Following a petition by the MCA Chicago's Teen Creative Agency, the museum has pledged to stop contracting CPD's services until the department makes reforms. But the group believes much more work remains to be done.
Art
It’s Okay Not to Be a Member of a Club
For Julia Fish, the ordinary is not banal, as it was for Andy Warhol and his followers, who seek out the sensational rather than stop to examine the small sensation.
Art
What This Artist Needs to Make Work During a Pandemic
Tony Tasset’s use of inexpensive graph paper suggests that drawing is a way to remain open to ideas, whims, passing thoughts, even dreams.
News
Lion Statues at Art Institute of Chicago Get Face Masks, One Stolen Immediately
The masks are meant to encourage Chicagoans to wear face coverings when out in public.
Art
What Relevance Can Art Have for Frontline Providers Right Now?
A museum educator, who generally works with medical students in the galleries, considers the healing potential of art.