[Chicago, IL – December 5, 2024]–Chicago is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the United States, home to a rich tapestry of ethnic communities that have shaped its artistic landscape. With its vibrant Black, Brown, Asian, and Native communities, and its many immigrant populations, Chicago’s neighborhoods tell the story of a city where cultures blend and intersect, creating something uniquely dynamic. This holiday season, Art Design Chicago offers a wonderful opportunity to dive deep into the art, stories, and histories of Chicago’s ethnic cultures, allowing visitors to experience firsthand the unique narratives that shape the city’s identity.
Art Design Chicago invites art enthusiasts, curious explorers, and anyone looking to learn more about the cultures that make up the fabric of the city to experience a series of extraordinary exhibitions and related events. These exhibitions highlight the contributions of Chicago’s communities to the city’s creative heritage, showcasing artists who reflect the diversity, resilience, and innovation of the neighborhoods. Through photography, sculpture, design objects, and more, these shows will give you a deeper understanding of Chicago’s rich ethnic diversity and the creative expressions that have emerged from it. Many of the exhibitions are free admission.
About Art Design Chicago:
Art Design Chicago is a special series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s unique artistic heritage and creative communities. An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and arts organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago seeks to expand narratives of American art with an emphasis on the city’s diverse and vibrant creative cultures and the stories they tell.
Exhibitions Exploring Chicago’s Diverse Cultures:
Gagizhibaajiwan*
Center for Native Futures
Ends December 14, 2024
This exhibition explores Anishinaabe art through the lens of mythology and cultural symbolism, featuring works by four Native artists who delve into themes of duality and paradox. They offer an intimate look at the relationship between art, history, and spiritual tradition in Native culture.
Akito Tsuda: Pilsen Days*
Harold Washington Library
Ends December 31, 2024
This exhibition captures the vibrant history of Chicago’s Mexican American Pilsen neighborhood through the lens of Japanese photographer Akito Tsuda. Tsuda’s intimate portraits from the early 1990s provide a unique snapshot of the Pilsen community, showcasing the connections between the artist and his subjects during a pivotal moment in the neighborhood’s development. The exhibition highlights the intersection of Japanese and Mexican American communities in Chicago and explores themes of identity and belonging.
Theaster Gates | When Clouds Roll Away: Reflection and Restoration from the Johnson Archive*
Stony Island Arts Bank
Ends March 16, 2025
In this exhibition, artist Theaster Gates brings to light the legacy of the Johnson Publishing Company and its influential impact on Black culture. As the steward of the company’s archives, Gates transforms the Stony Island Arts Bank into a space for reflection on the importance of preserving cultural treasures. The exhibition showcases objects, periodicals, and furniture from John H. Johnson’s collection that tell the story of Johnson Publishing’s role in shaping Black media and culture, urging a deeper understanding of Black archives and their cultural significance.
Making an Impression: Immigrant Printing in Chicago*
Newberry Library
Ends March 29, 2025
This exhibition reflects on the lived experiences of immigrant printers, designers, and bookmakers in Chicago and explores how printing by and for immigrant communities has shaped the city’s cultural landscape. Establishing Chicago as a vital center of multicultural printing, this exhibition celebrates what makes Chicago’s immigrant printers, their work, and their communities unique.
beLONGING: Lithuanian Artists in Chicago 1900 to Now
Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture
Ends May 27, 2025
This exhibition highlights the contributions of Lithuanian artists to Chicago’s artistic and cultural landscape, spanning three periods of Lithuanian immigration to the city. beLONGING explores themes of identity, displacement, colonization, and assimilation, focusing on how these artists navigated their sense of belonging in a new land. By examining their work, the exhibition provides insight into the immigrant experience and how Lithuanian artists have shaped and been shaped by their time in Chicago.
* Exhibitions are free admission.
For more information on each exhibition and to plan your visit, please go to artdesignchicago.org.
About the Terra Foundation for American Art
The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives. Learn more at terraamericanart.org.
Photos and footage from Art Design Chicago events and exhibitions available upon request.
Media Contact:
Malik Joseph, Media Relations Specialist, Rudd Resources
216-647-5704 | Mjoseph@ruddresources.net
