This centennial exhibition celebrates the legacy of Carlos Cortéz Koyokuikatl (1923–2005), one of Chicago’s most important social justice artists working in the 20th century. Often a poet, often a printmaker, but always an activist, Cortéz in his life’s work uplifted the working class, marginalized communities, and social struggles by depicting scenes of labor disputes, protests, and […]
This exhibition examines the artistic genealogies and social justice movements that connect Puerto Rico with Chicago. Featuring works by an intergenerational group of artists with ties to Chicago, the exhibition presents Puerto Rican painters who use printmaking techniques and approaches alongside artists who address social and political issues through their work. entre horizontes (between horizons) […]
The newly formed Center for Native Futures (CfNF) presents this inaugural exhibition featuring more than a dozen established and emerging Native artists from the Great Lakes region. Exhibiting artists include CfNF co-founders Chris Pappan, Monica Rickert-Bolter, and Debra Yepa-Pappan, as well as Noelle Garcia, Kelly Church, Jason Wesaw, Tom Jones, Holly Wilson, John Hitchcock, Camille […]
When Ruth Duckworth arrived in Chicago from London to teach at the University of Chicago’s Midway Studios in 1964, she planned to stay for a year. Instead, she lived in the city for nearly fifty years until her death in 2009—half her life. It is strange, then, that she is still primarily known as a […]
Join the Smart Museum of Art on a space mission! During this monthly Family Day, become an “astro-artist” and create glow-in-the-dark starscapes for your bedroom, make shimmering moon posters that can change phases, and even play with a moon balloon. The afternoon art activities are inspired by artist Ruth Duckworth’s love of the natural world and an […]
Presented as part of Red Line Services’ Designing Belonging series, this Lunch & Learn program features a talk by Uthman Olowa, the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) Teaching Fellow, Architecture, Interior Architecture & Designed Objects, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Olawa discusses design principles driven by the reality that architecture […]
In this concluding installment of the Smart Museum of Art’s Moon Songs series, join Kevin Coval for a Sunday afternoon of ekphrasis and Chicago stories in dialogue with the works of sculptor Ruth Duckworth. Kevin Coval is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning writer, filmmaker, and author of more than a dozen collections and anthologies, including The Breakbeat Poets: New American […]
Presented as part of Red Line Services’ Designing Belonging series, this Lunch & Learn program features a talk by Bess Williamson, Professor of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and historian of design and material culture. Williamson, the author of Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design, discusses the activism […]
Ruth Duckworth (1919–2009) referred to herself not as a potter or ceramicist, but as a “sculptor with clay.” The Smart Museum of Art's special exhibition Life as a Unity takes her at her word, foregrounding her sculptural production and engagement with the natural world. Join exhibition curator Laura Steward for a guided tour of the exhibition […]
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An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago is a series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.
