![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1792084737/qrikvx76nvvt5agq24rq.jpg\")
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\r\n","body":"EXPO CHICAGO gets closer every day, and the closer it gets, the more this upcoming edition takes shape. As is typical of the fair, they continue to build their programming lineup and to expand their international ties.
\r\n\r\nYesterday the art fair announced that for its seventh annual exhibition, taking place again on Navy Pier September 27–30, 2018, they are rolling out some major programmatic expansions here at home as well as in Europe. The biggest announcement was about an onsite panel and performance at the U.S. Pavilion of the 16th Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy. Participants from Chicago will include Niall Atkinson, Ann Lui, and Mimi Zeiger of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago, panelists Amanda Williams, Andres L. Hernandez, and Shani Crowe and moderator Stephanie Cristello, EXPO CHICAGO Director of Programming and Editor-in-Chief of THE SEEN.
\r\n\r\nThey also trumpeted the third annual /Dialogues Symposium, Present Histories: Art & Design in Chicago, that will address select art and design legacies produced in the city and take place during EXPO CHICAGO in conjunction with the Terra Foundation for American Art’s initiative Art Design Chicago, presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Additional details from the April 11 EXPO press release are shared below. –GV
\r\n\r\nFor the first time ever, the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale will be curated by a joint team led by Niall Atkinson, Ann Lui, and Mimi Zeiger of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago. Their vision, Dimensions of Citizenship, will challenge architects, designers, artists, and critics to respond to transformative modes of belonging at radically different scales, from the citizen to the cosmos. EXPO CHICAGO will partner with SAIC and the University of Chicago to present a program as part of the official Vernissage for the U.S. Pavilion on Sunday, May 27, 2018.
\r\n\r\n10:45–11:30am
\r\nPanel Discussion
\r\nLocation | U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale
\r\nPanelists | Amanda Williams (Chicago-based Artist and Architect, Participant in the U.S. Pavilion), Andres L. Hernandez (Chicago-based Artist and Architect, Participant in the U.S. Pavilion) and Shani Crowe (Chicago-based Artist). Moderated by EXPO CHICAGO Director of Programming and Editor-in-Chief of THE SEEN, Stephanie Cristello.
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\r\nTackling questions of citizenship status, gender and race at the intersection of history, theory and practice of art and architecture, this panel will explore the unique ways in which black women have historically navigated and shaped space to advance their position in American society. Highlighting the historical figures of Harriet Jacobs and Harriet Tubman as muses, this conversation will trace the impact of American history on Williams and Hernandez’s practice, complemented by a performative element by Shani Crowe, preceding the conversation.
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\r\nFor more information, click here.
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\r\nPresented in partnership with the commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago.
A curated component of the full /Dialogues program, presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the third annual Symposium will feature a day-long series of discussions open to all EXPO CHICAGO visitors, presented in alignment with Art Design Chicago and the Terra Foundation for American Art. Entitled Present Histories: Art & Design in Chicago, the Symposium will trace select artistic and design legacies produced in the city, spanning from 1968–2018, as well as their impact on the larger social, aesthetic, and cultural movements from the twentieth-century to the present.
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\r\nFor more information, click here.
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\r\nPresented in partnership with the Terra Foundation for American Art and Art Design Chicago.
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Sept 28, 11:30am
\r\nPerformance: Révérence
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\r\nArtist Brendan Fernandes (Artist | Monique Meloche Gallery) stages a site-specific iteration of his performative work Révérence (2015), featuring a series of choreographed dancers to both welcome and confront the audience. Using his training in classical ballet, alongside his unique cultural background as a Kenyan-Indian-Canadian, the performance features classically-trained dancers from the Joffrey Academy of Dance to question identity and power dynamics.
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\r\n12:00pm – 1:00pm
\r\nBrendan Fernandes | In Conversation with Sarah Thornton
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\r\nThis discussion, between author and sociologist of culture Sarah Thornton with Chicago-based artist Brendan Fernandes, will trace the impact of Fernandes’ work, as well as the role of performance in his practice, which questions positions of power, control and ‘queering space.’
Sept 28, 2:00–3:00pm
\r\nAfriCOBRA: Chicago in the Age of Black Power
\r\nFeaturing | Gerald Williams (Artist | Kavi Gupta Gallery, Founding Member of AfriCOBRA)
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\r\nThis panel is presented in alignment with Art Design Chicago exhibitions at the Smart Museum of Art and the DuSable Museum of African American History, South Side Stories: Rethinking Chicago Art, 1960–1980 and South Side Stories: Holdings, which focuses on the Black Arts Movement—from the Civil Rights Movement to AfriCOBRA.
Sept 28, 4:00–5:00pm
\r\nAlterity and the Exhibition Environment: Feminist History of Alternative Spaces in Chicago
Panelists | Lynne Warren (Adjunct Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago), Torkwase Dyson(Artist | Rhona Hoffman Gallery), and Kay Rosen (Artist | Alexander Gray and Associates, ARC Member). Moderated by Jenni Sorkin (SAIC BFA 1999), (Associate Professor, History of Art & Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara).
\r\n\r\nAlternative spaces are often discussed within the canon of Chicago’s exhibition history. Yet, these spaces also played a parallel role in the activities that defined feminist art and social practice in the city’s scene. This conversation will trace the histories and roles of feminism in Chicago's alternative spaces from the 1970s to the present.
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\r\nSept 28, 5:00pm
\r\nPublication Launch | Art in Chicago: A History from the Fire to Now
\r\nPublished by the Terra Foundation for American Art, this newly launched publication will be available for a book signing at the /Dialogues Stage through the University of Chicago Press.
Screening | Designers in Film: A Glimpse into the Goldsholl Archive
\r\nA screening of select films and reels produced by Goldsholl and Associates—whose films, televi-sion ads and other moving image work innovated “designs-in-film”—will be on view at the /Dialogues Stage, as an inter-lude to the final conversation in the Symposium on Chicago’s Mid-Century impact on the adve-rtising and commercial industry at large.
Sept 28, 5:30–6:30pm
\r\nMaking the Modern Image: Mid-Century Commercial Industry in Chicago
\r\nPanelists | Theaster Gates (Artist | Rebuild Foundation), Corinne Granof (Curator of Academic Programs, Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University) and Lara Allison (Lecturer, Art History, Theory and Criticism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago). Moderated by Michael Golec (Associate Professor, Art History, Theory and Criticism, SAIC).
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\r\nThrough recent exhibitions that relate the advertising and commercial publications industries to the context of contemporary art, this discussion will trace Chicago’s contribution to the glossy image that defined the Mid-Century aesthetic. Examining the political, social and cultural impact of these design philosophies, this panel will look at the national impact of firms and companies whose work pushed industry boundaries through avant-garde approaches.
Top image: Gerald Williams, Portrait Y, 1970–2007. Acrylic on linen. 24 x 18 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago.
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By CGN STAFF
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center will reopen its Skokie location on November 11, 2026, following a renovation that expands visitor spaces, updates its core Holocaust exhibition and adds a new reflection gallery. The reopening is timed to coincide with Veterans Day. Active military personnel, veterans and their families will receive free admission that day.
The project includes a redesigned Lillian & Larry Goodman Auditorium and Gallery, an enlarged lobby in the Shapiro Family Foundation Welcome Center, and a refreshed Resilience Hall with an expanded stage for presentations and public programs.
Updates to the Zev & Shifra Karkomi Holocaust Exhibition include additional material on the roots of antisemitism, the story of Chicago resident Leo Edelman, and the experiences of other groups targeted by the Nazis. A new reflection gallery, accessible from the exhibition, offers visitors a quiet space during and after their visit.
“Every visitor’s experience now begins differently and runs deeper,” said Kelley Szany, the Museum’s senior vice president of education and exhibitions. “The new welcome center sets the tone from the moment people arrive, the enhanced core Holocaust exhibition brings the history and the voices of survivors into sharper focus, and our new auditorium gives us a place to gather, listen, and talk about what it means for our communities today.”
Existing attractions, including the virtual reality theater, the interactive Survivor Stories Experience holographic theater, the Take A Stand Center and the Voices of Genocide Exhibition, will remain part of the Museum’s offerings.
Following the reopening, Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare will open November 15 in the special exhibition gallery. Created by and on loan from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the exhibition examines the intersections of politics, antisemitism, freedom of speech and national security during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. It will remain on view through March 2027.
The Museum’s satellite location in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, Experience360, will remain open through December 31, 2026. The downtown space opened during the Skokie renovation to provide continued access to the Museum’s immersive exhibitions.
For information and ticket reservations, visit ilholocaustmuseum.org.
Image: Museum exterior. Photo by David Seide/Definedspace.com
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By GINNY VAN ALYEA
SOFA Chicago, the longtime fair devoted to sculpture, objects, functional art and collectible design, will return to the city October 28–31, 2027, as part of Chicago Art Fair at THE MART, which opened its inaugural edition last night.
Founded in Chicago in 1994, SOFA became a popular fixture on the city’s fall arts calendar. For much of its history, collectors and visitors gathered at Navy Pier to discover works in glass, ceramics, wood, metal and fiber, alongside sculpture and design. Its focus on materials and craftsmanship gave the fair a distinct identity and cultivated a devoted audience.
The announcement comes as the inaugural Chicago Art Fair gets underway at THE MART. The new fair opened with a preview on October 7 and continues through October 10, presenting modern and contemporary art. Tim von Gal, CEO and producer of SOFA Chicago and CEO of Intersect Art and Design, was in Chicago this week for the occasion.
Organizers describe the 2027 collaboration as two distinct but complementary presentations under one roof, with SOFA’s focus on three-dimensional art and design alongside Chicago Art Fair’s broader offerings.
“Chicago has always been an extraordinary home for SOFA and a city with a deep appreciation for art, craft, architecture and design,” said von Gal in the announcement. “Joining the Chicago Art Fair at THE MART gives us the opportunity to build upon that legacy while creating an exciting new experience for collectors and exhibitors alike.”
Eric Smith, owner of Chicago Art Fair and CEO of Redwood Art Group, said the addition would broaden the fair’s scope while preserving SOFA’s identity.
“SOFA has a remarkable legacy and a distinct identity, and its return adds an important new dimension to the fair while reinforcing Chicago’s position as a destination for collectors, galleries and art lovers from around the world,” Smith said.
For those who remember SOFA as an annual opportunity to encounter ambitious work in craft and design, the return will be welcome news. The participating galleries and programming, still to be announced, will provide a fuller picture of how that legacy will take shape in its new setting.
SOFA Chicago is produced by Intersect Art and Design, which also organizes annual art and design fairs in Aspen and Palm Springs.
Additional details about exhibitors, partnerships and tickets are expected in the coming months.
Visit chicagoartfair.com for updates.
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The artist Richard Hunt
By CGN Staff
Pigment International has dedicated Black Fine Art Month 2026 to Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt (1935–2023), recognizing his contributions to American art and his lifelong connection to the city.
As part of the month’s programming, the organization will host Pigmented: Chicago to the World — A Black Fine Art Convening on October 23 at the University of Chicago’s Logan Center for the Arts. Partners include the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation, Adler University, CAI Designs, Chicago Public Art Group, Chicago Sculpture Exhibit and Diasporal Rhythms.
Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Hunt developed an internationally recognized practice while continuing to live and work in his hometown. His welded metal sculptures brought together abstract forms, references to the natural world and an enduring interest in freedom and social justice.
Hunt identified attending Emmett Till’s funeral in 1955 as a turning point in his artistic life. Till had lived just two blocks from Hunt’s home. Decades later, Hunt’s public commissions would honor figures including Martin Luther King Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, Jesse Owens and Ida B. Wells, while also addressing the Middle Passage and the Great Migration.
In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Hunt to the National Council on the Arts, where he became its first African American member. In 1971, at age 35, he became the first African American sculptor to receive a retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. His career encompassed more than 150 solo exhibitions and more than 160 public art installations.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791479104/lltcodkx39gd8sbhtus1.png\")
Richard Hunt with artist Chris Devins, who recently completed a mural honoring the sculptor in Hyde Park. Photo courtesy of Chris Devins.
Recent projects in Chicago offer new ways to encounter Hunt’s work and history. This fall, the Logan Center opened the Hunt, a café honoring the artist. Created and designed by Little Black Pearl founder and executive director Monica Haslip, the space incorporates two Hunt sculptures, African art, archival materials and photographs by Sandro Miller.
In Hyde Park, artist Chris Devins and historian Michelle Duster have brought a mural of Hunt to 1515–19 E. 54th Street. The portrait is based on photographs Devins took in Hunt’s studio before the sculptor’s death.
“Richard Hunt was a giant in the arts world and people need to see what he looked like and be inspired by his legacy,” Devins said.
Pigment International’s dedication also reflects its own relationship with Hunt. The organization featured him in its magazine in 2020, and he welcomed its Black Fine Art Month programming into his studio in October 2021.
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Two events take place this month:
Pigment International at SPECTRUM Chicago Art Fair
October 7–10, 2026.
Chicago Merchandise Mart, seventh floor, booth #3091.
Wednesday, October 7, 5–8 pm, with a champagne toast in the booth and an artist meet-and-greet.
Thursday, October 8, 6-8pm with Diasporal Rhythms
Featured artists: Jesse Howard, Howard Simmons, Edo, Candace Hunter, Sura DuPart and Max Sansing.
Additional events are taking place during the fair
Chicago to the World: A Black Fine Art Month Convening
Presented by Pigment International as part of Black Fine Art Month, which the organization has dedicated this year to Richard Hunt.
Friday, October 23, 2026, 11:30 am–5 pm.
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th Street, Chicago.
Details at pigmentintl.com