![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2956/original/todros.jpg\")
By GINNY VAN ALYEA
\r\n\r\nSummer has somehow come and gone, and the energy of a new vibrant season is upon us. This coming weekend opens the start of the fall art season throughout the city, and these new shows are just the beginning.
\r\n\r\nA host of openings, clustered on the evening of Friday, September 7, mark the traditional start of the season, which happens largely in the city's first commercial artistic center in River North. There are dozens of new exhibitions opening, and many represent the highlight of the gallery's programming for the entire year. Gallery district lines and identities have evolved over the decades, since the heydey of the 1980s, but new life in today's River North comes in the form of an art and design collaboration between the nearly two dozen galleries still based near Superior and Franklin streets today and the dozens of design showrooms that have come to also call River North home, following a migration from the Merchandise Mart. The result of that collaboration is the 4th Annual River North Gallery Walk and Designer Windows, which covers a lot of creative ground in one weekend, with gallery artists matched with designers and showrooms, as well as individual galleries opening their latest exhibitions. There are several special events to attend as well, including a Friday kickoff event with Jesse Chicago | Home Element, featuring a live art creation by Linc Thelen, and an after party at the Golden Triangle. Saturday, September 8 is also a new family day in the district. Complete details and a list of participants may be found here.
\r\n\r\nAfter a very busy couple of weeks, we of course cannot wait for EXPO CHICAGO which opens at the end of the month on September 27 with its Vernissage, an opening benefit for the MCA. The art fair's slightly later than usual start, combined with some very notable programming thanks to Art Design Chicago, means that this September may be the busiest certainly in recent memory.
\r\n\r\nObviously there is a lot of great art to see, and these are just a few highlights from this opening September weekend around the city. We will share more of the season's highlights and coverage as the fall goes on, and don't forget to view our full calendar of events. Stay tuned for Part II of our Fall Preview, featuring shows opening September 15 and beyond, including many shows on the city's West Side.
\r\n\r\nFinally, I have to admit that I didn't see it until I'd finished this wrap up, but all I could hear in my head was "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves..." (Aretha Franklin on my mind!), as so many of this season's early highlights feature women!
\r\n\r\nEnjoy this start to fall, and see you in the galleries!
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Todros Geller: Strange Worlds, an exhibition opening at the Spertus Museum / Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies and in partnership with Art Design Chicago, is an exhibition featuring more than 30 works exploring the life and practice of a Chicago artist and educator central to the history of modern American and Jewish art. Geller, who immigrated to Chicago from Ukraine in 1918, was inspired by the blending of old world traditions and modern culture that characterized Chicago—what he termed the collision of “strange worlds.”
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
River North, as mentioned above, offers the largest group of openings in the city on September 7.
\r\n\r\nHighlights include:
\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2957/original/edelman.jpg\")
A show at Catherine Edelman Gallery, How do you see me?, features three women who confront the way people of color are perceived in art, the work place, and through their physical appearance.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2958/original/bruno.jpg\")
Around the corner Gallery Victor Armendariz opens a show by artist Bruno Surdo, titled LIBERATION. The 17 paintings included in the show explore personal yearning for spiritual and individual independence using various motifs and subject matter. The artworks challenge the viewer to connect with images that correspond to their own yearning for personal freedom.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2959/original/albano.jpg\")
At Jean Albano Gallery a show focused on the season beyond fall is Mary Ann Papanek-Miller: Preparing for Winter. Papanek-Miller is known for using a layered collection of visual images, creating a narrative within each piece. Her work incorporates reflections from childhood stories, songs, and rhymes which reveal a deep concern for the environment.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2960/original/cooper.jpg\")
Melanee Cooper closed her eponymous River North gallery 9 years ago, and now she's back in the exact same space (740 N Franklin) she left when she moved to California. Her first show celebrating her return is called Coming Full Circle and features the work of artists Alicia LaChance and Joanne Mattera. Artist Arno Elias will also be exhibiting at the gallery.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2961/original/klement.jpg\")
At Printworks, Drawing Show – Teacher and Two Students – Vera Klement, Heather Accurso & Elizabeth Carson Manley features the work of three esteemed artists from the perspective of the student/master relationship.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2967/original/rene.jpg\")
Artist René Romero Schuler is turning 50 this year, and her latest body of work, In Search of Ground, taking up the entire space at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, has emerged as a body of work that has given Rene solace through pain, strength through grief, and peace through turmoil. On view in addition to her paintings are also India ink drawings and steel wire sculptures.
\r\n\r\nMany other shows are opening in River North this evening. If you can't see them all in one night, come back on Saturday morning for the first free gallery tour of the season from 11am-12:30pm, as well as family day activities that are part of RNDD's Gallery Walk weekend.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2962/original/michiko.jpg\")
In the West Loop Linda Warren Projects opens their final gallery show on Friday night, and it features the work of two artists: Michiko Itatani and Paula Henderson. While clearly distinct in both style and focus, each artist uses recurring motifs and imagery to explore their individual concerns for the forces that shape and define our human condition.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2964/original/pattyc.jpg\")
Artist Patty Carroll has a Friday evening opening at One After 909 in West Town. The solo exhibition, Anonymous Women is a continuation of a decade-long series. The first variations of the series fully explored the intricacies of homemaking and femininity, while the most current work depicts their twisted friction. Despite the leaps and bounds of progress the women’s movement has made over the course of her lifetime, with this work Carroll recognizes how far we still have to go.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2965/original/paschkecollege-art-collection.jpg\")
The Figure and the Chicago Imagists: Selections from the Elmhurst College Art Collection opening at the Elmhurst Art Museum features the Elmhurst College Art Collection, focused on artists working in Chicago between about 1950 and the present. The exhibition is curated by Suellen Rocca, one of the original members of the Hairy Who and Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Elmhurst College (Rocca is featured on the fall 2018 cover of CGN). The exhibition features artists such as Ed Paschke, Barbara Rossi, Gladys Nilsson and others and is part of Art Design Chicago.
\r\n\r\nNote that other Imagist-related exhibitions this fall will take place at the Art Institute of Chicago and The Block Museum of Art.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2966/original/portraits.jpg\")
Beauty’s Legacy: Gilded Age Portraits in America at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum looks at the popular revival of portraiture in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when both the established elite and the newly wealthy sought out artists who could highlight their social standing and personal affluence. Simultaneous exhibitions at the museum are Gilded Chicago: Portraits of an Era and Treasures from the White City: Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Top image: Barbara Rossi at Elmhurst Art Museum, Michiko Itatani at Linda Warren and Medina Dugger at Catherine Edelman Gallery.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","published_at":"2018-09-04 00:00:00","state":"published","slug":"fall-preview-part-i-first-september-openings","type":"NewsPost","meta_description":"A summary of early September gallery and museum show highlights in Chicago.","text":null,"created_at":"2018-09-04 04:15:19","updated_at":"2018-10-22 21:05:57.192778","category_id":2,"highlighted":null,"searchable":"'-12':926B '11am':925B '15':408B '17':638B '1893':1281B '1918':543B '1950':1120B '1980s':120B '19th':1232B '2018':1155B '20th':1235B '27':301B '30':512B '30pm':927B '4th':182B '50':832B '6':482B '7':62B,569B,586B '740':755B '8':255B,1086B '9':742B '909':1012B 'accurso':808B 'activ':933B 'addit':877B 'admit':424B 'affluenc':1257B 'age':1208B 'ago':744B 'albano':678B 'alicia':782B 'also':163B,257B,791B,882B 'alyea':11B 'america':1211B 'american':531B 'ann':690B 'annual':183B 'anonym':1019B 'appear':621B 'aretha':453B 'armendariz':627B 'arno':788B 'around':365B,622B 'art':38B,135B,240B,312B,328B,350B,503B,534B,613B,1098B,1104B,1110B,1177B,1194B,1203B,1288B 'artist':79B,203B,522B,632B,781B,787B,818B,826B,965B,980B,1001B,1114B,1162B,1248B 'artwork':659B 'attend':224B 'back':749B,911B 'barbara':1167B,1284B 'base':146B 'beauti':1204B 'begin':50B 'benefit':307B 'beyond':410B,686B 'blend':548B 'block':1200B 'bodi':838B,857B 'bound':1057B 'bruno':633B 'busi':279B 'busiest':338B 'calendar':392B 'california':764B 'call':164B,772B 'cannot':286B 'carrol':1003B,1075B 'carson':810B 'catherin':592B,1299B 'celebr':768B 'center':80B 'central':525B 'centuri':1236B 'certain':339B 'cgn':1158B 'challeng':660B 'character':557B 'chicago':234B,290B,330B,505B,521B,539B,558B,1091B,1117B,1179B,1197B,1265B,1276B 'childhood':721B 'circl':775B 'citi':42B,75B,367B,416B,583B,1275B 'clear':972B 'close':736B 'cluster':55B 'collabor':138B,179B 'collect':706B,1099B,1111B 'colleg':1097B,1109B,1148B 'collis':563B 'color':609B 'combin':320B 'come':15B,30B,129B,161B,773B,910B 'commerci':78B 'complet':265B 'concern':730B,990B 'condit':1000B 'confront':604B 'connect':664B 'continu':1023B 'cooper':735B 'corner':624B 'correspond':668B 'could':441B,1250B 'coupl':280B 'cours':285B,1068B 'cover':192B,1156B 'coverag':378B 'creat':710B 'creation':241B 'creativ':196B 'cultur':555B 'curat':1127B,1141B 'current':1047B 'd':433B 'day':261B,932B 'decad':114B,1027B 'decade-long':1026B 'deep':729B 'defin':997B 'depict':1049B 'design':137B,157B,189B,206B,329B,504B,1178B 'despit':1053B 'detail':266B 'didn':427B 'director':1143B 'distinct':973B 'district':106B,264B 'dozen':86B,143B,155B 'draw':799B,885B 'driehaus':1216B 'dugger':1297B 'earli':465B,1234B 'ed':1165B 'edelman':593B,1300B 'educ':524B 'element':236B 'elia':789B 'elit':1241B 'elizabeth':809B 'elmhurst':1096B,1103B,1108B,1147B,1287B 'emerg':854B 'end':295B 'energi':20B 'enjoy':469B 'entir':103B,848B 'environ':733B 'eponym':738B 'era':1269B 'establish':1240B 'esteem':817B 'even':58B,899B,1007B 'event':222B,231B,394B 'evolv':111B 'exact':752B 'exhibit':89B,217B,488B,508B,793B,1018B,1125B,1145B,1160B,1186B,1259B 'explor':514B,644B,987B,1037B 'expo':289B 'fair':313B,1279B 'fall':1A,37B,381B,402B,473B,687B,1154B,1188B 'famili':260B,931B 'far':1078B 'featur':237B,404B,467B,509B,600B,777B,812B,960B,1106B,1151B,1161B 'feminin':1043B 'figur':1088B 'final':420B,952B 'finish':434B 'first':5A,77B,766B,917B,1031B 'focus':682B,978B,1112B 'follow':168B 'forc':993B 'forget':387B 'form':132B 'found':274B 'franklin':150B,454B,757B 'free':918B 'freedom':675B 'friction':1052B 'friday':60B,229B,567B,956B,1006B 'full':391B,774B 'fulli':1036B 'galleri':98B,105B,144B,186B,202B,213B,479B,594B,625B,679B,741B,796B,852B,919B,940B,953B,1301B 'geller':484B,535B 'gild':1207B,1264B 'ginni':9B 'given':862B 'gladi':1169B 'go':1083B 'goe':382B 'golden':251B 'gone':17B 'great':349B 'grief':869B 'ground':197B,844B 'group':578B 'h':1215B 'hairi':1138B 'happen':71B 'head':445B 'hear':442B 'heather':807B 'henderson':970B 'heydey':117B 'highlight':95B,359B,376B,466B,587B,1251B 'histori':528B 'home':167B,235B 'homemak':1041B 'host':52B 'human':999B 'ident':109B 'ii':399B 'imag':666B,709B,1283B 'imageri':985B 'imagist':1092B,1184B 'imagist-rel':1183B 'immigr':537B 'includ':227B,411B,588B,640B 'incorpor':718B 'independ':651B 'india':883B 'individu':212B,650B,989B 'ink':884B 'inspir':545B 'institut':495B,1195B 'intricaci':1039B 'itatani':967B,1291B 'jean':677B 'jess':233B 'jewish':497B,533B 'joann':785B 'kickoff':230B 'klement':806B 'known':701B 'lachanc':783B 'larg':72B 'largest':577B 'late':1231B 'later':316B 'latest':216B,837B 'layer':705B 'leap':1055B 'left':759B 'legaci':1206B 'liber':636B 'life':123B,516B 'lifetim':1071B 'linc':243B 'linda':947B,1293B 'line':107B 'list':269B 'live':239B 'long':1028B 'look':1218B 'loop':946B 'lot':194B,347B 'made':1065B 'mani':92B,412B,460B,890B 'manley':811B 'mari':689B 'mark':63B 'mart':174B 'match':204B 'matter':657B 'mattera':786B 'may':272B,335B 'mca':310B 'mean':331B 'medina':1296B 'melane':734B 'member':1135B 'memori':342B 'mention':573B 'merchandis':173B 'michiko':966B,1290B 'migrat':170B 'miller':693B,699B 'mind':457B 'modern':530B,554B 'month':298B 'morn':914B 'motif':654B,983B 'move':762B 'movement':1063B 'museum':493B,1105B,1201B,1217B,1262B,1289B 'n':756B 'narrat':712B 'near':141B,147B 'new':23B,45B,88B,122B,259B 'newli':1244B 'night':909B,957B 'nilsson':1170B 'north':83B,128B,166B,185B,571B,740B,897B 'notabl':324B 'note':1180B 'obvious':343B 'offer':575B 'old':550B 'one':199B,908B,1010B,1131B 'open':7A,32B,54B,90B,214B,292B,306B,362B,406B,489B,580B,628B,894B,950B,1008B,1100B 'origin':1134B 'other':1172B 'pain':866B 'paint':639B,880B 'papanek':692B,698B 'papanek-mil':691B,697B 'part':3A,398B,936B,1175B 'parti':248B 'particip':271B 'partnership':501B 'paschk':1166B 'patti':1002B 'paula':969B 'peac':871B 'peopl':607B 'perceiv':611B 'person':645B,674B,1256B 'perspect':821B 'physic':620B 'piec':715B 'place':616B,1191B 'popular':1221B 'portrait':1209B,1266B 'portraitur':1224B 'practic':518B 'prepar':694B 'present':1123B 'preview':2A,403B 'printwork':798B 'program':100B,325B 'progress':1059B 'project':949B 'recent':341B 'recogn':1076B 'recur':982B 'reflect':719B 'relat':1185B 'relationship':825B 'ren':827B 'rene':863B 'repres':93B 'result':176B 'return':770B 'reveal':727B 'reviv':1222B 'rhyme':725B 'richard':1214B 'river':82B,127B,165B,184B,570B,739B,896B 'rndd':938B 'rocca':1130B,1149B 'romero':828B 'rossi':1168B,1285B 'saturday':253B,913B,1084B 'schuler':829B 'sculptur':889B 'search':842B 'season':25B,39B,69B,374B,463B,685B,923B 'see':352B,429B,475B,598B,904B 'select':1093B 'septemb':6A,61B,254B,300B,334B,363B,407B,481B,568B,585B,1085B 'seri':1029B,1035B 'sever':220B 'shape':995B 'share':370B 'show':46B,405B,413B,590B,630B,643B,681B,767B,800B,892B,954B 'showroom':158B,208B 'side':419B 'simultan':1258B 'sinc':115B 'sister':447B 'slight':315B 'social':1253B 'solac':864B 'solo':1017B 'somehow':14B 'song':723B 'sought':1246B 'space':754B,849B 'special':221B 'spertus':492B,494B 'spiritu':648B 'stand':1254B 'start':34B,66B,319B,471B 'state':1228B 'stay':395B 'steel':887B 'still':145B,1080B 'stori':722B 'strang':485B,565B 'street':151B 'strength':867B 'student':804B 'student/master':824B 'studi':498B 'style':976B 'subject':656B 'suellen':1129B 'summer':12B 'superior':148B 'surdo':634B 'take':845B,1190B 'teacher':801B 'term':561B 'thank':326B 'thelen':244B 'three':601B,816B 'throughout':40B 'thursday':480B 'titl':635B 'today':125B,152B 'todro':483B 'top':1282B 'tour':920B 'town':1015B 'tradit':65B,552B 'treasur':1271B 'triangl':252B 'tune':396B 'turmoil':873B 'turn':831B 'twist':1051B 'two':142B,803B,964B 'ukrain':541B 'unit':1227B 'upon':27B 'us':28B 'use':652B,703B,981B 'usual':318B 'van':10B 'variat':1032B 'various':653B 'vera':805B 'vernissag':304B 'vibrant':24B 'victor':626B 'view':389B,875B 'viewer':662B 'visual':708B 'wait':287B 'walk':187B,941B 'warren':948B,1294B 'way':606B 'wealthi':1245B 'week':282B 'weekend':31B,200B,364B,942B 'well':210B,226B,929B 'west':418B,945B,1014B 'white':1274B 'window':190B 'winter':696B 'wire':888B 'within':713B 'women':468B,602B,1020B,1061B 'work':513B,615B,717B,779B,814B,840B,859B,962B,1048B,1074B,1115B 'world':486B,551B,566B,1277B 'wrap':436B 'year':104B,743B,834B 'yearn':646B,672B 'zolla/lieberman':851B","thumbnail":null,"editor_pick":false,"category_name":"Previews"},"related":[{"id":14425,"title":"New Exhibitions, Tours and Open Houses: October 17 and 18","excerpt":"","body":"![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791926703/awzl5ynwbvo6sgqzswvu.jpg\")
Saturday–Sunday, October 17–18; Saturday performance 1–2 p.m.
The Driehaus Museum
Murphy Auditorium, 50 E. Erie St., Chicago
Explore the historic Murphy Auditorium during the Chicago Architecture Center’s annual Open House Chicago weekend. The landmark, reopened after renovation in 2024, also hosts Hanna DiLorenzo’s Behind Closed Doors on Saturday. Entry is free without reservations; access does not include the museum’s exhibition galleries.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791926703/utgorjynclhpj4rprjuu.jpg\")
Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Smart Museum of Art
5550 S. Greenwood Ave., Chicago
Exhibiting artist Nina Chanel Abney guides visitors in creating colorful self-portrait collages. A collaborative card-deck project extends the activities beyond the canvas, offering families a chance to explore identity and creativity together.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791926704/urcvfeolau4lvnzgbcde.jpg\")
Saturday–Sunday, October 17–18, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. each day
WING Studio
4883 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Add printmaking to your Open House Chicago itinerary. WING Studio welcomes visitors for etching demonstrations on both days, offering a closer look at an art-making process inside a working studio in Lincoln Square.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791926704/ytjnewftdvqufhhls38v.jpg\")
Saturday, October 17, 1–2:30 p.m.
Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park
Governors State University, University Park
Head outdoors with Jeff Stevenson for a tour of the South Collection, considering visiting artists’ installations alongside familiar works and their connections to the Earth. Admission is $10. Meet at the F Entrance, wear shoes for grass paths, and dress for the weather; parking is free.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791926705/lfusuve1caehbklnskad.jpg\")
Saturday, October 17, 2–4 p.m.
Bert Green Fine Art
8 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 620, Chicago
This Saturday event highlights Kevin Blake’s solo exhibition, guest curated by Dan Cameron. Blake’s paintings scrutinize inherited ideas of masculinity, placing familiar social roles in unsettled situations and revealing vulnerability beneath the outward performance of confidence.
*
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930291/zjcipafj3dspguzzpmyf.jpg\")
Gallery Night: Friday, October 16, 5–9 p.m.; Gallery Day: Saturday, October 17, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; exhibition opens October 14
JK Art House
191 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make a Wisconsin art outing part of the weekend. David Dunlop combines traditional translucent oil techniques with metal supports, producing paintings whose surfaces change with light and movement. The opening joins Milwaukee’s quarterly Gallery Night MKE, with a free John Michael Kohler Arts Center workshop also taking place in the gallery.
Also taking place is Treasured Postcards on Friday, October 16, 5–9 p.m. This is a John Michael Kohler Arts Center workshop at JK Art House. Inspired by Lenore Tawney’s correspondence, this free Gallery Night workshop invites participants to make small collage postcards from photographs, printed papers, and other materials. Stop into JK Art House’s Parlor to create an artwork that can travel through the mail.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930292/x5ek6zxnrve0xb2xc73w.jpg\")
Gallery Night: Friday, October 16, 5–8 p.m.; Gallery Day: Saturday, October 17, 11 am. Exhibition on view through November 7
Kim Storage Gallery
207 E Buffalo St., Ste 404, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Out There is a two-person exhibition of new work by Hector Acuna and Andy Paczos. The title borrows the advice a teacher gave Paczos at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago: look out the window, \"there's lots of good stuff out there.\" He took it, and has painted Chicago from direct observation for three decades since. Acuna works the same way, returning to his Wisconsin sites across multiple plein air sessions and staging handmade props to paint in natural light. Both find their subjects by standing in front of them
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930293/l29ajlc9lsmbnwlgzegr.jpg\")
First Look: Friday, October 16, 5 p.m.; opening-night event at 6 p.m.; sale through October 24
The Art Center Highland Park
1957 Sheridan Rd., Highland Park
Rediscovered art finds new homes at The Art Center’s annual sale, with donated works selected and priced for accessible collecting. Opening-night tickets offer an early look; weekend hours are Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and Sunday, noon–4 p.m. Entry is free October 19–24.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930293/dmixwzoapmhzwikc39sr.jpg\")
Friday, October 16, 5–8 p.m.; artist conversation 5–6:30 p.m.; performances begin at 6:30 p.m.
Research House for Asian Art
3217 S. Morgan St., Chicago
The Becoming Words reception brings calligraphy to life through performances by Hekiun Oda and Bahman Panahi. Panahi joins musician Kerry Leung for Musicalligraphy, while Oda demonstrates his distinctive practice. Food reflecting both artists’ cultures accompanies the evening. Admission is $40, plus the ticket service fee.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930294/ztj4wvrfjkrgh6cmlivu.jpg\")
Opening: Friday, October 16, 6–9 p.m.; on view through November 20
Forum 301
301 W. Ohio St., Chicago
Fashion becomes a meeting point for architecture, sculpture, and performance in this group exhibition. The participating artists examine how clothing shapes bodily presence, from protection and concealment to exaggeration and transformation, and how we construct the space we occupy.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930294/vumxu9z8gblmzb7rnlug.jpg\")
Friday, October 16, 7–10 p.m.
Bridgeport Art Center
1200 W. 35th St., Chicago
Explore studios and three gallery presentations: Decadence Deux, presented by Pigment International and September Gray Fine Art; Art Connection: Past Meets Present, from ArtConnectED; and Robert Lipton’s Una Vuelta a Mis Raices. The free evening offers opportunities to encounter artists and their work throughout the building.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930295/wzyhrxjudnttxdsxhkzh.jpg\")
Friday, October 16, 7–10 p.m.
Bridgeport Artist Community
Multiple neighborhood locations in Bridgeport, Chicago
Extend your Third Friday visit beyond a single building. The Bridgeport Artist Community’s route connects more than 45 galleries, studios, shops, and cultural spaces. Use the linked neighborhood map to plan stops, and check individual venues for their evening hours.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791930295/l8rblbkgi3icjn11t2jf.jpg\")
Opening: Friday, October 16, 7–9 p.m.; on view through October 2027
Polish Museum of America
984 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
A major exhibition revisits Stanisław Szukalski’s complex legacy through sculpture, drawing, prints, and photography. Organized with the POLONIKA Institute, it examines his imaginative mythmaking and contested ideas. Opening admission is $25; a Saturday discussion at 1 p.m. is $20, or $40 for both programs.
*
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791925834/b6nk3ypattnrwihdwgyq.jpg\")
Auction: Wednesday, October 14, 10 a.m. Central / 11 a.m. Eastern
Rago and Wright
online bidding
A midweek auction offers another way to engage with art. Rago and Wright’s current Curated: CALDER sale brings the artist’s work to the auction block, with bidding available online. See the current auction catalog for lots and registration.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791925835/wag6zxfk4f1g8ewtm2gy.jpg\")
Auction: October 14–15, 10 a.m. Central each day
Freeman’s
1550 W. Carroll Ave., Chicago
Freeman’s two-day sale spans English and Continental furnishings, decorative objects, and sculpture. Collections from across the country, including Barrington Hills, contribute to a selection ranging from clocks and tapestries to Minton porcelain.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791925835/iuvm3fhf9qqdsotqyqus.jpg\")
October 14–16
Smart Museum of Art
University of Chicago | Hyde Park
What happens to religious objects when they enter museum collections? Keynotes, panels, and roundtable conversations consider their changing meanings and histories in this multi-day symposium. Consult the program for individual session times and locations.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791925836/amunmqudsnpyfhr06tz8.jpg\")
Wednesday, October 14, 3:30–5 p.m.
Block Museum of Art
40 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston
Northwestern Athletics’ Ava Earl and Associate Provost Michelle Manno consider Cara Romero’s photograph Amber Morningstar through the lens of women in sports and self-representation. The conversation connects art with identity, teamwork, and the power to shape one’s own image.
Coffee and tea begin at 3 p.m.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791925836/mbtbn5zn8qka5oidgmha.jpg\")
October 15–November 15; opening reception Friday, October 16, 5–8 p.m.
Heritage Museum of Asian Art and Seldon Institute
Exhibition at Research House for Asian Art, 3217 S. Morgan St., Chicago
Japanese calligrapher Hekiun Oda and Iranian artist Bahman Panahi bring different traditions into conversation, moving from written language toward gesture, abstraction, and sound. The exhibition opens Thursday, followed by Friday’s live performance program and a free artist-led tour Saturday, October 17, 1–3 p.m.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791925837/kwmlwtohdvxxju0tr4q3.jpg\")
Opening: Thursday, October 15, 5:30–8:30 p.m.; on view through December 18
Madron Gallery
1000 W. North Ave., 3rd Floor, Chicago
Madron marks its 25th anniversary with twenty-five works by twenty-five artists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The free opening joins the fifth annual Lincoln Park Art Night, making it a lively evening to explore Madron, Leslie Wolfe Gallery, gallery 1871, Art City, and Art on Sedgwick.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791925838/kyhsb4gnqyfspn70ttgm.jpg\")
Opening: Thursday, October 15, 6–8 p.m.; artist remarks at 6:30 p.m.; on view through November 20
Kavanagh Gallery, Fine Line Creative Arts Center
37W570 Bolcum Rd., St. Charles
Brian Lathan’s brightly colored prints explore the uneasy relationship between escape and self-care. Figures shelter smaller versions of themselves inside exposed headspaces, inviting viewers to consider the habits and interior worlds that sustain us. Meet the artist at the free opening reception.
*