![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1780429189/fllwapxr1u3gtbjolri9.jpg\")
By CGN Staff
It's been one year since Intuit expanded its museum and got a new name. On April 10 IAM will celebrate with Life is an Art: IAM the party, the Intuit Art Museum annual gala to celebrate Intuit’s 35th anniversary and the 1 year mark since re-opening. Co-chairs Kahil El'Zabar and Tony Karman will be celebrating visionary Jerry Stefl and creatives Nick Cave and Bob Faust, agents who advocate for art and the Museum in powerful ways.
The public is invited to purchase tickets, turn up in creative attire (\"looking like a work of art\") and come together with artists, community builders and connectors to experience inspiring stories, art activations, creative fashion, a curated dinner and more at the gorgeous CityHall Events. In partnership with Museum of House and Gertie, the Art After Dark after party at CityHall is amplified with incredible musical performances by legends DJ Lady D, Mike Dunn, Osunlade and Nona Hendryx.
Awardees Nick and Bob are Chicago-based artists, collaborators and cultural leaders whose work has reshaped contemporary art and design through creativity, social engagement and bold experimentation. Nick, an internationally celebrated artist working across visual and performing arts, is best known for his Soundsuits—powerful sculptural forms that merge beauty, movement and social critique, challenging viewers to confront issues of race, violence and justice while holding space for hope and transformation.
Bob is a beloved artist and designer whose work centers typography, pattern and purpose, creating visually powerful projects that inform, provoke and celebrate human difference. Founder and creative director of the cultural branding studio Faust, he brings a message-driven approach to art and design. For Intuit Art Museum’s renovated building, Faust designed a vibrant façade wrap using photographic assets from the Museum’s collection. Works by Chicago artists were remixed into evolving patterns that connect art and architecture. Bob and Nick together co-founded Facility, a nonprofit creative space dedicated to community and social change through art and design.
Jerry is a nationally-recognized educator and leader whose lifelong commitment to art education has shaped generations of artists, teachers and cultural leaders. IAM Education Committee Chair and a lead instructor for Intuit’s Teacher Fellowship for more than 30 years, Jerry devoted 33 years to teaching at Carl Sandburg High School and served for more than 48 years as an adjunct associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he is now Faculty Emeritus. His leadership has extended across the field through advisory and governance roles with Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, the Illinois Art Education Association, the College Board’s AP Studio Art program and the Illinois State Board of Education, and he is the recipient of the National Art Education Association lifetime achievement award. Jerry’s career exemplifies the values of innovation, mentorship and advocacy at the heart of Intuit’s Visionary Award.
Life is an Art: IAM the party
Friday, April 10, CityHall, 838 W Kinzie Street, Chicago
5:30 pm cocktails
6:30 pm award ceremony
7 pm dinner
Art After Dark Dance Party with Museum of House and Gertie
8:30 pm to midnight, performances by DJ Lady D, Mike Dunn and Osunlade
8:30 pm surprise artist award
Purposefully aligned with EXPO Chicago, Chicago’s biggest art week of the year (April 9-12), Life is an Art: IAM the party is the most exciting way to celebrate Intuit's 35th anniversary and the 1st birthday of the expanded Museum.
Proceeds go towards Intuit’s efforts to advocate for self-taught art and its power as a unique mirror to the world, a refuge for the spirit, and a force for connection and understanding.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1792084737/qrikvx76nvvt5agq24rq.jpg\")
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.
#
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