In Chicago’s Little Village — often called the “Mexico of the Midwest” for its vibrant Mexican-American culture — a neighborhood school was preparing to host a community event connected to The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros’ iconic coming-of-age story about growing up between cultures on Chicago’s West Side. The event was meant to be […]
In the modern age, the ever-present symptoms of the climate crisis, socio-political strain, civil unrest and more loom larger than ever in our lives. Oftentimes, this puts us in a reactionary position instead of one based in action and forethought on how to navigate these issues. For analogue collage artist Sierra Severson, there is a […]
Ten years ago, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords founded Giffords, a gun-prevention organization. It was a month after the Sandy Hook tragedy, and two years to the day after Giffords was shot in the head in an attack that left six people dead and 13 injured at a Saturday morning constituent meet-and-greet outside a grocery store […]
What does it mean to age well? There are as many theories as there are anti-wrinkle serums at the pharmacy. For some people it is all about preserving how they look; others are more into checking items off their bucket list. Jack Schuler was in his early 60s when he realized the best way to […]
Color Factory Chicago is back and staying for good this time. On June 17, the museum is opening their doors and immersing Chicagoans in art and color that engage all the senses. The reopening will include 15 beautiful new installations and exciting artist partnerships across 25,000 square feet in the Willis Tower. “We love Chicago […]
It wasn’t easy for Donna Isham to ignore her inner artist, which called to her soul. But for decades she did, because she had so many other opportunities, talents and people pulling on her time and attention. Isham raised four kids, while running the business side of her husband Mark’s multimillion-dollar music enterprise, serving as an […]
Vivian Maier, the photographer who famously left behind thousands of prints and negatives that were only discovered after her death, has earned almost as much notoriety for her mysterious life as for her stunning photography. Slowly, details of her time working and shooting in the Chicago suburbs are coalescing in much of the same coincidental […]
On S. Michigan Ave. stands the South Side Community Art Center, a historical marker of an 80-year history (and counting) of prominent Black artists and landmark cultural movements. The history of the center is shaped by the work of artists like Gwendolyn Brooks and Charles White and the development in the 1960s of AfriCOBRA, a […]
If you’ve always loved weavings, macramé, or quilts, you’re in luck: We are living in a Golden Age of craft. In recent years, the art world has embraced artists who work in traditional craft mediums—such as fiber, clay and metal—more fully than it ever has before. In part, this is because the art world is […]
When artist James Goldcrown began experimenting with aerosol paints a decade or so ago, he habitually tested each can’s pressure by spraying a random heart design on a wall in his studio. It wasn’t long before those hearts—layers and layers of them—propelled his career to international recognition. With spray paint as his signature medium, he […]
