Amy Bizzarri 2020-01-22 00:06:46
CULTURE SCENE Delve into the city’s vibrant art, theatre, museum, live music, and dance scenes to discover why Chicago has earned the reputation as a global culture capital. Make a date with the renowned museums, music venues, and theatres that have cemented Chicago’s status as a global culture capital. ART EXPERIENCES The world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago is home to works by icons ranging from Picasso to Warhol, as well as one of the largest collections of French Impressionist art outside the Louvre. Just one block from The Magnificent Mile, the Museum of Contemporary Art showcases captivating modern art in a dramatic space that includes the acclaimed Marisol restaurant. Pilsen’s National Museum of Mexican Art highlights the beauty and richness of Mexican culture. Don’t miss the colorful Day of the Dead exhibit and events in October. Art on theMART, the largest digital art projection in the world, illuminates the Chicago River-facing wall of the former Merchandise Mart after dark. Stroll the Wabash Arts Corridor, featuring an ever-growing number of large-scale murals along Wabash Avenue, from Van Buren to Roosevelt. In September, EXPO CHICAGO gathers works from more than 150 international contemporary art galleries on Navy Pier. EXPO ART WEEK partners with the city’s most prestigious institutions to present related programming, including museum exhibitions and public art projects. October brings Black Fine Art Month, a global celebration of black art and artists at the DuSable Museum of African American History. MUSEUMS Learn more about the authors behind your favorite books (and take a crack at crafting a story yourself) at the American Writers Museum, the only one of its kind in the country. The lakeside Museum Campus is home to three of the city’s leading museums. See stars at the Adler Planetarium, dive into the underwater world of the Shedd Aquarium, and explore natural history at the Field Museum. Museum Campus South features a collection of must-visit museums. Hop aboard a WWII submarine at the Museum of Science and Industry, explore African American culture at the DuSable Museum of African American History, wander the sculpture garden at the Smart Museum of Art, meet a mummy at The Oriental Institute, and see the latest in contemporary art at The Renaissance Society. Hop aboard the very first ‘L’ car, see Abraham Lincoln’s family carriage, and visit a jazz club at the Chicago History Museum. At the Chicago Children’s Museum, kids can dig for dinosaur bones, climb a schooner, and get behind the wheel of a Chicago Fire Department engine. Spend some time with the hundreds of exotic winged beauties that flutter freely in the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation honors the legendary musicians who recorded at Chicago’s famed Chess Records studios, including Muddy Waters and Etta James, with tours and its Record Row Concert Series. MUSIC & DANCE The Jay Pritzker Pavilion and The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago’s hubs for music and dance, are both found at Millennium Park. Millennium Park’s Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only free, summer-long classical music series. Once the city’s first public library, the stunning Chicago Cultural Center hosts free concerts, films, art exhibits, lectures, and live performances. Music fills Chicago’s beloved Symphony Center, home of the acclaimed Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Enjoy an evening of awe-inspiring opera or ballet at the Lyric Opera House, where the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Joffrey Ballet both perform. A variety of dance companies regularly present classic and modern pieces at the Auditorium Theatre. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago brings the best in contemporary dance to stages across the city. THEATRE The Goodman Theatre is acclaimed for the depth of its classic and contemporary productions, often penned by award-winning playwrights. Broadway In Chicago is a collective of impressive downtown theatres, each of them staging stellar, direct-from-Broadway productions all year long. Housed in the historic Water Tower Pumping Station, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents performances ranging from lively plays to unique acrobatic productions. Chicago Shakespeare Theater brings The Bard’s genius to Navy Pier with plays performed in three different theatres, including The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, a unique venue with giant movable seating towers. Steppenwolf Theatre Company counts renowned actors John Malkovich and Gary Sinise as ensemble members. The Steppenwolf recently embarked on a $73 million expansion of its Lincoln Park campus. Victory Gardens Theater, located in the landmark Biograph Theater, boasts a 14-member Playwrights Ensemble that has collectively garnered six Tony awards. The Belmont Theater District in Lakeview includes 20 local theatres, including the Briar Street Theatre (home of the long-running Blue Man Group), Athenaeum Theatre, and the famed Laugh Factory. The Second City is a can’t-miss improv and sketch comedy institution, having launched the careers of comedic greats like Tina Fey and Steve Carell. The Black Ensemble Theater in Uptown is one of the most prominent African American theatre companies in the nation, known for its musicals depicting noted musicians and performers. The Court Theatre is the professional theatre company of The University of Chicago in Hyde Park, focusing on lost masterpieces and provocative modern classics.
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