Art Exhibitions

Exhibitions mounted under the direction of Department of Cultural Affairs curators have established the Chicago Cultural Center as an outstanding visual arts venue. Exhibitions present a wide range of traditional and new media: painting, sculpture, photography, graphics, crafts, architecture, design, etc. A variety of contemporary, historical and cultural offerings include national travelling exhibitions as well as one-person shows by local artists. Several major exhibitions are organized annually by the Visual Arts staff as well as by guest curators. Related lectures, panel discussions, and gallery talks are scheduled. Educational programs and tours for elementary and high school students are also presented.

The exhibition program is aimed at complementing the offerings of Chicago's traditional museums and alternative galleries, to broaden the arts audience in Chicago, and to provide opportunities for Chicago artists to exhibit as well as view significant works of their counterparts on the local, national, and international level. Overall, the exhibition schedule reflects a commitment to showcasing cultural diversity in the arts.

Major international exhibitions are mounted in the palatial Sidney R. Yates Gallery (right) and/or in the adjacent Exhibit Hall (above left), while the work of artists from Chicago and the Midwest is showcased in the Michigan Avenue Galleries on the first floor.

Exhibits are planned to encompass a variety of media in the following areas: Architecture, Fine Arts, Folk Arts, Crafts, and Cultural Studies. Free of charge and open to the public, the exhibits are designed to provide an opportunity for an individual's aesthetic and intellectual growth and enjoyment, and to foster public awareness of the cultural and artistic community.