CGN Art Preview: February 2025
From left: The Seldoms and Elmhurst Art Museum, Wafaa Bilal at the MCA, and MoCP's annual DARKROOM benefit.
CGN adds to its calendar of art events daily, and there is no shortage of new exhibitions, openings, art fairs, talks and family art events to explore. We have put together a preview of what is coming up the rest of this month. Events happen throughout the city as well as in the suburbs and within a days drive. Whether you have an hour after work or you are looking for a weekend road trip, take a look and do a little planning in order to take a step into the world of art. Everyone is welcome!
Highlights are organized by event type. Dates vary and are subject to change.
– Ginny
CGN Publisher
• Family Events
Family Day: Filling the Paige
Saturday, Feb 8, 2025 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Discover how artists featured in The 50th create their work in unexpected ways. Families will experiment with pattern, printing, and repetition using unique art-making techniques such as printmaking, paint, and ink. Drop in; all families and kids of all ages are welcome.
Family Day: Comfy Cozy
Saturday, Feb 8, 2025 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA)
Spend the afternoon crafting your own incense, tea, and heartfelt art. Family Days are always free for kids and their grownups!
• Performance and Screenings
Insert Coin Documentary Screening and Discussion
Tuesday, Feb 11, 2025 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA)
In conjunction with the Insert Coin exhibition at Cleve Carney Museum of Art, enjoy a special screening of the documentary, “Insert Coin,” followed by a panel discussion with key members of Midway Games featured in the documentary. “Insert Coin” is the amazing behind-the-scenes story of the making of Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and other massive videogame hits.
The Seldoms: An Evening of Dance Inspired by the Earth
Friday, Feb 14, 2025 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Seldoms, a contemporary Chicago-based dance troupe, perform excerpts from three celebrated works: Floe (2020), GRASS (2021), and Superbloom (2023). Inspired by themes of the museum’s current exhibition Sustenance & Land, such as climate, nature, and transformation, these innovative works are followed by a lively discussion with the dancers. The program includes light bites, beverages, and exhibition viewing.
• Exhibitions
Arvie Smith: Crossing Clear Creek
Feb 8, 2025 - Mar 22, 2025
Opening: Saturday, Feb 8, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Arvie Smith: Crossing Clear Creek is the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. Smith is a 2024 recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in Fine Arts, with an artistic career spanning over four decades. His ongoing passion for advancing social and racial justice is reflected through his narrative paintings depicting historical and contemporary policies, influencers, bigotry, and institutional white supremacy, transforming the history of oppressed and stereotyped segments of the American experience into lyrical two-dimensional master works.
A Tale of Today: Materialities
Feb 7 - Apr 25, 2025
A Tale of Today: Materialities, an expansive contemporary exhibition that invites viewers to discover the history and architectural richness of the Museum through the eyes of artists who are rooted in the Midwest. In the autumn of 2023, the Driehaus Museum held an open call for submissions, asking artists to identify a material from the Museum, research its history, and produce site-specific responses that connect the fabric of the building to distant shores, traditions, and ideologies. The commissioned works connect the past and present in original and compelling ways, linking different cultures to specific materials and allowing visitors to see the Nickerson Mansion through different perspectives.
Wafaa Bilal: Indulge Me
Thru Oct 25, 2025
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA)
Indulge Me is a major survey of renowned artist Wafaa Bilal (b. 1966, Najaf, Iraq; lives in New York, NY). Crucially, the exhibition will take a comprehensive look at Bilal’s myriad practice, highlighting the development of his work across decades and placing it in conversation with broader art histories. It will also explore cultural cannibalism—that is, how culture (specifically the culture of the other) is used, disassembled, and consumed.
• Art Fairs and Markets
West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo
Feb 21–Feb 23
Featuring over 40 invitation-only artists from 8 states, this Midwest inaugural event takes place at Plumber's Hall, the historic Beaux-Arts building in Chicago's trendy and convenient West Loop.
• Galas and Benefits
Celebrate 25 Years of Arts of Life
Saturday, Feb 22
Circle Contemporary (Arts of Life)
Come raise a glass, meet the artists, eat some cake, and be part of a celebration dedicated to art and community. Here's to the next 25 years! Join us as we mark a milestone—our 25th anniversary of championing creativity, vision, and the arts. Longtime supporter and Guest of Honor Cindy Shanker will join us to commemorate this special occasion.
DARKROOM 2025: Annual Benefit Auction Party
Thursday, Feb 27
Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP)
DARKROOM is MoCP’s renowned benefit auction party featuring premier artworks and one-of-a-kind arts experiences by emerging and established contemporary artists from around the world.
JMKAC Gala 2025: This is the Place
Saturday, Feb 22
John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC)
The JMKAC Gala is an outta-sight celebration of how far we’ve come since the 1960s and our 1967 grand opening. There’ll be dinner from The American Club, a fabulous auction featuring one-of-a-kind items and far-out treasures, an open bar, valet parking, and more. It’ll be a gas!
• Last Call - Closing Soon
Kayla Risko: Interiors
Thru Feb 15
Home Sweet Home: Nostalgia...ish 3
Thru Feb 15, 2025
"Home Sweet Home: Nostalgia...ish 3" dives deeper into reimagined vintage, thrifted, and found objects. This time, it’s more expansive, more playful, and filled with even more unforgettable creations.
View the CGN Calendar here. Updated daily.
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