Pilsen, Bridgeport, Chinatown, plus Hyde Park, Jackson Park/Dorchester, and Bronzeville

South Side

Bridgeport Art Center (BAC) is home to artists, woodworkers, sculptors,&nbsp;fashion designers, architects, interior designers, attorneys, counselors, therapists, non for profits, for profits, and many other professionals.&nbsp;BAC features 3 galleries, Fashion Design Center, Shared Floor Ceramics, Chicago Maritime Museum, and Base cafe.&nbsp;BAC is home for creative minds, emerging artists, and evolving professionals in Chicagoland. Visit Bridgeportart.com for a complete 2025 exhibition schedule and to see what we offer. For information on leasing, please call us at 773–843–9000. The office and galleries are open Monday–Saturday, 8am–6pm, Sunday, 8am–12pm. Visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.bridgeportart.com" target="_blank">bridgeportart.com</a> for a complete 2025 exhibition schedule.&nbsp; Join us every third Friday of the month from 7–10 pm when artists open their studios to the public.&nbsp;&nbsp;Image: Alberto Villegas&nbsp;

Bridgeport Art Center

Chicago Art Department

Chicago Arts District

The DuSable Museum of African American History located in the historic Hyde Park area of Chicago (57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue) in Washington Park unites art, history and culture.Founded in 1961 by teacher and art historian Dr. Margaret Burroughs and other leading Chicago citizens, the DuSable Museum is one of the few independent institutions of its kind in the United States. The Museum was developed to preserve and interpret experiences and achievements of people of African descent. The Museum is dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation, and study of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. The DuSable Museum is proud of its diverse holdings that number more than 15,000 pieces and include paintings, sculpture, print works, and historical&nbsp;memorabilia. Special exhibitions, workshops, and lectures are featured to highlight works by particular artists, historical events, or collections on loan from individuals or institutions.&nbsp; Please see website for a list of hours.

The DuSable Museum of African American History

Located in Chicago’s River North and Bridgeport Art Districts, Hilton Contemporary specializes in modern and contemporary paintings, works on paper, mixed media, sculpture and AI digital works with a special focus on photography. The gallery showcases internationally recognized artists from the United States, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean Region and the Middle East. Representing: David Yarrow, Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, Christian Voigt, Hugh Arnold, Terry O’Neill, OUCHHH, Julian Wasser, Adonis, Carole Feuerman, David Gamble, Jack Perno, Sophia Collier, Lawrence Schiller, Jacob Gils, Blake Ward, Boky Hackel-Ward, Luca Cristiano, Susan Aurinko, Marcus Klinko, Yasemin Aslan Bakiri, Osama Esber, Kostis Georgiou, Zack Whitford, Jannis Markopoulos, Ana Castillo <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/hilton-asmus-contemporary" target="_blank">River North Location</a> Image: David Yarrow,&nbsp;Bad Asses

Hilton Contemporary - Bridgeport

Hyde Park Art Center will be&nbsp;CLOSED from December 23 to January 5 Hyde Park Art Center, on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, is a hub for contemporary arts in Chicago, serving as a gathering, production, and exhibition space for artists and the broader community to cultivate ideas, impact social change, and connect with new networks. Since its inception in 1939, Hyde Park Art Center has grown from a small collective of artists to establishing a strong legacy of risk-taking and experimentation, emerging as a unique Chicago arts institution with social impact. Today, the Art Center offers a diverse suite of programs for artists and art lovers of all backgrounds, ages, and stages in their careers including: contemporary art exhibitions in six galleries; an open-access community-based school with 2,500 annual enrollments; weekly arts education to over 1,000 public elementary school students; weekly and summer programs for 250 teen artists; professional-advancement programs for artists; a local and international artist residency; and public programs that connect residents with Chicago art and artists. The Art Center’s Oakman Clinton School + Studio is the nation’s first fully contribute-what-you-can visual art school for all ages. The Art Center functions as an amplifier for creative voices of today and tomorrow, providing the space to cultivate new work and connections.&nbsp; All exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. Visit our <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.hydeparkart.org" target="_blank">website</a> for updated hours and info. Image: Installation view,&nbsp;The United Colors of Robert Earl Paige, Hyde Park Art Center, 2024. Photo by Tom Van Eynde&nbsp;

Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC)

Illinois Institute of Technology

Museum of Science and Industry

The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago presents contemporary art exhibitions, events, and publications. “The Ren”—as we are known by many—is an independent, non-collecting museum driven by an uncompromising commitment to artists and their ideas. For artists, we offer an unfettered platform for bold experimentation.&nbsp; Our work with artists frequently results in newly commissioned art, and these&nbsp;presentations in our gallery at the University of Chicago spur further scholarly&nbsp;and creative reflections in our publications and public programs.&nbsp;Events—including artist talks, lectures, screenings, concerts, readings, and more—offer further&nbsp;opportunities for discovery and discussion.&nbsp; All exhibitions and events are free to attend. Join The Ren's mailing list <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://renaissancesociety.org/about/" target="_blank">here.</a>&nbsp;The Renaissance Society is a registered 501(c)(3). We are a member of Mod/Co, Common Field, and UChicago Arts, and we are an independent affiliate of the University of Chicago. Image: Neïl Beloufa, Growth, 2024, installation view in Neïl Beloufa: Humanities, 2024, The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago. Photo by Bob.

The Renaissance Society

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As the fine arts museum of the University of Chicago, the Smart Museum of Art is a site for rigorous inquiry and exchange that encourages the examination of complex issues through the lens of art objects and artistic practice. Through strong scholarly and community collaborations and a welcoming approach to its exhibitions, collections, publications, research and teaching, and public programs, the Smart Museum plays a dynamic role in expanding artistic canons, rethinking received histories, introducing new perspectives, and engaging diverse communities—locally, nationally, and internationally. The Smart Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary.&nbsp; Visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu" target="_blank">smartmuseum.uchicago.edu</a> for more.&nbsp; Admission to the Smart Museum of Art is always free and open to all.&nbsp; Photo by Jason Smith

Smart Museum of Art

Founded in 1940, South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) is the nation’s first Black art institution, dedicated to amplifying the voices of contemporary Black artists. SSCAC is a dynamic cultural space where Black art, thought, and radical creativity thrive on Chicago’s South Side. Here, we embrace art as a living, evolving language, one that speaks to resilience, imagination, and the complexities of Black identity in our time. SSCAC is both a platform and a sanctuary—a place where emerging creators stand shoulder-to-shoulder with seasoned visionaries, and where every exhibition, workshop, and performance is an invitation to explore and challenge. Our commitment is to showcase bold, current perspectives that resonate with the realities of today while honoring the legacy that brought us here. Join us as we nurture the future of Black art, creating space for innovation, dialogue, and profound cultural expression. January 2025–March 2029: Beyond Frames: Black Women Collectors Shaping&nbsp;Cultural Heritage in Chicago Image: South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC), the nation’s first Black art space, forging the future on Chicago’s South Side.&nbsp;Design: Jada-Amina / Photo Credit: Lennell Davis, Jr.

South Side Community Art Center

Check website for hours and opening dates and they are subject to change throughout the year. The Stony Island Arts Bank is a hybrid gallery, media archive, library and community center –&nbsp;and a home for Rebuild’s archives and collections. Designed by William Gibbons Uffendell and built in 1923, the bank at 68th Street and Stony Island Avenue was once a vibrant community savings and loan. By the eighties, the branch had closed and the building remained vacant and deteriorating for decades. Reopened&nbsp;in October 2015, the radically restored building serves as a space for neighborhood residents to preserve, access, reimagine and share their heritage – and a destination for artists, scholars, curators, and collectors to research and engage with South Side history. The Arts Bank collections include:<ul><li>Johnson Publishing Archive + Collections: Books and periodicals donated by the Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony and Jetmagazine.</li><li>University of Chicago Glass Lantern Slides: Over 60,000 slides of art and architectural history from the Paleolithic to Modern eras</li><li>Edward J. Williams Collection: 4,000 objects of “negrobilia” – mass cultural objects and artifacts that feature stereotypical images of people of color</li><li>Frankie Knuckles Records: “Godfather of House Music,” Frankie Knuckles’ vinyl collection</li></ul> For more information contact <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:info@rebuild-foundation.org" target="_blank">info@rebuild-foundation.org</a>&nbsp;

Stony Island Arts Bank

Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating, promoting, and supporting the work of women and non-binary artists through dynamic exhibitions, memberships, and community-focused programs. WMG welcomes women and non-binary artists, including trans women and femme-identifying genderqueer individuals, from local, regional, and global communities. Since its founding in 1992, WMG has showcased the work of over 10,000 artists in more than 475 exhibitions. Annually, WMG hosts up to nine juried group shows and maintains a membership of over 350 artists. Through professional development workshops, networking events, and online promotion, WMG connects its members to a community of over 15,000 supporters. WMG provides a platform for conversations on topics that matter to women and that seek to interpret the world through a feminist lens. Public programs such as artist talks, panel discussions, and poetry readings foster dialogue and inspire meaningful community engagement. Image:&nbsp;Gallery view during the 7th Midwest Open Exhibition, September 2024

South Side

Bridgeport

Bronzeville

Hyde Park / Dorchester

University Village / Little Italy

Additional Spaces

Chicago Gallery News