The Art Institute of Chicago Block Party

Saturday, July 21, 2018, 10:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m.
Throughout the museum

It's time to party at the Art Institute. On Saturday, July 21st, come to the Art Institute for a day of talks, performances and art making that fill the museum's galleries, gardens, library and public spaces. This 12-hour celebration led by artists, musicians and dancers from across Chicago includes programming for adults and kids of all ages.

This daylong gathering highlights the deep and lasting contributions of Chicago's creative communities. Experience a progression of events activating the museum's galleries, libraries, study rooms, gardens, and public spaces, culminating in exciting music performances, all celebrating our city's rich history and bright future.

$10 museum admission for Illinois residents with advance purchase.

A few highlights include (find the full list here):

10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Art-Making: Drawn From Chicago: Make and Mail Postcards with Intuit
Make your own Joseph Yoakum-inspired postcard of Chicago's sites and mail it to someone special with Art Design Chicago partner Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. 

11 a.m.
Performance: Reading Charles White with The Lucky Trikes
Watch performance artists The Lucky Trikes celebrate a brand new children’s book about Chicago artist Charles White, taking place outside of the exhibition Charles White: A Retrospective. Recommended for families with young children.
 
11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m.
Gallery Tour: Tour the Block with Julia Bachrach
Learn about the fascinating history of the Art Institute and its outdoor museum setting in Chicago’s “Front Yard” with Julia Bachrach, author of The City in a Garden: A History of Chicago’s Parks. 

11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
Art-Making: Send a Postcard from 1893
Make a collaged postcard inspired by the Ryerson Library's archives of maps, photographs, and memorabilia from Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition.

3:30 p.m, 4 p.m.
Gallery Talk: Never a Lovely So Real: Photography and Film in Chicago, 1950–1980 
Join exhibition curator Michal Raz-Russo in a discussion of Never a Lovely So Real: Photography and Film in Chicago, 1950–1980.

Saturday will also be a fantastic opportunity to catch these exhibitions now on view at the Art Institute as part of Art Design Chicago: Flesh: Ivan Albright, Never a Lovely So Real: Photography and Film in Chicago, 1950–1980, and Charles White: A Retrospective.

Visit their page for more updates leading up to the event, including a schedule of programs and a link to pre-register.