Toward Common Cause: Art, Social Change, and the MacArthur Fellows Program at 40 is an expansive, multi-venue exhibition taking place across the city of Chicago that explores the extent to which certain resources—air, land, water, and even culture—can be held in common. Raising questions about inclusion, exclusion, ownership, and rights of access, the exhibition considers art’s vital role in society as a call to vigilance, a way to bear witness, and a potential act of resistance.

Organized by the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago in collaboration with more than two dozen exhibition, programmatic, and research partner organizations, Toward Common Cause features work by twenty-nine visual artists who have been named MacArthur Fellows since the award program’s founding in 1981.

One of the pressing issues addressed in Toward Common Cause is the immigration crisis. Weinberg/Newton Gallery will exhibit new and recontextualized works by Wendy Ewald and Amalia Mesa-Bains, whose complementary projects focus on Latinx migration in Chicago. 

To celebrate the opening of Toward Common Cause: Art, Social Change, and the MacArthur’s Fellow Program at 40 at Weinberg/Newton Gallery, all are welcome to join us for an outdoor reception in our courtyard on Saturday, September 25, 2-5pm, weather permitting. No RSVP is required for the outdoor gathering, but an appointment is required to see the exhibition inside our gallery space. The link to make an appointment is forthcoming. All guests ages 12 and up must be vaccinated. Proper face coverings are required for all guests throughout their visit to the gallery, including the courtyard, regardless of vaccination status. See below for more details about visiting our space.

Please see Visitor Infofor more details

Exhibitions are free to attend. An appointment is required. All visitors ages 12 and up must be vaccinated. Please see the Visitor Info section of our website for more details about appointments and COVID-19 safety protocols.