Art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more important than the finished art object.&nbsp;

Conceptual / Performance

<h3>Developed during the Italian Renaissance, primarily for aesthetics or beauty, the highest art was that which allowed the full expression and display of the artist's imagination.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – Pre 18th Century

<h3>Graphic Art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional. It includes calligraphy, photography, painting, typography, computer graphics, and bindery.&nbsp;</h3>

Graphic Art

Works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.

Artists' Books

The exploration of video art and music or sound set, including visual music, abstract film, audiovisual performances and installations.

Video / Sound

The objects produced by shaping pieces of clay that are then hardened by baking, or the skill of making such objects.

Ceramics

An artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are carved, modeled, casted, and constructed into a three-dimensional art object.&nbsp;

Sculpture

The process of creating artworks by printing, typically on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints that have an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting.

Printmaking

<h3>Something made in an earlier period that is collected and considered to have value because it is beautiful, rare, old, or of high quality.</h3>

Antiques and Artifacts

Imagery where the subject matter centers around a view or depiction of Chicago.&nbsp;

Chicago Scenes & Regionalism

Old Masters refer to any painter of skill who worked in Europe before about 1800.

Old Masters

Socio-Political art is used to help the public understand a particular social or political issue.

Socio-Political

<h3>The attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions, or implausible, exotic, and supernatural elements.</h3>

Realism

<h3>Artwork (particularly paintings and sculptures) that is clearly derived from real objects and is representational.</h3>

Figurative

<h3>Individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. Glass art ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces, to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glass jewelry and tableware.</h3>

Glass

<h3>Artwork that often deals with Rococo, the Enlightenment, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – 18th & 19th C.

From the Tate Museum's website: Modernism refers to a global movement in society and culture that from the early decades of the twentieth century sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern industrial life. Building on late nineteenth-century precedents, artists around the world used new imagery, materials and techniques to create artworks that they felt better reflected the realities and hopes of modern societies.

Modernism

<h3>Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that continue to challenge boundaries.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – Contemporary

<h3>Art that is concerned with the design and decoration of objects that are chiefly prized for their utility, rather than for their purely aesthetic qualities including, ceramics, glassware, metalware, furniture, textiles, clothing, and more.</h3>

Furniture & Decorative Arts

<h3>Emerging art is work by artists who are still building their artistic careers and have not yet reached a more established and widely recognized status.&nbsp;</h3>

Emerging

<h3>Fiber art refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour on the part of the artist as part of the works' significance, and prioritizes aesthetic value over utility.</h3>

Fiber Arts / Textiles

The quality of dealing with ideas rather than events. Freedom from representational qualities in art.

Abstraction

<h3>Art by African-American artists.</h3>

African-American

<h3>The art and science of designing and making buildings, or the style of a building.</h3>

Architecture

<h3>Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, an emphasis on light and its changing qualities, and inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience.</h3>

Impressionism

From the Tate Museum's website: Abstract expressionism is the term applied to new forms of abstract art developed by American painters such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning in the 1940s and 1950s. It is often characterized by gestural brush-strokes or mark-making, and the impression of spontaneity.

Abstract Expressionism

Numismatics

Relating to Africa or people of African descent.

African

Eastern European art is a product of recent history. It can be traced to the division of Europe into the Western and Soviet spheres of influence of the allied victory over Germany in World War two.

Eastern European

Considered one of the most influential periods of art, featuring movements including Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism.

Early 20th Century

Skill and experience, especially in relation to making objects by hand.

Craft

<h3>The skill of making plans, drawings, or arrangements to show how a building or product is made.</h3>

Design

Asian art is diverse and rich, spanning thousands of years and dozens of countries. It is known for its ritual bronzes, beautiful ceramics, calligraphy, jades, textiles, painted landscapes, garden design, pagodas and stupas, and woodblock prints.

Asian

<h3>An artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space.</h3>

Installations

An art form that combines visual art with dramatic performance.

Performance

Some of the most prominent, highly influential artists, who challenged preconceptions and pushed the limits of visual art, shaping the art world of our time.

Modern Contemporary Masters

Created in accordance with the vision of the artist as a photographer, using photography as a medium to bring something to life that only lives in the artist's mind.

Photography

The design movement in interior, product, graphic design, architecture, and urban development from roughly the 1930's to 1965.

Mid-Century

A movement in art and literature that flourished in the early 20th-century. Surrealism aimed at expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control.&nbsp;

Surrealism

An innovative discipline which seeks to unify a large range of art forms. This is creatively achieved by combining an array of artistic insights and crafts such as film, literature, performance, music and sound, drama, visual arts, or design.

Multi-Media

<h3>The depiction of landscapes in art—natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composition.</h3>

Landscape

Plein air is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look.

Plein-air

Printed 2-D artwork which is designed to be affixed to a vertical surface, may consist exclusively of images, or images and text.

Poster / Lithography

<h3>A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.</h3>

Portraits / Portraiture

<h3>These works are often stunningly beautiful, and encourage the viewer to engage with the rich history of research and experimentation that led to the piece’s conception.</h3>

Scientific

<h3>The Art of the American West is defined by geographical subject, consists of historic and contemporary works of art which focus on varying expressions of individuals, landscapes, ideals, and myths of the American West.</h3>

Western (The American West)

<h3>Borrowed from Wikipedia: In visual arts, music, and other mediums, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella. It derives from the reductive aspects of modernism and is often interpreted as a reaction against abstract expressionism and a bridge to postminimal art practices.</h3>

Minimalism

<h3>Occupying the space between fine art and the everyday, functional art refers to aesthetic objects that serve utilitarian purposes. The genre is remarkably inclusive, it encompasses everything from furniture and lighting to dishes and even books.</h3>

Functional Art - Jewelry / Fashion

A range of artistic practices encompassing both historical approaches to nature in art and more recent ecological and politically motivated types of works.

Wildlife / Nature

Watches & Timepieces

Sports Collectibles

3-Dimensonal

Rare Books / Manuscripts

Western European art represents a continuous, though disrupted, tradition from antiquity until the present time. Until the mid-19th century it was primarily concerned with representational and Classical modes of production. After the mid-19th century modern, abstract and conceptual forms gained favor.

Western European

<h3>Artistic expression of Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, as well as Latin and Hispanic Americans living in other regions. Latin American art has roots in the many different indigenous cultures that inhabited the Americas before European colonization in the 16th-century.</h3>

Latin American and Hispanic

Comics

Large Scale (over 6')

Visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues. Common forms and media include spray paint graffiti, stencil graffiti, poster art, sticker art, street installations, and sculpture.

Pop / Street Art / Graffiti

Medieval / Renaissance 

Non-Western

<h3>Art produced by self-taught or naïve art makers. Typically, those labeled as outsider artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.</h3>

Folk / Outsider / Self Taught

American Regionalism

Literary Arts

Mosiac

Includes manuscripts, prints, drawings, collages, and paintings on paper.

Works on Paper

Prints and Drawings

The Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles offers new and existing artists a place to show their work. Each year, the gallery displays six to seven shows featuring art from local and national artists and artmakers. These curated shows bring together both established and up-and-coming artists, using all forms of media, in a wide range of price points. The gallery team at the Kavanagh strives to bring innovative and exciting artists to the gallery. Admission to the Kavanagh Gallery is always free and open to all. We invite you to stop by to view our gallery and see for yourself the fantastic space at Fine Line. Fine Line Creative Arts Center is a thriving community where artists and art lovers have been experiencing, learning and sharing for over 40 years. The center offers year-round adult classes for all artists, from the complete beginner to more advanced. Class options include blacksmithing, glassblowing, weaving, basketry and ceramics. Please visit our <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.fineline.org" target="_blank">website</a> or view online CGN listings for the current exhibition and opening reception details.&nbsp; There is ample free onsite parking available. Image: Outside image of The Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center. Image includes Sculpture "The Other Side of the Wall" by Dan Caldwell

Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) is a nationally acclaimed visual and performing arts complex located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It is known worldwide for preserving and exhibiting artist-built environments—where artists transform their surroundings into exceptional, multifaceted works of art, and visitors experience art in a deeply personal way that speaks to them and also reflects our common humanity. JMKAC’s mission is to generate a creative exchange between artists and the public. The Arts Center features rotating contemporary art exhibitions and hosts multidisciplinary artist residencies throughout the year. Onsite are eight gallery spaces, a performing arts theatre, and a family-friendly café serving fresh, seasonal fare. The museum gift shop features unique gifts and handmade artist creations. Classes and workshops are offered throughout the year for students of all ages. A hands-on art studio and award-winning, artist-designed washrooms round out the experience. During the summer months, JMKAC presents a free outdoor concert series and a popular arts festival. Admission and parking are always free. Winner of the 2023 Governor’s Tourism Award for Arts, Culture &amp; Heritage. Image: John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 2023. Photo courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC)

The Racine Art Museum (RAM) in downtown Racine, Wisconsin, houses North America’s largest contemporary craft collection within its award-winning architecture. RAM organizes rotating exhibitions primarily drawn from its holdings of over 11,000 pieces by nationally and internationally recognized artists—more than half the works represent art jewelry, ceramic, fiber, glass, metal, polymer, and wood. The museum plays a vital role in arts education through RAM’s Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum), the original of the organization’s two campuses located just two miles from RAM. Wustum offers community outreach programs, studio art classes and workshops for students of all ages and abilities, and renowned local and regional art exhibitions like Watercolor Wisconsin and Racine and Vicinity Show. Please visit the website for information about current onsite and virtual programming. Racine Art Museum, photography by&nbsp;Christopher Barrett&nbsp;© Hedrich Blessing

Racine Art Museum

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

Zolla/Lieberman Gallery was established in 1976 by Roberta Lieberman and Robert Zolla within a then-desolate industrial neighborhood now known as the River North Gallery District. They transformed a vacant industrial space into a hub for contemporary art, laying the foundation for the thriving art community that the area is today.&nbsp; Now located at 325 W Huron St, William Lieberman continues to uphold the legacy of quality and professionalism established since the gallery’s founding. Z/L represents a diverse range of artists and genres that offer a dynamic view of contemporary art in Chicago. They are dedicated to providing personal attention to both beginning and established collectors, as well as other art professionals. Member Art&nbsp;Dealers Association&nbsp;of America (ADAA). Image: Deborah Butterfield, Lucky, 2021, cast bronze,&nbsp;87 x 110.5 x 24.5 in.&nbsp;

Zolla / Lieberman Gallery

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

The Evanston Art Center (EAC), founded over 90 years ago in 1929, is an integral part of community life, providing access and experiences in the arts to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Through community-based events, classes and exhibitions, EAC helps expand its mission to provide accessible arts education and arts enrichment experiences to the community and the surrounding areas. The Evanston Art Center’s galleries exhibit contemporary artwork by emerging and established artists, and are free and open to the public seven days a week. Exhibition programming includes publications, artist talks, interviews with curators, opening receptions, In Focus lectures and docent led tours for groups (please call to schedule a tour) at no charge to the public. The Evanston Art Center’s in-person and online art courses have something for everyone and every schedule. Subjects include: painting, drawing, sculpting, jewelry, bookbinding, and much more! Browse our online adult and youth course schedule at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.evanstonartcenter.org" target="_blank">EvanstonArtCenter.org</a> Opening receptions typically held on first Sunday of exhibition 1–4pm.&nbsp; Installation view: Four Solo Shows exhibition, 2022. Photo by Cara Feeney

Evanston Art Center

Krasl Art Center is open to the public and is a creative and inclusive place to engage with the arts for free. Explore sculpture outdoors, experience contemporary exhibitions in The Galleries and The Lab, purchase artist-made items, learn in our studios, and attend dynamic programs and events year-round.&nbsp; Visit krasl.org for details on exhibition programming and classes. Family Days &amp; Family Nights:&nbsp; Free drop-in artmaking for all ages. Events take place at Benton Harbor Public Library and at Krasl Art Center.&nbsp; Please see CGN listing or Krasl website for 2025 dates and details. Image:&nbsp;Photo by KAC Staff

Krasl Art Center

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)

Toomey &amp; Co. Auctioneers is a premier specialty auction house and has been&nbsp;conducting auctions of 20th century art and design since 1987.&nbsp; Steeped in the midwestern origins of Prairie School architecture, Toomey &amp; Co.&nbsp;is a leading purveyor of fine art and design. From the Arts &amp; Crafts movement&nbsp;and early art pottery to modern and contemporary art, our dedicated team brings a wealth of experience and attention to every work we handle. Whether a single work or a single-owner sale, we take pride in our focused approach and our dedication to crafting a quality experience for each of our clients and customers. In the fall of 2022, Toomey &amp; Co. relocated from historic Oak Park to the city of Chicago, sharing office and gallery space with Wright. This move consolidates our consignment, production, and creative efforts, allowing us to serve our clients more effectively from a centrally located, downtown site.

Toomey & Co. Auctioneers

Established in 2010, Volume Gallery focuses on material-driven practices across disciplines with a concentration on contemporary and historical American art and design. There is a commitment to finding meaning in materiality and a dedication to advancing innovative makers of the present and recent past. In addition to its exhibitions program, Volume Gallery releases editions, publications, and engages in site-specific commissions that showcase the work of American artists and designers to regional, national, and international audiences.&nbsp; Image: Christy Matson,&nbsp;Both Sides Now, installation view, Volume Gallery, 2024

Volume Gallery

Established by Kimberly Oliva in 2016, Oliva Gallery brings to Chicago provocative emerging and mid-career contemporary artists.&nbsp; In addition to the gallery’s ongoing exhibition programming, Oliva Gallery regularly participates in national art fairs. Image: Installation View: Double Ground

Oliva Gallery

SoNa Chicago is a new art gallery in the Wicker Park / Bucktown / West Town area of Chicago. We are located just “South of North Avenue” (SoNa) on Ashland Avenue and east of the iconic intersection of Damen, Milwaukee, and North Avenue.&nbsp; The gallery features art in a variety of media including paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, collages, ceramics, mosaics, jewelry, and textiles. The artwork carried by SoNa Chicago reflects the creativity and abundant energy of the human spirit, affirming the beauty in the world and the potential for joy and the advancement of humanity as a force for good. Although we will put a spotlight on Chicago artists, we want the dialogue between artists and the community to be global. We view our space as a venue for conversation, community, and a celebration of the arts. SoNa Chicago opened in May 2023. We look forward to collaborating with our neighbors and with artists and galleries across the city. Image: Jill Fox,&nbsp;graphic designer

SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art

The Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics (GoCM) exhibits internationally renowned masters, emerging and established contemporary mosaic artists. GoCM promotes artists employing exemplary conceptual and technical excellence through a multitude of approaches and materials. In the US, contemporary mosaics are relatively unrecognized as a fine art; GoCM provides a space for highly coveted artists to exhibit in our state of the art facility. GoCM is affiliated with The Chicago Mosaic School (CMS), the preeminent center for mosaic arts education in the Americas. The Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics will profoundly reshape how one may experience mosaics&nbsp;within and outside our walls. Image: American Mosaics Now, 2023

Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics

The Art Preserve of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center is the world’s first museum&nbsp;to focus entirely on work from artist-built environments—spaces and places that&nbsp;have been significantly transformed by an artist. With over thirty-five art environments in one space, visitors can immerse themselves in entire worlds constructed by artists and glimpse thousands of pieces of art in visible, curated storage.&nbsp; The Fred Smith Bar, located in the lobby area, offers cold and hot beverages.&nbsp; Award-winning, artist designed washrooms enhance the overall experience.&nbsp; Admission and parking are always free.&nbsp; Winner of the 2023 Governor’s Tourism Award for Arts, Culture &amp; Heritage. Image: The Art Preserve of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI. Photo: Durston Saylor, courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

The Art Preserve of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Located in the heart of Milwaukee, the Kim Storage Gallery is a vibrant space celebrating the creativity of Wisconsin and beyond. This gallery features a diverse mix of museum-quality artwork, ranging from innovative pieces by emerging local talents to esteemed works by established artists. It’s a dynamic hub where art enthusiasts can explore the evolving landscape of contemporary art in an inviting and accessible environment. Jan 4–Feb 15: Hector Acuna:&nbsp;Opening Jan 17, 5–9pmApr 18–May 24: Jordan Scott: Opening Apr 18, 5–9pmMay 30–Jul 3: Third Coast Summer: Opening May 30, 5–8pmJul 18–Aug 16: April Behnke: Opening Jul 18, 5–9pmAug 23–Sept 27: Tim Anderson: Opening Aug 23, 5–8pmOct 3–Nov 8: Michael Banning and Paul Krainak: Opening Oct 17,&nbsp;5–9pmNov 14–Dec 20: Kevin Henkes: Opening Nov 14, 5–8pm Image: Kim Storage,&nbsp;installation view

Kim Storage Gallery

Old Friends is a contemporary art gallery presenting practices with increased focus on material application. Founded in 2024 in Chicago’s Roscoe Village, the gallery stages thoughtful intersections between emerging and established artists. Old Friends supports critical conversation through archival and communal programming.&nbsp; The gallery was created by Founder Fawn Penn and Director Delia Pelli-Walbert. Image: Installation view of E. Saffronia Downing: Tracks and Other Signs at Old Friends

Ceramics

Other Specialties

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