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Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center Official page for the landmark Chicago Cultural Center (aka "The People's Palace"). Visit t Come for the beauty, stay for the events.

Drawn by its beauty and the fabulous free public events, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Chicago Cultural Center every year, making it one of the most visited attractions in Chicago. The stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures, art exhibitions and family events. Completed in 1897 as Ch

icago’s first central public library, the building was designed to impress and to prove that Chicago had grown into a sophisticated metropolis. The country’s top architects and craftsmen used the most sumptuous materials, such as rare imported marbles, polished brass, fine hardwoods, and mosaics of Favrile glass, mother-of-pearl and colored stone, to create an architectural showplace. Located on the south side of the building, the world’s largest stained glass Tiffany dome ― 38 feet in diameter with some 30,000 pieces of glass ― was restored to its original splendor in 2008. On the north side of the building is a 40-foot-diameter dome with some 50,000 pieces of glass in an intricate Renaissance pattern, designed by Healy & Millet. In 1991, the building was established as the Chicago Cultural Center by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the nation's first and most comprehensive free municipal cultural venue. Every year, the Chicago Cultural Center presents hundreds of free international, national, regional and local artists, musicians and performers, providing a showcase where the public can enjoy and learn about the arts.

Operating as usual

"...nearly every exhibit I saw at the Cultural Center of Chicago this year belongs on this list. Of special note was a b...
12/08/2022
Best Chicago art exhibitions of 2022: ‘Tea, Torture & Reparations’ at DePaul, an outdoor ‘Flourish’ and a big year for the Cultural Center

"...nearly every exhibit I saw at the Cultural Center of Chicago this year belongs on this list. Of special note was a brave and ballsy retrospective of the painter Robert Colescott; “Instrument in the Shape of a Woman,” featuring the wildly inventive work of Leslie Baum, Diane Christiansen and Selina Trepp; the doggedly quiet observations of photographer Jin Lee; and, on view through the new year, Nelly Agassi’s surreal observations about architecture, plants and the female body."

Here are the shows I loved and learned from most this year.

Meet An Artist continues in the Learning Lab this Friday (12/9) and Saturday (12/10) from 12-2pm with Fernando Ramirez, ...
12/06/2022

Meet An Artist continues in the Learning Lab this Friday (12/9) and Saturday (12/10) from 12-2pm with Fernando Ramirez, in partnership with Project Onward.

Ramirez is known for his commissioned art portraits and colorful scenes of Chicago. As part of INVEST South/West, he was selected by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events as the Back of the Yards Artist in Residence. Learn more about Ramirez and his work here: https://www.projectonward.org/fernando-ramirez

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/learning_lab.html

Join us for the FINAL session of the Resilience Series with Mecca Perry in G.A.R. Hall on December 12, 6-7pm.  Elevated ...
12/05/2022

Join us for the FINAL session of the Resilience Series with Mecca Perry in G.A.R. Hall on December 12, 6-7pm. Elevated Meditation Studio

This sound meditation session is FREE and open to the public: please bring your own mat, bottled water, blankets, and anything you need to be comfortable with laying down or sitting for about 45 minutes.

Walk-ins are welcome. For more information and pre-registration, visit: https://bit.ly/3GYsbeH

Friday (12/2) and Saturday (12/3) at 2pm at the 1st floor Welcome Center!Supporting the history, culture, vibrancy, and ...
12/02/2022
Today takes over the Welcome Center at from 2-3 PM as part of . Culture Snaps features people, places and things nominated and recognized for a cultural contribution to their neighborhood’s vitality. CULTURE SNAPS celebrates cultural assets in Chicago’s varied and vibrant 77 community areas. will play with special guest

Friday (12/2) and Saturday (12/3) at 2pm at the 1st floor Welcome Center!

Supporting the history, culture, vibrancy, and identity of communities of color in greater Chicago, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (SRBCC) is the longest-standing Latino cultural center in Chicago.

SRBCC offers weekly and monthly percussion classes, live music events, and community workshops that promote cultural understanding through artistic expression, keeping youth and professional teaching artists safe, with meaningful opportunities to create, present and produce art.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Clq1oaOLWGM/

This is so cool!Guest host Kumail Nanjiani spoke with owner Steph Krim on The Kelly Clarkson Show  about Good Things Ven...
12/01/2022
Chicago's Art Vending Machine Dispenses Vintage Goodies To Support Local Artists

This is so cool!
Guest host Kumail Nanjiani spoke with owner Steph Krim on The Kelly Clarkson Show about Good Things Vending — the local artist vending machine. Check out the clip and be sure to visit OURS in the 1st floor Welcome Center!

Good Things Vending is creating an easy and affordable way for the city of Chicago to support local artists by taking out the chips and candy from vending ma...

Join us for Pocket Con this Saturday — The FREE comic convention that celebrates characters and creators of color!
12/01/2022
Pocket Con 2022

Join us for Pocket Con this Saturday — The FREE comic convention that celebrates characters and creators of color!

The free comic convention that celebrates characters and creators of color

Join us for the final session of the Resilience Series with Mecca Perry in G.A.R. Hall on December 12, 6-7pm.  Elevated ...
11/30/2022

Join us for the final session of the Resilience Series with Mecca Perry in G.A.R. Hall on December 12, 6-7pm. Elevated Meditation Studio

This sound meditation session is FREE and open to the public: please bring your own mat, bottled water, blankets, and anything you need to be comfortable with laying down or sitting for about 45 minutes.

For more information and pre-registration, please visit: https://bit.ly/3GYsbeH

The Soul of Philanthropy, an exhibition coming to the Chicago Cultural Center in early 2023, is accepting nominations fo...
11/26/2022
The Soul of Philanthropy Chicago Accepting Local Philanthropist Nominations | Chicago Defender

The Soul of Philanthropy, an exhibition coming to the Chicago Cultural Center in early 2023, is accepting nominations for local philanthropists to be featured in the “Rooted in Chicago” component. Nominations are accepted online through Nov. 30.

The Soul of Philanthropy, an exhibition coming to the Chicago Cultural Center in early 2023, is accepting nominations for local philanthropists to be featured in the “Rooted in Chicago” component. Nominations are accepted online through Nov. 30. The Soul of Philanthropy, hosted by Chicago Africa...

Barak will be in the Welcome Center today (11/25) and tomorrow (11/26) as part of CULTURE SNAPS, which features people, ...
11/25/2022

Barak will be in the Welcome Center today (11/25) and tomorrow (11/26) as part of CULTURE SNAPS, which features people, places and things nominated and recognized for a cultural contribution to their neighborhood’s vitality.

Louis Barak’s artwork incorporates subject matter from his own experiences and includes a range of positive and negative themes ranging from disenfranchised youth, racism, antisemitism, and addiction to the beauty of life, love, and family.

The Chicago Cultural Center will be closed on Thursday, November 24th in observance of . Normal hours will resume on Fri...
11/23/2022

The Chicago Cultural Center will be closed on Thursday, November 24th in observance of . Normal hours will resume on Friday, November 25th.

"Exact Dutch Yellow" is one of the newest art exhibits at the Chicago Cultural Center. Its theme is the subjectivity of ...
11/17/2022
The Chicago Cultural Center's colorful new art exhibit is open

"Exact Dutch Yellow" is one of the newest art exhibits at the Chicago Cultural Center. Its theme is the subjectivity of colors. It is just one of many programs, exhibits and events that are available free during the 125th anniversary of the center. Tim McGill toured the exhibit for Good Day Chicago.

, the FREE comic convention that celebrates characters and creators of color returns to the People's Palace Saturday, De...
11/15/2022
Pocket Con 2022

, the FREE comic convention that celebrates characters and creators of color returns to the People's Palace Saturday, December 3rd!

The free comic convention that celebrates characters and creators of color

"𝗜𝗻𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲: 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝗶"A conversation between architects Armel Sagbohan and Ann Lui about the new exhi...
11/09/2022
InDialogue: Armel Sagbonhan and Ann Lui

"𝗜𝗻𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲: 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝗶"
A conversation between architects Armel Sagbohan and Ann Lui about the new exhibition, "Pullman: Conscious Revitalization of the Overlooked."
This Saturday, November 12th at 1:30p. Chicago Architecture Biennial

A conversation between architects Armel Sagbohan and Ann Lui about the new exhibition, Pullman: Conscious Revitalization of the Overlooked.

11/04/2022

It's not too late to join us for DOC Chicago TOMORROW at the Chicago Cultural Center! This annual gathering for and by Midwest documentary filmmakers provides a space to connect, learn, and share ideas.

More information about this FREE event here: http://www.docchicago.com/2022-schedule.html

11/02/2022

The 9th annual Intl. Film Festival is almost here, packed with greatness and talented filmmakers from in and outside of Chicago! Join us on Friday, Nov. 11 at the Claudia Cassidy Theater, presented by Nebula Creatives.

Get yourself a FREE seat today: https://filmfreeway.com/Shortcut100/tickets

Join us this Saturday at 3pm as John McCowen performs new solo works for contrabass clarinet in conjunction with our new...
10/25/2022
John McCowen

Join us this Saturday at 3pm as John McCowen performs new solo works for contrabass clarinet in conjunction with our new exhibition, "Nelly Agassi: No Limestone, No Marble."

John McCowen performs new solo works for contrabass clarinet from his "Models of Duration."

Opens TODAY!"Luftwerk: Exact Dutch Yellow"Exhibition Hall, 4th Floor NorthAn offering from Petra Bachmaier & Sean Galler...
10/22/2022

Opens TODAY!
"Luftwerk: Exact Dutch Yellow"
Exhibition Hall, 4th Floor North

An offering from Petra Bachmaier & Sean Gallero of Luftwerk Studio.
Exact Dutch Yellow is a new immersive exhibition by the Chicago-based collaborative Petra Bachmaier & Sean Gallero of Luftwerk Studio. Drawing upon the scientific history of color and color theory, the exhibition explores how we perceive the natural world today. A series of sculptural light installations using botanical pigments and dynamic, changing light conditions will transform Exhibit Hall into abstracted, atmospheric chromatic experiences.
A play on words and the act of naming, Exact Dutch Yellow references the inherent difficulties that have always accompanied the classification of color. When the noted English biologist Charles Darwin embarked on his now famous journey aboard the HMS Beagle in the early nineteenth century, he brought along one of the earliest and most influential books to attempt a taxonomic guide to the colors of the natural world: Patrick Syme’s Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours (1814). Based on the groundbreaking work of German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner, Darwin used the book extensively to help describe flora and fauna he observed, but occasionally improvised the naming of colors, changing for example Werner’s “Dutch Orange,” to “Exact Dutch Yellow.” The title of the exhibition speaks to the subjectivity of description and offers space to contemplate and consider the interconnected ecology of light, color, and nature.
Exhibit Hall will feature a series of immersive color and light installations using botanical colors in combination with color changing light conditions that transform into abstracted, atmospheric experiences. Whether using natural pigments, exploring the phenomenon of light and color in the sky, informed by a holistic perception of the natural world and an interconnected ecology.

TOMORROW! Come enjoy and cheer on some of the best unsigned music talents our City has to offer! FREE!Presented by the D...
10/21/2022

TOMORROW! Come enjoy and cheer on some of the best unsigned music talents our City has to offer! FREE!
Presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Next Showcase.

Join us at the Chicago Cultural Center on Saturday 10/22 as local artists and bands showcase their work in front of A&R executives from major & independent labels, talent buyers and producers!
FREE admission! https://bit.ly/3Crs8V6
Presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Next Showcase.

FYI the "S**g Show" is currently underway at Buddy at the Chicago Cultural Center!
10/20/2022
The S**g Show

FYI the "S**g Show" is currently underway at Buddy at the Chicago Cultural Center!

Buddy is proud to present its next installment of Art 4 Sale The S**g Show, featuring s**g carpets and other products from the artists of Envision Unlimited. This collection of hand-knotted s**g carpets and pillows made of repurposed materials is the result of a twenty-year collaboration between a c...

Join us in the newly-renovated Claudia Cassidy Theater on October 22nd to cheer on these local up-and-comers!
10/12/2022

Join us in the newly-renovated Claudia Cassidy Theater on October 22nd to cheer on these local up-and-comers!

Join us at the Chicago Cultural Center on Saturday 10/22 as local artists and bands showcase their work in front of A&R executives from major & independent labels, talent buyers and producers!
FREE admission! https://bit.ly/3Crs8V6
Presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Next Showcase.

Join us this Saturday for "The Relationship Between Art Making and Mental Health," — the first of a 3-part symposium hel...
10/12/2022
Artists First Conversations: Symposium 1

Join us this Saturday for "The Relationship Between Art Making and Mental Health," — the first of a 3-part symposium held in tandem with our current exhibition "Artists First: Twenty-five Years of Studio Art at Thresholds."

"The Relationship Between Art Making and Mental Health" is the first panel in the AFC symposium series.

Reminder: Please be advised that our exhibition Luftwerk: Exact Dutch Yellow, originally scheduled to open this weekend,...
10/08/2022

Reminder: Please be advised that our exhibition Luftwerk: Exact Dutch Yellow, originally scheduled to open this weekend, will now open on October 22. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you to Exhibit Hall on October 22—January 29, 2023. www.ChicagoCulturalCenter.org

This Sunday!  𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 & 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱: 𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗱.3p-4p.
10/07/2022
Safe & Sound: A Performance with Nelly Agassi and Ryan Packard

This Sunday! 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 & 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱: 𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗱.
3p-4p.

Performance in conjunction with the exhibition "Nelly Agassi: No Limestone, No Marble" at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Please be advised that our exhibition Luftwerk: Exact Dutch Yellow, originally scheduled to open this weekend, will now ...
10/05/2022

Please be advised that our exhibition Luftwerk: Exact Dutch Yellow, originally scheduled to open this weekend, will now open on October 22. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you to Exhibit Hall on October 22—January 29, 2023. www.ChicagoCulturalCenter.org

09/29/2022

Very excited for this unique opportunity. Be sure to stop by the 1st floor and participate while also attending tomorrow's Ragamala: A Celebration of Indian Classical Music – Celebrating 10 Years.

Celluloid Now. FREE screenings this weekend!Saturday, September 17, 2022, 12noon-5pmSunday, September 18, 2022, 11am-9pm...
09/16/2022
Program – Celluloid Now

Celluloid Now. FREE screenings this weekend!
Saturday, September 17, 2022, 12noon-5pm
Sunday, September 18, 2022, 11am-9pm
Presented in partnership with the Chicago Film Society.
A weekend of screenings, workshops, and other events showcasing the work of analog filmmakers and artists, alongside archival rediscoveries and restorations.

For more information, visit

The Chicago Film Society is proud to welcome you to Celluloid Now: four days of screenings, workshops, and other events showcasing the work of analog filmmakers and artists, alongside archival rediscoveries and restorations.

Address

78 E Washington Street
Chicago, IL
60602

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+13127446630

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BACK TO THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC SPACE!!!
Rhizoma Lab invites you to share your insights and reflections on how the pandemic has affected the use and perception of public space. If you want to contribute, please see all the info at https://backtothefutureofpublicspace.tumblr.com/
and send us your "postcard"!!!

EXTENDED DEADLINE!!! 15th February 2021

best wishes,
Rhizoma - Design Research Lab
Learn how Muuvment can provide critical data for organizations to support their people and make timely decisions. https://www.muuvment.com/check-in?utm_source=thanksforsharing&utm_medium=content
Kites and Strings, the podcast about creativity, was thrilled to interview Luis Sahagun. If you were lucky you caught Luis' exhibit entitled "Both Eagle and Serpent" at the Chicago Cultural Center in early 2020 before COVID closed it. NewCity says his artwork, with titles like Pain is our North Star and An Old God Renewed are "primal amalgamations that hold deep magic." Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0AMUNXLMBWjtqaiKSaGRFZ or wherever you podcast.
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It's always a pleasure to see the different exhibitions on this page! I've visited the Chicago Cultural Center before and it was an experience of a lifetime. Art's role in society is so important and I love supporting artists in any way that I can. I recently came across a film called 'Queen of Hearts' about Audrey Flack, the pioneer of the photorealism movement. The film was very informative and I was able to find it on Film Festival Flix, a streaming platform filled with independent films from previous and upcoming film festivals. The movie was great and I loved hearing about Audrey's journey through the industry. Film Festival Flix is a great site for supporting artists and filmmakers and if anyone has any suggestions on how to support artists, let me know please! :)
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