Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

10/14/2026

Don't let the figure win every time. Tyler Greene of Modern Art Notes speaks with Celeste Rapone about the rules and features of her work, using her Atrium Project as a jumping-off point.

🎧 go.mcachicago.org/man-rapone

Learn more about Rapone's work by listening to episode 778 before, during, or after your visit. We're free Tuesdays and Wednesdays all October long!

Atrium Project: Celeste Rapone is on view through June 2027.

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Photo: Stephanie Bassos

10/08/2026

The 2026-27 season of Family Day starts this Saturday, Oct 10! 🤩🤩🤩

Check out what Alicia and Sylvia, the showrunners of the series, have in store for you this weekend.

Don't miss out! Sign up for Family Day here: https://go.mcachicago.org/familydayrsvp

10/01/2026

Tickets are now on sale for Deem Magazine's 4th annual all-day conversation about placing dignity at the forefront of design.

Featuring:
Scott Vincent Campbell
Joseph Archie Cuillier III
Torkwase Dyson
Brendan Fernandes
Curry J. Hackett
jada-amina
Kahlil Joseph
Elijah McKinnon
Ari Melenciano
Patricia Nguyen
Shani Peters
Kameelah Janan Rasheed
Carrie Sandahl
Debra Yepa-Pappan

09/30/2026

We are deeply saddened by the passing of artist Rafael Ferrer, one of the prime instigators of process art, an approach that emphasizes the act of making over the finished object.

Our relationship with Ferrer goes back more than 50 years and spans 22 exhibitions at the museum. A pennant Ferrer created for his first solo exhibition at the MCA, "Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire)" (1972), is currently on view in "From the Center: Looking at Lucy Lippard"—a fitting reminder of his enduring presence and the lasting connections made.

We are grateful to have shared in Ferrer's remarkable career and to continue celebrating his work. For more on the artist, including an interview with Lynne Warren, visit our website: go.mcachicago.org/ferrer

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Photos: 1,3,4: Installation view, Rafael Ferrer: Tierra del Fuego, MCA Chicago, 1972. Photo © MCA Chicago; 2: Installation view, MCA DNA: Rafael Ferrer, MCA Chicago, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

09/27/2026

After 21 years, Bad at Sports is pulling out all the stops (or inflatable tube dancers) when Season One comes to a close on 10/3.

This all-out tailgate will be filled with teaser interviews in our backyard before Episode 999—the live season finale—kicks off in our theater at 4 pm. Come for some or all of it!

Get tickets for the season finale: go.mcachicago.org/s1ep999

09/23/2026

We're thrilled to see that Chicago Works | Mike Cloud: Worldless Obstruction was featured in WBBM. His paintings create space for flexibility—literally and figuratively—by scrambling the codes we use to make sense of the world and opening up new possibilities for meaning.

Hear more from Cloud in his interview with WBBM from last month →

| WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM

09/22/2026

"If I could show my work anywhere in the world, it would be—real answer—the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago."
—RashidJohnson

In less than two months we're welcoming Johnson home as we open "A Poem for Deep Thinkers." Chicago Gallery News caught up with him for their fall cover interview to discuss 30 years of art, his childhood, and how the MCA's building affects the exhibition. It opens Nov 7—start planning your visit now!

For the full interview → go.mcachicago.org/rj-cgn

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Pictured: Rashid Johnson, "Self-Portrait with my hair parted like Frederick Douglass," 2003. Lambda print mounted on Sintra; 57 1/4 × 45 1/4 × 1 3/8 in. (145.4 × 114.9 × 3.5 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of the Susan and Lewis Manilow Collection of Chicago Artists, 2006.26. © Rashid Johnson. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

09/19/2026

The Time100 list of the most influential people shaping the future of art is out and we love the Chicago love! From Rashid Johnson, whose upcoming retrospective is like a homecoming, to Kerry James Marshall, Myriam Ben Salah, and Theaster Gates, there are so many artists, directors, donors, and more who have made Chicago and the MCA the destinations they are.

Congrats to everyone! For the full list → go.mcachicago.org/time100

🖼️ Rashid Johnson, The Reader, 2008. Lambda print; 28 3/4 × 40 in. (73 × 101.1 cm). Courtesy of Dr. Kenneth Montague | The Wedge Collection, Toronto and Monique Meloche Gallery. © Rashid Johnson.

09/18/2026

Balancing comfortable galleries and the right environment for our art is not an easy task, especially with unpredictable weather and ever-changing art. We've had the honor of working with our Chief Engineer Ken Self for the past 30 years as he dutifully oversaw the systems that protect our art and building. When he announced his retirement, Chief Engineer magazine caught up with him and his successor, Bill Jenkins.

Congrats to both Ken and Bill!

Read the article: go.mcachicago.org/engineers

09/18/2026

La nostalgia puede ser inspiradora (e incluso bailable). El artiste y performer .rodil habla sobre el poder de los videos musicales de reggaetón vintage en este fragmento del documental de nuestra exposición.

Busca su obra de arte, un video-homenaje a las culas cuir y al perreo, en Bailando la revolución, antes de que cierre este domingo. ¡No te lo pierdas! Planifica tu visita: go.mcachicago.org/visit-dtr

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Nostalgia can be inspiring (and even danceable). Performance artist .rodil speaks to the power of vintage reggaetón music videos in this clip from our exhibition doc.

Find their video piece in honor of q***r culas and perreo in Dancing the Revolution before it closes on Sunday! Plan your visit: go.mcachicago.org/visit-dtr

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Credits:
Speaker: Pó Rodil, Artist
Location: El Hangar en Santurce
Artwork: Pó Rodil (b. Ponce, Puerto Rico; lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico). Prendío TV, 2024. Video. 33 minutes, 55 seconds. Courtesy of the artist.

09/17/2026

Chicago Performs starts tomorrow! Plan your weekend outing to the MCA to see all three shows: go.mcachicago.org/cp2026