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One of the nation’s largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. MCA Chicago documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan.
Mission: The MCA is an innovative and compelling center of contemporary art where the public can experience the work and ideas of living artists, and understand the historical, social and cultural context of the art of our time. The museum boldly interweaves exhibitions, performances, collections, and educational programs to excite, challenge, and illuminate our visitors and offer insight into the creative process. The MCA engages diverse audiences and creates a sense of community by providing a place to contemplate and discuss contemporary art and culture and issues of our day.
Wishing you a powerful and proud Juneteenth weekend! Celebrate and study intersectionally with pins by Chicago's own Reformed School - Chicago, a book of Butch Heroes, and the 25th anniversary edition of Angelou and Basquiat's illustrated poetry! Pride is at the MCA Store online: https://bit.ly/2CouRmS
Tonight, celebrate Juneteenth with a special virtual concert by friends of the MCA Rebuild Foundation.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/2N0Qj3p
The Rebuild Foundation in South Shore will host a concert commemorating the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth on June 19 to benefit the Tamir Rice Foundation.
Join us next week, Saturday, June 27, for Kiki in the Commons Online, a panel + performances that will "consider how drag can exist in art museums and how performers are adapting to virtual performances as live venues remain closed!"
Learn more + RSVP: https://bit.ly/KikiInTheCommons
Chicago drag performers Irregular Girl, Kelly Boner, Lucy Stoole and Pastiche get together for a conversation about the drag as an art form and its relationship
This Friday is Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Find ways to celebrate for the whole family thanks to Chicago Parent!
Celebrate Freedom Day with kids on June 19.
Congratulations to all the new Leaders for a New Chicago named by The Field Foundation of Illinois, including friends of the MCA Faheem Majeed of The Floating Museum, Ryan Keesling of Free Write Arts & Literacy, Hoda Katebi of Blue Tin Production Co-op, and Elijah McKinnon of Reunion Chicago and OTV - Open Television.
The Field Foundation named its newest winners for the Leaders for a New Chicago award. The awards are part of Field’s ongoing investment in racial justice visionaries and organizations addressing systemic issues in Chicago’s divested communities
Have family conversations about racism and law enforcement using this resource from the Anti-Defamation League.
Find more resources and recordings of past programs on the Commons Online: https://bit.ly/2xEEKu2
Engage your family in a discussion about the killing of George Floyd, how bias and hate escalate and the larger context of systemic racism.
Check out MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztejn's essay for artnet on the future of museums.
The director of the MCA Chicago explains how the museum sector is adapting to the lockdown era—and what long-term changes may result.
Wishing a Happy Fathers Day to you and the Dads in your life! Celebrate Fathers day with gifts that promote contemplation and togetherness. Free gift wrap and free standard shipping over $20 for members.
https://bit.ly/2XFgS33
Tomorrow, the Black drag community of Chicago will be leading the March for Change. We're excited that friends and past artist collaborators of the MCA like Lucy Stoole and Shea Couleé are among the leaders! Check out this Chicago Tribune interview with Jo Mama, one of the organizers of the March.
We are sharing this article as part of our commitment to greater equity, empathy, and justice across our programs, operations, and workplace to dismantle systemic racism. We want to use our platform to uplift Black voices and organizations.
Meet Jo Mama, the Chicago drag queen who is leading a Black Lives Matter protest march in Boystown on Sunday. Thousands have expressed interest in going.
Rest in Peace, Christo. To remember his work, the Chicago Tribune took a look back with Chief Curator Michael Darling at Christo's first ever American project: wrapping the MCA in canvas.
Remembering the Bulgarian conceptual artist's audacious Chicago project.
Join us tomorrow at noon on Facebook Live and Zoom for In Progress: Santiago X! The Indigenous artist will discuss recent work exploring Indigenous placemaking, art as sacred practice, and colonial histories.
Register here: https://bit.ly/InProgressSX
The forgotten history of Indigenous mound building will be reclaimed at this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial
Thank you Teen Creative Agency at MCA Chicago for your activism and for continuing to use your voices to create change at the MCA.
Our work remains ongoing.
Museums calls for policies that “respect black communities”
The MCA Chicago stands in solidarity with Black communities and protesters in denouncing racial injustice. We honor the lives of Tony McDade, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others who have been unjustly killed by racial violence. We hear you calling out for us to consider what a relationship with the CPD means for this museum and for our larger Chicago community. The MCA is not engaged in any current contracts, ongoing contracts, or special services with the Chicago Police Department (CPD), nor does it fund the CPD.
We commit to greater equity, empathy, and justice across our programs, operations, and workplace to dismantle systemic racism. We recognize that we do not have all the tools to do that work alone and, before we go any further in words and actions, we need to work on ourselves first. We pledge to continue public programs that enable us to listen and learn from you. We promise that this is ongoing work we will pursue with vulnerability and courage. Black lives matter.
Artists have always been important interpreters of society and soothsayers on our future.
Chicago artist Nick Cave made his first "soundsuit" as a way to process the beating of Rodney King by police in 1992 and has made more than 500 of these sculptures since then.
This one, "Speak Louder," is a powerful statement for this tumultuous moment, figures with megaphone-like heads joined together to project their voices as a collective whole.
We honor the peaceful protestors who are using their collective voices to call out injustice.
Celebrate Pride month with the MCA! We have inspiring books on Queer history, gifts designed by intersectional artists, and Pride-inspired products that benefit LGBTQ organizations. Plus your purchase supports education and programming at the MCA! Shop Rainbow: https://bit.ly/3eDcXux
Listen now to Soundtrack: Ayana Contreras, exclusively streaming on the MCA's website! The host of Reclaimed Soul with Ayana Contreras responds to the exhibition "Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago" with a set of soulful deep cuts focusing on Chicago’s cultural and music history.
Contemporary sound-based artists transform your MCA experience on select Fridays with custom soundtracks reflecting their perspective of works on view. DJ sets and live bands occupy spaces in the museum as the building itself amplifies their sound constructions. For this virtual event, Ayana Contrer...
Need the perfect gift for your grad? The MCA Store is featured in this Chicago Tribune list of the "Best Graduation Gifts for 2020!"
Shop the MCA Store: https://bit.ly/3d9pg1e
Celebrate your grad's accomplishments with these great gifts.
Check out this open zine call for artists living and working in the United States who have been financially impacted by COVID-19!
The nomadic art museum Black Cube will select five sketch submissions from US-based artists, who will be included in an online zine and awarded $650 each. The deadline to apply is June 5.
"I believe it is precisely in times of crisis that art achieves its most profound meaning." - Doris Salcedo
In 2015, the MCA presented the first retrospective of the work of Doris Salcedo. Learn more: http://bit.ly/324BZf6
Art can give witness to those who governments have tried to erase from history.
How are you staying creative with your children?
Check out the MCA's Learning Resources for more activities and lesson plans for #elearning: https://bit.ly/3duLGtC
Edgar Arceneaux, Shaun Leonardo, Mckendree Key, and other artists share the creative methods they are using to engage and educate their children.
EXPO CHICAGO is moving to 2021!
The postponement of EXPO Chicago gives galleries "the time they need to focus on reopening," the fair's director says.
Find your inner peace with a puzzle by Piecework. Designed to bring people together and enjoy the present moment. These puzzles are bright with saturated colors and full of humorous details. Swipe up to shop puzzles online: https://bit.ly/3bVEpBI
Have you checked out the MCA's #elearning resources yet? The latest CONSIDER activity opens up works currently on view in "Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago" for creative thinking and personal connection.
"The city of Chicago is represented beautifully in the virtual version."
Visit "Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago" virtually: mcachicago.org/olowu-online
Duro Olowu also spoke to Artnet News about how the coronavirus pandemic will forever change the fashion business.
We're excited to share that our exhibition catalogue for Virgil Abloh: "Figures of Speech" won the 50 Books | 50 Covers award from AIGA | the professional association for design!
The title recognized for its design chronicled Abloh’s works in fashion, architecture and art.
The MCA's 2020 Dialogue Series asks, what does inheritance mean in the public sphere? In this culminating keynote, designer Kerby Jean-Raymond addresses the audience with a keynote presentation on inheriting creative legacies and leads an immersive discussion that imagines our collective future.
“I rose to the top of my profession, and there’s this feeling that it’s still not enough.”
Don't miss Dialogue Keynote: Kerby Jean-Raymond tomorrow, happening virtually! RSVP for this free event: https://bit.ly/MCADialogueKeynote2020
Kerby Jean-Raymond’s political, narratively rich designs for Pyer Moss presaged today’s gestures at activism on the runway. He still has much more to say.
Today is #InternationalMuseumDay and this year's theme is Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion. To celebrate, we're listening to MCA Senior Curator Naomi Beckwith's appearance on BBC Radio 4's "An Alternative History of Art" to talk about her work expanding the canon.
Naomi Beckwith examines the overlooked printmaker and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett.
Every Sunday in May, stream a live show and help raise money for Arts for Illinois!
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot turns over her Instagram to raise money for the arts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trick out your WFH setup with gear that's designed for fun and function. Check out our finds to help you Create, Cogitate, and Hydrate during the week, so you can make the most of your weekend. Shop WFH at the MCA STore online: https://bit.ly/2WyKKP7
Thanks for joining MCA Chicago’s Watch Party of What Remains by Claudia Rankine and Will Rawls. Artist guide Joelle Mercedes will chat live throughout the performance. Post your thoughts and questions in the comments, and stay tuned after the performance for a brief post-show question-and-answer session. For program notes and further reading, visit https://mcachicago.org/Publications/Blog/2020/Art-Apart-An-Opportunity-To-Look-And-Then-Look-Again.
Performed by Leslie Cuyjet, Jessica Pretty, Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste, and Tara Aisha WillisThe piece was produced by Live Arts Bard.�
Did you miss "What Remains" during its original run in 2018? Watch an archival recording of it along with us on Facebook Live at Watch Party: Claudia Rankine and Will Rawls, What Remains tonight!
REVIEW: “What Remains” at the MCA Warehouse (3 stars) .. Multidisciplinary dance work by choreographer Will Rawls and poet Claudia Rankine is in an industrial space west of Chicago. It borrows pieces of Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric,” about aggressions toward African-Americans.
Today is the 100th Anniversary of the DuSable Bridge, the iconic bridge on the Magnificent Mile! Check out this video from The Magnificent Mile celebrating the occasion, featuring Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot!
This is "DuSable Bridge 100th Anniversary" by Born Ready Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
Join us this Frdiay for Watch Party: Claudia Rankine and Will Rawls, What Remains and check out this MCA Blog post to learn more about the event!
Art Apart is a series that displays how art can connect us, even at a distance. Whether by phone, internet, or other means, art can be more than what hangs on the wall.
Need streaming recommendations on films about artists and the art world? ARTnews has you covered!
Some are works of fiction, some are ostensibly nonfiction, but all ten, without preciousness or corniness, present artistry as a kind of unsolvable riddle.
220 E Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL
60611
The MCA Chicago is located four blocks east of the Chicago Avenue subway stop on the CTA Red Line and is easily accessible by the #3 King Drive, #10 Museum of Science and Industry, and #66 Chicago Avenue buses, as well as several Michigan Avenue bus routes. Chicago Transit Authority Take the CTA to the MCA. For routes, schedules, and fares, call Chicago Transit Authority Travel Information at 312.836.7000.
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The MCA's 2020 Dialogue Series asks, what does inheritance mean in the public sphere? In this culminating keynote, designer Kerby Jean-Raymond addresses the audience with a keynote presentation on inheriting creative legacies and leads an immersive discussion that imagines our collective future.
Thanks for joining MCA Chicago’s Watch Party of What Remains by Claudia Rankine and Will Rawls. Artist guide Joelle Mercedes will chat live throughout the performance. Post your thoughts and questions in the comments, and stay tuned after the performance for a brief post-show question-and-answer session. For program notes and further reading, visit https://mcachicago.org/Publications/Blog/2020/Art-Apart-An-Opportunity-To-Look-And-Then-Look-Again. Performed by Leslie Cuyjet, Jessica Pretty, Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste, and Tara Aisha WillisThe piece was produced by Live Arts Bard.�
Family Day Activities, including Move with Art, and Plushies and Paper Dolls, are live on Facebook! Join us on Zoom to participate fully and join the Family Day community: https://bit.ly/MCAFamilyDayActivities
Multi-instrumentalist duo maeve & quinn perform a live set of compositions which blur the boundaries of folk, pop, and rock—exploring themes of landscape, memory, and ecofeminism. For their Soundtrack, maeve & quinn explore and respond to the themes of the exhibition Water After All.
Listen to this very important message from MCA Associate Curator Tara Aisha Willis on behalf of Mayor Lightfoot on the importance of staying home to flatten the curve!
Join us tonight for Virtual Screening: #OTVTonight (LIVE)! Tune in for OTV - Open Television's premiere of original pilots and shorts from around the world, streaming live on April 7 at 7 pm CST on our page!
Inspired by our 1969 exhibition "Art by Telephone," where artists made instructions for their work to be created remotely, magician Jeanette Andrews has created "Magic by Telephone" for you to experience illusions at home while we shelter-in-place. Call 1-855-BY-MAGIC to experience it.
Live now! We're streaming our Music Talk between legendary musician Meshell Ndegeocello and longtime collaborator Staceyann Chin.
Talk: Duro Olowu with Madeleine Grynsztejn, Introduced by Naomi Beckwith
We are live at the Talk with Patti Smith and Lynn Goldsmith! TASCHEN
A morphing and intersecting mass of bodies traverses the MCA’s spaces in Kim Brandt, Level, a series of performances orchestrating the relationships between people and environments and the effect our movements have on our surroundings. Oct 1–3, various times. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2kR0Q6I
Youth Always Wins! This flip book simulates the original video created to launch the sophomore Spring/Summer 2013 collection of Abloh’s first brand, Pyrex Vision. Shop Virgil Abloh at the MCA Store online:
In June, @virgilabloh and the MCA challenged Chicagoland youth to take something boring or broken and transform it into something extraordinary. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their creativity. Hundreds of entries later, we are thrilled to announce the five winners of the MCA x Virgil Abloh Design Challenge! They are: @greenhoodtusla @spencer.allan @orkhon.exe @zoemeifleur @rainalenn Watch video profiles of the winners and their work: https://mcachicago.org/Learn/Youth/MCA-X-Virgil-Abloh-Design-Challenge
Highlights from Dahlak Braithwaite's performance of poetry at the 95th CTA Red Line Station. "Try/Step/Trip" is ONE NIGHT ONLY! Get tickets for his 7:30 performance tonight: http://bit.ly/2WVN2Fh
FINAL DAY TO SUBMIT! Post your entry to the MCA x Virgil Abloh Design Challenge taking something boring or broken and making it extraordinary before 11:59 pm tonight. Read the rules and requirements here: http://bit.ly/2YAIzJd
Celebrate freedom of expression and enter the MCA x Virgil Abloh Design Challenge this weekend. Open to Chicagoland youth, ages 14 to 21. Info here: http://bit.ly/2YAIzJd
Check out this trailer for "La Medea," a movie created as part of Yara Travieso's award winning immersive multimedia performance. Part latin-disco dance film, part telenovela, and part live NY party, this fast moving feature blows up the centuries-long reading of Medea as a dangerous foreign woman in favor of a powerful, multifaceted contemporary heroine. See the film in a screening and moderated Q&A with Yara Travieso on July 12. Get tickets: http://bit.ly/2IRd0XH
Happy Flag Day! Virgil Abloh's flag "QUESTION EVERYTHING" flies over the MCA Plaza for the duration of his exhibition.
Check out this exhibition trailer for Virgil Abloh: "Figures of Speech". The exhibition is open now until September 22. Learn more and purchase tickets: http://bit.ly/AblohFoS
The MCA Design Challenge is now OPEN! Virgil Abloh is challenging Chicagoland youth to create a video and post it on Instagram in response to this prompt: "Take something boring or broken and turn it into something extraordinary." READ the rules, guidelines, and get your parents' permission if you're under 18. Full terms and conditions here: http://bit.ly/2YAIzJd
Cellist and composer Tomeka Reid is concerned with the reception of jazz and improvised music—how, without advocacy and education, will this music continue to be heard? These topics are addressed and live-streamed from Reid's talk at Stony Island Arts Bank as part of “The Commons Artist Project: Public Fiction with Triple Canopy.”
The last Family Day of the season is TOMORROW! Join us for Family Day: Sugar Rush starting at 11 am, it's FREE.
Check out a trailer for "Chicagoland Shorts, Vol. 5." On Thursday, May 16, Full Spectrum Features premieres their annual collection of Chicago-made short movies in the Edlis Neeson Theater. The screening is followed by a reception with the artists in the Commons. Full Spectrum Features is a Chicago-based organization committed to increasing diversity in the independent film industry by producing, exhibiting, and supporting the work of women, LGBTQ, and minority filmmakers. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2D1HuSk Get tickets (free with RSVP, limit 2 tickets): http://bit.ly/2UxsZeQ
Preview the feminist-focused comedy of Adrienne Truscott: This then join us for the performances starting tomorrow. Tickets: http://bit.ly/2IFuF3t
The Urban Art Pop-Up Trunk Show is now open! Shop during regular MCA Store hours or online now: http://bit.ly/2HR5dZr
A shifting in the light of the lot, where parked cars become containers for a collective estrangement. Don't miss Screening: Zachary Epcar, featuring 4 films and a moderated discussion with the filmmaker.
And you love that humid atmosphere And you look so lush under glass. Don't miss Screening: Zachary Epcar, featuring 4 films and a moderated discussion with the filmmaker.
A constellation of objects, each emerging into the soft peach-light void of an indeterminate condominium space. Don't miss Screening: Zachary Epcar, featuring 4 films and a moderated discussion with the filmmaker.
An expanded view of the lunch crowd at an open-air restaurant, from a bird's-eye of the exterior to the depths of the interior. From Don't miss Screening: Zachary Epcar, featuring 4 films and a moderated discussion with the filmmaker!
Need special plans for tonight? A few spots are still available for the Winemaker Dinner: Martha Stoumen at Marisol Chicago. Call us for reservations at: 312-799-3599
Wolfgang Puck Catering at the Museum of Conte
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820 N Michigan AveLoyola University Museum of Art (LUMA)
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40 E Erie St
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600 S Michigan Ave
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600 S Michigan Ave
