Museums & Galleries
Short details/Description:
A city rich in culture and the arts, Chicago is off the charts when it comes to museum options, from art of all stripes to history-, science-, and culturally/ethnically-themed options. The thriving Chicago art gallery scene is centered in the River North neighborhood, but also in hot spots around the city, from Pilsen to Naperville.
Full Details/Body:
A city rich in culture and the arts, Chicago is off the charts when it comes to museum options, from art of all stripes to history-, science-, and culturally/ethnically-themed options. The thriving Chicago art gallery scene is centered in the River North neighborhood, but also in hot spots around the city, from Pilsen to Naperville.
See Guides under Museums & Galleries:
Light-polluted, inland cities such as Chicago don't generally lend themselves to star-gazing and dolphin-spotting. Nature-lovers head to rural hills or beachside towns for such thrills. But with just a day in Chicago's Museum Campus, visitors can check out Orion's belt, sit in on a dolphin show and study dinosaur fossils-with just a pleasant, lakeside stroll between sights. The pretty, lakefront Museum Campus mixes 57 acres of greenery with three celebrated city museums: The Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and Field Museum . Founded in 1998, the area is accessible and ideal for folks looking to brush up on history or enjoy an afternoon by the lake.
The city's oldest museum, The Chicago Historical Society reopened its doors a multi-million dollar renovation, unveiling not only its new name—The Chicago History Museum —but a new philosophy that Chicago history begins here. So trek on up to Lincoln Park , and immerse yourself in Chicago's spectacular history.
Museum of Science and Industry
Chicago 's most interactive museum demands a spot on everyone's sight-seeing list. Focusing on modern, industrial science and technology, nearly every exhibit in The Museum of Science and Industry is, to some extent, hands-on. Which means parents won't be hushing excited kids, but encouraging them to experience and learn.
While its most famous works fall under the categories of European and American painting and sculpture, The Art Institute of Chicago houses 5,000 years of artwork across all media. A daunting size, to be sure, but even in thirty minutes you can witness world-class art.
The sculpture of a car and pop-up camper diving into the cement patio outside the MCA says all visitors need to know about Chicago's contribution to the modern art scene: This isn't a typical art gallery. From its stark white interior to its Puck Cafe to its enviro-friendly exhibits, the MCA has been a testament to 21st century art and culture since it opened in 1967.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum
The United States of America hadn't been in existence for 100 years when the most difficult crisis in the nation's history hit in the form of Civil War. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum honors not only the man who kept the country from falling into anarchy, but the state where he was raised.
Public art has come a long way from its cave painting days. Internationally-renowned artists are creating some of the most innovative installations in Chicago for the benefit of the public that's paying for them. There are a slew of new sculptures, like Anish Kapoor's “Cloud Gate” and Magdalena Abakanowicz's “Agora,” in nearby Millennium Park and Grant Park, that are receiving well-deserved attention.
National Museum of Mexican Art
Want to see exhibitions full of amazing, colorful, and beautiful art? The National Museum of Mexican Art has exactly what you want plus more! Enjoy witnessing the beautiful and creative visual and performing Mexican art. The National Museum of Mexican art is the largest Latino arts institution in the country and, lucky fo us, is located here in Chicago. Enjoy the different exhibits, works of art, performances, and educational programs at the museum.
ICE ART
Millennium Park exhibit adapts frozen water into a unique artistic medium in Chicago.
ARTEahora: Chicago's First Latin Art Fair
ARTEhora, Chicago's first Latin art fair, will showcase the work of a number of inflential Latin American artists and will feature lectures and book signings from artists, curators, and art dealers from around the country and the world.
Chicago's Adler Planetarium sends visitors out of this world. Exhibits feature what astronauts are studying in outer space today as well as the story of how astronomers first began to study the sky. The Adler offers unique shows, interactive exhibits and the chance to talk to scientists.
Three giant yellow-and-white statues guard the entrance to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) home to some of Chicago's most original art. The cast aluminum sculptures by Thomas Schutte set the tone for the museum--different and unexpected.
The ever-changing galleries showcase sculpture, paintings, film and everything called art from the past 60 years, Chicago's own and internationally-acclaimed works. Just blocks from Water Tower Place and the shopping mecca of the Magnificent Mile, the Museum of Contemporary Art is a calm sanctuary in a bustling city.
When it comes to The Field Museum, most all agree it's one of the top Chicago museums.
