Upcoming Chicago Art Events

Art Chicago
April 27 – 30, 2007
The Merchandise Mart, Chicago
The anchor event for the week is Art Chicago, the modern and contemporary art fair. Many may be surprised to learn that Chicago is where America’s first international contemporary art fair took place more than 25 years ago. This is long before The Armory Show in New York or Art Basel Miami Beach. This annual spring event has gone through some ownership and name changes over the years. Now under the The Merchandise Mart’s stewardship, Art Chicago is poised to regain its important status on the international art fair circuit. This year the fair has many significant international galleries returning after long absences, which guarantees the opportunity to see and collect world-class art.

The Art World is Flat
Globalism-Crisis and Opportunity
April 26 – 28, 2007
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Millennium Park, Chicago
This first annual symposium taking place concurrently with Art Chicago endeavors to address a variety of issues surrounding the topics of economic and technological globalization and its effects on cultural production and diversity, as well as the environment and development. The symposium brings together a diverse group of experts in a variety of disciplines. Each program is open to the public, but pre-registration is required

The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair
Spring Fair, April 27 – 30, 2007
The Merchandise Mart, Chicago
This show of more than 100 top-tier international dealers of antiques and fine art is the most important antiques show in Chicago.

The Artist Project
April 27 – 30, 2007
350 West Mart Center Lobby
The Artist Project is a smaller, juried show of individual artists.

The Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art
April 27 – 30, 2007
The Merchandise Mart
8th Floor, North
The dealers in this show focus on self-taught artists, outsider art, art brut, ethnographic art, non-traditional folk art, and visionary art.

Bridge Art Fair
April 26 – 30, 2007
350 West Mart Center, 12th Floor
The Bridge Art Fair marks its second year of concurrence with Art Chicago. This show focuses on dealers that represent younger artists. There will be approximately 70 dealers from all over the country, with a few coming from abroad.

The entrance fees at Chicago's world-class museums can add up, but there are several options to reduce the cost of seeing the amazing breadth of attractions. For $49, a CityPass gets you tickets to six of the city's biggest attractions (Adler Planetarium, Art Institute, Field Museum, Hancock Observatory, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium) for use within nine days.

If you're a Chicago resident, museums offer discounts. And if you have a Chicago Public Library Card, you can check out a Kraft Kids Museum Passport. This gets you into 11 attractions for free, but you can only check out one per library card.

The Art Institute is free on Tuesdays. It's home to the largest Impressionist collection outside of the Louvre, collections dating to 3000BC, and (my son's favorite) a great armor and weapons collection....read more about Things to see and do in Chicago.