The art scene often lacks abundant good news, and Chicago is no exception. The city’s annual art fair, EXPO, has been reduced by nearly 25%, excluding a section that once highlighted local nonprofits. University’s art programs are facing budget cuts and structural changes, and the DePaul Art Museum has closed its doors. However, this challenging environment underscores a truth known by the city’s artists: they thrive with or without institutional backing.
Chicago’s vibrant cultural history owes as much to its network of apartment galleries and alternative spaces as it does to its major art institutions. This dynamic has ensured that the artistic output remains robust, even as it frequently addresses existential issues. Shows at the Hyde Park Art Center and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art focus on political and environmental challenges, while LVL3 and Weatherproof explore infrastructure. In times of institutional setbacks, community and artist-run spaces offer a rich landscape for art exploration.
Hunter Foster: Involition is on display at Good Weather, where a rusting Thunderbolt Model 1003 siren evokes the specter of natural disasters. This Midwest relic, originally a Cold War nuclear attack warning, now quietly rotates, its sounds replaced by the creaking of aging metal. At the Hyde Park Art Center, Alison Ruttan’s The Paradox of Inaction presents a ceramic landscape that echoes the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and underscores the urgency of climate change.
The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art hosts It Will Destroy You, a reflection on artists navigating a declining empire. Curated by Samiah Fulcher and Isaiah Lee, this exhibition includes works by Chloe Harthan and Ethan Shay-Cowell, exploring disconnection and alienation. Meanwhile, LVL3’s Carriage features Hyeseul Song and Häsler Gómez, who examine the unnoticed materials and spaces of daily life, transforming them into thought-provoking art.
At The Renaissance Society, Leah Ke Yi Zheng’s Change, I Ching (64 Paintings) interprets the I Ching’s hexagrams through a series of paintings that evolve with the gallery’s light and air. M. LeBlanc hosts Mindy Rose Schwartz: Countersealed, where traditional crafts meet contemporary issues. Nate Millstein’s Duplexes at Weatherproof reinvents the tin ceiling, blending Victorian aesthetics with modern objects. Finally, Wrightwood 659 presents Martin Wong: Chinatown USA, showcasing over 100 works that explore Asian American experiences in Chinatowns across the U.S.
