Top left - Mama Lae by Lavar Munroe Studio; top right - Big Chief Demond Melancon in ceremonial suit — Photo credit: Sophia Germer / The Times-Picayune; Bottom left - Sammy Baloji, Bottom middle - the late Koyo Kouoh, 2026 Venice Biennale curator Cape Town, March, 2024; bottom right - Neo Ramshu. The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia opens this week under a title borrowed from music: In Minor Keys. Conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh — the first African

Tiffany Haddish by Tyler Clark, Leslie Jones by James Nelson, and Kevin Hart by Minnie Watkins exhibited by Pigment International at the Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Festival in 2022. There are few cultural forces more powerful — or more misunderstood — than Black comedy. It is a tradition of truth-telling, resistance, and joy that runs from Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor to Eddie Murphy, Wanda Sykes, and Tiffany Haddish. Now, a landmark publishing project is giving visual artists t

Pastor John Hannah's New Life Covenant Church is actualizing the creation of Life in Color Gallery in the city's Grand Crossing neighborhood. A House Blessing ceremony marks the beginning of a new cultural chapter on Chicago's South Side Before a single painting is hung or a sculpture placed, the floor of Life in Color Gallery was already carrying something sacred. In a special ceremony, community members gathered at 7644 S. Greenwood Avenue in Chicago's Grand Crossing neighb

Transcend by Salome Jaffe, 18" X 24" (2026) Artist Salome Jaffe enters a new phase of public engagement with her participation in The People’s Artist Award, an initiative led by Johnny Depp in collaboration with The Art of Elysium and Artforum. Distinct from traditional juried competitions, the award is determined entirely by public vote, positioning audience mobilization as the decisive factor in an artist’s advancement. Jaffe’s work stands apart for its materially driven pr

Top left - Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Pigment International, Claire Rice, Executive Director Arts Alliance Illinois, Nora Daley, Board Chair Illinois Arts Council, Vicki Heyman, Board Member Illinois Arts Council, Joshua Davis-Ruptero ED Illinois Arts Council. Top Middle - Antoinette Simmons, the Urban Ark Media Arts Center, State Representative Kimberly du Buclet, Middle Row Jen Tremblay Chambers, and Alison Cochran, Hyde Park Art Center, Middle Right - Erin Eveland, The Hub,

Agility to Surrender, rebuilt 2026, 34 ¼ X 26 1/8” 14K gold drawing Goldpoint on Indigo by D. Lammie-Hanson Knowhere Gallery's EXPO Chicago presentation yields a landmark acquisition for the Muskegon Museum of Art A luminous work by D. Lammie-Hanson is making its permanent home in a distinguished private collection — and with it, carrying forward a commitment to elevating the voices of women-identifying artists working in figurative realism. Agility to Surrender, a 14K gold d

Pigment Salon Talk Glory! Glory! at Adler University. From left Phyliss North, Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Jane Carpenter-Rock, Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM); State Rep. Kimberly du Buclet; Lisa Coleman, PhD. President of Adler University; Artist D. Lammie-Hanson; Patrica Jones Blessman, PhD.; Valerie Francis, Knowhere Gallery, and Allison Casselberry. Spring Art Week Chicago 2026: A Roundup We go deeper on specifics in later issues — this week, let the photos do the

Martha Wade at William Blair, her 3D chair, and work by Briana McNeil Scott. On Wednesday, at William Blair , Martha Wade debuted not just new work, but her work took new form when she created a chair. Wade's calm, consistency and commitment to community shone through in her interview with Blair’s curator Isidora K. Lagos under the theme Expressive Journeys: The panel of self-taught artists also included Grace Federighi, Briana McNeil, and O’Neil Scott.

As the United States stands on the threshold of its 250th Anniversary, Pigment International® invites Chicago’s cultural community to a landmark gathering during Spring Art Week 2026. The Pigment International Salon Talk will convene artists, institution leaders, policymakers, and patrons for an intimate morning of dialogue, reflection, and celebration—timed to coincide with Spring Art Week in the city. Pigment International continues its focus on national identity, ancestr

Ra Joy, Executive Director Bronzeville Center For The Arts (BCA) This year America will celebrate its semi-quincentennial and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As the nation reflects on its founding, it also finds itself wrestling with fundamental questions around what we choose to remember, who we choose to honor, what we collectively celebrate, and why it all matters. With America’s 250th birthday rapidly approaching, the stakes are high. Poli

Artwork Orbiting by Alma Thomas Curators, artists, and arts professionals gather for a landmark series of conversations during Spring Art Week Dialogues, presented by Northern Trust, brings together curators, artists, and arts professionals for a series of panel discussions, forums, and artistic discourse on the themes defining contemporary culture. Highlights include a reflection on the legacy of Alma Thomas featuring artists Lindsay Adams and Amanda Williams alongside cur

Photo by Barrington Darius When Frieze tapped Essence Harden to curate the Profile section of Expo Chicago 2026, it wasn't simply a curatorial appointment — it was a statement about what the fair intends to become. Multi-generational Bay Area roots, an academic foundation in African Diaspora Studies, and a practice built on long-term relationships with artists: Harden arrives in Chicago as someone who understands what it means to belong to a place before you've ever lived t

Work of Kari Black April 9–12, the independent fair spotlights emerging artists — and makes space for those too often left out  The Other Art Fair Chicago arrives April 9–12 with its signature blend of accessibility, interactivity, and discovery — and this edition leans into both nostalgia and urgency. Anchored by the theme Nostalgia Core , the fair transforms Saatchi Art's independent platform into an immersive playground where visitors don't just view art — they touch, pl

By Dontae Muse  When you think of the Biennale, you might think of Venice. I wish. This one was nearly chosen, except for the lack of water. I hopped over the water, the Hudson River, to experience the Whitney Biennial 2026 during the preview at the Whitney Museum of American Art, before it opened to the public, courtesy of my membership. I have to say that observing the exhibition in its quiet state, before the reactions unfold, allows for a deeper appreciation of its const

Dr. Teddy Rashaan, National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC); Monetta White, Museum of the African Diaspora; Dr. Leronn P. Brooks, Getty Research Institute; and moderator Ed Gordon. Guardians of History: Shaping Narratives in Museums was a powerful conversation at the Black Empowerment Summit during LA Art Week, examining how museums, cultural leaders and communities collectively shape the historical record. Moderated by journalist and media executive Ed

Pigment International will present Women of the Wall , a Pigment Salon Talk marking the closing of the Glory! Glory! exhibition on Friday, February 20 from 6–8 pm at the Zhou B Art Center . The panel will feature artist Arlene Crawford, Janice Bond , Executive Director of the Chicago Public Art Group ; interdisciplinary artist Dorian Sylvain , whose work is part of the public art program at the Obama Presidential Center ; and Brenda Dickerson , an arts advocate dedi

Rush Baker IV, Monica Haslip, and Vicki Heyman were in conversation with Rufus Willaims at Zhou B Art Center as Glory! Glory! continues. On Friday, March 13, Zhou B Art Center became a sanctuary for honest, searching dialogue when Glory! Glory! — the exhibition celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary through the lens of Black artists — hosted a panel discussion as powerful as the work on its walls. WVON radio host Rufus Williams set the tone immediately, inviting the

Bernard and Shirley Kinsey shared their story at the Black Art Empowerment Summit in LA iduring LA Art Week. Moderated by their son Khalil , the family signed copies of their most recent book. During LA Art Week in February, a standout conversation at the Black Empowerment Summit brought together three members of one of the art world’s most influential collecting families. Moderated by Khalil Kinsey , the panel “A Family Affair: The Kinsey Collection at 20 Years” fea

Danny Dunson, DuSable Black History Museum & Education Center, in conversation with Bisa Butler at Soho House On a recent evening at Soho House Chicago, curator Erica S. Hubbard created something rare — an intimate space for Chicagoans to sit with one of contemporary art's most powerful voices. Textile artist Bisa Butler joined curator D anny Dunson for a conversation that felt less like a formal program and more like an exchange between old friends, candid, unscripted, and a

Robert Lewis Clark's '44' is available now On a cold February morning in 2007, Barack Obama stood in Springfield, Illinois and set history in motion. From that day, millions of Americans became archivists — clipping headlines, saving programs, holding onto anything that might one day prove they witnessed the moment. Lura Satterfield Shareef was one of them. After the historic 2008 election, she handed her son every clipping, every fragment of that momentous chapter and said