Chicago museums and galleries close several shows today and hold openings throughout the week. more ›

Whether you love spending time with your family or need to get them out of the house (or both), today’s a great day to take (or send) your out-of-town visitors to one of Chicago’s museums. There are some great exhibits showing, so skip Black Friday and work off your tryptophan hangover with some culture. While we think the crowds will be a lot more pleasant at the Art Institute than the mall, this is a busy day for museums, so plan accordingly. more ›

We’ve long been fans of the National Museum of Mexican Art, and not just because it’s always free. This year’s Day of the Dead exhibit opened last weekend, and we were quick to hop on the Damen bus to check it out. more ›

Last week we brought you some not-to-be-missed museum exhibits that are closing this week. This week we’re rounding up a few exhibits that are kicking off the fall season. Rest up over Labor Day weekend and then add these to your calendar: more ›

Nothing is lost in translation at the National Museum of Mexican Art’s Translating Revolution: U.S. Artists Interpret Mexican Muralists. One of the loveliest exhibits we’ve seen in a while, Translating Revolution showcases American artists who were influenced by Mexican muralists. Through the Works Progress Administration program, many American artists went to Mexico in the 1930s and 40s to learn from mural masters like los tres grandes, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. The subsequent paintings often reveal Marxist revolutionary underpinnings that give voice to the working class, strong lines and colors typical of the Mexican mural masters, and a surprising number of Chicago connections. Several artists in the exhibit studied at the Art Institute, and others, like Charles White (who was involved with the founding of the South Side Community Arts Center), were deeply ingrained in Chicago’s cultural past. more ›

Local radio station Radio Arte WRTE 90.5 FM - "a Latino-owned, bilingual, youth-driven public radio station" - is reporting this morning that a youth mural supporting immigration on their Pilsen building, shared with youth arts outreach group Yollocalli, was defaced overnight. The mural, based on last year's "A Declaration of Immigration" exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art, was defaced with the spray-painted words "LIES" and the phrase "Mexicans Are Racists." more ›

We firmly believe in the open door policy of art walks—the chance to spy on someone’s live/work space where the chaotic hocus pocus of creation happens. Whether it’s meticulously mounted Polaroids hung from floor to ceiling or ten cats eating Meow Mix from paper plates on a painter’s floor tarp (true story), the studio is a unique, inspiring detour through an artist’s mind. more ›