The Museum of Contemporary Art’s 12 x 12 series comes to a close this month with Ann Toebbe’s trio of “cut-paper paintings” (don’t worry: there will still be a dedicated space for Chicago artists). The paintings are made up of thousands of hand-painted pieces of paper, all of which Toebbe meticulously pieces together to form a scene from other women’s memories. more ›

It’s a wonderful time in Chicago for non-abstract painting. Not that abstract painting is going anywhere, but a cluster of realist and figurative exhibitions, most obviously the one ongoing at Bridgeport’s 33 Collective Gallery, is making non-abstraction trendy again. What’s more, this youthful cluster is using mostly fresh approaches to realism and figuration, bringing what was once considered a stale and old-fashioned genre back into the marketable bosom of gallery relevance. more ›

Perhaps we are just suckers for obscure rationales for programming film series, or perhaps we simply have Tuymans Fever, but Eyes Without a Face, a film series curated by Luc Tuymans, showing at the MCA from November 27 to December 12, looks quite intriguing. The rockstar artist has chosen some fascinating titles and provided us with the perfect reason to visit to revisit the sensational retrospective the museum is hosting through January 9. more ›

The MCA is, for the most part, as good as its featured exhibition(s). As it happens, there are two excellent exhibitions on display right now, so if you haven’t been to Streeterville’s art district in a while, now’s as good a time to go as ever. Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, and Joy ends October 17th, and, thankfully, there are months yet until the newly installed Luc Tuymans retrospective closes. more ›

New Yorker staff writer Alex Ross has made a name for himself by writing about classical music with thoroughness and authority, qualities that nearly won him a Pulitzer for his first (and, until this September 28, only) book, "The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century." Ross's command over the technical aspects of music, near omnicience regarding today's scene, and deep understanding of the cultural and historical context make the book essential reading for anyone trying to understand the recent history, and current state, of Western art music. more ›

Need a break from the doom and gloom of la recession? Head to the Museum of Contemporary Art on Tuesday, June 2 for Works in Progess with artist Chris Uphues. Uphues, an SAIC graduate who currently lives in Brooklyn, will be at the museum drawing and painting his supercutesy-faced hearts, robots, and other twee creations that resemble stickers you put on your Trapper Keeper in grade school. Actually, Uphues’ adorable pop culture characters can be found virtually everywhere these days—on buttons, t-shirts, storefronts—even farm silos. more ›

There’s something about multimedia artist / designer Cody Hudson that makes us just want to have a beer with him. Maybe it’s the symmetrical chaos of his work—complex, but approachable. Or maybe it’s his love of Wisconsin cheese curds. Actually, the name of his upcoming show at Andrew Rafacz Gallery may have something to do with it—thanks man, see you around man, fuck yeah, you guys are wild, thanks man, i dig it, see you. more ›

• Issuing a directive to shut down Guantanamo Bay
• Halting some regulations issued last-minute by the Bush administration
• Issuing new ethics rules

In 2001, Chicago artist MartinJon embarked on an ambitious project to paint the portraits of 1,000 different people. Eight years later, he's about halfway through -- though, he says, the project might never end. It has become more about sharing the creative experience than about meeting a quota. more ›

Thanks to Basil Tydings for the image