The Week in Art: January 15-21

By Amy Cavanaugh in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 15, 2012 7:00PM

Angela Strassheim, Evidence No. 2, 2009, Courtesy of the artist

Several big museum shows end today, so spend the afternoon soaking up art at one of these spots. All three museums close at 5 p.m.:

• The Museum of Contemporary Photography closes Crime Unseen, a lurid show of photographs that depict crime scenes (above), wrongly convicted people, and the Unabomber’s cabin.

• Learn some Chicago history at Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention at the Art Institute of Chicago. The large show details the architect’s career and pays particular attention to his contributions to Chicago architecture, including Marina City.

• The Museum of Contemporary Art closes Ron Terada: Being There and IAIN BAXTER&: Works 1958-2011. Terada, a Canadian artist, works in a range of media but particularly focuses on signage and ideas about language. BAXTER& explores commerce and nature in a large overview of his work.

Openings this week:

• Today:

>> Arc Gallery hosts the opening reception from 2-5 p.m. for three shows, including Residues by Ray Klimek and Rajorshi Ghosh. The videos and photographs explore the history and imagination of landscapes.

• Tuesday:

>> The Block Museum of Art opens Prints and the Pursuit of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe, which looks at Renaissance artists’ involvement in science. Also opening is Theo Leffmann: Weaving a Life into Art, a retrospective of work by the Chicago fiber artist.

• Friday:

>> Jackson Junge Gallery opens REVOLUTION 2012: An Exposition on Change Around the World with a reception from 6-9 p.m. The show, with work from more than two dozen artists, predicts where 2012 will take us.

>> The National Museum of Mexican Art opens El Alma de la Fiesta, which explores the various Mexican fiestas that occur throughout the year.

>> Gallery 400 opens Global Cities, Model Worlds with work by Ryan Griffis, Lize Mogel, and Sarah Ross that looks at the spatial and social impacts of large events like the Olympics. The three artists will be lecturing at 12 p.m., and the opening reception is from 5-8 p.m.