Seeds Healing Stage IV | Dec 13

Root systems grow from a radicle at the center of a seed, expanding and connecting deeply within their environment, rewriting the ground’s source code to lay the foundation for a sustainable ecosystem. Like seeds, ...

CAD Open Studios | Nov 8

Open Studios return on Friday November 8th! Join us to explore what our first- and second-year resident artists have been working on. The event also features two new exhibitions, Moving Print and 21st Century Wanderer. ...

Moving Print | Nov 8 – Dec 27

Moving Print explores printmaking as a medium in motion, transcending traditional formats and dimensions. This exhibition brings together artists working with monoprints, risographs, latex-printed textiles, and digital ...

21st Century Wanderer | Nov 8 – Dec 27

Artists Nimrod Astarhan, Chen Xin, Juan Eduardo Flores, Gordon Fung, Yuwen Huang, Jungsoo Kim, Yukyeom (Yuki) Kim, Yiyi (Yiyisogreen) Liu, Mengjun Duan, Mac Pierce, Che Pai, Ian Kang, Rhett Tsai (蔡宇潇), Vincent ...

Diana Solis & Patric McCoy: Just Below The Surface | September 14 – Nov 2

Just Below The Surface re-envisions existing LGBTQ+ narratives to examine and celebrate the enduring legacy and transformative histories of Chicago's Black and Brown communities.  The exhibition unveils an ...

Contra Corriente Festival 2024

Contra Corriente returns in 2024, running from June 14 to August 4, continuing its mission of spotlighting the work of artists, activists, and organizations driving racial and environmental justice on the Southwest Side ...

Crystal Ball 20th Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser | Shining Toward the Future September 14, 2024

What: An evening celebrating two decades of Chicago Art Department (CAD)—the Crystal Ball brings together the magic of community to celebrate the past while shining toward the future. All proceeds ...

CAD at The Other Art Fair
11 April – 14 April

Chicago Art Department is thrilled to present the work of Core Residency Artists Catie Burrill and Marylu E. Herrera at The Other Art Fair next month! The fair will once again take place at @artifacteventschicago in ...

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
14 April – 28 April

Photography offers a profound lens through which to understand our society's most challenging aspects. However, its ability to reveal truths is often constrained by traditional photojournalistic models, which overshadow ...

Attunements and Formations
12 April – 24 May 2024

CHICAGO ART DEPARTMENT is pleased to present Attunements and Formations , acollaborative exhibition by Chicago based artists Sebastian Bruno-Harris, Sofía FernándezDíaz, and Kushala Vora. Working together for the ...

There Is A Future / Tenemos Un Futuro
March 7-8, 7PM

Chicago Art Department delighted to be partnering with Free Street Theatre to host their play 'There Is a Future/Tenemos un Futuro' on March 7th and 8th at 7pm. This bilingual, interactive play addresses the gap between ...

Recentering the Image-Making Process
CAD Collective Learning Program Application 2024

APPLY HERE Photojournalism’s traditional models, which require little to no basic human interaction, overshadow photography's natural inclinations to co-produce the news with the public–especially when ...

The Secret Life of Plants
Dec 8, 2024

Join us at Chicago Art Department on Friday, December 8, 2023, to immerse yourself in "The Secret Life of Plants" through the captivating paintings of Marcus Alleyne. His artwork delves into the enchanting connection ...

IMMIGRANT OWNED
Dec 8, 2023 – Feb 23, 2024

Since 2017, photographer Jonathan Michael Castillo has been documenting the interiors of immigrant owned businesses in Chicago and making honorific portraits of the people who run them. Over the years his Immigrant ...

Holiday Night Market & Fundraiser
Friday December 8, 6-10pm

ATTENDEES RSVP ...

What Time Is It?
November 10 – December 1

What Time Is It? November 10 - December 1, 2023 Exhibition Opening & Book Launch: Friday, November 10, 6-9pm After three years developing “What Time Is It? A Cultural & Civic Archive,” artist and ...

Open House Chicago
at CAD!
October 14-15 | 10am-5pm

Saturday, October 14, 2023 | Site Hours: 10am-5pmChicago Art Department1926 S. Halsted Street | Pilsen 11am-12pm | Pilsen Classical PerformancePilsen Classical presents ensemble performances with a rotating roster of ...

ANNOUNCING REENCOUNTERS/REENCUENTROS
October 13th-29th, 2023

ANNOUNCING REENCOUNTERS/REENCUENTROS On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Lit & Luz Festival, Chicago Art Department is partnering with the Festival to bring together work by 14 artists and past ...

CAD OPEN STUDIOS
OCT 13, 6-10P

Open Studios are back in October for 2nd Friday! Come on by see what our resident artists have been working on this year. The event also features the 10th year anniversary exhibition of the Lit & Luz Festival! Doors ...

Amigas Latinas Forever
Aug 11 – Sep 30, 2023

You are cordially invited to an exhibition opening: Amigas Latinas Forever on Fri. August 11, 2023, from 6-9 pm with guest DJs TRQPiTECA. We especially invite all Amigas Latina ...

En Abismo Me Encontre August 11, 2023

We live in uncertain times and there is much talk about the future and how the future will look, but the reality is Queer people have always had to create worlds within and outside of mainstream society. And through this ...

VIGIL(IA)
July 7- 29, 2023

vigil(ia) is an act of healing. A way to keep memories of space generational, as an act of vigilance and vigil between ourselves, our ancestors, history and our relationships to distances in remembrance. Existing in the ...

Seeding Ceremony
July 7 – September 16

Press Release Here FB Event Page What would it mean to call back our connection to our environment and our sacred responsibility for all living things? What happens when rage is given space to be understood? ...

Ecologies of Abundance at Caracol Gathering Space
July 22, 4:30-6:30PM

Sign up for the workshop ...

Tortilla Press Printmaking & Conversations for Environmental Justice
July 20th, 5:30-8:30

Register for this workshop ...

Contra Corriente Festival July – September, 2023

Contra Corriente highlights the work of artists, activists, and organizations working to advance racial and environmental justice on the South West Side of Chicago and beyond. The pilot iteration of the project took ...

Taller Caracoleando

Caracoleando: Poemas Naturales Taller de creación poética Dirigido por Miguel Marzana 4 sesiones Límite: 15 participantes Fechas: Domingo, 9, 16, 23 y 30 de Julio, 2023 Los ...

THIS IS WHAT WE BUILD
May 12 – 26

Friday, May 12 | 6-10pm THIS IS WHAT WE BUILD | Alumni Exhibition + Silent Auction THIS IS WHAT WE BUILD celebrates nearly two decades of radical reimaging through the visual arts, and will serve as a ...

Don’t Pull My Strings
March 10-April 21, 2023

By combining traditional mediums like painting and sculpture with modern design techniques, Don’t Pull My Strings invites viewers to participate in a playful journey through the complexities of gender and identity. By ...

#NonConfirming #NonConforming
March 10-26, 2023

In the era of Post-truth and Cancel Culture, crushed by the overwhelming horror of war, what could we hold on to, to sustain our cultural identities? Is the notion of CULTURE itself being obliterated  and ...

A Woman For All Seasons
Feb 10-26, 2023

A Woman For All Seasons Exhibition This exhibition celebrates the life and art of Darlene Gambotz. Raised in Chicago’s Little Italy, Darlene lived a life of adventure. She was a true Renaissance woman, continuously ...

The Nervous Brush
Feb 10-26, 2023

The Nervous BrushPresenting Recent Work By Three Chicago Painters we're seismographs we're Geiger counters we're live wires leaving our record with paint and canvas that atavistic mediumwe're transmitting the joy and ...

On Mending: Ephemeral Arrangements
January 25, 2023

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On Mending: Mending Circle
January 21, 2023

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On Mending 2023
Jan 13-28, 2023

What can make love possible in our coalition building and movement work?  How do we practice ways of living in rooted possibility for an abundant life? What approaches allow for our fullest selves to ...

DARED TO BE BLACK & SHINING
Jan 6th – 30th, 2023

"Chicago-based contemporary silverpoint artist D. Lammie-Hanson has created a stunning, evocative and massive artwork in "Dared to Be Black and Shining." This piece, which measures a commanding 96 inches by 144 inches, ...

CAD HOLIDAY MARKET
DEC 9, 6-10PM

Join us on December 9 from 6-10pm for Chicago Art Departments annual Holiday Market! CAD resident artists, small businesses, and community makers will be selling goodies and treats you don't want to miss. Support ...

CAD 2nd Friday Open Studios
NOV 11, 6-10PM

Open Studios are back this week for 2nd Friday! Come on by see what our Resident artists have been working on this year. The event also features Latitude Chicago's 10th Anniversary Showcase and music by DJ @roxyosounds ...

Fragile, Lay Flat: 2D & 3D Install Workshop
NOV 17, 7-10PM

REGISTER HERE Have you ever wondered how your favorite artwork was installed on the wall? Want to learn how it was done? Then sign up for our FREE upcoming workshop Fragile, Lay Flat: 2D/3D Install, led by ...

SEEDS 2022 Artist Talk & Open Mic
Nov 10, 6-8:30P

Join our Seeds In My Pocket Artist Talk (6-7pm) and Open Mic (7-8:30pm) next Thursday 11/10 at CAD. The Artist Talk will feature this year’s SIMP cohort and will be followed by an Open Mic in collaboration with ...

SEEDS IN POCKET 2022
Oct 14-Nov 14

We are thrilled to announce the 2022  Seeds In My Pocket Cohort! 🎊 Sam Kirk | Little Village Lead @iamsamkirkAlexie Young | North Lawndale Lead @artwestchicagoWilliam Estrada @werdmvmntDre ...

Chicago Public Art Group: Our Passions’ Humanity
Oct 6-26

Chicago Public Art Group, a 50 year arts organization is an internationally recognized coalition of artists working to produce public artwork with community involvement.  For the past half century, CPAG has ...

OPEN CALL: On Mending

“Organizing is to the community what spiritual practice is to the individual” -Grace Lee Boggs“We are each other’s magnitude and bond” - Gwendolyn Brooks“We are the ones we have been waiting for” -June ...

Exiled in Light :|: Transfiguration July 8 – 22, 2022

The Chicago Art Department presents Exiled in Light :|: Transfiguration, an immersive art installation by Valerie Xanos in conversation with movement performances by Allen Turner.  “I create immersive environments ...

Ten x Ten 2022 July 8- Aug 26

Chicago Art Department and Homeroom are proud to present the Ten x Ten 2022, the sixth iteration of the artist-musician collaboration, in partnership with Chicago Composers ...

CONTRA CORRIENTE
JUNE 10 – 29, 2022

CHICAGO ART DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES CONTRA CORRIENTE, IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL ARTISTSAn annual program and exhibition surveying environmental and resistance work in Chicago’s Lower West Side ...

Crystal Ball – Celebrating The Magic of Community
May 14, 2022

CHICAGO ART DEPARTMENT’S CRYSTAL BALL IS BACK AFTER 2-YEAR HIATUS: Chicago, IL - Chicago Art Department (CAD) is proud to announce the return of the Crystal Ball on Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 7-11pm, ...

Everything Must Go
April 8-May 28, 2022

Chicago Art Department is pleased to present Everything Must Go, a solo exhibition featuring new work from Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Jeffrey Michael Austin.  Austin is best known for their uncanny ...

Playground
March 11-25, 2022

PLAYGROUND  “Chicago based designer Franc Bando presents PLAYGROUND, a collection of drawings that juxtapose the plights of trauma and joys of nostalgia, symbolized through a minimalist playground ...

Mediating Patriotism February 11th – March 25th, 2022

Who gets to fly the flag? Who gets to call themselves a patriot?  Chicago Art Department presents Mediating Patriotism, a collaborative exhibition featuring three artists in conversation about nation, symbolism, ...

CAD Holiday MRKT

2nd Friday is just a few hours away! Join us at 6pm for an exhibition opening & our annual CAD Holiday MRKT.  SHOP LOCAL & enjoy a great time with all the folks at Chicago Art Department for our last ...

Hostile Architecture
Dec 10-29,2021

Join CAD December 10 from 6-10 PM for the opening reception of Hostile Architecture! The exhibition is curated by Katie Rauth and is in partnership with the Architecture Biennial. Expanding on anti-homeless urban ...

Immersion Into Tremulous Luxury Performance
Saturday, 7-9pm

@daniache1 will perform inside @instantgalina and @samuel_schwindt’s installation, ‘Tremulous Luxury: Leather and Pearls,’ this Saturday, 7-9pm. “This performance explores the poignant vulnerability of our ...

“Tremulous Luxury: Leather and Pearls.”
Friday November 12, 6-10pm

CAD Residents Galina Schevchenko and Sam Schwindt are taking over our East Gallery for their collaboration, “Tremulous Luxury: Leather and Pearls.” The installation opens Friday November 12, 6-10pm. “Through an ...

Lit & Luz: How Things Do Things with Other Things (and People)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021 AT 7 PM – 8:30 PM

How Things Do Things with Other Things (and People). Four Sculptors Discuss the Agency of Matter. Join us for a conversation centered on sculpture and ideas related to emerging paradigms of new materialisms (NM)—an ...

Arte, Cultura, y Resistencia
October 12 -November 26

CHICAGO OCTOBER 1, 2021 — Chicago Art Department’s newest exhibition brings punk music values to the gallery through an exploration of alternative modes of expression, making, and visibility through ...

WE ARE HIRING!

Chicago Art Department (CAD) seeks a creative and goal-oriented Development Manager towork closely with the Program Manager and Board of Directors to plan and lead existing andnew fundraising strategies. This is a new ...

This Is What We Know So Far
September 10 – September 30

It feels like we are on the other side of something. What has shifted leaves something raw about the labor of making Art; who it serves, what it takes, what it’s for. A practice needs to hold a plan, a hope, of ...

Love In The Time Of…
July 9th-August 31st

Chicago Art Department is returning to its regular 2nd Friday programming thanks to generous support from our friends at @marzbrewing and @revbrewchicago. Our 2nd Friday tomorrow features the work of The Chicago Act ...

Leslé Honoré – In Conversation With Erika Dudley + Silvia Inès Gonzalez

Chicago-based real-time poet and activist Leslé Honoré joins historian, artist, community organizer Erika Dudley in conversation about select poems from her published book, Fist & Fire. The collection, written in ...

CAD MRKT 2ND FRIDAY POP-UP, April 9,6-9:30PM

RSVP to our Seeds In My Pocket Gallery Night and you'll also get to see what our artists have been making in their studio. All proceeds benefit artists directly and help CAD continue supporting Chicago’s unstoppable art ...

POCAS SALON: SEEDS IN MY POCKET

View our first program from the Seeds In My Pocket Exhibition! The conversation is brought to you by Chicago Art Department, POC Artist Space Admin and CAD Studio Residency artist Silvia Gonzalez, and muralists Dorian ...

Seeds In My Pocket April 2nd Friday Gallery Night + CAD MRKT Pop-Up, April 9th, 6-9:30pm.

It’s no joke! Our new Seeds In My Pocket Exhibition is a must see! If you missed last month’s opening or have not made an appointment to see the show yet, make sure to RSVP for our next 2nd Friday Gallery Night on April ...

Seeds In My Pocket, March 5th-May 30th, 2021

Photos by ©Sandra Steinbrecher Seeds In My Pocket Project & Inaugural Exhibition Root systems grow from a radicle in the center of a seed — they expand fibrously, entangling themselves in their ...

Introduction to Natural Pigments-Beginners Guide to Process, March 29th-April 2nd

REGISTER HEREIntroduction to Natural Pigments - Beginners Guide to Process, Material and History This 5 day, 3 hr, workshop focuses on working with natural pigments, both organic and inorganic. Basis of study will be ...

LONG TIME NO SEE -EXTENDED!

SAVE THE DATE: Join us for Long Time No See, a showcase of Chicago Art Department’s Resident Artists. CAD will host a modified Second Friday Gallery Night, October 9th from 6pm-9pm. Come meet our new and ...

Painting with Natural Pigments. Dec 1-4, 2-5 pm online

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO PROCESS, MATERIAL AND HISTORY This workshop focuses on working with natural pigments, both organic and inorganic. Basis of study will be the pre-historic cave paintings that date back between ...

When We Fight We Win
Opening August 14th, 2020

When We Fight We WinIn the fall of 2019, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Local 73 (SEIU) banded together and marched in solidarity to demand justice for the students of Chicago Public Schools. Over 30,000 bodies ...

Working with Nature – Inside Out
August 13th – 2 – 4 pm

This workshop focuses on our engagement with nature as we aim to better understand our shared resources and psychological functions in face of an unseen contagion. As we work towards this ambition, participants are ...

Mother to Mother, Virtually. Knots & Nodes.
Opening June 12th, 2020

Mother to Mother, Virtually. Knots & Nodes. Friday, June 12th   Chicago Art Department and Mother Art Revisited (MAR) present Mother to Mother, Virtually. Knots ...

Working with Nature – Inside Out
May 28th, 2-4pm

This workshop focuses on our engagement with nature as we aim to better understand our shared resources and psychological functions in face of an unseen contagion. As we work towards this ambition, participants are ...

Tirar y Soltar
May 8 – June 28

Tirar y Soltar Socially-Distant ReceptionJune 12, 6-8:00PMBy popular demand, we are extending Tirar y Soltar (Pull and Let Go) by studio resident Macus Alonso through June 28th! The solo exhibition features an ...

Sweet 16 Fun-raiser
**POSTPONED** 2020

Save the date for something sweet! CAD is celebrating Spring with our Sweet 16 Fun-raiser, aiming to support our Studio Residency, Think-Tank Programs, Exhibitions, and Pubic ...

POCAS: Salon
March 21
4-6pm

As part of our artist practices, reflecting on our work can be a very giving process. How do you organize your projects? What does it take to submit succinct and successful grant or residency applications? What role ...

Knots & Nodes: Mother to Mother
Opening March 20
6-9pm

Chicago Art Department and MotherArt (MAR) present Knots and Nodes: Mother to Mother, the fifth large scale exhibition by group. MAR is a Chicago-based international collective of mother artists. Recent shows include ...

BISC IB Art Exhibition 2020

Chicago Art Department is excited to collaborate with The British School of Chicago South Loop on this year’s IB Art Exhibition! The show will feature a range of artwork from middle school through high school.Please ...

POWER OF THE FEMININE: (RE) INTERPRETADAS
Opening March 13
6-10pm

Power Of The Feminine: (Re)Interpretadas brings together five Latin American artists working across new media, textiles, and performance to construct and recast new contemporary feminine identities. Artists in this show ...

Merfrau and The Ferocious Five
Opening March 13
6-9pm

Chicago Art Department and Hoofprint are partnering up to bring you Merfrau and The Ferocious Five.Six artists explore graphic territories ranging from clean, biting satire to visceral scratchings, and all the fleshy ...

Macrame & Margaritas
March 8
11am-2pm

Macrame & MargaritasJoin us to learn the art of modern macrame! CAD Resident Edyta Stepien and board member Birdie Soti will lead a workshop on knotting techniques to create your own vintage ...

Tax Tips for Artists & Freelancers
February 13
6-7pm

Krystal Boney, Accountant and Founder of Bean Knights, will be hosting a presentation for artists and freelancers seeking tax tips for their individual practices. Topics on expenses, legal entities, and proper ...

Recalentada
Opening February 5
6-10pm

Recalentada Collective consists of artists, writers, educators, researchers, who prioritize immigration issues as part of their everyday life. Through conversation and sharing, they have been engaging in vulnerable ...

ON FOENEM WHO CARES?
Opening February 14
6-10pm

“On Foenem Who Cares?” examines elements of Chicago culture in relation to several artists experiences in the city. Each member of the Dolph creative collective will exhibit work referencing their experience in ...

CYBORGS: Ancient & Current, Imagining & Performing. Exhibition & Performance series. February 7th – February 28th