SEPTEMBER
Sabina Ott Carved and spray-painted Styrofoam are set design for your journey through the Divine Comedy. Chicago Cultural Center, August 30-January 4
Photography Is ____________. Billed as a “nine-month celebration of photography,” the program includes artist lectures such as Laurie Simmons on September 17. Art Institute of Chicago
EXPO Chicago Shaq curates, Theaster curates, Shonibare curates… and dozens more special projects inject the fair with an extra dose of personality, in addition to 140 exhibiting galleries and citywide events. Navy Pier, September 18-21
David Bowie Is The MCA seeks superstar box office with the only US showing of the music icon’s iconography. Museum of Contemporary Art, September 23- January 4
Wangechi Mutu, Pretty Double-Head, 2010. Mixed media, ink, collage, and spray paint on Mylar; 34 x 41 3/4 inches (86.36 x 106.05 cm). Collection of Blake Byrne, Los Angeles. Image courtesy of Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects. © Wangechi Mutu. Photo by Robert Wedemeyer. Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey is organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
Wangechi Mutu The first museum survey of this important artist, including a new installation. Block Museum Of Art, September 19-December 7
SZALON Expect to see a salon-style hang of contemporary art in “Szalon,” and a curatorial motif inspired by oral history traditions. Logan Center, September 19-November 23
Mickalene Thomas An homage to the artist’s mother includes the transubstantiation of her personal artifacts into art objects, simultaneously destroying and immortalizing them. Kavi Gupta Gallery, September 19-November 15
A Proximity of Consciousness: Art and Social Action Social Practice gets institutionalized with this 125-year survey of Chicago community activist art, including Temporary Services, Dan Peterman, Laurie Jo Reynolds and many more. School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago, September 20-December 20
Filter Photo Festival A Carrie Mae Weems lecture, curator tours, professional workshops and photo exhibits round out this fest for photographers and their fans. Various locations, filterfestival.com, September 24-28
GalleryX The museum breaks the fourth wall in collaboration with 500 Clown experimental theater group, where visitors can be provoked into new experiences with art. Smart Museum Of Art, September 27-December 21
OCTOBER
Zak Prekop The Chicago-trained painter returns with sensitive formalism. Shane Campbell Gallery, October 11-November 15
Michael Schmelling In “Your Blues,” the photographer shows behind-the-scenes peeks of Chicago’s underground music scenes. Museum of Contemporary Photography, October 16-December 21
Luftwerk An iconic Mies glass house in Plano, Illinois, becomes a temporary light sculpture. The Farnsworth House, October 18-20
In Body Doubles: Christina Ramberg, “Sleeve Mountain #1” and “#2,” 1973. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Albert J. Bildner. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.
Body Doubles The museum’s collection gets a thematic re-hang through the lens of bodily forms as art. Museum of Contemporary Art, October 25-April 19
Riva Lehrer In “A Self-Portrait in Formaldehyde,” the portraitist confronts so-called abnormal anatomy. Block Museum of Art and the Chicago Humanities Festival, October 25
NOVEMBER
Voyaging the Fantastic: Afrosurrealism and Afrofuturism in Wangechi Mutu and Contemporary Black Art A panel discussion with D. Denenge Akpem, Krista Franklin, and Cauleen Smith on the occasion of Mutu’s first museum survey. Block Museum of Art, November 1 at 2pm
Joel Otterson A rare Chicago appearance from the L.A. sculptor. Also new work by Alan Belcher. The Suburban, November 2
Sarah Thornton From the juicy to the mundane, the author uncovers the daily workings of the art world in her books, including the new “33 Artists in 3 Acts.” Museum of Contemporary Art and the Chicago Humanities Festival, November 5
Meg Duguid A 1947 screenplay about a tramp who survives an atomic war is fodder for Duguid’s cinematic installation. The Mission, November 7-December 20
ACRE The fruit of this summer artist’s residency continues to blossom well into winter with a group show of residency artists. Chicago Urban Art Society, November 14-December 12
Faheem Majeed at President’s Gallery
Faheem Majeed The educator presents the crop of his artist and student collaborations in a college gallery. President’s Gallery, Harold Washington College, November 18-January 9
The “F” Word: Feminism Now Jeanne Dunning selects from the best entries that reflect the state of contemporary feminist art. ARC Gallery, November 26-December 20
The Chicago Effect: Redefining the Middle What will emerge from their “year-long think tank”? Possibly a new kind of Chicago art. Hyde Park Art Center, through November 23 —Jason Foumberg
