Best Spring 2015 Art Events In Chicago
MCA Talk: Naomi Beckwith On Richard Hunt
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
220 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 280-2660
www2.mcachicago.org
Date: Feb. 10, 2015 from noon to 1 p.m.
Learn about Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt when Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Curator Naomi Beckwith talks about the artist's works, abstract style and Chicago tie-ins. Born in 1935, the artist was recognized early in his career when New York's Museum of Modern Art held a Hunt retrospective in 1971. His commissioned works are across the United States including 35 in the Chicago area. Beckwith's discussion is in conjunction with "MCA DNA Richard Hunt," now through May 17, 2015, that showcases the artist's sculptures, drawings and Chicago locations.
'Maker & Muse: Women And Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry'
Richard H. Driehaus Museum
40 E. Erie St.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 482-8933
www.driehausmuseum.org
Date: Feb. 14, 2015
Opening in time for Valentine's Day, a new Driehaus Museum exhibit presents items from its own collection and those from other collections to show how jewelry expressed the art movements during the Victorian Era through World War I. An extensive exhibit of more than 250 objects designed by women or with a female figure motif, the collections contain works from the American Arts and Crafts movements in Chicago and Britain, Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York, the Jugendstil movement in Austria and Germany and Art Nouveau in France. Objects range from bracelets, necklaces and pendants to tiaras, hair ornaments, pins and cloak clasps. However, the exhibit is more than a showcase for art jewelry. It also encompasses photographs, posters, stained glass and other items that illustrate the periods and movements.
Doris Salcedo
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
220 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 280-2660
www2.mcachicago.org
Date: Feb. 21 - May 24, 2015
Think about how lonely an empty chair or piece of abandoned clothing might look to understand Columbian sculptor Doris Salcedo's social commentary on loss and violent politics. The exhibit is a retrospective that covers the artist's 30 years of doing installations on the affects of civil conflict. Look for tableaux of disruption and for the artist's new "Disremembered" installation of sewn silk sculptures.
Related: Best Museum Tours In Chicago
'Ireland: Crossroads Art and Design, 1690-1840'
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 443-3600
www.artic.edu
Date: Mar. 17 - June 7, 2015
It's about art. It's about design. But "Ireland: Crossroads Art and Design,1690-1840, a new Art Institute of Chicago exhibit" is also about culture. The show offers about 300 examples of the country's decorative and fine arts from the end of the 17th century through the mid 19th century. Objects run the art gamut from furniture, textiles, book bindings and musical instruments to sculptures, paintings, ceramics, glass, metalwork and architecture. The exhibit will be arranged by such themes as landscapes, portraits, country houses and the City of Dublin. Similar to the Driehaus exhibit, the opening date pairs nicely with the subject.
North Shore Unitarian Church Art Fair
North Shore Unitarian Church
2100 Half Day Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 234-2460
www.nsuc.org
Date: April 25-26, 2015
An annual art event that makes it to the calendars of those in the know, the Unitarian Church Art Fair has been drawing crowds for more than four decades. With 60 juried-in artists, the event is not the mega fair that some Chicago suburbs hold each summer. Instead, it is the quality of art on display that has made it a spring tradition.
Related: Best Art Exhibits For Kids In Chicago
Jodie Jacobs is a veteran journalist who loves writing about Chicago, art, theater, museums and travel. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
