CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Well Chicago, it looks like it's going to be a rain-filled weekend. But don't worry, because there is plenty of things to keep you busy inside this weekend.
This summer the Art Institute of Chicago welcomes two acclaimed portraits to its galleries: Kehinde Wiley's painting of President Barack Obama and Amy Sherald's portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama. Plus, there are two new comic exhibits at the Chicago Cultural Center and Museum of Contemporary Art; and, this would be a good weekend to check out Friday Kahlo: Timeless, a comprehensive presentation of the life and works of the artist Frida Kahlo, featuring 26 original pieces as well as an immersive historical exhibit that provides a framework of the life, circumstances and events that led to Kahlo becoming one of the most important painters of the 20th century and of our time.
And if the weather let's up, you can celebrate Pride Month and check out Pride in the Park in Grant Park with performances by Chaka Khan, Tiësto and Gryffin; or Navy Pier Pride, a free, full-day event celebrates diversity, inclusivity and support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Here's a look at things to do this weekend in Chicago and the suburbs:
Pride in the Park
While Chicago's Pride Parade and Pride Festival are on hold until October, Pride in the Park is still a go this weekend with more than a dozen performers taking the stage in Grant Park for the two-day festival. Pride in the Park is a musical celebration of Pride Month and the city's LGBTQ+ community. Chaka Khan, Tiësto and Gryffin will headline, with appearances from Betty Who, Alyssa Edwards and Tracy Young. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit Center on Halsted. MORE INFO.
Where: Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St.
When: Saturday, 2-10 p.m.; Sunday, 3-10 p.m.
Cost: $80 general, $225 VIP
Midsummer Block PartyKimball Arts Center
Midsummer Block Party
Join Ørkenoy and Kimball Arts Center in celebrating Midsummer and unveiling the newly-renovated Kimball Arts Center building! Ørkenoy will be serving food, beer, cider, and batched cocktails all day along with friends from Cruz Blanca Brewery, Nanette's Ice Cream, Rye Humor Baking, and Dayglow. Wild Prairie will be spinning records in the Kimball Arts Center parking lot. An amazing group of local artists and makers will be selling their work,and participating Kimball tenants will have their spaces open to the public. Stop by while walking on the Bloomingdale Trail, right off the Spaulding exit, and check out all the Kimball Arts Center has to offer! MORE INFO.
Where: Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave.
When: Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Cost: Free with RSVP
Navy Pier Pride
Join the Pier for its sixth annual Navy Pier Pride on Saturday, June 26 from noon to 11:30 p.m. This free, full-day event celebrates diversity, inclusivity and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Festivities include live music, educational programs, performances from local LGBTQIA+ artists, on-site resources from community partners and a special Pride-themed fireworks show.
The event will kick off with Muffy Fishbasket's Drag Queen Story Hour, featuring a live reading of popular children's books by one of Chicago's famous drag queens, Miss Mini Pearl. This program promotes an early understanding of gender fluidity through glamorous, positive queer role models. After story time, guests can enjoy a series of live DJ sets, a dance showcase via the Pier's weekly Wave Wall Moves program, and a performance by Chicago Gay Men's Chorus. MORE INFO.
Where: Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
When: Saturday, noon-11:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Former U.S. President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama stand next to their newly unveiled portraits during a ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, on February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. The portraits were commissioned by the Gallery, for Kehinde Wiley to create President Obama's portrait, and Amy Sherald that of Michelle Obama.Mark Wilson/Getty Images
The Obama Portraits
This summer the Art Institute of Chicago welcomes two acclaimed portraits to its galleries: Kehinde Wiley's painting of President Barack Obama and Amy Sherald's portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama. Chicago is the first stop for the Obama portraits as part of a five-city tour organized by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. As the family's longtime home, Chicago has a unique connection to the Obamas, as does the Art Institute. Michelle Obama recalls visiting frequently with her family when she was growing up on the South Side, and the museum was also the site of the couple's first date.
Not only do the portraits feature history-making subjects but they were made by groundbreaking artists. Wiley and Sherald are the first African Americans to be commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to create official portraits of a president or first lady. Wiley placed a seated President Obama against a backdrop of flowers with special significance, including chrysanthemums, the official flower of Chicago. Sherald captured the former first lady against light-blue ground, sitting and gazing directly at the viewer. MORE INFO.
Where: Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave.
When: Now through Aug. 15
Cost: Included in museum admission
Dale Messick Brenda Starr 2-21-1954Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
CHICAGO: Where Comics Came to Life (1880–1960)
A significant, but often overlooked contribution to American art and culture is Chicago's role in the development of the early comic strip. Through its countless newspapers and its publishing industry, Chicago led the transformation of comics from daily fantasy and joke features into ongoing stories grounded in the textures and details of real life, its first real step towards legitimacy as an expressive language and semi-literary art form.
The exhibition focuses on the origins of the comics in popular publishing, the immeasurable importance of African-American cartoonists and publishing, the first woman cartoonists and editors, the first daily comic strip, and finally the art and comics of undeservedly forgotten Frank King, who with "Gasoline Alley" captured not only the rhythms and tone of everyday existence in his characters that aged not only at the same daily rate as its newspaper readers, but were also fictionalized versions of real people.
The exhibition is designed and planned as an intentional historical companion to the concurrently appearing survey of contemporary Chicago comics at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in which Ware's work also appears. MORE INFO.
Where: Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North
When: Now through Oct. 3, open daily 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Lynda Barry, 100 Demons: Dancing, 2000-02. Watercolor on board; 8 × 10Courtesy of Adam Baumgold Fine Art
Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now
Chicago has been a center for comics for decades—a haven not only for making and publishing cartoons, but also for innovating on the medium. Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now tells the story of the art form in the influential city through the work of Chicago's many cartoonists: known, under-recognized, and up-and-coming.
The exhibition traces the evolution of comics in Chicago, as cartoonists ventured beyond the pages of newspapers and into experimental territory including long-form storytelling, countercultural critique, and political activism. Chicago Comics examines styles, schools of thought, and modes of publication across six decades of cartooning, including works from artists who are changing the medium today. The exhibition seeks to bring to the fore artists of color who were previously under-recognized throughout their careers. In this pursuit, the exhibition features archival material previously not seen in museums and offers a revised history of the art form. Represented throughout this timeline are special sections that highlight key artists including Kerry James Marshall, Lynda Barry, and Chris Ware. MORE INFO.
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
When: Now through Oct. 3
Cost: Included in museum admission
Navy Pier Fireworks
Navy Pier Fireworks
To celebrate its reopening, Navy Pier is bring back Chicago's favorite sky spectacle show Wednesday and Saturday nights from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Find a spot anywhere on the pier to take in this dazzling free display. Soundtracks feature dramatic and popular music with some special occasion soundtracks. MORE INFO.
Where: Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
When: Saturday, 10:15-10:25 p.m.
Cost: Free
Frida Kahlo: Timeless
Presented by the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL, this comprehensive presentation of the life and works of the artist Frida Kahlo will feature 26 original pieces as well as an immersive historical exhibit that provides a framework of the life, circumstances and events that led to Kahlo becoming one of the most important painters of the 20th century and of our time. Alongside the 26 original works, this immersive exhibition features a multimedia timeline with reproductions of Kahlo's clothing; more than 100 photographic images from the artist's life; a family-friendly children's area; and, a Frida Kahlo-inspired garden designed by Ball Horticultural. MORE INFO.
Where: Cleve Carney Museum of Art, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn
When: Now through Sept. 6
Cost: Untimed entry tickets $40 and timed tickets $23
Human+NatureMorton Arboretum
Human+Nature
The Morton Arboretum's next outdoor art exhibition, Human+Nature, will inspire awe and wonder as it connects people and trees. Internationally renowned artist Daniel Popper created five 15- to 26-foot-tall sculptures exclusively for the Arboretum that will be featured in various locations across its 1,700 acres, leading guests to areas they may not have explored before. It will be his largest exhibition to date anywhere in the world.
On the East Side, a short walk from the Visitor Center, guests will be able to step within a huge female figure, as if into the heart of nature. Continuing along a less than mile-long walk, they will encounter a majestic maternal figure as tall as a tree, and a sculpture of diverse human facial traits interwoven with root structures. On the West Side, two hands joined by intertwining roots will extend near a grove of old oaks, and a towering face will evoke the interconnectedness of humans and trees. Made of concrete, fiberglass, and steel, each sculpture will weigh several metric tons. The largest ground footprint will be 28 feet wide and 37 feet long.
Human+Nature will be included with timed-entry admission to the Arboretum. The exhibition is planned to run for at least one year. MORE INFO.
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Rte 53, Lisle
When: Now through next year
Cost: Included with timed-entry Arboretum admission
WNDR museumWNDR museum
WNDR museum
The home of Chicago's only Infinity Mirror Room (created by Japanese Yayoi Kusama) is open to the public once again, presenting a new collection of one-of-a-kind art installations alongside some old favorites. New additions to WNDR Museum include a multi-sensory experience from S̶A̶N̶T̶IA̶G̶O̶X that uses artificial intelligence, sounds, visuals and scents, as well as an installation called I Heard There Was a Secret Chord that allows guests to become part of an evolving virtual choir. MORE INFO.
Where: 1130 W. Monroe St.
When: Now through Sept. 5
Cost: $30
Immersive Van GoghWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
Immersive Van Gogh
Step inside of Starry Night and The Bedroom in Arles with the help of more than 75 digital projectors in this high-tech exhibition that explores the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Designed by the Italian creative team that worked on the "Atelier des Lumières" exhibitions in Paris, "Immersive Van Gogh" covers 35-foot walls with animated versions of the Dutch painters work, accompanied by a score that blends electronic and classical compositions. MORE INFO.
Where: Lighthouse ArtSpace, 108 W. Germania Pl.
When: Now through Nov. 28
Cost: $40-50
Gogh with Lifeway Immersive Yoga in partnership with CorePower YogaCarol Fox and Associates Public Relations
Gogh with Lifeway Immersive Yoga in partnership with CorePower Yoga
Grab a mat and enjoy a 35-minute yoga class lead by CorePower Yoga instructors inside of the "Immersive Van Gogh" experience. Each workout is designed to challenge the body and inspire the mind; choreographed in harmony with the music, sounds, light, and moving images from Van Gogh's vast catalog of masterpieces. After your class, guests are invited to stay and experience the art around them one more time. The classes take place early in the morning on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays—before the exhibit opens to the general public. MORE INFO.
Where: Lighthouse ArtSpace, 108 W. Germania Pl.
When: Now through Sept. 5
Cost: $54.99 per person per class plus fees
Marvel: Universe of Super HeroesMuseum of Science and Industry
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes celebrates Marvel history with more than 300 artifacts including original comic book pages, sculptures, interactive displays, and costumes and props from Marvel's blockbuster films. Guests can examine the origins of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, Hulk, and Captain Marvel and see how they have evolved alongside society over the past 80 years, making these characters a pop culture mainstay. MORE INFO.
Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.
When: Now through Oct. 24
Cost: Requires an additional, timed-entry ticket in addition to museum admission: Adults $18, Children (3-11) $14, Members $9.
