During the two decades or so that she lived on the streets, Chicago’s famous bag-lady artist Lee Godie could often be found drawing on the steps of the Cultural Center. Now her art is on view there in a massive 20-year retrospective that includes some seldom seen early work. Exhibit curator Michael Bonesteel (who first wrote about Godie in the Reader in 1982) writes in the catalog: “Breathtaking in their simple beauty, guileless in their natural expressiveness, [the] early pieces have few of the bizarre exaggerations of character reflected in her subsequent work.” The woman who called herself “Miss Godie, French Impressionist” has moved indoors; she lives near her daughter in a suburban nursing home, where she continues to hawk her artwork–now to nurses and orderlies. A series of informal talks about Godie’s work continues today at 12:15 with a discussion led by Lanny Silverman, a staff curator from the Department of Cultural Affairs. Michael Bonesteel will present a more formal slide lecture Thursday, December 16, at 5:30. Admission to the talks and the Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, is free. Hours are 10 to 7 Monday through Thursday, 10 to 6 Friday, 10 to 5 Saturday, and noon to 5 Sunday. Call 744-6630 for more information. Another exhibit of Godie’s work continues at Carl Hammer Gallery, 200 W. Superior, through November 27. Call 266-8512 for more.