At the corner of Madison and Jefferson in Chicago stands a 100-foot-high baseball bat, constructed in a lattice pattern from 20 tons of steel. It is the largest sculpture created by the artist Claes Oldenburg, a man from whose mind sprang any number of super-sized objects: a 45-foot tall clothespin in Philadelphia, a 29-foot-long spoon […]
Tag: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Posted inArts & Culture
Transcending boundaries
In Roadworks (1985), Mona Hatoum walks barefoot through the streets of Brixton dragging a large pair of Dr. Martens boots (the same brand previously favored by the British police) attached to her ankles by their laces. The short video is edited from documentation of the artist’s hour-long performance of the same title. The Negotiating Table […]
Posted inStaff notes
Break a leg, kid!
Our recent anniversary UnGala was an affair to remember for myriad reasons. For starters, it brought out Chicago’s finest in droves to the Museum of Contemporary Art for a night of intimate performances, revelry, and reflection, Reader-style. The night also summoned Reader brass, new and old, including cofounder Bob McCamant, longtime executive editor Michael Lenehan, […]
Posted inArt Feature
’Art is the fuel for all things’
Editor’s note: for this issue, Coco Picard talked to Chicago artist and professor Nick Cave about his art practice and work, as well as his exhibition “Forothermore.” Edited text from the comic is transcribed here to ease readability. The artist, activist, and educator Nick Cave’s first retrospective, “Forothermore,” is on view at the Museum of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Are neon signs really enough?
There’s a young person smiling, posing—hand on their hip—in front of a lit-up sign that reads: “EMPOWER WOMEN.” It intermittently flashes to include ED, making it “EMPOWERED.” The photo is snapped, the couple walks on. I’ve just entered Andrea Bowers’s retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Since the 90s, Bowers has been making […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Do comic strips belong in this museum?
A new exhibition at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art surveys over 60 years of cartoonists.
Posted inArts & Culture
Drawing beyond the margins
Black cartoonists from Chicago are featured in a new book and included in a new exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Posted inArts & Culture
‘The Long Dream’ and a labor nightmare
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s latest exhibit preaches equity, but behind the scenes artists and former museum employees are demanding real change.
Posted inFilm
OTV thrives online
The digital television platform introduces its fifth cycle of programming without missing a beat.
Posted inArts & Culture
The mix master
Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer Duro Olowu curates one of the MCA’s largest shows ever filled with local treasures.
Posted inArts & Culture
Six visual art shows that made 2019 bearable
2020 has some big shoes to fill.
Posted inArts & Culture
Live lit is what Chicago is all about
The best reading events of 2019 have been going strong for years.
Posted inArts & Culture
Darling Shear is ready to fly
The artist’s piece Querida is a personal performance presenting sexuality, sensuality, and healing from trauma.
Posted inReader
Chicago Reader Pride Block Party 2019
There may have been rain on Sunday, but that didn’t stop the rainbows from taking over Marz Community Brewing for our Pride Block Party! Thanks to all who came out to celebrate our city’s rich and diverse 50 years of LGBTQ+ community legacy with Drag Queen Story Hour, house and salsa dance lessons, a Janet Jackson […]