Exhibitions
The Bessie Green-Field Warshawsky Gallery, The Mazza Foundation Gallery, and the Skyline Gallery of The Pritzker Foundation Special Exhibitions Wing
Open through January 5, 2014
Relive the experience of the Ebony Fashion Fair in this one-of-a-kind exhibition. Explore its fifty-year history and discover how Eunice Johnson overcame adversity to bring couture fashion to African American communities, while raising millions of dollars for charity. More than sixty garments, including works by Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Stephen Burrows, Yves Saint Laurent, and Patrick Kelly help tell the story of this world-renowned fashion show and its redefinition of American beauty.
Current Exhibitions
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Bessie Green-Field Warshawsky Gallery and Green-Field Gallery
Shalom Chicago
Now open through September 2
Through personal stories, rare artifacts, and engaging media presentations, this exhibition will illustrate the Jewish community’s rich history and many contributions to Chicago’s growth and development.
This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Spertus Institute.
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KPMG and Paul and Katherine Snyder Community Gallery
Vivian Maier's Chicago
Open through January 5, 2014
Come witness the life work of a nanny turned photographer that wowed the world with breathtaking images of everyday life in Urban America. Discover Chicago faces and neighborhoods of the 1960s and 1970s from an entirely new vantage point.
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Sanger P. Robinson Gallery
Lincoln's Chicago
Lincoln was a frequent visitor to Chicago; The city became his second home and political headquarters during his rise to prominence. This gallery features portraits of Lincoln’s contemporaries with lithograph views of Chicago created in the 1860s. The pairings provide a glimpse of the city that Lincoln knew—a dynamic young metropolis on the verge of greatness.
The McCormick Foundation is the lead exhibition sponsor of Lincoln’s Chicago. Education funding for Lincoln’s Chicago is provided by JP Morgan Chase and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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Abraham Lincoln
As president, Abraham Lincoln faced our nation’s greatest crisis—the Civil War. His resolve to save the Union and radical decision to end slavery transformed America. This intimate exhibition highlights Lincoln’s election in 1860, his leadership during the Civil War, and his tragic assassination. Together these stories honor a great leader whose legacy endures.
The Abraham Lincoln installation is supported by a gift from The Gupta Family with additional support from The Joyce Foundation in honor of Lawrence N. Hansen.
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Kovler Family Lobby
Unexpected Chicago
What’s the most surprising thing about a collection made up of millions artifacts? A single artifact! This world-class collection holds the second largest costume collection in the world including clothing and accessories as well as thousands of linear feet of archives and manuscripts that make up the equivalent of forty-nine football fields or twelve Willis Towers. Unexpected Chicago is a way to reveal unexpected treasures of Chicago history a single artifact at a time.
> Learn more about Unexpected Chicago
Unexpected Chicago is supported by a gift from The Jacob and Rosaline Cohn Foundation.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Permanent Exhibitions
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The Naphtali ben Yakov Pritzker American History Wing
Facing Freedom
What does freedom mean? To whom should freedom be extended? How are denied rights gained? These are some of the questions the new American history exhibition explores. Based on the central idea that the history of the United States has been shaped by conflicts over what it means to be free, this new exhibition uses images, artifacts, and interactivity to explore familiar and not-so-familiar stories from the nation’s past. From women's suffrage and the formation of unions, to Japanese internment, to a local school boycott, the exhibition highlights some of the ways Americans have struggled over the true meaning of freedom.
Facing Freedom
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Chicago: Crossroads of America
Discover the city's vast history in Chicago: Crossroads of America. Whether you are interested in Chicago's changing economy, challenging crises, diverse neighborhoods, groundbreaking innovations, or lively cultural scene, this exhibition is a must see!
> Learn more about Crossroads and preview highlights
Crossroads
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Konen Family Children's Gallery
Sensing Chicago
Use your five senses to explore Chicago, uncover the past, and discover that history is all around you. The Konen Family Children's Gallery invites families to ride a high-wheel bicycle, hear the Great Chicago Fire, catch a fly ball at Comiskey Park, smell the city's past, and be a Chicago-style hot dog.
Children's Gallery
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Tawani Foundation Diorama Hall
The Dioramas
Our much-loved dioramas have been restored and are better than ever! Visit the Tawani Foundation Diorama Hall to learn the story of Chicago's rise from a desolate frontier outpost in 1804 to the bustling city that hosted the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Engaging details invite you to look closely and put history into a larger context.
