From an exhibit on bloodsucking insects to a retrospective focused on submissive female bodies, Chicago’s museums have really outdone themselves with their recent programming. Whether you could look at oil paintings for hours or need something from Q Branch to hold your interest for an afternoon (exploding pen, anyone?), check out these temporary exhibits in the Chicago area that will excite you, gross you out and maybe even scare you.
Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective
Where: Art Institute of Chicago
When: April 20 – August 11
What: Christina Ramberg’s art focuses on partial female bodies that have been forced into submission by everything from their clothing to their positions. She lived from 1946 to 1995, but not much about her interpretation of the female predicament has changed. The local artist — she attended Highland Park High School and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before she became a faculty member there — is known for her fetish-like depiction of women.
Nicole Eisenman: What Happened
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
When: Now – September 22
What: In Nicole Eisenman’s first major exhibition, you’ll be able to see her artwork progress from the start of her career to today, looking at drawings and murals she created when she was enmeshed in the New York art scene in the ‘90s, to her oil paintings and sculptures, which draw inspiration from, per the museum, “Renaissance painting, underground comics, and 1930s socialist murals,” among other sources.
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Beyond the shelves, these shops also have knowledgeable staff, excellent cafes and community eventsBack Home: Polish Chicago
Where: Chicago History Museum
When: Now – June 8
What: Chicago has a massive Polish community (if you ever doubt this, try snagging a doughnut on Paczki Day), and the Chicago History Museum does a great job tracing the Polish immigrant experience in this exhibit from the 1800s to today through artifacts, documents, music, personal narratives, art installations and photographs.
Descending the Staircase
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
When: Now – August 25
What: Consider the human anatomy from an entirely new perspective through this exhibit, which uses puppets, masks and other materials to display the body in all different forms. This show, spread across two floors at MCA, is meant to leave you questioning the body’s position in the world and in society.
007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond
Where: Museum of Science and Industry
When: Now – October 27
What: Go behind the scenes of 007 to learn about the gadgets and technology created for the films. There’s even a hands-on lab where you can design your own spy car, hang from a beam and attempt your own James Bond-style stunts. Make sure to stretch before.
“I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli
Where: Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
When: Now – April 14
What: The Jewish deli is a cultural phenomenon. This exhibit illustrates why these delis were essential for Holocaust survivors and refugees in the U.S., and how they to came to offer the ultimate comfort food for Americans, regardless of religion or background. If the mere idea of the exhibit makes you hungry, then plan to arrive at lunchtime on Free Fridays to indulge in the real deal: deli food from Once Upon a Bagel.
Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches
Where: Field Museum
When: Now – September 2
What: You (and your kids) will be delightfully grossed out when you see these suckers up close and personal. It’s an entire exhibit of taxidermic, fossilized and recreated bloodsucking species. There’s even a station of an old barber’s bloodletting room; and you can listen to an apothecary describing the bloodletting medical tradition.
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