Six Exhibitions You Do Not Want to Miss This Summer

A photograph of colorful animal sculptures sitting at a yellow picnic table. A yellow cake sculpture sits in the middle of the picnic table.

Meet me Halfway opening reception. Image courtesy of mack baker.

Meet me Halfway opening reception. Image courtesy of mack baker.

by Caitlin Cooner (MA 2025)

Summer in Chicago is the best time to get out of the house and explore all that the city has to offer.

If you are craving culture in addition to the obligatory beach visits and porch hangs, our School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) community members are showcasing their work at a variety of exhibitions.

A projection on the side of Merchandise Mart of a person dressed in one of Cave's colorful Soundsuits.

Sal Moreno (MFA 2021), The Convergence of Rhythms (still), 2021. Image courtesy of Sal Moreno

Sal Moreno (MFA 2021), The Convergence of Rhythms (still), 2021. Image courtesy of Sal Moreno

Free-drumming and re(collect) at Chicago Artists Coalition

Through July 27

Two of Chicago Artists Coalition’s featured exhibitions showcase work by recent alums Sal Moreno (MFA 2021) and Breanna Robinson (BFA 2017). Free-drumming, Moreno’s solo show, combines emerging technologies with improvisational vocalized and percussive rhythm; this immersive, multi-sensory installation pays homage to Moreno’s Mexican-American heritage. re(collect) is a duo show featuring Robinson’s multimedia assemblages touching on themes of memory and dreams.

A photograph of an installation by Gregory Bae. The installation piece is black and shaped like a treadmill with a large tire at the end of it.

Robert Zehnder (BFA 2015), Orb Tree Blood Torrent, 2023. Image courtesy of DOCUMENT.

Robert Zehnder (BFA 2015), Orb Tree Blood Torrent, 2023. Image courtesy of DOCUMENT.

Meteor at DOCUMENT in collaboration with Mrs.

Through August 5

Meteor is a group exhibition featuring four artists including alum Robert Zehnder (BFA 2015). Zehnder, who is represented by Mrs. Gallery, is a painter known for his fictitious and other-worldly landscape paintings. This group exhibition features surrealist inspired sculptures and paintings and is a collaboration between Mrs. (a gallery located in Queens, New York) and DOCUMENT located in the West Loop of Chicago.

An image of Rirkrit Tiravanija's performance (who's afraid of red, yellow, and green). The image features people serving others rice and curry. In the background, people view the artwork on the walls.

Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities installation shot. Image courtesy of the DePaul Art Museum

Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities installation shot. Image courtesy of the DePaul Art Museum

Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities at the DePaul Art Museum

Through August 6

This group exhibition showcases work from artists involved in the 1980s activist campaign, Artists Call Against US Intervention in Central America, stressing the power of activism through visual mediums. This show was curated by Erina Duganne and alum Abigail Satinsky (Dual MA 2009), who is currently working as the curator of exhibitions and programs at the School Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.

Edra Soto (MFA 2000), Destination/El Destino: a Decade of GRAFT (detail). Image courtesy of Eugene Tang

Edra Soto (MFA 2000), Destination/El Destino: a Decade of GRAFT (detail). Image courtesy of Eugene Tang

Edra Soto: Destination/El Destino: A Decade of GRAFT at Hyde Park Art Center

Through August 6

Edra Soto’s (MFA 2000) solo exhibition showcases her ongoing GRAFT series in which Soto repurposes industrial materials from her past artworks to create massive architectural sculptures. These installations are meant to symbolize Soto’s experience migrating from Puerto Rico to Chicago and how she wrestles with her sense of home being split between Puerto Rico and Chicago.

Estetica Local exhibition poster. Image courtesy of Public Works

Estetica Local exhibition poster. Image courtesy of Public Works

Estetica Local at Public Works Gallery

Through August 9

Estetica Local is a group exhibition featuring work by contemporary, Chicago-based, BIPOC artists including alums Anwar Mahdi (BFA 2017) and Camilo Medina (BFA 2012). Curated by BIPOC-led artist collective, Rupture, this exhibition creates space for emerging local creators to share their work.

Ruby T (MFA 2016), Rose Guardians of the Pond Continuum, 2023. Image courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

Ruby T (MFA 2016), Rose Guardians of the Pond Continuum, 2023. Image courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

Ruby T: Mega Meadow Liquidation at Western Exhibitions

Through August 12

Ruby T’s (MFA 2016) solo exhibition features multi-media paintings that reconstruct landscapes she encountered during her residency in Shandaken, New York. Ruby T stitches together and embroiders silk and drop cloth to create these dreamy and meditative landscapes.

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