Stories by Chloe Riley

A hugely popular exhibit exploring an underground Cuban art movement comes to the DuSable Museum this week.

In 1986, Karolina Kowalczyk’s mother was pregnant and living in Poland when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded. Kowalczyk's intricate paper art is now part of an exhibition at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art commemorating the 30-year anniversary of the disaster.

The inaugural two-day festival coming April 21 showcases films that address issues of gender, race, sexuality and other topics related to social injustice and inequality.

The 2015 documentary “Peace Officer,” from Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber, airs on the PBS series Independent Lens on May 9, with a free screening on Saturday at the Chicago Cultural Center. We speak with Christopherson about the impact his film has had to date.

The museum's "chief curiosity correspondent" is one of five online personalities nominated for the 20th annual award, a kind of people's choice of the internet. 

A Tony-award winning team will craft a new $4 million “Nutcracker” which dramatically switches gears from Robert Joffrey’s vision, one which has been performed for nearly three decades.

Writer and curator José Esparza Chong Cuy, who was previously associate curator at the Museo Jumex in Mexico City, replaces Julie Rodrigues Widholm.

A University of Illinois dance professor created an app which encourages audience members to get interactive during performances by using their smartphones. 

Self-portraits by the late outsider artist, taken in photo booths which used to accompany Chicago's bus stations, are at the center of a new exhibition opening Friday at the Intuit Art Center in Noble Square.

Field Museum curators break down the taxonomy of candy in a new "Brain Scoop" video. 

The Chicago History Museum has a whole slew of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia. But until now, at least one item – Lincoln’s family carriage – had not been on display since 1986. See it and the president’s deathbed starting Saturday.

The Ukrainian Village music venue first opened the night before Halloween 1993. During its first decade, Empty Bottle would become a magnet for underground rock, post-punk and experimental music. A soon-to-be released book chronicles of some of its 23-year history and shares testimonies from the artists and fans who love it.

The nonprofit Lucy Parsons Labs has launched a secure platform for those looking to share sensitive documents with the media. 

A political cartoon from the Newberry Library’s John T. McCutcheon collection depicts interviews with various voters about their thoughts concerning the 1936 election. Sentiments expressed then mirror opinions of today’s political landscape. Peruse the political cartoons.

Blair Thomas has chased Melville’s story for over 25 years. His efforts manifest this weekend in a performance at the MCA.  

The head of the Chicago History Museum talks about the ups and downs facing museums today, plus his school days with Hillary Clinton  and why he "binge listens" to Studs Terkel.

Ann Goldstein, the former director of Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum, will take over the position previously held by James Rondeau, who is now the museum's president.

The DuSable Museum of African-American History has been granted a special status by the Smithsonian Institution – a move the museum says marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between the two institutions.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday announced plans to improve Chicago's lakefront and add recreational amenities at select parks across the city. 

The famous painting had been on loan to Florence's Palazzo Strozzi since September. In November, the painting moved briefly to the Vatican for a visit with Pope Francis, who had declared it to be one of his favorites. 

This month marks the 85th anniversary of a Chicago socialite's death in the very house that now serves as the International Museum of Surgical Science. In honor of the event, the museum opens its "Haunted House" exhibit.

The Field Museum's extensive collection of fossils helped answer a scientific question about a bizarre, ancient creature.

By late Tuesday night, incumbent commissioners Mariyana Spyropoulos and Barbara McGowan were ahead for the six-year term positions along with newcomer Josina Morita. 

Incumbent Dorothy Brown declared victory on Tuesday night, winning 47 percent of the vote with 95 percent of precincts reporting.

The New York-based architects were in town last week to talk about their design style and projects. Inevitably, their plans for the Obama library came up.

The Chicago Park District board unanimously approved an admission hike for the Lincoln Park museum on Wednesday, citing the museum’s lack of admission increases over the past 10 years.