Stories by Marc Vitali

WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s must-see cultural events.

Summer is nearly gone with the wind. Thankfully, all’s fair in fall with a harvest of arts and culture, so indulge yourself in the abundance that we have in this great city.

The Art Institute of Chicago is giving the artist her due with a solo show that surveys 75 years of the artist’s work. It is called “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies.”

Chicago arts are deeply rooted, part of the city’s DNA, and they aren’t as moveable as a football team. Here are this week’s cultural points of interest, taking you from the South Loop to the North Side to Arlington Heights.

Goodman Theatre rings in 100 years with an anniversary season packed with nods to its hometown and an assist from a pair of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. WTTW News sat down with artistic director Susan Booth.

The fall arts season is getting into gear. Consider a day trip to Plano to see a masterwork of modernity. Get an early taste of Lyric Opera’s season. Upend country music cliches. Visit an immersive exhibit about family and culture. When in doubt, you can always see a play. Your couch will still be there when you get back.

From the semi-obvious to the semi-obscure, a roundup of Chicago-area arts recommendations awaits.

Experience360 is the first satellite branch for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, which is currently under renovation. The new space in River North, just steps from Marina Towers, opens to the public Tuesday.

A funhouse of art and technology, the WNDR Museum started as a pop-up in 2018 and then became a fixed destination in the West Loop. WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali explored the space.

Every Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s must-see cultural events.

Arts of Life is a place where creative people with intellectual and developmental disabilities produce works of art and earn an income. Now their colorful work fills the gallery at the Design Museum of Chicago in a group exhibition called “Community on the Make: Arts of Life 2000-2025.”

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the dog days of summer actually ended on Aug. 11. So where are we now — the hot dog days? The dog-tired days? This week’s cultural offerings are a doggone delightful six-pack of opportunities both sublime and slightly silly.

If you want to laugh, hear new sounds or simply watch a parade with Priscilla Presley and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, we’ve got you covered. And if you think we’re joking about that last one, read on.

The great-great-grandnephew of John Mills Van Osdel — Chicago’s first architect — toured the glorious Church of the Holy Family interior designed by his relative in the mid-19th century.

If you’re spending money at Lollapalooza, enjoy yourself and skip this week’s list. But if you plan to avoid the raucous caucus in Grant Park, please read on.

Legendary actor and comedian Lily Tomlin was in Chicago support “Billie Jean,” a play about another living legend — Billie Jean King, the groundbreaking champion of tennis and equality.

The artist’s large canvas “Paris Street; Rainy Day” is a true icon in the Art Institute collection, and it’s one of the centerpieces of a show titled “Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World.” The exhibition features more than 120 works that capture people and places in and around 19th century Paris.

Here’s a soulful and sometimes silly six-pack of the artistic and the fantastic — our shortlist of Chicago shows to kick-start your heart and make your brain buzz.

Whether they work with the latest digital programs or cut up old magazines with scissors, artists can turn collage into a medium of beauty, darkness and humor.

The 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment engaged in the first action of the Battle of Gettysburg, defending Union positions and delaying the advance of waves of Confederate infantry. Chicago's Rosehill Cemetery has a connection to that history.

In this week’s diverse set of picks, none of the things are much like the others — except that every choice is a chance to flex and learn.

Richard Hunt created more public sculptures and monuments in the U.S. than any other artist — over 160 by the time he died in 2023. He spent more than 70 years grinding, welding and sculpting metal. A new exhibition provides an intimate look at his work.

A circus hits town this week, leading the way for a wide spectrum of spectacle. Throw in the odd cultural curveball, and you have no reason to stay at home this weekend.

If you can’t “get out of town,” as the Cole Porter song says, at least get out of your house or apartment. Start the second half of 2025 on sure footing — see something, do something.

The exhibition “Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World” transports visitors to a time when Japan was emerging from the feudal era and modern cities were booming.

There are lots of celebrations on the horizon in Chicago — openings, closings, anniversaries, festivals — but’s it’s only a party if you show up. With a boatload of entertainment options out there, hop on board and grab a paddle.