(Courtesy of Chicago Loop Alliance)

Everyone’s favorite downtown block party is back. Chicago Loop Alliance organizes Sundays on State with the goal of cultivating community and amplifying art and culture within the Loop.

(Courtesy of Young Chicago Authors)

Young Chicago Authors is encouraging Chicago’s youth to engage in storytelling to express themselves with poetry and performance.

Tammy McCann performs at the Driehaus Museum on Feb. 27, 2024. (Angel Idowu / WTTW News)

Tammy McCann recently previewed a one-woman show dedicated to the life and work of gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. McCann will soon head to New York to once again pay homage to the queen of gospel.

(Credit: Flyover by Pursuit)

Utilizing footage captured by a drone, flight members swoop through iconic landmarks in seats engineered to feel every dip and dive of the ride, just as if you were on a rollercoaster.

From left, Deshawn Mason, Faith Valerie, Samuel B. Jackson, Arlieta Hall, Breanna Ghostone and Adonis Holmes of Second City’s “Black by Popular Demand.” (Credit: Nolis Anderson)

“Black by Popular Demand” showcases common experiences from a Black viewpoint, resulting in some hilarious moments. 

(WTTW News)

For more than 35 years, the once bustling Ramova Theatre at 35th and Halsted streets sat vacant, deteriorating in condition. But in 2017, the building was purchased for exactly $1. The goal is to make the theater Bridgeport’s staple entertainment venue.

“A Love Supreme: Norman Teague” exhibit at the Elmhurst Art Museum. (Credit: Siegfried Mueller Photography)

With musical accompaniment by John Coltrane’s album “A Love Supreme,” which gave the exhibition its name, Teague’s work is a reflection of his Chicago upbringing and classic design technique. 

(Broadway in Chicago)

A 2024 edition of the classic four women sitcom, “Golden Girls,” has been making its way across the country, and soon they’ll be making their stop at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. 

“The Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles” by Faith Ringgold, 1991.

February marks Black History Month and cultural institutions around Chicago are hosting events celebrating the city’s art and culture scene. Here are a few events you should check out.

Lisa Ann Walter appears on the Dec. 26, 2023, episode of “Chicago Tonight.” (WTTW News)

Lisa Ann Walter is set to appear in Rosemont later this month for a series of comedy shows. Ahead of her visit to the Chicago area, she spoke with WTTW News about what it’s been like since getting back to work with her comedic cast, and what’s in store for her upcoming comedy set.

The Joffrey Ballet Company performs “The Nutcracker.” (Credit: Todd Rosenberg)

Here in Chicago, a number of reimaginings of the classic story demonstrate how the family tradition can be transformed to fit the interests of modern audiences while also celebrating the Christmas magic that made that original ballet such a success.

"The Wiz" stops in Chicago before a Broadway run. (Jeremy Daniel)

The reimaging of the classic story, now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theater in the production’s pre-Broadway run, has a devoted set of fans stretching back decades.

Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. (WTTW News)

Earlier this month, it was announced that the theater was under new ownership, as Chicago’s Chance the Rapper and Jennifer Hudson partnered with Quincy Jones and developer Tyler Nevius as the Bridgeport theater’s new ownership group.

Finishing touches are put on the tree representing Puerto Rico at the Museum of Science and Industry on Nov. 11, 2023. (Angel Idowu / WTTW News)

Families and organizations from all over the Chicago area came to the museum bright and early to decorate their country’s Christmas tree. This year, the trees represented a total of 57 countries, including Austria, Puerto Rico, Kenya, Switzerland, and France, to name a few.

“Carlos Cortéz: 100 Años,” currently running at the National Museum of Mexican Art, is one of many Art Design Chicago exhibitions that explore the role of artists as activists, problem-solvers and interpreters of history. (Rachel Ruttle / Rudd Resources)

The Art Design Chicago initiative will work with more than 50 art-focused organizations to showcase the work of hundreds of artists now through 2025.

Left: Goldblatt’s, Chicago. Christmas Windows. (Courtesy of Chicago History Museum). Right: Walnut Room Christmas Tree at Marshall Field & Co., 1945. (Courtesy of Marshall Field & Co. archive, Macy’s, Chicago).

A new exhibit at the Elmhurst History Museum is celebrating department stores that originated in the Chicagoland area.