A gentle reminder: It is important to embrace the culture and free expression that define us as Chicagoans and Americans. In other words, buy a ticket and see a show. Here are five to consider.

Stylist Jonathan Van Ness has been the guide to glamour through nine seasons of the Netflix series “Queer Eye.” Van Ness is one of the Fab Five — a quintet of advisors who use humor and empathy as they apply their skill sets toward improving someone else’s life.

While recovering from open heart surgery in 2021, Chicago-based artist Shar Coulson experienced trippy visions that ultimately shaped her artwork.

The Super Bowl is over, and we are now in the 40th year since the Chicago Bears won the big game. Meanwhile, the arts and culture scene in Chicago just keeps winning. Here are a few favorites and underdogs to place your bets on.

These five picks spotlight Black History Month, including one absolute must-see that will cost you just a dollar.

In “Lobby Hero,” four characters get caught in a web of lies as they try to provide cover for themselves, their family and their friends.

Neko Case has written the book on her sometimes wild life. She returns to Chicago this week to talk about her memoir, “The Harder I Fight the More I Love You.”

The winter theater season in Chicago is a reliable source of heat. Here are five promising productions.

Here are five excellent places to reflect and recharge. Just don’t everybody go at once.

Beat the January blahs with some blues — or a prize-winning play or an art show. In a few months when everyone is complaining about the heat, you’ll recall that time in the dead of winter when you bundled up and defied the season.

The beloved American roots music club has been honored with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s the first Illinois music venue to be recognized by the National Park Service.

Chicago’s been invaded by puppet people, and resistance is futile. If you wish to experience theatrical wonder — and who doesn’t? — surrender to these inventive invaders.

Billing itself as a farm-to-fable tale, “Shucked” reminds audiences that it’s OK to have a great time at the theater. It has hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt songs to go along with the bushels of cornball humor.

If you’ve never been to the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, now is an opportune time to go on a cultural expedition. The museum’s third floor gallery is currently filled with “beLONGING: Lithuanian Artists in Chicago — 1900 to Now.”

If you’ve made it to 2025, make a resolution to take a leap and dive deep into the cultural pool of Chicago. Here are a few ideas to start the year with a splash.

WTTW News interviewed Steve Albini on Aug. 30, 2001, for the “Artbeat Chicago” series. He was 39 years old and already a legend. As a recording engineer, he had recorded Nirvana, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, the Breeders, the Pixies and PJ Harvey. As a musician, he made his mark with the bands Big Black and Shellac.