“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.

(Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

If you’re seeking activities that don’t break the bank this winter, look no further than local museums, zoos and gardens. A number have announced free admission days in 2024.

(WTTW News)

A touring exhibit is aimed at helping children understand the tragedy and legacy of Emmett Till’s life. Through photographs and artifacts, the exhibit shows how young Till’s lynching and his mother’s subsequent actions fueled the civil rights movement.

WBEZ hosted a screening of “South Side” season three at the DuSable Museum on Dec. 6, 2022. (Credit: Joe Nolasco for WBEZ Chicago, Instagram @nolasco_giovanni)

The “South Side” is back on the grind. Season three of HBO Max’s hit comedy set in Chicago debuted this week — and the jokes are as fast and furious as ever.

The museum is now known as the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. (Credit: DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center)

The Historic DuSable Museum has a new name. It’s now the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.

Shermann “Dilla” Thomas and his family at a March 31, 2022, fundraiser for his Chicago Mahogany Tours. (Credit: Vashon Jordan Jr.)

The event was part of Shermann “Dilla” Thomas’ “Let’s Get Dilla A Bus” fundraiser to raise $200,000 for the his Chicago Mahogany Tours. It’s an opportunity that came to Thomas after be gained recognition on social media for his informative TikTok’s that educate the public on Chicago’s history.

Cartoonist Jackie Ormes. (Courtesy of Nancy Goldstein)
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As we close out Black History Month, the last Chicago history maker in our spotlight series is a famous cartoonist. Jackie Ormes broke barriers as the first Black woman cartoonist to be published in a newspaper. 

(Stelo Stories)

“Equiano.Stories” is a new film that can only be viewed on Instagram. It brings to life the story of Olaudah Equiano, who was enslaved at 11 years old in 1756.

(WTTW)

More than 150 names of people killed during the civil rights movement are on display in a special exhibit at the DuSable Museum. Their lives were cut short due to race-related killings more than 50 years ago, but the lessons learned from their deaths live on.

Shedd Aquarium’s Wild Reef shark habitat exhibit. (Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

To coincide with the reopening of Chicago, a number of museums will stay open late on Friday for an after-hours experience.

Inside the DuSable Museum of African American History. (WTTW News)

It was founded in the Bronzeville home of Margaret Burroughs and moved to a Park District building in 1973. We explore the DuSable Museum collection with CEO Perri Irmer as part of our series of virtual art tours.

In this Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 photo, a visitor experiences “The March” virtual reality exhibit at the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago ahead of the project’s launch. (AP Photo / Noreen Nasir)

Imagine being so close to Martin Luther King Jr. as he gives one of the world’s most famous speeches that you notice the creases in his face and then realize the late civil rights leader is looking you square in the eye.

The Smithsonian makes a stop in Chicago with its museum on wheels, aiming to bridge the digital divide. We give you a tour.

A bronze sculpture by Eddie Dixon is one of five sculptures representing the story of Juneteeth at the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin, Texas. (Jennifer M. Rangubphai / Wikimedia Commons)

Next week, a holiday commemorates the abolition of slavery in Confederate states. We discuss Juneteenth and African American history in general.

How South Side artists charted new courses for Chicago art – and created a cultural legacy that echoes to this day.

One of his goals is to create conversations around exhibits and programming that are relevant to historical subject matter, but also to the present.