In the news this week: Doctors in Switzerland are expanding their range of prescriptions to include visits to art galleries and museums. You don’t need a prescription to experience the arts in Cook County.

The holidays are hectic, so why not go eclectic? Here’s a wide-ranging shortlist of good bets for seasonal art, culture and discovery.

Mike Royko was Chicago’s Prince of Print. At his peak, he wrote five columns a week that could lift underdogs or level overlords. In 1972, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary at the Chicago Daily News, and he later wrote for the Sun-Times and the Tribune. Royko was also complicated.

The Newberry Library is raising a glass to the Chicago nightclub that helped shape American music and comedy. The new exhibition “A Night at Mister Kelly’s” is a swinging selection of artifacts and eye-opening information about the famous hotspot.

On display at the Newberry Library are selections from “History of the Indian Tribes of North America,” a set of early 19th century books rich with imagery. It’s one of the earliest and best records of what Indigenous people, including Seneca and Black Hawk, actually looked like.

The Eastland Disaster, often overlooked in history, occurred in 1915 when a passenger ship docked at the Clark Street Bridge tipped over in the Chicago River, leading to the deaths of 844 people.

Over time there have been many interpretations of Santa’s look – and vintage postcards from the early 20th century prove that he’s had more makeovers than a movie star. At the Newberry Library, a rare collection tracks Santa’s evolution.

The exhibit highlights both the benefits and challenges they experienced while traveling as Black women during the Jim Crow era.

A new exhibit and programming series at the Newberry Library looks at the ties between the revolutionary histories of the U.S. and countries across Latin America.

Find out what the hit Netflix series gets right — and wrong — about gossip in the 1800s when Newberry Library scholars host a lighthearted virtual chat this week.

In November 1920, change was in the air as the country geared up for a presidential election in the wake of a global pandemic and racial unrest. Sound familiar? We check out  “Decision 1920” at the Newberry Library.

The Newberry’s collection of vintage valentines is spreading old-fashioned romance across the internet.

As one of Chicago’s oldest and most prestigious institutions unveils a new look, it also looks back at an event that transformed the city.

On the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s dramatic challenge to the Catholic Church, two local exhibitions reveal the astonishing impact of the Reformation.

A new exhibition at the Newberry Library features a rarely seen collection of work by a Chicago-area photographer who documented the history of small communities founded by former slaves after the Civil War.

Learn about a major Shakespeare exhibit at the Newberry Library and get an exclusive look at some rare artifacts that didn’t make the cut.