The third biggest city in the United States and a significant center of the art world, Chicago features a wide range of offerings for art lovers. From major museums like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art, to small artist-run spaces like LVL3 gallery, the city has a wide range of offerings for everyone. West Town and Chicago Avenue boast such an array of art spots and galleries that it can be hard to choose just one, so here’s our guide.
1463 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Thursday and Friday: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ARC Gallery is our first stop on our tour of Chicago Avenue galleries. It’s one of the oldest woman artist-run cooperative art spaces in the country, celebrating 53 years since its conception. Although ARC is open only four days a week, this gallery is a must-see for any art lover. New show openings are usually on the first Friday of the month. The gallery is open for any artist to apply to have a solo show at ARC, which could be the starting point for someone’s career.
1541 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Wednesday: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Opened in 2024, this artist-run gallery is helmed by two SAIC alumni, Ayla Hayes (BFA 2025) and Chloe Harthan (BFA 2024). Point Blank endeavors to provide a space to showcase emerging and mid-career artists, as well as current SAIC students. Point Blank often houses unorthodox installations, such as “Clutch,” the latest automobile-themed work by Connor Totten and Ryan Lee, on view through Oct. 4. There’s additional programming every month. Last month, that included the release of The Chicago Journal of Visual Art’s first issue on Sept. 25.
1612 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Tuesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
PATRON Gallery was established in 2015 by famed Chicago-based curators Julia Fischbach and Emanuel Aguilar. Described as a space created “to take risks,” PATRON now represents more than 30 artists, each with a unique voice. Holding roughly nine shows a year, PATRON certainly fulfills its mission in “help[ing] open new avenues for audiences to engage with and find access to contemporary art.”
1644 W Chicago Ave #1, Chicago, IL 60622
Thursday through Saturday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tala, which opened in 2024, was conceived by Chicago-based Filipina-American gallerist Francine Almeda. This is one of the few places on Chicago Avenue which acts not only as a gallery space but a marketplace and a library, permanently housing the Chuquimarca collection. Closed for the summer, Tala re-opened its doors and welcomed visitors on Sept. 17 with its newest exhibition “Scores” by Jesús Hilario-Reyes. The show will include his newest drawings and sculptures.
1709 W Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612
Tuesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Elise Seigenthaler Gallery, DOCUMENT, and Western Exhibitions are housed under one roof. The galleries previously spread across the city moved together in 2016, and created a must-see cluster. Each space is unique, curating exhibitions of local and international artists, working in different media and across topics. DOCUMENT gallery focuses on spotlighting international talent, specializing in contemporary photography, sculpture, and media-based art. Western Exhibition curates with an emphasis on personal narratives and cosmologies, LGBTQ+ and feminist artists and issues, pattern, decoration and surface concerns, works on paper, and artist books. Western Exhibitions also features a shop with limited edition prints and books by the exhibited artists. All galleries featured in the space have openings on the same day.
1749 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Andrew Rafacz Gallery, located a few doors away from the previous stop, was established in 2002 and has since accumulated a wide range of represented artists. With a preference for exhibiting artists working with unconventional materials and mediums, Andrew Rafacz never fails to impress with each new opening, curating thought-provoking and visually engaging shows.
1801 W. Hubbard Street
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
SECRIST | BEACH is the first gallery on our tour which takes us off Chicago Avenue, but nonetheless is yet another must-see space. What could be described as one of Chicago’s major independent art galleries, SECRIST | BEACH was created in 1992 and was initially located in the River North neighborhood, before moving into the current space, which is big and beautifully filled with sunlight. Usually hosting two exhibitions side by side – one solo show and one group survey – SECRIST | BEACH never fails to impress with the quality of curation and show design. In addition, each show is accompanied by an artists’ library, which helps better understand the creative process behind each artist’s work. Expressing SECRIST | BEACH’s continuing commitment to deepen engagement with artists’ practices, each exhibitor creates a collection of books and materials that inform their practice and directly influence their current work.
1700 W Hubbard St
Tuesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Volume Gallery is one of the more unique institutions on this list, placing the spotlight on contemporary and historical American art and design. Focusing heavily on objects, such as chairs, light fixtures, vases, etc., Volume represents many great contemporary artists working at the intersection of art and furniture/object design. In addition to its exhibition program, Volume also creates publications and catalogs, and engages in site-specific commissions.
437 N Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60622
Tuesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, right across the street from the Volume Gallery, is yet another far-reaching institution, with locations in Paris and Mexico City, in addition to Chicago. With a heavy emphasis on international mid-career and established artists, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery curates roughly six exhibitions a year. As a woman of Somali descent, Mariane Ibrahim celebrates “African American woman”, and in her shows highlights the variations of a dreamlike, spiritual, and figurative painting of artists of African descent.
451 N Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60622
Tuesday through Thursday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The final stop on our gallery tour is located right next door to the Mariane Ibrahim Gallery. Monique Meloche Gallery, created by Monique Meloche (SAIC 1991–94), opened in 2001 and since then has been championing an international roster of emerging artists working across all mediums. Meloche brings her extensive experience working at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art to create a space that, over the years, has become internationally recognized and helped to kickstart many careers, including well-known names such as Sanford Biggers and Rashid Johnson.
As you can see from this guide, Chicago Avenue is a sprawling hub for contemporary art in Chicago, with galleries ranging from one-room spaces to warehouses filled with art. Everyone can find something for their interest, whether it is designer objects or SAIC Alumni at the beginning of their career. I personally recommend picking a day and going through all of them, one by one, without any preconceived notions, and exploring for yourself everything the world of art has to offer, traveling from gallery to gallery, from one part of the world to another, in a matter of minutes.
