October Artist News

published: Oct. 2, 2026

Parallel Visions: C.C. Ann Chen, Carie Lassman, Frances Lee, and Monika Plioplyte at Tiger Strikes Asteroid

On view now through October 3, Parallel Visions: C.C. Ann Chen, Carie Lassman, Frances Lee, and Monika Plioplyte bring together “four distinct artistic practices that approach questions of perception, place, and narrative from unique perspectives. Working across installation, painting, collage, and mixed media, these artists explore imagined landscapes, abstraction, adornment, and mythology.”  

 

The Birth of the Pill at Timeline Theatre 

Showing now through October 11, The Birth of the Pill features Rammel Chan as Min Chueh Chang and Christine Pascual (Costume Designer). “This world premiere explores the transformative power of vision and invention, alongside the costs of pursuing both by any means necessary.”  

 

Women of Afrofuturism at SFO Museum

On view now through October 18, Women of Afrofuturism, featuring D. Denenge Duyst-Akpem, is an exhibition celebrating “the women of Afrofuturism who continually imagine inclusive, joyful, and luminous futures for Black people while simultaneously addressing present issues and past injustices.”  

 

Cydney Lewis: Reflection at Gallery 400

On view now through December 12, Cydney Lewis: Reflection uses “discarded and found materials from her environment to create collages and sculptural assemblages that address Black consumer culture in the South Side of Chicago. Between commutes or spending her downtime, Lewis uses a phone app to layer her hand-cut collages with digital drawings.”  

 

To Be Remembered: Woven Matters of the Heart at the Chicago Cultural Center

On view now through February 28, 2027, To Be Remembered: Woven Matters of the Heart “embraces the reflective ways in which five contemporary textile artists illuminate their rich interior worlds through their unique fiber practices. The artists: ebere agwuncha, Nnaemeka Ekwelum, Hale Ekinci, Josúe Esaú, and Thương Hoài Trần each visually intertwine time, memory, and emotion to conjure deeply felt histories across spatial geographies, venerating the cultural traces that connect us to the motherlands.”  

 

Ellas Y Yo: Mexicanas at Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing and Media Arts

On October 2-4, Silvita Diaz Brown presents Ellas Y Yo: Mexicanas at Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing and Media Arts. Ellas Y Yo: Mexicanas is a “full-length dance-theatre triptych that physically embodies the legacies of three Mexican women— Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Frida Kahlo, and the artist herself, a contemporary Mexican immigrant— who forged creative freedom against colonial, religious, and patriarchal constraints.”  

 

The Great Art Tailgate with Bad at Sports at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

On October 3, join Bad at Sports for The Great Art Tailgate, “an afternoon of live conversations with artists, writers, and thinkers Jina Valentine, Alex Chitty, James Elkins, Anna Martine Whitehead, and Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle.”    

 

A Strange Loop at Raven Theatre

Showing October 8 through November 8, A Strange Loop, featuring several 3Arts artists on the Creative Team—Breon Arzell (Choreographer), Terry Guest (Associate Director), Sydney Lynne (Scenic Designer), and Catherine Miller (Casting Director)—is showing at the Raven Theatre. “This blistering, groundbreaking, Pulitzer Prize winning musical explores identity, race, and sexuality through the lens of a young artist at war with a chorus of his own demons and inner voices on a journey towards understanding and self love.”  

 

Rough House’s Immersive Haunted Puppet Anthologies at Steppenwolf Theatre

Showing October 8 through November 1, Rough House’s Immersive Haunted Puppet Anthologies, is “a themed anthology of puppetry-performance installations, viewed by audiences through peep-holes in Chicago’s most artful, most haunted pop-up house,” Featuring Andy Slater, Nina D’Angier, and many more, the event includes six unique puppet terror experiences.  

 

skeletons in the cloud Album Release Party at Elastic Arts

On October 14, Tommy Carroll will celebrate the release of his upcoming album skeletons in the cloud at Elastic Arts.“The new album, which reflects on the way digital lifestyles affect the way we remember things, features Caroll’s signature angular yet joyous compositional style situated in the context of a modern electric jazz sound.”  

 

The Sandra Delgado Experience at Lud Auditorium

On October 16, The Sandra Delgado Experience returns to Dominican University. “This electrifying night celebrates loving ourselves and each other. Expect a rush of joy as high-energy cumbias, sultry boleros, and reimagined English-language indie classics collide with luminous, mystical moments that pull you fully into the present.” 

 

CounterBalance 15th Anniversary and Emerging Artist Showcase at  

The Dance Center Columbia College Chicago

On October 15-17, CounterBalance presents CounterBalance 15th Anniversary and Emerging Artist Showcase at The Dance Center Columbia College Chicago. The weekend event includes a workshop, performance and emerging artist showcase featuring artist Ginger Lane.  

 

Not Alone Anymore: Asian American Solo Show Festival at Rizal Center

On October 17-18,  Not Alone Anymore: Asian American Solo Show Festival is a first of its kind festival, featuring four AAPI solo performers: Lauren Kee, Lani Montreal, Nuy Nguyen, and RJ Silva. In addition to presentations of theatrical works, the weekend also includes a public workshop and a closing part with dinner, mocktails, and a chance to meet the performers. ASL interpreters are available, please email hell@aaac.art for more information.  

 

Furious Desire at the Old Town School of Folk Music

On October 21, Clinard Dance (founded by Wendy Clinard) presents Furious Desire, a night of flamenco and jazz explorations.  

 

While We Are Here at multiple locations

 

Showing on October 21 and 23, While We Are Here, directed by Reveca Torres, is a "dialogue with celebrated painters Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri Matisse. Bridging time and space, she intertwines the lives and works of the venerated masters with those of contemporary artists, including notable Chicagoans Matt Bodett, Maggie Bridger, and Genevieve Ramos, beautifully expanding notions of disability."

 

Pooja Pittie + Soumya Netrabile in Conversation + Community Dinner at the Hyde Park Art Center

On October 22, join Pooja Pittie, the inaugural resident of the Beyond Bodies of Work: A 3Arts + Hyde Park Art Center Residency, and artist Soumya Netrabile for a conversation on materiality, worldbuilding and the unconscious.  

 

Building Otherwise: Art, Memory, and the Future of Institutes at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

On October 24, Deem Journal presents Building Otherwise: Art, Memory, and the Future of Institutes with speakers Debra Yepa-Pappan, Carrie Sandahl, and Scott Vincent Campbell. “This dynamic conversation examines how institutions are made, challenged, and transformed—and what artists, organizers, and cultural workers can teach us about building spaces that prioritize dignity, equity, and imagination over the status quo.” Visit experience.mcachicago.org/events later this month for tickets.  

 

Carmela Full of Wishes at the Chicago Children’s Theatre

Opening on October 25 and showing through November 15, Carmela Full of Wishes, featuring Stephanie Diaz, is a “moving ode to family, to dreamers, and to finding hope in the most unexpected places.”