Exhibitions in Chicago
May 2026
May 2026 at a glance: 5 exhibitions opened, 0 closed, and 6 more were on view across the city.
Opened in May
Anne Frank The Exhibition1 MayGriffin Museum of Science and Industry
A full-scale, fully furnished recreation of the Amsterdam Annex where Anne Frank hid, with more than 100 original objects lent by the Anne Frank House.
Embroidered Traditions from Morocco to Afghanistan2 MayArt Institute of Chicago
The museum's first exhibition devoted to the artistic traditions of the SWANA region, with more than 70 embroidered works from the 18th through the 20th century.
Chicago Works | Mike Cloud: Worldless Obstruction2 MayMuseum of Contemporary Art Chicago
A new series by the Chicago-based painter, juxtaposing emotions and introducing a flexible structure to his foldable paintings.
Xochicago: Floating Gardens of the Chicago River and México9 MayNational Museum of Mexican Art · Free
Draws a line between the Mexica chinampas of Xochimilco and the floating gardens now installed in the Chicago River, weighing ecological restoration against pollution and commercialisation.
Pokémon Fossil Museum22 MayField Museum
Fossil Pokémon such as Tyrantrum and Archeops are set side by side with the real fossils that inspired them, including SUE the T. rex. North American debut of the touring Japanese exhibition.
Was on view in May
Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetónto 20 SeptMuseum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Dance as protest, rhythm as power: the exhibition traces the global impact of Caribbean sound and movement, from Jamaican dancehall to reggaetón.
The Changing Face of Scienceto 18 OctField Museum
A rotating Comer Gallery series profiling Field Museum scientists — currently Lesley de Souza and Sara Ruane — following their research journeys, passions and personalities.
A Tale of Today Presents Brendan Fernandes: In the Roundto 14 NovRichard H. Driehaus Museum
The museum's first artist-in-residence turns the 1926 Murphy Auditorium into a site for sculptural installation, sound and dance, unfolding as episodic performances through 2026.
Raqib Shaw: Paradise Lostto 15 NovArt Institute of Chicago
A 21-panel painting over 100 feet wide carries viewers from the nocturnal solitude of the artist's Kashmiri childhood through the frenzy of the Western art world to a fragile, renewed dawn.
After the Age of Dinosaursto 3 JanField Museum
What happened once the dinosaurs were gone: plants and animals reshaped Earth into a lush tropical world of new giants and tiny survivors, told through fossils, touchable casts and immersive media.
Currents: 60 Years of the Chicago Architecture Centerto 1 MarChicago Architecture Center
Six decades of the CAC, from fighting to save historic buildings during urban renewal to shaping design education and advocacy across Chicago. In the Orientation Space.
Stay in the loop on Chicago
A short note now and then when something new opens worth your time.