One of Chicago’s most impressive qualities is undeniably its collection of world-class museums and the array of rotating exhibitions they offer each year.
With 2024 here, a whole host of new extraordinary exhibitions in Chicago are taking place, and we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch.
1. Of the Earth at Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum opened a new art exhibition in 2023, replacing the Human + Nature sculptures by Daniel Popper with five large-scale works fashioned from reclaimed tree branches by Polish-American artist Olga Ziemska.
As with Human + Nature, the sculptures on show for “Of the Earth” have been created exclusively for Arboretum visitors and placed in various locations across its 1,700 acres, leading guests to areas they may not have explored before.
🗓️ Dates: Open through Spring 2025.
Location: 4100 IL-53, Lisle, IL 60532
Transportation: Train BNSF, Bus 715, 722
🎟️ Tickets: Included in general admission, which starts at $11.
2. 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond at the Museum of Science + Industry
007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry is the first-ever official exhibition to focus on the science and technology behind the world’s longest-running movie franchise.
Guests are invited to explore the iconic cars, gadgets, and props of the James Bond film series while going behind the scenes to learn how the Bond production teams harness real-world science to craft 007’s on-screen adventures.
From artifacts like a prototype jetpack from “Thunderball” and the modern Gravity Industries Jet Suit to immersive activities encouraging guests to do everything from design the perfect spy vehicle or (safely) dangle from a steel beam like 007 himself.
🗓️ Dates: Thursday, March 7th, 2024 through check it out through Sunday, October 27th, 2024
Location: 5700 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
🎟️ Tickets: 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond requires an additional exhibition ticket on top of the museum entry. Prices range from $18 for adults to $14 for kids and $9 for members though there are also special evening hours.
Read more about 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond at the Museum of Science + Industry.
3. Unseen Oceans at the Field Museum
Opening on Friday, March 15th, “Unseen Oceans” will invite visitors to marvel at life-sized projections of bizarre and bewildering deep sea creatures very rarely seen by the human eye.
From exploring an immersive underwater cavern to jumping inside an interactive deep-sea submersible and piloting through the depths alongside ocean creatures, guests can experience the unworldly realms of the ocean’s darkest corners from the comfort of inside the Field Museum’s walls.
🗓️ Dates: Open March 15th through Sunday, January 5th, 2025.
Location: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
Transportation: Bus 146, 3, 6
🎟️ Tickets: Requires Discovery or All-Access Pass.
Read more about ‘Unseen Oceans’ at the Field Museum.
4. Captured Earth at the Museum of Contemporary Photography
Captured Earth showcases photography and installation artwork by artists exploring nature, place, ecology, and the material and mystical qualities of the land. The works include site-specific performances, such as Tarrah Krajnak’s documentation of nature-centered rituals using rocks and plant materials and Alan Cohen’s walking meditations.
🗓️ Dates:
Location: 600 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Transportation: Chicago Red Line to Harrison. Bus: 1, 3, 4, 26, 28, 147.
🎟️ Tickets: The Museum of Contemporary Photography is free all year.
Read more about Native America: In Translation
5. Titanic: The Exhibition at Old Orchard Shopping Center
You can now walk across the promenade deck of the most famous ship to sail the seas. Titanic: The Exhibition dives 2 ½ miles below the Atlantic’s surface to uncover the liner’s captivating story like never before.
The exhibit follows the ship’s journey from its design in 1908 to its recovery in 1985.
You’ll see hundreds of real artifacts from the Titanic, her sister ships, and films capturing the emotional tale. As you touch a take in stunning photography of the Titanic and step across the ocean floor strewn with relics, you’ll feel like you’re walking through history. If you’re a Titanic aficionado, it will be one of the best exhibits in Chicago.
🗓️ Dates: Open now through April 21, 2024.
Location: 4963 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie, IL, 60077
🎟️ Tickets: Early Bird Adult (13+) – $29.70 per person, Early Bird Child (4-12) – $19.80 per person
Read more about Titanic: The Exhibition.
6. at Art Institute Chicago
Georgia O’Keeffe, known for her depictions of flowers and Southwestern landscapes, lived in New York City’s newly constructed Shelton Hotel in 1924. The city’s tallest residential skyscraper inspired her to experiment with different artistic techniques, subjects, and perspectives for five years.
This exhibition is the first to thoroughly explore O’Keeffe’s paintings, drawings, and pastels depicting cityscapes while also placing them in the broader context of her other artistic works from the 1920s and early 1930s.
🗓️ Dates: Open now through September 22, 2024.
Location: 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603
🎟️ Tickets: A separate $5 exhibition ticket is required for this exhibition on top of admission.
7. Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches at the Field Museum
Field Museum’s other major exhibition right now is Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches. Meet live leeches, lamprey, and more at this expansive display of bloodsucking species.
Guests can check out larger-than-life models of bloodsucking creatures and learn how different bloodsuckers earned their titles, as well as use magnifying glasses to see fossilized bloodsuckers up close.
A special mosquito area invites visitors to step into the sounds of a Northwoods mosquito swarm and then play a game to discover which repellants best protect us from their bites.
Meanwhile, a mini movie theater features clips of Dracula and other legendary bloodsucking creatures and characters from popular culture before an area shows off historical vampire hunting kits.
🗓️ Dates: Open now through September 2, 2024
Location: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
Transportation: Bus 146, 3, 6
🎟️ Tickets: A $12 – $16 ticket is required on top of admission.
Read more about the Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches exhibition.
8. Hellenic Heads: George Petrides at The National Hellenic Museum
Studying six critical periods in Greek history spanning 2,500 years, Petrides explores his Greek background to understand the cultural influences that have shaped him and the people closest to him. This touring sculpture exhibit in Chicago features six larger-than-life busts inspired by critical periods in Greek history.
🗓️ Dates: Open now through November 2024.
Location: 333 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661
Transportation: Bus 251, 350, 546, 605, 906
🎟️ Tickets: Adults $10, Children $7 (3-12 years), Members and Children under 3 years FREE.
Learn more about Hellenic Heads.
9. Back Home: Polish Chicago at the Chicago History Museum
Chicago History Museum’s Back Home: Polish Chicago looks at Chicago’s Polish communities and the journeys immigrants have taken to get to the city, the ways they have established themselves in its neighborhoods, and the duality of feeling a deep connection to two places at once.
One of the exhibits in Chicago featuring more than 90 artifacts and documents and more than 100 reproduced photographs, guests can experience the story of the Chicago area’s vibrant Polish communities from the mid-1800s to today through personal narratives, music, community involvement, and art installations from five local Polish artists.
🗓️ Dates: Open now through June 8, 2024.
Location: 1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
Transportation: Brown and Purple lines. Bus: 22, 36, 72, 73.
🎟️ Tickets: All exhibitions are included in general admission, which is $19 for adults, $17 for seniors & students 13-22, and FREE for kids under 12.
Read more about Back Home: Polish Chicago.
10. City on Fire: Chicago 1871 at the Chicago History Museum
Designed for families to learn, explore, and discover the impact the Great Chicago Fire had on the city and the people who lived here, City on Fire: Chicago 1871 is a long-running exhibition at the Chicago History Museum that must be experienced in 2024 if you’ve not been already.
One of the more family-friendly-specific exhibits in Chicago features more than 100 artifacts, interactive and multimedia elements, and personal stories from survivors, all taking visitors through crucial events and conditions before, during, and after the fire—many of which draw striking comparisons to today’s social climate.
“A rapidly growing city built of wood. A summer-long heat wave. An exhausted and misdirected team of firefighters. Racial, social, and economic tensions bubbling just below the surface. All Chicago needed was a spark,” reads the exhibition website.
🗓️ Dates: Open now through October 2024.
Location: 1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
Transportation: Brown and Purple lines. Bus: 22, 36, 72, 73.
🎟️ Tickets: All exhibitions are included in general admission, which is $19 for adults, $17 for seniors & students 13-22, and FREE for kids under 12.
Read more about the City on Fire exhibition.
[Featured image from Shutterstock]