Museum Of Contemporary Art

ENHANCE APPRECIATION OF CONTEMPORARY ART THROUGH EDUCATION, PROGRAMMING AND EXHIBITIONS.

EXHIBITIONS: IN THE 2021-22 FISCAL YEAR, THE MUSEUM WELCOMED 202,361 VISITORS TO ITS EXHIBITIONS, PERFORMANCES, EVENTS, AND LEARNING PROGRAMS.MCA EXHIBITIONS SEEK TO INTRODUCE AUDIENCES TO THE MOST IMPORTANT ART AND ARTISTS OF OUR TIME, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FEATURING LOCAL ARTISTS. EXHIBITIONS ARE INTERWOVEN WITH OFFERINGS FROM LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE AND PUBLIC PRACTICE TO EXCITE, CHALLENGE, AND ILLUMINATE OUR VISITORS AND TO PROVIDE THEM WITH INSIGHT INTO THE CREATIVE PROCESS. THE MCA PRESENTED EXHIBITIONS THAT FEATURED LOCAL ARTISTS, AMPLIFIED THE VOICES OF BIPOC AND WOMEN ARTISTS, AND EXPLORED THE ISSUES OF TODAY THROUGH ACCESSIBLE MEDIUMS. THE CHICAGO WORKS SERIES, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEST NEW WORK FROM CHICAGO ARTISTS, FEATURED CAROLINE KENT (AUGUST 3, 2021 - JUNE 12, 2022). KENT EXPLORES QUESTIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION THROUGH PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, SCULPTURE, AND PERFORMANCE WORKS THAT SPEAK IN AN ABSTRACT VISUAL VOCABULARY SHE HAS DEVELOPED OVER HER CAREER.AS PART OF THE MCA'S WOMEN ARTISTS INITIATIVE, TWO POWERFUL EXHIBITIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 WERE CHRISTINA QUARLES (MARCH 13, 2021 - JANUARY 16, 2022) AND ANDREA BOWERS (NOVEMBER 20, 2021 - MARCH 27, 2022.) QUARLES PAINTS BODIES THAT ARE SUBJECTED NOT ONLY TO THE WEIGHT AND GRAVITY OF THE PHYSICAL WORLD BUT ALSO TO THE PLEASURES AND PRESSURES OF THE SOCIAL REALM. AS THE FIRST CAREER RETROSPECTIVE FOR ANDREA BOWERS, THE EXHIBITION ILLUSTRATED THE FLUIDITY OF ART AND ACTIVISM IN HER PRACTICE, SPEAKING TO DEEPLY ENTRENCHED SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INEQUITIES AS WELL AS THE GENERATIONS OF ACTIVISTS WORKING TO CREATE A FAIRER AND MORE JUST WORLD.IN THE ASCENDANT ARTIST SERIES, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON GIVING ESTABLISHED ARTISTS THEIR FIRST SOLO MUSEUM EXHIBITION AND CATALOGUE, THE MCA FEATURED BANI ABIDI: THE MAN WHO TALKED UNTIL HE DISAPPEARED (SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 - JUNE 5, 2022). THE EXHIBITION EXPLORED PAKISTANI ARTIST BANI ABIDI'S CRITIQUE OF THOSE WHO HOLD POWERAND THE MANY WAYS THEY WIELD IT.OTHER EXHIBITIONS THIS YEAR INCLUDED DAN PETERMAN: THE SULFUR CYCLE 2.0 (DECEMBER 19, 2020 - MARCH 1, 2022), CHICAGO COMICS (JUNE 19, 2021 - OCTOBER 3, 2021), GRAIN OF A HAND: DRAWINGS WITH GRAPHITE (JULY 12, 2021 - APRIL 3, 2022), ALFREDO JAAR: THE STRUCTURE OF IMAGES (AUGUST 28, 2021 - JULY 3, 2022), AND BASED ON A TRUE STORY (FEBRUARY 12, 2022 - AUGUST 14, 2022).

PERFORMANCE: THE MCA PRESENTS CUTTING-EDGE DANCE, THEATER, AND MUSIC FROM CHICAGO AND AROUND THE WORLD. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE PERFORMANCE AND PUBLIC PRACTICE DEPARTMENTS PRESENTED 24 PRODUCTIONS, FOUR DIALOGUE PRESENTATIONS, AND MULTIPLE ARTIST TALKS. APPROXIMATELY 2,324 PEOPLE ATTENDED THESE PERFORMANCES.PERFORMANCES THIS YEAR INCLUDED WIRED BY KINETIC LIGHT FEATURING ALICE SHEPPARD (MAY 5 - 8, 2022). WIRED TRACES THE FINE LINE BETWEEN "US AND "THEM" THROUGH AERIAL AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE WITH THE METAPHORIC USE OF BARBED WIRE. THROUGH SOUND, LIGHT, AND MOVEMENT THE PIECE MEDITATES ON THE USE OF BARBED WIRE IN THE UNITED STATES, PARTICULARLY THROUGH THE LENSES OF RACE, GENDER, AND DISABILITY, AND HOW IT SHAPES COMMON UNDERSTANDINGS OF WHO BELONGS.TUESDAYS ON THE TERRACE, THE MCA'S POPULAR SUMMER JAZZ CONCERT SERIES, TOOK PLACE EACH TUESDAY FROM JUNE TO AUGUST 2022 ON THE MUSEUM TERRACE, WITH ADDITIONAL SEATING IN THE SCULPTURE GARDEN. ALMOST 16,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED THESE PERFORMANCES, WHICH WERE FREE TO THE PUBLIC.THE IN PROGRESS SERIES, PART OF THE FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMMING IN THE MCA'S COMMONS, GIVES ARTISTS, THINKERS, AND CURATORS A PLATFORM FOR DEVELOPING NEW WORKS WITH INPUT FROM AUDIENCES, AND TO GIVE PATRONS A GLIMPSE INTO THE CREATIVE PROCESS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 IN PROGRESS FEATURED BIMBOLA AKINBOLA'S EVIDENCE SERIES, SUSY BIELAK AND FRED SCHMALZ'S MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE THE SHALLOW SKY, AND A COLLABORATIVE AND PARTICIPATORY EVENT LED BY ARTIST JUSTIN COOPER.

PUBLIC PRACTICE AND LEARNING PROGRAMS: THE MCA'S PUBLIC PRACTICE DEPARTMENT PRODUCED MULTIPLE PROGRAMS THAT BENEFITED COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS, FREQUENTLY WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE LEARNING DEPARTMENT TO CREATE A CONTINUUM OF LIFELONG LEARNING FOR CITIZENS OF CHICAGO. NEARLY ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS WERE FREE TO THE PUBLIC, AND TOOK PLACE ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS INCLUDING IN PERSON, ZOOM, INSTAGRAM LIVE, AND FACEBOOK LIVE.IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE MCA HOSTED 13 TALKS FROM VARIOUS ARTISTS, CURATORS, PERFORMERS, AND MUSICIANS. THESE PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS SPANNED THE THEMES OF LOCAL ART AND MUSIC HISTORY AND THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND ACTIVISM. ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS JOINING FOR TALKS AT THE MCA INCLUDED ACTIVIST ELVIRA ARELLANO, CENTRO SIN FRONTERAS'S FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT EMMA LOZANO, CHICAGO-BASED ARTIST JONATHAN MICHAEL CASTILLO, AND ARTISTS AND ACTIVISTS ANDREA BOWERS, JOHN QUIGLEY, AND MARCOS RAMIREZ. LEARNING PROGRAMS THIS YEAR FOCUSED ON PROVIDING PROGRAMS TO SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES THAT COMPLEMENT STANDARD CURRICULUM AND CLASSROOM TOPICS AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENRICHMENT AND CREATIVITY OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. THIS YEAR 14,290 YOUNG PEOPLE VISITED THE MUSEUM. ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMMING IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 INCLUDED:SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP FOR ART AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT (SPACE): A MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH CHICAGO PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS, WHICH EMBEDS A LOCAL ARTIST AND THEIR STUDIO IN A HIGH SCHOOL FOR AN EXPANDED RESIDENCY WHERE THEY WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ART AND SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS TO CO-DESIGN AND TEACH AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SOCIALLY ENGAGED CURRICULUM. THIS PROGRAM WAS IN TWO SCHOOLS FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR: CURIE METROPOLITAN HIGH SCHOOL AND NICHOLAS SENN HIGH SCHOOL. DURING THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR, THE SPACE PROGRAM SERVED APPROXIMATELY 350 STUDENTS AND THREE TEACHERS DIRECTLY ACROSS TWO SEPARATE RESIDENCY SITES.THE TEEN CREATIVE AGENCY (TCA): THE TCA IS THE MCA'S CULTURAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR CHICAGO-AREA TEENS (14 - 19 YEARS OLD). MEMBERS MEET WEEKLY TO INCREASE THEIR AGENCY AND COLLABORATION SKILLS, BUILD COMMUNITY, AND DEVELOP CREATIVE PROJECTS AND PUBLIC EVENTS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF TWO LEAD ARTISTS. WEEKLY SESSIONS INCLUDE TIME IN THE GALLERIES, VISITS TO OTHER CULTURAL SITES, MEETINGS WITH ARTISTS AND MUSEUM STAFF, AND TIME TO WORK ON COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS.SCHOOL TV: DESIGNED AS AN ALTERNATIVE OFFERING TO IN-PERSON PROGRAMS, TV (WHICH STANDS FOR TOUR VIDEO) IS A SERIES OF HIGH-QUALITY LONG FORM VIDEOS BUILT AROUND THE MCA'S CURRENT EXHIBITIONS. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES A FACILITATION GUIDE AND A TEACHER RESOURCE CONTAINING IN-DEPTH INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS TO SHARE WITH THEIR STUDENTS. CREATED TO BE AN EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE PIECE OF CURRICULUM, TV CAN BE USED IN-CLASS, ASSIGNED AS HOMEWORK, OR USED AS A JUMPING OFF POINT FOR LESSONS.FAMILY DAYS: PRESENTED ONCE A MONTH FROM OCTOBER - MAY, FAMILIES ARE OFFERED FREE ADMISSION TO TAKE PART IN WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES THAT ARE ALL DESIGNED AND LED BY CHICAGO ARTISTS.TEACHER INSTITUTE: THE MCA'S YEAR-LONG FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS EVOLVED THIS YEAR TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF TEACHERS IN THE NEW TEACHING LANDSCAPE BROUGHT ON BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE SCOPE OF THE PROGRAM HAS BROADENED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY, AND WE HAVE ALSO DEEPENED THE IMPACT OF OUR PROGRAM FOR A CORE GROUP OF EDUCATORS, WITH ADDITIONAL CONTACT HOURS.