Explore accessible events!
Filter events by typing keywords into the search field below,
or click on a keyword in an event to filter all events by that
category.
Select "Submit an Event" to have your cultural organization's
accessible event added to the Access Calendar.
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon […]
This summer, DCASE is pleased to present the Millennium Park Summer Film Series, presented by Pluto TV, on Tuesdays from July 16 through August 20. Films start at 6:30pm (with […]
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey. Join us on certain Monday nights in July at 6pm. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform […]
The Chicago Air and Water Show presented by the City of Chicago is the largest FREE show of its kind in the United States. The show can be viewed along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point. This event includes audio description and wheelchair accessibility. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_air_and_watershow.html
Millennium Park Summer Music Series features a wide variety of music from established and emerging artists at the iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Corinne Bailey Rae English singer/songwriter/musician Corinne Bailey Rae shot to stardom with her self- titled #1 U.K. debut album in 2006, featuring the global hits “Put Your Records On” and “Like A Star.” […]
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey. Join us on certain Monday nights in July at 6pm. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform […]
Join us in celebration of Chicago Works | Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons with a conversation between the artist and Curatorial Associate Iris Colburn, who organized the exhibition. English CART captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) are available. https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/talk-andrea-carlson/
Synapse Arts turns 20! The Birthday Bash is a celebration of Synapse Arts in a welcoming, festival-type environment. All attendees will get a cupcake and have access to our open events: performances, dance films screenings, games. But when you donate at the level of your choice, you can add some additional flair to your Birthday […]
Summer Tuesdays come alive on the MCA terrace with free concerts highlighting artists from Chicago’s internationally renowned music community. Enjoy live music while relaxing on the lawn with your own picnic, or savor snacks and drinks available for purchase. Then head inside to catch the MCA’s summer exhibitions—we’re open late on Tuesdays and free for […]
This summer, DCASE is pleased to present the Millennium Park Summer Film Series, presented by Pluto TV, on Tuesdays from July 16 through August 20. Films start at 6:30pm (with the exception of the double feature starting at 6pm). All films are open caption. Gates open at 5pm. Guests may take a seat at the […]
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey. Join us on certain Monday nights in July at 6pm. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform […]
This summer, DCASE is pleased to present the Millennium Park Summer Film Series, presented by Pluto TV, on Tuesdays from July 16 through August 20. Films start at 6:30pm (with the exception of the double feature starting at 6pm). All films are open caption. Gates open at 5pm. Guests may take a seat at the […]
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey. Join us on certain Monday nights in July at 6pm. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform […]
Millennium Park Summer Music Series features a wide variety of music from established and emerging artists at the iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Béla Fleck Few musicians in any category seem as uncategorizable as Béla Fleck. After initially making his mark with the progressive bluegrass group New Grass Revival, Fleck proceeded to take his instrument, as […]
Vocalist Michelle Coltrane, daughter of Alice Coltrane, and harpist Brandee Younger come together for An Oral History of Alice Coltrane. Part conversation, part performance, the event features oral histories and biographical stories of Alice Coltrane interwoven with performances and demonstrations from Brandee Younger, bringing the stories to life. Through creative works and masterful performances, Alice […]
Vocalist Michelle Coltrane, daughter of Alice Coltrane, and harpist Brandee Younger come together for An Oral History of Alice Coltrane. Part conversation, part performance, the event features oral histories and biographical stories of Alice Coltrane interwoven with performances and demonstrations from Brandee Younger, bringing the stories to life. Through creative works and masterful performances, Alice […]
Vocalist Michelle Coltrane, daughter of Alice Coltrane, and harpist Brandee Younger come together for An Oral History of Alice Coltrane. Part conversation, part performance, the event features oral histories and biographical stories of Alice Coltrane interwoven with performances and demonstrations from Brandee Younger, bringing the stories to life. Through creative works and masterful performances, Alice […]
Ensemble Member Laurie Metcalf comes home to Steppenwolf to star in Little Bear Ridge Road, a comic, cosmic and intimate world premiere, penned by MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello. In the outer limits of rural Idaho, the last two members of the Fernsby family tree, an estranged […]
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey. Join us on certain Monday nights in July at 6pm. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform […]
Ensemble Member Laurie Metcalf comes home to Steppenwolf to star in Little Bear Ridge Road, a comic, cosmic and intimate world premiere, penned by MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello. In the outer limits of rural Idaho, the last two members of the Fernsby family tree, an estranged […]
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey. Join us on certain Monday nights in July at 6pm. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform […]
Cripping the Galleries is a series of live public programs featuring local artists activating museums through the lens of crip culture, access, and belonging.* Cripping the Galleries is hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Art, in close collaboration with Bodies of Work: A Network of Disability Art and Culture. For this edition of Cripping the […]
Summer Tuesdays come alive on the MCA terrace with free concerts highlighting artists from Chicago’s internationally renowned music community. Enjoy live music while relaxing on the lawn with your own picnic, or savor snacks and drinks available for purchase. Then head inside to catch the MCA’s summer exhibitions—we’re open late on Tuesdays and free for […]
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey. Join us on certain Monday nights in July at 6pm. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform […]
Summer Tuesdays come alive on the MCA terrace with free concerts highlighting artists from Chicago’s internationally renowned music community. Enjoy live music while relaxing on the lawn with your own picnic, or savor snacks and drinks available for purchase. Then head inside to catch the MCA’s summer exhibitions—we’re open late on Tuesdays and free for […]
Join us for 30 glow’d-up, sweat-soaked, lipstick-smeared, gender euphoric™, gay-panic-inducing plays in 60 minutes – all in the name of Queer Community. 100% of proceeds from this show will be donated to Families in Palestine. The performance is ASL-interpreted and will be followed by mask-optional DRAG BINGO and shmoozing. Performance begins at 7:00 pm. Absolutely […]
It’s NYE 1999. A group of sinister mercenaries are holding the world’s most popular boy band hostage! Unless the nations of the world hand over their vital Y2K codes by midnight, the Boyz Will B Boyz will be Boyz Will B Dead! Will the non-talented boy band member save the day? Or will the mercenaries […]
On Sunday, June 23 from 10am to 3pm, Lincoln Park Zoo will host Sensory-Friendly Day at Farm-in-the-Zoo. Modifications include limited capacity. This is a free event, but it does require advanced registration. Please register HERE. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sensory-friendly-day-at-farm-in-the-zoo-tickets-910936173617 Sensory-Friendly Day at Farm-in-the-Zoo is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the zoo without crowds […]
On Sunday, June 23 from 10am to 3pm, Lincoln Park Zoo will host Sensory-Friendly Day at Farm-in-the-Zoo. Modifications include limited capacity. This is a free event, but it does require advanced registration. Please register HERE. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sensory-friendly-day-at-farm-in-the-zoo-tickets-910936173617 Sensory-Friendly Day at Farm-in-the-Zoo is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the zoo without crowds […]
A work-in-progress sharing, this event will consist of both the movement- and the textual-based research explored over the course of the residency. ASL is provided for this event. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/dance_residency.html
A startling look at conflicts of climate change, race, and gender in the days leading up to an infamous dust storm in 1930s Texas. IT IS APRIL 1935 IN THE DUST STORM-RIDDLED PLAINS OF TEXAS and a family farm is struggling to keep afloat amidst a mounting series of environmental disasters. As Jesús, a new […]
Accessible Juneteenth 2024 Tuesday, June 18th, 2024 4pm to 7:30pm Welcome and Announcements at 4:30pm Open Mic & Showcase at 5:30pm Place: the UIC Quad (behind UIC Student Center East); 750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL. See the map at https://go.uic.edu/2024_AccessibleJuneteenth_Map for more details on where the Quad is located, which public transportation stops and […]
A startling look at conflicts of climate change, race, and gender in the days leading up to an infamous dust storm in 1930s Texas. IT IS APRIL 1935 IN THE […]
WORLD PREMIERE BY NAMBI E. KELLEY DIRECTED BY TASIA A. JONES Civil rights activist Kwame Ture, born Stokely Carmichael, was a towering icon; a man of immense domestic and international […]
“The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love, we begin to move toward freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. That action is the testimony of love as the practice of freedom.” —bell hooks Liberation is defined as the act […]
A startling look at conflicts of climate change, race, and gender in the days leading up to an infamous dust storm in 1930s Texas. IT IS APRIL 1935 IN THE DUST STORM-RIDDLED PLAINS OF TEXAS and a family farm is struggling to keep afloat amidst a mounting series of environmental disasters. As Jesús, a new […]
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham is a New York Times bestselling author of a long list of acclaimed presidential biographies. He presents Chicago Humanities with his latest work, The Call of Serve: The Life of An American President, George Herbert Walker Bush: A Visual Biography. In this recounting, gleaned from a lifetime of Bush family […]
Soak is a dance-based performance project that emerges from a study of public bathing. This work considers how both dance and bathing practices carve out space to imagine new ways of relating to our bodies and each other. This piece explores the movements of pleasure and leisure, collectively created social space, and the relationship between body, […]
This salon-style gathering invites attendees to share and discuss artwork, short performances/readings, clips, scenes, and anything else they might be working on. Sharing a project is optional. For those who wish to share, projects in any medium are welcome: time-based work (video, dance, song, spoken word, etc) should be limited to five minutes and any […]
For the opening of Arthur Jafa: Works from the MCA Collection, Arthur Jafa is joined onstage by long-time friend, colleague, and renowned artist Theaster Gates, whom he first met at Gates’s Black Artists Retreat (B.A.R.), an annual convening of Black visual artists held in Chicago. Join us to take part in a rich conversation between […]
A showcase of The Second City's Victor Wong Fellows. The Victor Wong Fellowship is an intensive program at The Second City that mentors & trains talented Asian / Asian American identifying artists. Accessibility: ASL Interpreted, assistive listening devices, and wheelchair accessbile. https://secondcityus.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FTP000000Gh932AC
Love is a universal language; it transcends identity and culture. Love is more than a feeling; it is a tough invitation that encourages sacrifice and commitment. Love is a never-ending journey that is always beginning. But what is love in the absence of compassion and wonder? #OTVTonight, your favorite intersectional Late Show, returns to MCA […]
Love is a universal language; it transcends identity and culture. Love is more than a feeling; it is a tough invitation that encourages sacrifice and commitment. Love is a never-ending journey that is always beginning. But what is love in the absence of compassion and wonder? #OTVTonight, your favorite intersectional Late Show, returns to MCA […]
Four (very) well-intentioned theatre people walk into an elementary school. The work at hand: a Thanksgiving pageant that won’t ruffle any feathers. What could possibly go wrong? In MacArthur Genius Larissa FastHorse’s skewering and satirical comedy, well, just about everything. Rambunctious, thorny and not altogether politically correct, The Thanksgiving Play serves up the hypocrisies of […]
Four (very) well-intentioned theatre people walk into an elementary school. The work at hand: a Thanksgiving pageant that won’t ruffle any feathers. What could possibly go wrong? In MacArthur Genius Larissa FastHorse’s skewering and satirical comedy, well, just about everything. Rambunctious, thorny and not altogether politically correct, The Thanksgiving Play serves up the hypocrisies of […]
In these short films from the queer underground, unruly rebels trespass, shoplift, scheme, skate, surf, fuck, and joyfully plot their revenge on a society which seeks to punish deviance. Featuring a live DJ set by easygoingtech at 9pm. America loves outlaws. Curious paradox: a police state which valorizes those who don’t fall in line, provided […]
Diana, Dan, Natalie, and Gabe all seem like one big happy bi-racial Hindu-Punjabi South Asian family living in the Chicago Suburbs. Dan works an office job. Diana is a stay at home mother. Gabe is the star athlete at his school. Natalie is a straight-A student and has a wonderful boyfriend, Henry. However, their world […]
Diana, Dan, Natalie, and Gabe all seem like one big happy bi-racial Hindu-Punjabi South Asian family living in the Chicago Suburbs. Dan works an office job. Diana is a stay at home mother. Gabe is the star athlete at his school. Natalie is a straight-A student and has a wonderful boyfriend, Henry. However, their world […]
A trailblazing feminist icon, Kathleen Hanna changed the punk scene in the 90's with her bands, Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. This rebel girl is back with her electric, searing memoir that takes us into her tumultuous childhood, her early years on the scene, and her connections with other music icons like Kurt Cobain, Joan […]
Renowned multi-hyphenated artist and Chicago Humanities favorite, Miranda July has gained a cult following throughout her award-winning career as a filmmaker (Me and You and Everyone We Know, Kajillionaire), author (No One Belongs Here More Than You), and visual artist. Her perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy, and palpable delight in pushing boundaries […]
Over a century ago, MSNBC host Ali Velshi’s great-grandfather sent his son to live at Gandhi’s ashram in South Africa. That tough decision forever changed his family story. Velshi’s grandfather became focused on public service, social justice and the equality of all people. These beliefs evolved through generations as his family escaped apartheid, emigrated to […]
A Professor of African American studies at Princeton University, Ruha Benjamin brings a unique and interdisciplinary perspective to social justice and technology. In her latest work, Imagination: A Manifesto, Benjamin argues that imagination gives us the power to challenge systems of oppression, such as hierarchies created by racism, sexism, and classism. She highlights educators, artists, […]
Four (very) well-intentioned theatre people walk into an elementary school. The work at hand: a Thanksgiving pageant that won’t ruffle any feathers. What could possibly go wrong? In MacArthur Genius Larissa FastHorse’s skewering and satirical comedy, well, just about everything. Rambunctious, thorny and not altogether politically correct, The Thanksgiving Play serves up the hypocrisies of […]
A journey of self-discovery leads to salvation in this major revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s masterwork. On the heels of Gem of the Ocean (2022), expert August Wilson interpreter Chuck Smith revives the second work in the famed American Century Cycle—one of Wilson’s best-loved, most compelling plays. Herald Loomis searches the country with his young […]
A multi-genre storytelling project about the life journey of a lyricist, Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist illuminates the distinctive practices, systems, philosophies, and political ideologies that have shaped hip-hop’s emcees and lyricists. Combining craft, prose, oration, and exposé, the work presents the coming-of-age story of an emcee, immersing audiences in a world of courage, […]
This Mother's Day weekend, celebrate the art of composers with disabilities from around the world! This program, presented in collaboration with the UIC Disability Cultural Center, is free and open to everyone. It includes the world premiere of "Consolation of Persephone," created in collaboration with Momenta Dance Company, with choreography commissioned of Connor Cornelius, music […]
Set sail for an adventure like no other, full of twists and turns. Together we’ll meet indulgent Lotus Eaters and seductive Sirens who test our focus, and face terrifying monsters who test our wit and our courage. As we follow Odysseus on his Journey, the ensemble reflects on choice and agency and the hero in […]
Join us to celebrate the last Family Day of the season! Sueños Music Festival will be raffling two pairs of tickets for the Sueños Music Festival event. Join us as we bring together incredible local artists for a day of workshops and interactive experiences. Salvador Andrade will be leading a collaborative workshop using found objects […]
A journey of self-discovery leads to salvation in this major revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s masterwork. On the heels of Gem of the Ocean (2022), expert August Wilson interpreter Chuck Smith revives the second work in the famed American Century Cycle—one of Wilson’s best-loved, most compelling plays. Herald Loomis searches the country with his young […]
Award-winning graphic novelist James Spooner comes to Chicago Humanities for a chat on punk, comics and Black Identity. Spooner is a leader in the Black punk community. His works include the seminal documentary Afro-Punk (2003), creation of the Afro Punk Festival, and a graphic memoir, The High Desert. In this book, Spooner shares his experience […]
In celebration of the opening of Virginia Jaramillo: Principle of Equivalence, join us for a roundtable conversation on Jaramillo’s profound commitment to abstraction with the exhibition’s originating curator, Erin Dziedzic, Catherine Morris, Sackler Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, and Iris Colburn, MCA Curatorial Associate. Please […]
Former South Carolina State Representative and CNN Political Analyst Bakari Sellers passionately asked live on-air the question that many Black Americans had in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020: “We have black children. I have a 15-year-old daughter. I mean, what do I tell her?” Four years later, Sellers has an answer to […]
Trap Door Theatre's 30th Anniversary Season closes with Olwen Wymark’s splendid dramatization of Zola’s Nana: a story of sexual and financial greed in nineteenth-century Parisian society, depicting the rise and tragic downfall of a young courtesan. Managing Director Nicole Wiesner and Resident Choreographer Miguel Long team up again to direct this reimagination, first produced at […]
About Bodies of Work Bodies of Work is a consortium of four programs at three Chicago organizations that share a commitment to programming that is distinguished by its integration of disability artistry, academics, and activism: Program on Disability Art, Culture, and Humanities and the Disability Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Disability […]
Children’s author and illustrator Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters hop from the page to the stage in the Tony-nominated musical A Year With Frog And Toad, based on his popular children’s […]
On Sunday, April 28 from 8-10am, Lincoln Park Zoo is offering Sensory-Friendly Morning hours for guests with disabilities, chronicle illness, or Deaf to experience the zoo grounds and animal buildings […]
The legendary “Swans of Harlem” ballerinas take the stage with Brandis Friedman (co-anchor, WTTW Chicago Tonight / host, Black Voices) and author Karen Valby to reclaim and lift up the […]
Renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist Laura Ortman performs two evenings of live, solo, multimedia concerts. Informed by her practice as a sculptor and installation artist, Ortman bridges the gap between music […]
Renowned Princeton University professor and New York Times best-selling author Eddie Glaude Jr. is one of the world’s most prominent scholars of African American Studies. Through the iconic interpretations of […]
Days after the February 1848 revolution, Fryderyk Chopin is teaching a piano lesson in Paris. Set in the Polish pianist-composer’s intimate salon, Chopin shares with his students secrets about the […]
Soulfully rooted in playful praise, this Praise House Language workshop will be a creative circle of expression with testimonials, dance, art-making and song. Through a guided process that centers care, […]
Frank Bruni, renowned New York Times columnist, guides Chicago Humanities on an incisive exploration of our cultural obsession with grievance that has permeated both political spectrums. Grievance dominates our unpredictable […]
MacArthur Fellow and Professor of Photography at Columbia College in Chicago, Dawoud Bey, is one of the most celebrated photographers in American history. Fellow photography colleague Kelli Connell is an […]
Gardening, not Architecture Throughout the year, the MCA hosts high-quality professional development programming, open to teachers of all subjects, grade levels, and disciplines. These events are educator-specific, skills-based, training on […]
Children’s author and illustrator Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters hop from the page to the stage in the Tony-nominated musical A Year With Frog And Toad, based on his popular children’s […]
Days after the February 1848 revolution, Fryderyk Chopin is teaching a piano lesson in Paris. Set in the Polish pianist-composer’s intimate salon, Chopin shares with his students secrets about the […]
Watch the city breathe life into the stories of ten local young filmmakers. From documentaries to music videos, this program represents the city’s long-term love affair with art and culture. […]
Tremor is artist and composer Samita Sinha’s latest performance work. In the piece, Sinha explores what she describes as “the practice of attuning oneself to the raw material of vibration […]
In partnership with former Technical Director Glenn B. Rust's Graduate Thesis Project, Keep it Going presents an afternoon of new works that you can watch in the theatre or from […]