A Chicago-based art critic presents a curated guide to 10 exhibitions for fall 2025, ranging from a major traveling survey of activist artist Elizabeth Catlett at the Art Institute of Chicago to a textiles show exploring mourning and survival, a Helen Frankenthaler printmaking exhibit at the Block Museum, and the final programming at the Roman Susan Art Foundation in Rogers Park. Other highlights include a collaborative museum debut by artists Mayumi Lake and Bob Faust inspired by the Japanese design principle shakkei.
This roundup matters because it frames the season's visual art offerings as both aesthetic experiences and responses to contemporary crises—political upheaval, environmental unsustainability, and collective grief. By spotlighting institutions from major encyclopedic museums to small experimental foundations, the article underscores Chicago's role as a vital, diverse art city where social justice, craft traditions, and avant-garde experimentation coexist.