The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has organized a summer exhibition titled 'To Share a Garden,' bringing together over 30 artists in a decade-spanning review of queer art and activism. The show draws its theme from Chicago's historic motto 'urbs in horto' (city in a garden) and features works from the 1980s to the present, including pieces by Brendan Fernandes, Nick Cave, Mary Patten, and Doug Ischar. The exhibition acts as a visual archive of queer artistic expression, spanning from the AIDS crisis protests to contemporary movements.
This exhibition matters because it positions the garden as a metaphor for refuge, community, and public resource, while also asserting the political power of queer identity at a time when troubling narratives have resurfaced. By connecting historical activism with current artistic practice, the show serves as both a moment of inspired remembrance and a call for continued resilience and hope within the queer community.