New Museum Of Contemporary Art Exhibition Celebrates Chicago Artists

The pandemic inspires an expansive new MCA exhibit that imagines a more equitable world through the eyes of more than 70 Windy City artists.

Edra Soto, “Tropicalamerican” (2014)

You can say one thing about 2020: It has given us all—particularly Chicagoans—an unprecedented opportunity to stop and reflect on the state of America, from social injustice and systemic racism to inequity across all of society. Inspired by this poignant moment comes The Long Dream, a major exhibition opening this month at the Museum of Contemporary Art meant to both reflect on what’s happening right now and celebrate emerging and established Chicago artists and creatives with a wide range of backgrounds and specialties, culminating in a live arts event that will take place online on the show’s closing weekend.

Lise Haller Baggesen, “Refuseniks in the Wild” (2017)

“One of the reasons Chicago is such a bright star in the art galaxy is because of the amazing and talented artists in our midst,” notes MCA Manilow Senior Curator Naomi Beckwith of the exhibition, which is named after a novel by groundbreaking Chicago writer Richard Wright. “When we at the MCA tried to make sense of this historic moment—of both our personal fears and our drive to make a better world—we thought that there are no better people to help think through this with than those like Nick Cave, Edra Soto, Amanda Williams, William J. O’Brien and the dozens of other brilliant luminaries, both established and emerging, in this city.” Through Jan. 17, 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Jesse Howard, “The Bewitching Hour” (2015)