American Negro Exposition, 1865-1940. Poster, 55 x 35 cm (21 5/8 x 13 inches). Ryerson and Burnham Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago/Photo: Robert Savon Pious
1 Open House Chicago (Around the city, check Chicago Architecture Foundation website) Your annual chance to explore the city’s most iconic buildings—more than 200 landmarks, theaters, hotels, residential spaces and private clubs—and learn their architectural and cultural stories. (October 13-14)
2 Modern by Design: Chicago Streamlines America (Chicago History Museum) Founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago’s history, the museum stays true to its mission by highlighting the city’s role in bringing cutting-edge modern design to the American marketplace. (October 27–December 2)
3 Vintage Garage (5051 North Broadway) It’s the garage-based market’s season finale and the city’s one-stop destination for all things vintage, retro and one-of-a-kind promises a Halloween-themed day—blow molds, witches, jack-o’-lanterns and more fright props for this year’s trick-or-treaters. (October 21, 10am-5pm, $5)
4 African American Designers in Chicago: Art, Commerce, and the Politics of Race (Chicago Cultural Center) A range of media—graphic design, illustration, cartooning, sign painting, product design—showcases how African-American designers and artists remade the image of the black consumer and help shape American advertising and consumer culture. (October 27–March 3)
5 Keep Moving: Designing Chicago’s Bicycle Culture (Design Museum of Chicago) An exhibition that looks at bicycle design and manufacturing in Chicago and explores the city’s contribution to the early popularity of bicycles in America at-large. (October 27-March 3)
Greek-born Vasia Rigou is a journalist, editor and multimedia content producer largely on the subjects of visual art, culture, architecture and design. She currently serves as an Editor at Newcity, Chicago’s leading culture publication, as Writer and Copy Editor at the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) HQ, and regularly contributes to international architecture and design magazines OnOffice and ICON. She has experience creating content for brands and building conference speeches and influential TEDx talks. Simply put: she’s fascinated by finding out the great stories behind the people, places and objects that surround us, and by sharing those stories with the world. When she’s not writing about art or looking at art—wine in hand—she makes lists for pretty much everything, drinks immense amounts of coffee and takes cross-country road trips every chance she gets.
