Chicago’s story isn’t finished—it’s being written by you.

The Chicago History Museum collaborates with local community leaders, artists, and youth to set the stage every summer for Civic Season in partnership with Made By Us. Instead of a single commemorative event on Independence Day, our programming starts Juneteenth and continues with Civic Saturdays all leading toward our final program on Independence Day. Together, we’re learning from the past to write a better future. What will your chapter add to Chicago’s story?

Join us as we explore the city’s activist history to transform your ideas into action through workshops, tours, art projects, and documentaries about today’s issues.

Included with general admission. Free Ticket Day for Illinois residents.

Schedule

10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Our 250th Wish Wall

1st Floor, Guild Gallery

Design Together: Museums as Civic Spaces

1st Floor, Guild Gallery

Questions for Civic Love: Gen Z Edition

2nd Floor, Jo Baskin Minow Lobby

Button-Making for Change

2nd Floor, Jo Baskin Minow Lobby

Designing for Change “Ask Me Volunteers”

2nd Floor, Special Exhibitions

IDEA Cart

2nd Floor, Jo Baskin Minow Lobby

2:00–3:30 p.m.

Panel Discussion | “Support as Civic Action: Lessons from Chicago’s Community Service Leaders”

• Greg Storms, Sr. Manager of Public & Community Engagement, Chicago History Museum, Moderator
• M Nelson, Manager of City Policy, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
• Luke Romesberg, PhD, Senior Director of Youth Programming, Center on Halsted

1st Floor, McCormick Theater

Presented in partnership with

The 2025 Civic Season is made possible thanks to generous support from Mars Wrigley AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate, P&G, StickerGiant, Frontline Impact Project, KIND and other supporters and collaborators.