Partner Event | Design as Activism Symposium
2024-09-13 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
As calls for racial justice, climate action, and gender equity grow louder and more urgent, designers, activists, and makers ask: How can we challenge social inequities and systemic oppression in order to activate a better tomorrow?
In partnership with the Chicago History Museum, the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is offering a two-day, public Design as Activism Symposium convening design leaders and community organizers in Chicago to explore community-led design approaches that bring about positive impact and to consider the evolving partnership between design as activism.
In addition to virtual presentations and other pop-up events throughout Chicago, on Friday, September 13, the Museum is hosting two workshops and several tours of our newest exhibition, Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s.
Free and open to the public until full. Registration required for workshops. Public tours of Designing for Change meet at the gallery entrance on the 2nd floor.
Schedule
10:00–11:15 a.m. – Healing Justice Workshop
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. – Tour of Designing for Change exhibition
1:00–2:00 p.m. – Tour of Designing for Change exhibition
1:00–3:00 p.m. – Intro to Craftivism Workshop with Shannon Downey of Badass Cross Stitch
3:00–4:00 p.m. – Tour of Designing for Change exhibition
Please visit the Design as Activism Symposium website for more information or to register for workshops and virtual online sessions.
This event is supported by the Terra Foundation as part of its Art Design Chicago.

SOLD OUT! Partner Event | Screening of The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat
2025-01-12 14:00 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Presented in partnership with Chicago Sinfonietta, join us for a FREE screening of The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, complete with Q&A with author and Chicago Sinfonietta cellist Edward Kelsey Moore, and performance by the Chicago Sinfonietta’s String Quartet.
A literary and musical masterpiece, this heartwarming film is based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s NYT best-selling novel with an award-winning soundtrack composed by Kathryn Bostic, former Artist-in-Residence for the Chicago Sinfonietta. The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat follows lifelong best friends Odette (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), Barbara Jean (Sanaa Lathan), and Clarice (Uzo Aduba) known as “The Supremes,” who share the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood from decades of weathering life’s storms. Through the joys and sorrows of life, marriage and children, happiness and blues, love and loss, new shades of heartbreak and illness threaten to stir up the past when the trio sees their bond put to the test as they face their most challenging times yet.
Free; RSVP required.

Teacher Workshop | Teaching the Legacy of Emmett Till
2025-01-14 09:30 - 15:30 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States

Virtual Urban History Seminar | “Spiritual Criminals”
2025-01-16 19:00 - 20:15 | Zoom, from anywhere
The Urban History Seminar series feature a scholarly presentation followed by lively discussion. Michelle Nickerson, Professor of History at Loyola University Chicago, presents “Spiritual Criminals: How the Camden 28 Put the Vietnam War on Trial.”
Nickerson shares the story of the Camden 28, offering a multilayered portrait of a passionate group of progressive priests, nuns, and devout Catholics who raided a draft board during the Vietnam War, challenging the nation’s military-industrial complex.
The Zoom session will open at 6:45 p.m. with the program starting at 7:00 p.m. and concluding by 8:15 p.m. RSVP is required.
This session is free of charge; we would greatly appreciate a donation to the Museum in any amount. A Zoom link will be provided after registration.
The Urban History Seminars have been generously underwritten by the Chicago History Museum since 1983.

Family Event | Martin Luther King Jr. Day
2025-01-20 10:00 - 16:00 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
At this family-focused celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ongoing influence on the fight for civil rights in the US, enjoy hands-on engagements, musical performances, and opportunities to learn about how to become more civically engaged in your community.
Schedule
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Arts and Crafts for Social Change
2nd Floor, Morse Genius Chicago Room
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Questions for Civic Love
2nd Floor, East Lobby
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Freedom Song Sing Along
With Lenny Marsh and Friends
2nd Floor, Morse Genius Chicago Room
12:00–2:00 p.m.
Poems While You Wait
2nd Floor, Exelon Wing
Behind the L car in Chicago: Crossroads of America exhibition
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Superhero Workshop
With Nikkolas Smith
2nd Floor, Morse Genius Chicago Room
3:00–4:00 p.m.
Film Screening
Mighty Times: The Children’s March
1st Floor, Robert R. McCormick Theater

Public Gallery Tour | Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective
2025-01-21 13:00 - 13:50, 2025-01-23 13:00 - 13:50, 2025-01-29 14:00 - 14:50, 2025-01-30 13:00 - 13:50 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Looking for a good place to start your museum visit? Join a knowledgeable volunteer guide for a tour of our exhibition, Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective. No matter your historical knowledge, it’s a fantastic opportunity to experience this fascinating exhibit and learn in a group setting.

Public Gallery Tour | Chicago: Crossroads of America
2025-01-22 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-01-24 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-25 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-01-28 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-29 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-01-31 12:00 - 13:00 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Looking for a good place to start your museum visit? Join a knowledgeable volunteer guide for a tour of our permanent exhibition, Chicago: Crossroads of America. No matter your historical knowledge, it’s a fantastic opportunity to experience this fascinating exhibit and learn in a group setting.

SOLD OUT! Historical Alliance & All Star Member Stacks Tour
2025-01-22 18:00 - 19:15 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Historical Alliance supporters and All Star members are invited to join CHM technical services librarian Brigid Crawley for a tour of the Abakanowicz Research Center’s stacks. After the tour, a small sample of our collections items will be on display for an exclusive, one-night-only viewing.
This behind-the-scenes experience will be on-site at the Abakanowicz Research Center (ARC). Please note that masks are required in the ARC. If you do not bring your own mask, one will be provided for you upon your arrival.
RSVP required; spots limited due to space restrictions.

Public Gallery Tour | Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s
2025-01-23 12:00 - 12:50, 2025-01-24 13:00 - 13:50, 2025-01-24 14:00 - 14:50, 2025-01-29 12:00 - 12:50, 2025-01-30 14:00 - 14:50, 2025-01-31 14:00 - 14:50 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Looking for a good place to start your museum visit? Join a knowledgeable volunteer guide for a tour of our exhibition, Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s. No matter your historical knowledge, it’s a fantastic opportunity to experience this fascinating exhibit and learn in a group setting.

Public Gallery Tour | City on Fire: Chicago 1871
2025-01-23 14:00 - 14:50, 2025-01-25 11:00 - 11:50, 2025-01-26 13:00 - 13:50 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Looking for a good place to start your museum visit? Join a knowledgeable volunteer guide for a tour of our exhibition, City on Fire: Chicago 1871. No matter your historical knowledge, it’s a fantastic opportunity to experience this fascinating exhibit and learn in a group setting.

The Guild Presents | The Watergate Girl with Jill Wine-Banks
2025-01-26 11:30 - 14:00 | Saddle & Cycle Club, 900 W. Foster Ave., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
At the crossroads of the Watergate scandal and the women’s movement stood a young lawyer, barely thirty years old and the only woman on the team that prosecuted the highest-ranking White House officials. Called “the mini-skirted lawyer” by the press, she fought to receive the respect accorded her male counterparts―and prevailed.
Over brunch, Jill Wine-Banks takes us inside her trial by fire as a Watergate prosecutor as she discusses her book The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President (2020).
$90 per ticket. Dress Code: Please note that the Saddle & Cycle Club requires smart casual or business attire. Denim and jeans are not permitted. Learn more on the club’s website.
Questions? Contact Nell McKeown, development events manager, at mckeown@chicagohistory.org or (312) 799-2112.

Partner Event | Women Shaping Democracy: An Evening with Emily Amick
2025-01-27 18:30 - 20:00 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States

Partner Event | Breaking It Down: A History of Breakdance (Breaking) in Chicago
2025-01-29 17:30 - 20:00 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Breaking has always been a staple in Chicago’s hip-hop culture. This panel event presented in partnership with Chicago Dance History Project and NEXUS Performing Arts explores Chicago’s history of breaking and why it’s integral to the city’s culture, ascending from the underground scene to the world’s stage during the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris. Daniel “BRAVEMONK” Haywood will moderate panel talks featuring:

Donnie “Crumbs” Counts
Eddie “Shellz” Shellman
Anthony “YNOT” Denaro
Eric “B-Boy Wicked” Delgado

Topics include: How did Chicago communities influence and enhance breaking? Is breaking a sport or an art form? How did Chicago’s political history impact breaking?
Hear from panelists as they discuss their experience as breakers in the Chicago community as well as breaking’s presence in pop culture and the media. The panel discussion will be followed by an optional dance workshop, led by Donnie “Crumbs” Counts and Anthony “YNOT” Denaro. The optional post-discussion workshop is $15 per person, payable via cash or Zelle at the door.
This event is the first of a three-part series on the history of breaking:
Breaking Barriers: B Girls in Chicago
Thursday, March 6, 5:30–8:30 p.m. (reception, panel discussion, and workshop)
Breaking Ground: Exploring Space for Breaking in Chicago
Tuesday, May 13, 5:30–8:30 PM (reception, panel discussion, and workshop)
Free; RSVP required.

Member Event | Designing for Change Button Workshop with Juarez Hawkins
2025-01-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Members are invited to a lecture and button-making workshop led by Chicago-based artist, educator, and curator Juarez Hawkins. Inspired by buttons featured in Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s, design your own button as you learn more about the role of buttons in the social movements of this period.
Free; RSVP required

Thank you to our Designing for Change sponsors

Terra Foundation for American Art – Lead Sponsor
Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.
Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s is funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Illinois Office of Tourism – Lead Sponsor

TAWANI Foundation – Presenting Sponsor

National Endowment for the Arts – Presenting Sponsor
Established in part by the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, the Exhibition Innovation Fund has provided additional funding for Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s.

POSTPONED - Member Event | Sanborn Map Workshop
2025-02-12 18:00 - 19:30 | Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Due to inclement weather on February 12, this event has been postponed. We will reach out to those registered directly.
CHM members are invited to join director of Research and Access Ellen Keith and reference librarian Maggie Cusick of the Abakanowicz Research Center (ARC) on an exploration of the past using CHM’s Sanborn Fire Insurance maps.
Please note that there are limited spots available for this event due to space restrictions in the ARC. We highly encourage that you register only if you are available on the evening of the event.
This event is on-site at the Abakanowicz Research Center, where we require visitors to wear masks. If you do not bring your own mask, one will be provided for you.
Free, RSVP required. Limited spots per workshop.
