Sustaining Fellows are invited to a number of diverse programs and special events designed to educate and inform members about all aspects of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Highlights include:

Exhibition Openings and Private Viewings
These special preview receptions allow guests to hear a brief lecture by one of the exhibition’s organizing curators. Attendees view the show in a more intimate setting or during an exclusive opening celebration.

Curatorial Overviews
Following a breakfast, luncheon, or afternoon tea, these lecture programs highlight a current exhibition, museum collection, or special project and include a gallery walk led by a curator, artist, or exhibition lender.

A. James Speyer Contemporary Art Lecture and Dinner
This annual lecture, featuring a distinguished contemporary artist whose work is represented in the museum’s collection, honors the memory of A. James Speyer, curator of the department of 20th-Century Painting and Sculpture from 1961 to 1986. In recent years, participating artists have included Vija Celmins, Anish Kapoor, Brice Marden, Charles Ray, and Robert Ryman.

Art Walks and Field Trips
Art walks and field trips provide Sustaining Fellows with exclusive opportunities to view private and corporate art collections and other experiences of cultural interest at colleague institutions throughout the city.

_{David Hockney. American Collectors, 1968. Restricted gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic G. Pick.}