Ways to Connect This Winter

The interior of an elaborate crèche features densely arranged figures on a set that evokes both a Italian city and ancient ruins. At top center is a Nativity scene, with angels circling overhead. Figures in 18th-century European dress surround them, completing daily chores, dancing, and eating.

#1 Cozy up to the Crèche

Our spectacular Neapolitan crèche is back on view this holiday season! Juxtaposing the miraculous with everyday life, the crèche tells the story of Christ’s birth using more than 200 painted terracotta figures staged in an elaborate environment inspired by 18th-century Naples. Engage in slow looking with friends and family and see what you can discover—through January 6 in Gallery 203.

#2 Put Pencil to Paper

Join Interpretation staff members Nancy Chen and Molly Bryson for a creative writing program inspired by Paula Modersohn-Becker: I Am Me on December 6 at 2:00, focusing on some of Modersohn-Becker’s most pressing subjects—motherhood, nature, community, and identity.
#3 Explore the Diaspora

Continuing through winter and into spring, a constellation of exhibitions and events at the Art Institute and across our city explore ideas around freedom, solidarity, and place from artists throughout Africa and the African diaspora.
#4 Let the Music Move You

Enhance your art experience with joyful song. On December 5 from 6:00 to 7:30, delight in the music of choral ensembles from Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir) as they perform in selected galleries.

A squat, round wooden basket in shades of natural Ash wood, neon green, and black. The green wood is woven in such as way as to create intricate V-shaped spiny protrusions.

#5 Find Inspiration After Hours

Luminary are invited to a private viewing of Jeremy Frey: Woven on December 11 at 6:00 featuring an introduction by curator Andrew Hamilton and a reception with light hors d’oeuvres. Explore more than 50 pieces charting Frey’s development as an artist and the way he has transformed the time-honored art form of traditional Passamaquoddy basket weaving. Special invitation to this Luminary event is extended to members at the Member Roundtable and Member Circle levels. Advance registration is required.

Photo of three teenagers sitting at a table and making crafts using needles and yarn. The young woman at center laughs with a broad smile.

#6 Grab a Mug & Get Crafting

Families and visitors of all ages are invited to sip hot chocolate and celebrate the season with a surprise craft activity designed and led by the Art Institute of Chicago Teen Council. Drop in to Studio A of the Ryan Learning Center December 26–30 anytime between 11:00 and 3:00.

A color print features an enormous, highly animated wave with white peaks rising at left, poised to crash down at right. Beneath it is a long rowboat, and in the distance at right is a cone-shaped mountain, Mount Fuji.

#10 Catch the Wave

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to view an icon of the collection, back on view for a limited time. Like all prints, The Great Wave is susceptible to light damage and must rest a minimum of five years between showings to preserve its colors and vibrance. Find it in the museum’s Andō Gallery (109) through January 6—and explore 10+ things to know about this famous work.

Images: Installation view of Pablo Picasso’s Mother and Child, 1921. Purchased with funds provided by Maymar Corporation, Mrs. Maurice L. Rothschild, and Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey McCormick; Mary and Leigh Block Fund; Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment; through prior gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin E. Hokin. © 2024 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Crèche, mid-18th century. Naples. Restricted gifts of Mr. and Mrs. James N. Bay and Linda and Vincent Buonanno and Family; Eloise W. Martin Legacy Fund; restricted gifts of Ruth Ann Gillis and Michael McGuinnis and Mrs. Robert O. Levitt; Charles H. and Mary F. Worcester Collection Fund; Paula Modersohn-Becker. Self-Portrait with Blue Glass (detail), about 1902. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, acquired in 1968, formerly Hugo Borst Collection. © Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen; Chris Ofili. Union Black, 2003. Collection of Chris Ofilii; Uniting Voices Chicago; Jeremy Frey. Green Point Urchin, 2022. Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Ari and Lea Plosker. © Jeremy Frey. Photography by Eric Stoner; Armor for Man and Horse, about 1520 with modern costume. South German, Nuremberg. George F. Harding Collection; Installation view of Gold Crown and Pendants from Seobongchong Tomb, Three Kingdoms period, Silla Kingdom (57 BCE–676 CE), 5th century. Treasure designated by the Korean government. © National Museum of Korea; Katsushika Hokusai. Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave (detail), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei), about 1830–33. Clarence Buckingham Collection.