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King Day Festival: Long Journey into Freedom

Special Event

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  • Free, no registration required

    All ages

Atf 3553

Drop in 10:30–3:00

Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on this special day. Visit the exhibition Night Coming Tenderly, Black featuring photographs by Chicago artist Dawoud Bey. Take a journey through the museum and explore the idea of freedom through creative art making and collaborative activities with artists, musicians, poets, teens, and families from across Chicago.

Our King Day Festival is free to all, and Illinois residents receive free museum admission during this event as part of Free Winter Weekdays 

Activities in the Ryan Learning Center


Night Comes On Gently—THE FAMILY ROOM

Explore silhouettes and shadows while drawing on black paper.


Give and Take—INTERACTIVE GALLERY 

Make a drawing or sculpture and leave it for someone else, take a work of art made by another visitor, or contribute to a collective assemblage.


Mixed-Media Collage—CLASSROOM 5 

Layer textured papers together to create collaged portraits of power.


The Little Studio—CLASSROOMS 3 AND 4 

(AGES 5 AND UNDER)

Fairness and friendship, diversity and dreams—our youngest festivalgoers explore big concepts through sensory–rich experiences and art making.


Darkness and Light—STUDIO B 

Create a mixed-media artwork combining drawing and collage in response to Dr. King’s words. 


Dreaming the Future—STUDIO A 

Learn about the journey of Dr. King and create your own “journey book” by mapping places you have been and would like to go.


ACTIVITIES IN THE MUSEUM GALLERIES

Performance: Reborn Poetry Ensemble—GRIFFIN COURT

12:15 AND 1:15 (30 MINUTES)

Artists ages 9–14 from the award–winning poetry slam team perform original work in tribute to Dr. King and inspired by the photography of Dawoud Bey.


Collaborative Project: Folded Map—GRIFFIN COURT

Englewood photographer and activist Tonika Johnson invites visitors to think about the qualities of the spaces where they live. Learn about her Folded Map project; then create your own family portrait and add it to an oversized map of Chicago.


Express Talk: Connecting Past and Present—MEET IN GRIFFIN COURT

ADULTS AND CHILDREN AGES 12 AND UP

12:00 AND 2:00 (30 MINUTES)

Visit two artworks that speak across culture or time to illuminate themes of creativity, place, and power.


Interactive Performance: Sonic Tops—CHICAGO GALLERY

11:00–2:30

Drop in to enjoy sound and movement performances with composer and musician Douglas Ewart on sonic tops, flute, didjeridu, voice, and other instruments. Choreographer and dancer Nicole “Nikki” Nolan and percussionist Coco Elysses join in. Between sessions, you can learn to spin the tops, too!


Picture Book Reading—GALLERY 144

AGES 7 AND UNDER

12:00 (20 MINUTES) That Is My Dream! by Langston Hughes and Daniel Miyares

1:30 (20 MINUTES) Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold


Darkness and Light—GALLERY 100

Create a mixed-media artwork combining drawing and collage in response to Dr. King’s words.


Art and Identity: Freedom in Being

Galleries 263, 289, 293, 295

Explore ideas of identity and freedom as you experience the collection and make art in conversation with young people from the Art Institute’s Teen Council, Teen Lab, and Marwen Internship.



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