The View is Amazing…read more Which Ever Way you come at "NORRIS UNIVERSITY CENTER" (foot, car, campus shuttle, or strong willed) You Shall and Have to Ascend. So When you arrive in "NORRIS UNIVERSITY CENTER" you have already climbed to get there. The view of Lake Michigan is Amazing from "NORRIS UNIVERSITY CENTER"

Landmark Review: Best student center in the country IMHO! I…read morerecently went back to my alma mater and had some extra time to burn before attending an art show. The comfy couch and public computer labs remain on the second floor. Now they have free US world and Chicago tribune newspaper to read while you wait. Situated along this area is a large starbucks which is ready to fill your caffeine needs. If you are hungry just head on downstairs for the food court with pizza, sushi, crepes, and smoothies. You can't go wrong! Also in the basement is a arcade center and other activities to keep you busy. Be sure to stop by the bookstore to pick up some wild cat gear before leaving! Pro: great amenities, staff is friendly Cons: none Hidden gem: 1. Free newspapers 2. WIFI available if you have a NU account 3. Free computer use upstairs

Had a good time at this art museum and gallery. It certainly is a way to know about a local artist…read morewho had a big impact. The Ed Paschke Art Center is the biggest collection of his work. Also it's free. There's a lot of permanent collections, and you can find exhibits by other local artists who come here for training. A few things about him. In 1939 he was born on the North Side. There was early influence by his father who made Disney animation and sketches among other things. After graduating from The School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago, he got a travel scholarship to Mexico. There he was influenced by the art colors and patterns. He was in the army, making drawings for weapons manuals. Then he started making collages using images from newspapers. He would enlarge and reproduce these using oil on canvas. Then getting his MFA at SAIC, he was influenced by the first museum exhibition held by Andy Warhol. He was getting popular as an artist. Then he also began teaching classes at several universities. Often he would invite students over to his studio, and tell them to grab a brush and start painting on a canvas. The Art Institute Of Chicago had a traveling career retrospective in 1989 that was one of his career highlights. In 2004 he passed away. The city honored him by naming a street after him. A few years later this art center was created by his children and the Rabb Family Foundation. This opened in 2014 and increased the awareness of his work and life. Admission is free. This is because of their commitment to accessibility to the public. In the permanent collection is the Howard Street Studio installation. This reimagines his art studio with unfinished art works, source material, and souvenirs. Basically it's like giving you an idea of how he made art. One can get a sense of his painting techniques, like how he used sponges to get the color and volume. A lot of other stuff in the permanent collection. Vaca Victoria was a part of the 1999 public art project "Cows On Parade." It was one of hundreds of fiberglass cows created by Chicago artists. This used to be on Superior in River North. It was only there a few days. There was controversy about some local gang symbols. It has a head painted like the Bulls logo. The six stars represent the NBA Championship wins. Also there's stuff by other local artists. This has a residency program where they can learn. Getting here is pretty easy without a car. It's located on Higgins by Milwaukee Avenue and the Jefferson Park Metra station. This is easy to get to with public transportation.

I'd love to see more of his exhibits or his artworks. I was awestruck when I come across his art…read moreexhibits at art institute I begged my dad to take me there when I was in high school. There I met Ed Paschke after I grabbed bought art book about him, got his autograph. I treasure this art book with his signature when I greeted him politely and told him my name. ( I wrote it down on note because I'm deaf and too shy to talk. Thank you Ed Paschke. May your colorful spirit in arts live on! I hope or wish to have one of your masterpieces. They are so beautiful and vibrant! I'll post pic once I find my art book.

Chicago land exhibit- while in Evanston, I was able to visit the Block Museum twice ! They had a…read morevery interesting exhibit focused on the American Indians and their art !! They had some amazing pieces. Some from natural sweetgrass, lots of paintings and lots of basket weaving techniques!! Great installation and totally free and sponsored by Northwestern university . Totally ten star experience!! Highly recommended !!

I've been a Northwestern alum for nearly 10 years, and I have never donated to the university (even…read morethough I work there, because hi, I'm still paying off student loans from my graduate degree). That said, I did decide to donate this year, mainly because I really wanted the cute Arch jigsaw puzzle, and I designated my donation gift to go to the Block Museum. This place is a hidden gem. I am OBSESSED with William Blake...like, I own his entire poetry collection and two coffee table art books (one of which is from the current Block exhibit -- Age of Aquarius -- that I had to buy after visiting). The current exhibit is freaking brilliant. It's so well done, amazingly curated and organized, and is really ingenious. I admittedly don't know much about art (I'm kicking myself now for never taking an art history class during my time at NU), but I've been to The Block several times over the years working there, and I'm ashamed I never went as an undergrad. Plus, hello, it's free. Always. Super happy to support them and cannot wait for their next exhibits. In the meantime, I have a hot date with Blake at least 2-3 times more before it closes, including some of the fun special events they have planned in collaboration with other parts of the university and members of the Chicago community.

We love going to Art at the Glen in Glenview!  It's a free art fair along Tower Drive at the Glen…read morein Glenview.  It is always a pleasure to leisurely looking at (and looking for) the artwork in so many categories!  The fair is a good size, there are more than 140 artists in the 2-day event this year on July 29 and 30.  There is also the "Kids Art Stop" this year, that encourages kids to participate in art.  We also enjoy looking at the dogs that come with their humans to the art fair, and sometimes get to socialize with them!   Other than food in the art fair, there are many local restaurants and eateries at the Glen to enjoy before and after the fair as well! There are plenty of free parking along the streets and parking lots that offer free parking to fair-goers are very close by.

WOW. wow. wow. wow…read more Four hours today and it still wasn't enough. I plan on going back tomorrow or Monday. I loved everything about Art Chicago. The art (duh.), the people, the fashion. People from everywhere in the world speaking all different kinds of languages... all there to buy and look at art. The NEXT floor was like one giant fashion show. I had as much fun looking at the people as I did looking at the art. Most of the gallery staff were friendly and would engage in conversation with my friend and me... even though we obviously would not be buying anything. Spending the day here reminded me of being at the Tate Modern in London... which I visited three times in the month I was there. Such a great vibe. I can't wait to go back... and... I wish there was something permanent like this in Chicago.

Art Chicago for 2009 is housed in the Merchandise Mart, though events are occurring throughout the…read morecity. This annual international fair of contemporary and modern art, brings together the world's leading emerging and established art galleries. Art Chicago offers curators, collectors, artists and art enthusiasts a comprehensive survey of current and historic work, from cutting edge to modern masters in a wide variety of media including: painting, photography, drawings, prints, sculpture, video and special installations. Now that I've got the official information over lets get down to brass tacks............. As a fine art photographer myself I was thrilled to be able to attend an Opening preview of this 4 day event last night. If you've never been on an upper floor of the Merchandise mart, you'll be shocked at the shear size of this building. It took me 2 hours to cover just one and a half floors on this building............and I was moving pretty quickly seeking primarily just photographic artist. Keep in mind these floors house not 1, not 2, but 3 cafes they are so big and over 18 elevators per floor. The 12th floor housed the primary galleries where collectors were looking at the hottest artist in the America and the world today. I was amazed at the artists I saw in this space and who were some of the best fine art photographers in the world. Artist like Michael Wolfe; Fred Korth; Wayne Miller who did some incredible imagery of the lives of average blacks living in the Southside of Chicago in the 40s; Luis Gonzalez Palma; Walker Evans; Alec Soth; and Achim Lippoth just to name a few. But there were painters that also inspired me.......Yigai Ozeri is a painter that does such a good job with oils that his paintings look like photographs!!! But I want to be clear about art in America......it is run, managed, directed, and facilitated by the very wealthy and very powerful and no where was that more evident than last night. There were many people there looking to buy or promote art and when pieces are going in 5 and 6 digit prices and they range in the thousands, this is the Super Bowl of art collecting at its best. Art, particularly in such economic times is a luxury and usually only a luxury the rich can afford. The crowd was no less than the most eclectic group of folks assembled in one place that I have ever seen and fashion statements abound. The event will cover the first 4 days in the month of May and involves just about every type of art venue in the city. If you get a chance you should definite check this out.

My daughter and I saw a play here that we really enjoyed and it encouraged me to get on their…read moremailing list and follow them on social media to learn about future events. But what impressed me yesterday was that my cousin passed away and the venue where my family planned to have his celebration was booked for the date we wanted. His sister called around and learned that Noyes Cultural Center rents space for special events. We got a room that was perfect for our event. We were able to bring food, music and a slideshow and the staff there were very helpful. They have a small (metered) parking lot adjacent to the entrance and additional street parking nearby, plus a park on the side of the building. They have art classes, the theater, and a lot of other offerings that we weren't aware of, making this center even more impressive.

Sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone. We bought tickets to Circus in Progress (part of…read morethe Actor's Gymnasium) and found ourselves in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for the very intimate and impressive show. What we first noticed was the large space. The building is obviously older and has the wide halls and high ceilings you can only get in an older building like this. Upstairs there is an open art gallery which we enjoyed checking out before the show. It would actually be a cool place to host a party or two there as well. There is a small parking lot. I mean tiny considering how many people can be there. But it's literally a jump off of the L and you are there. And there is public parking just a block away. Classes abound in this local arts community. There were tons of flyers, brochures and post cards for upcoming shows, classes (for ALL ages), productions and art shows. Noyes Cultural Arts Center is located in Nothern Evanston and houses a number of art-related organizations, including The Actors Gymnasium, Evanston Children's Choir, Piven Theatre Workshop, Arlen Music / Ken Arlen Orchestra, Art Encounter, Evanston Art Center and the Next Theatre Company. Next time you're in the area, take a peek inside. Or check out what's playing. Tickets are ridiculously cheap and the production we saw was a lot of fun.

Beautiful venue with friendly staff! Parking here is super easy and I enjoyed reading up on the…read moreexciting programs that the offer. Their educational programs are ideal for adults of all ages.

Although I'm not yet a senior, I find myself frequently taking advantage of many of Patty Turner…read moreSenior Center's amenities. I live in the neighboring condominium community, and Patty Turner frequently hosts our monthly board meetings. As well, many local city meetings will convene here when the Deerfield Library is overbooked. On occasion, several city and county sponsored day trips will board here. The Patty Turner building also houses the toilet and drinking fountain facilities for Brickyards Park during the spring and summer seasons, where many festivities are hosted (particularly the 4th of July). The Patty Turner Center features plenty of parking, including more than average handicapped parking spots right near the building. The inside of the building is spacious, with many places to sit and offering many amenities to area seniors. Their meeting rooms are also very spacious, offering lots of comfortable seating, and are lovingly decorated. The indoor facilities are all ADA-compliant handicap accessible, and well-maintained. Every area is well lit; most featuring room-wide windows and skylights for natural lighting in the daytime. It's quite apparent Deerfield cares very much for its seniors, based on how much care the Deerfield Park District puts into the Patty Turner Center. I think it's one of the top community features of the whole town.

A fine addition to the Ravinia Business District, the Gallery is worth a visit to view or purchase…read moresome of the best Judaica items around.