Part II: A Guide to Exploring Chicago’s Black-Aligned Culture and Art Spaces

Chicago’s cultural landscape is enriched by institutions that, while not Black-owned, have made enduring commitments to uplifting African American culture. These organizations serve as vital platforms for Black artists, historians, and communities, fostering spaces where stories are told, histories are preserved, and futures are imagined. This guide highlights some of these key institutions, each playing a unique role in supporting and celebrating Black culture in Chicago.

Whether you're a local looking to deepen your cultural roots or a visitor wanting to engage meaningfully with the city, these venues offer powerful and enriching experiences that align with the spirit and strength of Black Chicago.

Logan Center for the Arts

Located on the University of Chicago campus, the Logan Center for the Arts is a dynamic cultural hub. It regularly collaborates with Black artists and local organizations, including its support of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, which preserves and promotes Chicago’s Black dance traditions. With concerts, exhibitions, and educational programs that center Black creativity, the Logan Center provides a space where art meets advocacy.

Museum of Science and Industry – Black Creativity Program

Launched in 1970, the Black Creativity initiative at the Museum of Science and Industry is one of the longest-running museum programs honoring Black innovators. The annual Juried Art Exhibition showcases the work of emerging and established Black artists, while youth-focused STEM programs like the Innovation Studio encourage young Black minds to dream, invent, and lead.

UIC African-American Cultural Center

Bridging academia and community, the African-American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago fosters engagement through exhibitions, talks, and events that explore Black history, identity, and diasporic experiences. Its mission is rooted in both scholarship and celebration—making it a space for connection, learning, and expression.

Stony Island Arts Bank

Housed in a repurposed South Side bank building, the Stony Island Arts Bank—a project of artist Theaster Gates’ Rebuild Foundation—is a treasure trove of Black cultural artifacts. From the Johnson Publishing archives to DJ Frankie Knuckles’ vinyl collection and Edward J. Williams’ assemblage of racist memorabilia, the Arts Bank is both a memorial and a space of transformation. Visitors are invited to engage with history, reckon with its weight, and reimagine its legacy.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre is known for pushing boundaries in American theater. Through its Education and Engagement programs, it actively involves Chicago’s youth and communities in the arts. These efforts prioritize equity, encourage dialogue, and open doors for underrepresented voices, helping the next generation of artists shape the city’s creative future.

Goodman Theatre

As one of the oldest nonprofit theaters in Chicago, Goodman Theatre has a history of producing groundbreaking work and fostering diversity. With a strong slate of community programming and educational opportunities, it creates space for new stories and perspectives—many of them centered around Black identity, resilience, and joy.

Chicago History Museum

This storied museum does more than catalog the past—it invites you to experience it. Through exhibitions and public events, the Chicago History Museum highlights pivotal moments in Black Chicago history. From the Great Migration to the Civil Rights era, it brings forward the voices and movements that have shaped the city.

Hyde Park Art Center

An incubator for contemporary art and emerging talent, the Hyde Park Art Center is deeply committed to accessibility and inclusion. Through exhibitions, studio classes, and public events, it elevates diverse artistic voices and offers a welcoming space where creativity can flourish, particularly for artists and audiences from Chicago’s South Side.

Why These Venues Matter

These cultural institutions demonstrate that true community engagement goes beyond representation, what’s also important is partnership and respect. These venues do a great job of creating stages for expression, offer tools for education, and honor the past while pushing for a more inclusive future.

Exploring the venues on this list allows your family to appreciate art and history, while also witnessing a city that continues to rise on the strength of its Black cultural foundation.

What's Next?

If you missed Part One of this series, where we spotlighted Black-owned art spaces and cultural hubs across the city, click here to check it out. Then, plan your spring and summer weekends visiting these venues, supporting their work, and sharing their stories. Culture is meant to be lived, and in Chicago, culture keeps us alive.

Aligned with Black Arts and Culture:

1. Logan Center for the Arts – University of Chicago
   
   
2. Museum of Science and Industry – Black Creativity Program
   
   
3. UIC African-American Cultural Center
   
   
4. Stony Island Arts Bank – Rebuild Foundation
   
   
5. Steppenwolf Theatre
   
   
6. Goodman Theatre
   
   
7. Chicago History Museum
   
   
8. Hyde Park Art Center