The River West arts high school says it needs about $500,000 to keep operating after its lease wasn’t renewed. Students continue rehearsing and performing as leaders launch an urgent appeal.

A century-old factory on Chicago’s West Side has been reborn as BandWith Chicago’s permanent home, bringing rehearsal rooms, a recording studio and community programs to East Garfield Park.

TimeLine Theatre lit its new vertical marquee at 5035 N. Broadway, kicking off preview events and a weekend of public tours ahead of a May grand opening.

Chicago250 bundles concerts, library programs and festivals across June and July, anchored by CSO concerts at Symphony Center and a June 7 American Writers Festival.

Chicago’s Hideout has a new owner. The sale raises questions about whether the tiny Wabansia music room will keep its longtime booking style and neighborhood role.

Madeleine Grynsztejn will step down as Pritzker director of the MCA at the end of the year. Trustees will begin an international search while 2026 programming continues.

Chicago Humanities Festival's Spring 2026 calendar runs March 24–June 28 with headline talks across Lakeview, Bridgeport and Evanston, featuring Veronica Roth and Michael Pollan.

Aurora is weighing a plan to convert the vacant Stolp Island post office at 18 W. Benton St. into an arts center; formal public outreach is slated for April 2026.

Anne Frank The Exhibition opens May 1 at Chicago’s Griffin Museum with a recreated Secret Annex, 130+ original artifacts, and free school visits.

DePaul University will close the DePaul Art Museum on June 30, 2026, citing budget pressures and enrollment declines. The museum's collection and spring exhibitions face an uncertain fate.

Back taxes cleared and a receivership lifted for Chicago’s Portage Theater, pushing the landmark closer to reopening while engineering reports and permits are reviewed.

Michaels asked a court to declare it didn’t infringe the work of Chicago muralist Jordan Nickel after he objected to an image used in an Ironlak spray‑paint ad.

David Byrne’s immersive Theater of the Mind opens March 11 in the Reid Murdoch Building with 16‑person, 75‑minute sensory journeys.