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Expo Chicago Lucy Hewett 2025Every spring, one city reminds the art world where the conversation actually lives. This April, it’s Chicago.
EXPO CHICAGO, now in its 13th edition, returns to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall April 9–12, bringing over 130 leading international galleries from more than 30 cities across 15 countries. Under first-year director Kate Sierzputowski, the 2026 edition is leaner by design, more focused, more intentional, and built for depth over spectacle. This is a fair that wants you to look, not just attend.
The curatorial vision is unmistakable. The Focus section, titled Gathering of Waters, connects artists and galleries from the Mississippi River Basin with work from across the African, Latin American, and Caribbean diasporas. The Profile section, curated by Essence Harden, features solo booths that reward sustained attention. And the new Embodiment section — curated by Dr. Louise Bernard, Director of the Obama Presidential Center Museum offers a preview of the Center’s commissioned art and architecture ahead of its public opening this June. That alone makes this year’s edition different.
But EXPO is not just a fair. It’s a city-wide cultural moment and one worth traveling for. EXPO Art Week stretches from April 7–12, activating galleries, institutions, and neighborhoods far beyond Navy Pier. That’s where the culture lives and where our community shows up, from every zip code.
Black artists, collectors, and tastemakers are not a footnote to this moment. They are its backbone. Whether you’re based in Chicago or flying in for the week, here is everything happening that deserves a spot on your calendar.
Below, we’ve curated the essential list of art events where culture, context, and community are center stage.
Eventnoire Guide to EXPO Chicago 2026
Monday, April 6
Inheritance of Hope | Bronzeville Winery
Experience the creativity, voices, and visions of Chicago Artists as they share their inherited hope through art.
Tuesday, April 7
Expo South Side Night
The official kickoff to EXPO Art Week and a must for culturally conscious attendees. South Side Night offers a more grounded lens on Chicago’s Black creative community, spotlighting galleries, museums, and independent art spaces across Hyde Park and beyond.
TSG x Drip Collective: Fueling Resilience
A gathering for creatives, founders, and changemakers centered on the transformative power of art, culture, and community impact.
FLOURISH
A multi-day series created to uplift Black creatives through intentional support, community building, and career strategy. Think artistic development meets professional growth.
Wednesday, April 8
Kinfolk Collective Presents: The Black Pepper Dinner
An immersive evening bringing together Black artists, curators, and cultural tastemakers through visual art, music, food and storytelling with special guest Hebru Brantley.
A Taste of Art x Epochal Cognac
A refined sensory experience where visual culture meets conversation, networking, and lifestyle. A strong fit for the Eventnoire audience looking for art with atmosphere.
Thursday, April 9
EXPO CHICAGO Opening Day
Opening night at Navy Pier sets the tone for the weekend with first access to global galleries, museum-quality installations, and the city’s leading tastemakers, collectors, and curators.
Hours: Opening Night 5 PM–8 PM
Gathered VIP Collectors Tour
An intimate, guided experience for values-led collectors, centered on intentional collecting and cultural stewardship through curated gallery visits.
ARTINI
One of Chicago’s most stylish art-meets-nightlife moments of the week — where philanthropy, culture, and social energy intersect effortlessly.
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Exhibitions
A key stop during EXPO week for anyone invested in Black contemporary art and diasporic voices. Mariane Ibrahim remains one of the city’s most essential spaces for culturally fluent audiences and serious collectors alike.
Friday, April 10
Blanc Gallery: I Used To Live In Chicago
Bronzeville’s Blanc Gallery hosts this exploration of memory and cultural resilience across Chicago’s historically Black neighborhoods. It features creations by three local artists working in very different media — furniture designer Norman Teague, muralist Max Sansing and art director Steve Bravo.
Second Fridays Open Studios
A more intimate entry point into artistic process and collecting. Studio visits often create the most meaningful conversations around the work and the artist’s vision.
Art After Dark
Hosted citywide, this is one of the strongest experiences of EXPO week for the Eventnoire audience. Expect extended gallery hours, artist conversations, and a more social, nightlife-forward art experience.
Saturday, April 11
UIU EXPO CHICAGO at Navy Pier
Spend the day with UIU Chicago exploring one of the country’s leading contemporary art fairs, with galleries and artists from across the globe.
Front Room Fireside Chat + Mixer
A conversation-forward gathering designed for collectors, creatives, and culturally engaged audiences.
The Art of Blackness 2026
An art exhibition where artists showcase their interpretations of the Black experience in America and the impact of African American culture.
FORECAST at the Fourtunehouse Art Center
A standout destination for readers interested in emerging Black artists, future-facing dialogue, and independent creative spaces.
Sunday, April 12
EXPO CHICAGO Closing Day
Sunday offers the ideal opportunity for a slower, more intentional visit — less opening-night rush, more time to sit with the work, revisit standout artists, and explore collecting conversations.
Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition
Running through April 19, this remains one of Chicago’s most important platforms celebrating Black artists across generations.