The Elmhurst Art Museum has announced its upcoming programming featuring a myriad of outdoor and virtual experiences that complement the Museum’s upcoming fall exhibitions, which are staged inside the Museum. Exhibitions include Wright Before the “Lloyd” open September 10, 2020 - February 14, 2021, and Art in the Post open September 10 - November 22, 2020. Additionally, an installation by Chicago-duo Luftwerk, Color Code, will be on display September 15 - November 3, 2020 outside the Museum.
Complementing these exhibitions will be a range of outdoor and virtual programming for all ages.
All public programs listed are free with Museum admission or membership unless otherwise noted. Select programs require reservations.
September 10, 2020 – February 14, 2021
Elmhurst is a unique city with a diverse and surprising array of architectural styles throughout its neighborhoods and is the only city with residences designed by both Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. This self-guided outdoor walking tour of Elmhurst’s modern architecture begins at Elmhurst Art Museum’s Wright Before the “Lloyd” exhibition and takes participants on a stroll to other architectural gems by Wright, Mies, Walter Burley Griffin, R. Harold Zook, and Dirk Lohan. Prerecorded audio insights by architect and arts educator Robert Bunda provide historic context and fun facts to complement the tour.
Free with general admission. Advance ticket purchase recommended via Museum website. Access to guided audio tour available up to five days after purchase.
Virtual Book Discussion: Something from the Oven
September 15, 2020, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
This virtual book discussion reveals the fun, lively history of the revolution in American cooking that took place in the 1950s. The book Something From the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America traces the innovations, cookbooks, products, techniques, and marketing campaigns that changed the way Americans prepared food. This book discussion, led by the museum and library, is organized in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit A Space Problem, featuring mid-century modern furniture in Mies van der Rohe’s 1952 McCormick House.
Co-presented with Elmhurst Public Library. Free but advance Zoom registration required via Museum website.
September 26 and 27, 2020, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
This socially-distanced community chalk event takes place in the parking lot shared by Elmhurst Art Museum and Elmhurst Public Library. Local artists will bring the lot to life with chalk art inspired by the architectural drawings of Frank Lloyd Wright. Guests of all ages are welcome to create their own works of art, or use Wright patterns as inspiration.
Co-presented with Elmhurst Public Library. Free to the public. Parking space reservations begin September 1 via Museum website. Limit one parking spot per group, no more than six people per group.
S.I.P. & Support the Elmhurst Art Museum
October 3, 2020, 7:00 pm
This S.I.P. (Shelter In Place) virtual fundraiser features a wine tasting, online auction, raffle, telethon with celebrity board members, and more. Participants can support Elmhurst Art Museum while enjoying the best that Napa Valley has to offer, without leaving the house! Dakota Shy winery founder Todd Newman will lead the tasting using the wine tasting kit that includes one bottle of white wine and two bottles of red wine to be delivered directly to homes prior to the event. The online auction will include a fabulous selection of artwork, wine packages, and vacation experiences.
Registration is required at www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/SIP. Event is free to participate. Wine tasting kit (three bottles) is $300. Deadline for wine kit order is September 21. Bottles will be shipped directly to attendees and 50% of proceeds benefit the Museum. Open to attendees age 21+.
Virtual Lecture: Wright’s Roots
October 14, 2020, 7:00 pm
Chicago’s cultural historian Tim Samuelson, curator of Wright Before the “Lloyd,” discusses how he conceived this exhibition using photographs and artifacts from his personal collection that depict Frank Lloyd Wright’s early work. From Wright’s early educational influences to his arrival in Chicago, Samuelson shares stories of Wright’s journey to becoming one of the world’s greatest architects of the 20th century.
$10, free for members. Registration opens September 1 via Museum website.
Virtual Exhibition Tour: Wright vs. Mies
November 11, 2020, 7:00 pm
A virtual tour through Wright Before the “Lloyd” as well as the Museum’s historic McCormick House reveals how famed architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe butted heads over design and aesthetics. When Mies was appointed director of architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology, Wright said, “But for me there would have been no Mies-certainly none here tonight,” and walked out of the room. After this, each of their followers dismissed the other: Mies disciples echoing his quote of “less is more,” while Wrights’ discredited steel and glass skyscrapers as “flat-chested architecture”.
$10, free for members Registration required via Museum website.
Family Weekend: Frank Lloyd Wright Holiday Activity
December 12 and 13, 2020
From the comfort and warmth of their own homes, families will create hot cocoa and cookies inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s interest in shapes, patterns and nature for a memorable holiday-themed activity. All materials can be picked up at the Museum’s Visitor Services desk on December 10 and 11, along with a link to a fun, instructional video. A surprise guest will take a break from his busy North Pole headquarters to send a special message to Family Weekend participants.
$10, free for members. Registration required and opens October 1 via Museum website.
Virtual Lecture: Rescue and Restoration
January 13, 2021, 7:00 pm
Chicago’s Cultural Historian Tim Samuelson, Curator of Wright Before the “Lloyd,” participates in a virtual Q&A session led by the Elmhurst Art Museum staff. From hanging upside down by his legs to joining forces with local Black Panthers to save a staircase in the Schiller Building, Samuelson shares his adventures saving important pieces of architecture that represent Frank Lloyd Wright’s early career in Chicago. Samuelson will also discuss his mission of retrieving building fragments—often damaged by fire, demolition, and decay—to restore them to their turn-of-the-century glory.
$10, free for members. Registration required via Museum website.
COVID-19 Protocol
The Museum encourages non-members to purchase tickets online in advance of visiting the Museum. Members, children, and students may check-in without an advance ticket purchase. All visitors must wear a face mask and are asked to review the Museum’s COVID-19 protocols before visiting at www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/visit/covid/.
The Museum’s galleries are open in accordance with the Restore Illinois Plan to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Current hours: Monday and Tuesday (closed), Wednesday – Sunday (12:00pm – 5:00 pm). The first Friday of every month is free. The Museum will be closed for installation August 24 – September 9, 2020.
About the McCormick House
In 1952, the renowned modern architect Mies van der Rohe designed a home for Robert Hall McCormick III, a member of Chicago’s most prominent families, and his wife, the poet Isabella Gardner. The home is a rare and important example of Mies van der Rohe’s mature style, incorporating elements of his celebrated designs for the Farnsworth House (1951) and 860-880 Lake Shore Drive (1951). The McCormick House—one of only three single-family homes designed by Mies in the United States—originally served two purposes: it was a home for the McCormick family and a prototype for a proposed group of smaller, affordable mass-produced modular homes in the western Chicago suburbs that McCormick and co-developer Herbert S. Greenwald were hoping to build. However, the cutting-edge, high-end buildings were not met with enough buyers to begin construction.
About the Elmhurst Art Museum
The Museum is located at 150 South Cottage Hill Avenue in Elmhurst (IL), 25 minutes from downtown Chicago by car or public transportation (Metra). The Museum is both an international destination for Mies van der Rohe scholars and fans and a regional center where people from Chicago and the western suburbs learn to see and think differently through the study of the art, architecture and design of our time. The Museum is one block from the Elmhurst Metra station. Admission is $15 ($12 for seniors) and free for students and children under 18.
In September 2019, the Elmhurst Art Museum released a new modern and approachable graphic identity to better highlight the organization's vision for art, education & architecture. The updated look distinguishes the unique art center as a dynamic site to inspire and enrich its community.
For more information, visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.