Top: Apparitions at GRAY Chicago; bottom: Jeff Zimmermann’s mural in Downtown Evanston
Weekend Art Walks: Summer 2025
When: Saturdays, 11:00 am, June 21 and July 19, 2025
Where: Meeting locations will be shared with registrants prior to program.
Member Price: $25 for Basic level members; FREE for all Friend, Patron, and Benefactor level members
Non-Member Price: $30
If you are a Friend, Patron, or Benefactor level member, please register by emailing info@artencounter.org.
Flexible pricing is available for anyone who inquires. Please email sarah@artencounter.org for our “pay what you can” registration form.
Join Art Encounter this summer for two expertly-guided Saturday morning tours. First, explore exhibitions at GRAY Chicago and Corbett vs. Dempsey in West Town, two of the city’s premier galleries, with Art Encounter’s Artistic Director Joanna Pinsky on June 21. Then, on July 19, meet us in Downtown Evanston for a tour of exceptional large-scale outdoor artworks from our mural program, led by the program’s co-founder and Art Encounter’s Executive Director Lea Pinsky.
Installation from Spaces for species (and pieces) by Rosa Barba
West Town Galleries, June 21, 2025, 11:00 am–1:00 pm
Beginning with Apparitions at GRAY Chicago’s immense space, we’ll delve into paintings and sculptures by world-renowned artists who have pushed the boundaries of representation over the past century. Whether invoking a spiritual realm, physical decay, or fleeting time, the artists have pursued traditional and inventive mediums to create a liminal space between what vanishes and what continues to exist. Among the 20 artists exhibited, we'll see works by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Theaster Gates, Alberto Giacometti, Susan Rothenberg, Kara Walker, Ana Mendieta, Jean Dubuffet, and Rashid Johnson.
Next, at Corbett vs. Dempsey, we’ll discuss multimedia works by Rosa Barba, an Italian artist who uses cinematic film as a basis for sculptures, installations, and performances that address a range of themes from environmental to the mythological. This futuristic artist has exhibited world-wide including a large installation at MOMA. At the same gallery, we’ll jump back in time to view works by important Chicago artists of the 1950’s and 60’s who exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center.
From left: Unfold and Repair by Sandra Mujinga; Black Figure, Leaning But Water Resistant by Theaster Gates; Pontiac by Susan Rothenberg
Mural by Max Sansing
Downtown Evanston Mural Tour, July 19, 2025, 11:00 am–12:30 pm
Want to learn more about the artists and stories behind Art Encounter's Evanston murals? Executive Director and mural program co-founder Lea Pinsky will take you on a mile-long guided walking tour of the large-scale artworks that have transformed the center of Evanston. We will look closely at pieces by Shawn Bullen, Ruben Aguirre, Jeff Zimmermann, Anthony Lewellen, Molly Z., Max Sansing, and Sholo Beverly. Hear stories about the artists, the artworks, and how the mural magic happens. We'll also share what's next for our mural program!
Before joining us on our mural tour, don’t forget to check out Evanston Made’s fourth annual Evanston Plein Air Festival by stopping by the farmer’s market to view live painting in action, beginning at 9:00 am! Visit their website for more information on this weekend-long, city-wide event.
