Five Smaller Museums You May Have Missed
I don't know about you, but the muggy heat and gloomy weather in Chicago is getting to me these days. I'd rather spend my days in air-conditioned comfort. Fortunately, Chicago is a mecca of culture. That's why I recommend some of this area's many low-key museums for weeks like this...
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
3001 Central St. Evanston
If you're interested in the history and culture of North American Native peoples, definitely make a stop here. This well-organized museum's collection begins in the Paleo-Indian period and goes on right through the present day. The permanent exhibitions showcase Native American cultures all over the continent. Each gallery also includes a touch table so visitors can touch Indian artifacts and materials used by Native Americans. You'll be able to see traditional and contemporary dolls, beadwork, baskets, weavings, Kachinas, prints and carvings from different tribes and eras. Every Saturday at 10:30 the museum sponsors a kids' crafts sessions. Starting in late September the temporary exhibits will be: "Stories in Stone" and the photographic "Rosebud Sioux: A Lakota People in Transition." Go to www.mitchellmuseum.org for more information.
The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
1155 East 58th Street, Chicago
This research organization and museum is dedicated to the study of the ancient Near East. It has permanent galleries devoted to artifacts, photographs, excavation records and other items from ancient Egypt, Nubia, Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia and the ancient site of Megiddo. Its current exhibition is "Daily Life Ornamented: The Medieval Persian City of Rayy," which showcases the 12th to 14th century artistic traditions of an Islamic City which once sat where Tehran is now. It was renowned for glazed ceramics and for being a trade crossroads. Upcoming in November is "European Cartographers and the Ottoman World 1500-1750: Maps from the Collection of O.J. Sopranos" (part of the Festival of Maps Chicago celebration). The museum also hosts free films every Sunday, plus family programs and other events throughout the year. It is open Tuesdays through Sundays and a suggested donation is $5 for adults and $2 for kids under 12. For more information, go to oi.uchicago.edu.
Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University
40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston
The permanent collection here includes prints and drawings by European artists from printmaking's inception. You can see works from Parmigianino, Dürer and Rembrandt, JMW Turner and Daumier here, among others. The museum also houses more modern print milestones, with work from artists like Max Beckmann, Jasper Johns and Kiki Smith. The photography collection is also fantastic, with a large number of photos documenting American life from the 1940s to the present. You can also see the architectural drawings of Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney, textiles by Theo Leffman, and a sculpture garden with pieces from Jean Arp, Joán Miró and Henry Moore. In late September the special exhibit will be "Casting A Shadow: Creating the Alfred Hitchcock Film." Go to www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu for additional information.
American Toby Jug Museum
910 Chicago Ave, Evanston
This unique museum is available by appointment only. On display you'll find over 6,000 Toby and Character jugs and teapots. What are Toby jugs, you ask? Well, they date from the 1760s and still incredibly popular after a 19th century revival by a company called Doulton. At first they were full figures of people (the first was named Toby, of course), but in the 1930s they became just faces. A few years later the first jug was created with features based on a real person. Today the huge collection of ceramic vessels includes characters, politicians, literary figures, athletes, entertainers and historical figures. Among them: Harry Potter, Spiderman, Star Wars characters, Miss Piggy and rare jugs from the Royal Doulton collection. You can reach the museum at 877-862-9687. Admission is free.
Chinese-American Museum of Chicago
238 West 23rd Street, Chicago
This relatively new offering to Chicago's cultural life features exhibits about the rich heritage of Chinese history and culture in the Midwest. The tiny, two-story museum is meant to act as a record of history for Chinatown, and to be a voice for the community. The items housed here include papier-mache dioramas from a San Francisco artist, photographs and other objects. The current exhibitions, which run for the next two weekends, are "Chinatown History and Archaeology" and "Two World Fairs: The Untold Asian Story." Like I say, this is a small organization and needs support--but it's growing, which means it's an interesting opportunity to see a museum in the making. The museum is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with a suggested donation of $2. Make it part of your trip to Chinatown and check out the Web site at www.chinatown-museum-foundation.org.
