Make a day of it with these suggested art excursions in the Windy City, with pauses for refreshment along the way.
West Loop Art District
Transformed from its industrial roots, the vibrant West Loop neighborhood has emerged as a thriving epicenter for dining and nightlife—but it’s an art district at heart. Start your journey at the first of two Kavi Gupta gallery locations (835 W. Washington Boulevard), where the artist and former Joan Mitchell Foundation fellow Marie Watt has installed a mesmerizing exhibition of ‘jingle clouds,’ large-scale metal sculptures that hang from the ceiling like chimes. Steps away, Soho House offers a quick pick-me-up and a refresh by the pool. From there, a short walk west will put you at Kavi Gupta’s other West Loop location (219 N. Elizabeth Street), where the African-Canadian sculptor Esmaa Mohamoud is currently exhibiting a field of steel dandelions in a meditation on contemporary life.
Installation view, Esmaa Mohamoud, “Let Them Consume Me In The Light” (2023). Courtesy of Kavi Gupta.
Near buzzy Fulton Market (Chicago’s former warehouse district), Randolph Street offers a plethora of culinary delights. For elevated Italian, head to Monteverde Pastificio, where chef Sarah Grueneberg’s hand-made pastas have made the eatery the hardest table to get in town. For a more novel experience, visit Stephanie Izard’s Girl & The Goat, one of the first restaurants on Restaurant Row, blending the bolder flavors of the world—including goat—with local ingredients. It’s the Chicago art world’s best-kept secret.
