The Smart will be closed July 14 - September 22
Free and open to the public
Please note: exhibition dates and details are subject to change. Please check back for the latest information.
Part I, September 23, 2025 - February 15, 2026
Part II, March 24, 2026 - July 26, 2026
Why and how do people form political communities? How does political society organize our economic lives - and vice versa? And how as individuals do we navigate society? Smart to the Core: Wise to Power examines these questions by integrating visual art with foundational texts of modern social and political thought spanning over three centuries.
A self-designated “keeper of objects,” the artist Theaster Gates investigates the value of things and their potential to hold layered meanings. He has been dedicated to investing in the care of these objects as a way to nurture stories and voices—often Black stories and voices—largely overlooked by history or institutional structures. This is Gates's first solo museum exhibition in his hometown of Chicago.