• Opening Reception
• General Public

Opening Panel and Reception for Expanding the 50th: Shared Stories

Fri. March 28 • 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

To celebrate the opening of Expanding the 50th: Shared Stories, join the Smart Museum of Art for an artist panel and public reception.

• Talk
• General Public

Smart Salon x Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board: Curating Curiosity

Thu. April 10 • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Co-convened by the Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression's Student Advisory Board, join a lively discussion about how curatorial decisions shape public discourse and cultural understanding.

• Talk
• Conversation Pieces

Conversation Pieces: Dr. Alice Goff

Fri. April 11 • 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Join us in the Smart galleries for a micro-talk with Dr. Alice Goff, Assistant Professor of German History and the College.

• Art Making
• Families

Family Day: Designing Your Mini World

Sat. April 12 • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Imagine, sculpt, and assemble 3D landscape tiles inspired by real-life environments or fictional worlds through modeling clay, wooden sculpture and other modes, drawing from Robert Earl Paige.

• Performance
• General Public

Poetry Performances: Catcher and the Rhyme

Thu. April 17 • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

UChicago's student poetry group presents new work inspired by the patterns and motifs of Give the Drummer Some!

• Special Event
• General Public

EXPO Chicago: The Smart After Hours

Tue. April 22 • 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Enjoy special after-hours access to Expanding the 50th: Shared Stories and Robert Earl Paige: Give the Drummer Some! as part of EXPO CHICAGO's kick-off events in South Side.

• Special Event
• UChicago Students

UChicago Alumni Weekend: Smart x SCAV

Sat. May 3 • 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM

For Alumni Weekend 2025, and on the occasion of the Museum's 50th anniversary year, the Smart is teaming up with student creators of UChicago's storied Scavenger Hunt for a day-long program.

• Talk
• Conversation Pieces

Conversation Pieces: Irene Hsiao and Julian Stern

Fri. May 9 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Join dancer, writer, and multidisciplinary artist Irene Hsiao and fourth-year student and Smart alum Julian Stern for a screening, reading, and discussion about Yeesookyung's Translated Vase.

• Art Making
• Families

Family Day: Painting Outside the Lines

Sat. May 10 • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Make your own abstract works, experimenting with tools, materials, and methods! Families and kids of all ages welcome.

• Talk
• Smart Salon

Smart Salon: Dieu Donné

Thu. May 15 • 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Join artists LaKela Brown and Abdolreza Aminlari, studio collaborator Katharine L. DeLamater, and strategic advisor to Dieu Donné John Shorb for a panel about art in paper.

• Performance
• General Public

Choreographing the Smart

Thu. May 22 • 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Join us for the public culmination of the UChicago course “Site-Based Practice: Choreographing the Smart Museum,” led by Julia Rhoads, Director of the Dance Program in Theater and Performance Studies.

• Special Event
• UChicago Students

Study Break at the Smart

Wed. May 28 • 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM

De-stress at the Smart before finals with free snacks, refreshments, and fun art kits based on the museum's current exhibitions!

• Art Making
• Families

Family Day: Bring it on Home!

Sat. June 14 • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Families will construct and paint colorful birdhouses, while sharing stories of what “home” means to them. Also featuring a storytime in the galleries, the Chicago Public Library.