• Tour
• General Public

Friday Tour: Composing Color

Fri. April 17 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Join Smart curator Galina Mardilovich for a guided tour of Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas.

• Screening
• General Public

Film: Bumming in Beijing: The Last Dreamers (1990)

Thu. April 23 • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

A screening of Wu Wenguang's documentary about Beijing in the late '80s. At Max Palevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall. In collaboration with Doc Films.

• Talk
• Conversation Pieces

Conversation Piece: On Zhan Wang’s Ornamental Rock (1996)

Fri. April 24 • 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Art History professor Wei-Cheng Lin and artist Xuanlin Ye discuss Wang’s Ornamental Rock, on view in Beyond Boundaries: Three Decades of Contemporary Chinese Art at the Smart.

• Talk
• General Public

Dorothy Berry & Sumayya Ahmed on Archives

Thu. May 7 • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Dorothy Berry and Sumayya Ahmed discuss the possibilities of Black archives within and outside of cultural heritage institutions. In collaboration with the Black Metropolis Research Consortium.

• Talk
• General Public

Olga Alexopoulou & Vanja Malloy on Quantum Color

Tue. May 12 • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Artist Olga Alexopoulou and Smart Museum Dana Feitler Director Vanja Malloy discuss the history and future of color.

• Talk
• General Public

Ross Gay & Angel Bat Dawid on Poetry

Thu. May 14 • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Poet Ross Gay and composer and multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid host an evening of creative exchange inspired by the vibrant abstractions of Alma Thomas.

• Talk
• Conversation Pieces

Conversation Piece: On Alma Thomas’s Snoopy Sees the Earth Wrapped in Sunset (1970)

Fri. May 15 • 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Professor Jordan Bimm and Adler Planetarium Curator and Director of Collections Katie Boyce-Jacino discuss Thomas’s Snoopy Sees the Earth Wrapped in Sunset.

• Art Making
• Families

Family Day: Games on the Go

Sat. May 16 • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

In collaboration with the University of Chicago’s Year of Games Carnival, families are invited to create miniature games perfect for upcoming summer travels.

• Talk
• General Public

Nicole Stott with Sarah & Joseph Belknap on the Cosmos

Mon. May 18 • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Join a conversation at the intersection of art, science, and imagination, featuring astronaut Nicole Stott in dialogue with artists Sarah and Joseph Belknap.

• Roundtable
• General Public

Smart Salon: Contemporary Chinese Artists in Chicago

Tue. May 19 • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Ellen Larson, Associate Director of the Center for the Art of East Asia, moderates a conversation with artists magicfeifei, Miao Wang, Linye Jiang, and gallerist Qiuchen Wu.

• Special Event
• UChicago Students

Study at the Smart, Spring Quarter 2026

Thu. May 28 • 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Hang out at the Smart Museum of Art after hours and prep for Spring Quarter finals surrounded by Theaster Gates’ lobby installation. Study at the Smart includes free pizza, snacks, and beverages.

• Tour
• General Public

Friday Tour: Beyond Boundaries

Fri. May 29 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Join Associate Director of the Center for the Art of East Asia Ellen Larson for a guided tour of Beyond Boundaries: Three Decades of Contemporary Chinese Art at the Smart.

• Art Making
• Families

Family Day: Zooming in and Zine-ing Out: What Does Science Mean to You?

Sat. June 13 • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

With guidance from Comic Nurse and educator MK Czerwiec, families will explore the intersection of science and art as they create their own exciting, handmade zines.

• Tour
• Families

Tuesdays Together: Family Tours

Tue. June 16 • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Together with your family, enjoy a guided tour of the Smart’s current exhibitions and outdoor public art.

• Tour
• Families

Tuesdays Together: Family Smart Find

Tue. June 23 • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Go beyond a typical visit to the museum and enjoy a “Smart Find” experience at the Smart! This scavenger hunt will activate the galleries with hidden cues and clues.

• Tour
• General Public

Friday Tour: Composing Color

Fri. June 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Join Smart curator Galina Mardilovich for a guided tour of Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas.

• Art Making
• Families

Tuesdays Together: Story Time at the Smart

Tue. June 30 • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

In partnership with the Chicago Public Library, creating a handmade bookmark to use with all of your favorite reads, then listen along to Librarian Megan as she share stories about pattern and color.