Programs

Description

While sometimes experimental or off-beat, MCA programs offer something for everyone. These provocative events take place throughout the museum, from the Edlis Neeson Theater to the Commons, and are often free with museum admission. Those listed with a ticket icon require a moderate fee. For tickets and information visit the Box Office or call 312-397-4010. To see what's next, take a look at the Calendar.

Programs

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Explore more upcoming events and the program archive by category

MCA Stage

Cutting-edge dance, theater, and music from Chicago and around the world push the boundaries of performance in the intimate Edlis Neeson Theater.

The Commons

Located on the second floor of the museum, the MCA's Commons places artistic and civic exchange at the heart of the museum. Everything that happens within the space, including an array of programs, community meetings, and artist projects, is meant to encourage formal and informal dialogue as well as interaction among artists, visitors, and communities.

Dance

In an urban space filled with graffiti, a light-skinned brunette in a flowy white skirt gracefully bends her body forward in a dance-like motion.

View classical works on the stage, improvised performances in the sculpture garden, or contemporary works on the staircase. Dance at the MCA happens everywhere and for everyone.

Dialogue Series

The Dialogue Series is a museum-wide commitment to sustained inquiry about museum practice, access, and inclusion.

Live Arts

Two humanoid puppets hold hands while seated on a tiny wooden stage.

The MCA is a vital platform for experimentation, where visitors experience art and performance throughout the museum.

Music

A man plays a soprano saxophone on stage while a woman beats an enormous taiko drum in the background.

Using sound, lights, and video, performers from around the world create new experiences that expand your concept of music.

Screenings

In this animation still, a swimmer gazes into a body of green water.

Featuring works of contemporary cinema that expand traditional notions of moviegoing.

Talks

Against a black backdropped stage, a man reclines in an armchair speaking into a microphone while another leans in to listen, waiting his turn.

Innovative thinkers and makers discuss contemporary art and ideas. Nothing is off limits.

Theater

A young black woman stands at a microphone, her mouth open in a cry or in song. She holds a curved length of wood or bone above her head with both hands.

Performers from Chicago and around the world bring groundbreaking works to the Edlis Neeson Theater and spaces around the museum.

  1. Long A young black woman with closely cropped hair stands at a microphone, her mouth open in a cry or in song. She is dramatically lit by warm light from her left in an otherwise cool dark space. She holds a yard-long curved length of wood or bone above her head with both hands. Her garment is gathered at the waist and draped around her torso. It covers her right arm with a long sleeve and leaves her left arm exposed. Behind her a second performer kneels at a second mic, working with an electronic instrument. The space behind them is dark, but a length of corrugated steel, painted in varying colors, lies behind them.
  2. Long A young black woman with closely cropped hair stands at a microphone, her mouth open in a cry or in song. She is dramatically lit by warm light from her left in an otherwise cool dark space. She holds a yard-long curved length of wood or bone above her head with both hands. Her garment is gathered at the waist and draped around her torso. It covers her right arm with a long sleeve and leaves her left arm exposed. Behind her a second performer kneels at a second mic, working with an electronic instrument. The space behind them is dark, but a length of corrugated steel, painted in varying colors, lies behind them.

Workshops

A young child lays on the ground to draw on a clipboard with a crayon.

Join a master class, sit in on an open rehearsal, or learn a new skill or craft—there are workshops for all ages and interests.