Exhibition Focus: Listen as textile chair and curator Christa Thurman recounts the 40-year journey that culminated in The Divine Art.

Collection Connection: Catch curator Madhuvanti Ghose in the midst of installing the new Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan, and Islamic art.

Art Institute in the Community: Take to the streets of Chicago and hear historian and author Carl Smith discuss the stunning vision of Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago and its breathtaking artwork.

What's New: Celebrate the holidays at the Art Institute. Join in at Wreathing of the Lions on November 28, and welcome back the Impressionist collection

Art Institute in the Community: Inspired by our new season of events 360 Degrees: Art beyond Borders, this episode takes a look at global culture seen at the local level. Hear about the intermingling of art and culture from our partners at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Poetry Foundation, and listen to performances by Yang Wei from the Silk Road Ensemble and Alfonso Ponticelli of Swing Gitan. Both musicians will be performing at the season's opening day festivities.

Exhibition Focus: Exhibition curator David Travis shares his personal recollections of the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson and reveals some of the inspiration behind the exhibition Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Art and Photography of Paris.

What's New: See the exhibition Benin--Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria before it closes on September 21, and hear about the museum's return to its fall hours.

Exhibition Focus: Spectacular and sophisticated, the royal sculptures and regalia featured in Benin--Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria are among Africa's most acclaimed works of art. Hear about a few of the exhibition's highlights from curator Kathleen Bickford Berzock and organizer Barbara Plankensteiner.


Art Institute in the Community: In the summer series Passport to Africa, musicians from the Old Town School of Folk Music enliven the museum's garden every Thursday and Friday night. Hear why Nathaniel Braddock, member of the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, and Taylor, half of the duo Morikeba and Taylor, are passionate about the music of Africa.


The Modern Wing: Join James Cuno, president and director of the Art Institute, as he describes how recent renovations have strengthened the museum's encyclopedic collection.


What's New: August is the last month of Target Free Summer Evenings. Stop by to see new exhibitions or enjoy music and outdoor dining.

Exhibition Focus: Mario Ybarra, Jr.  works his artistic magic to compare Chicago's Wrigley Field to . . . Wrigley Field,  the Friendly Confines' Los Angeles counterpart that was demolished in 1966.

Collection Connection: The art of conservation is a mix of detective work and scientific analysis. Learn how the latest developments in modern forensics turns art history into an episode of Art Scene Investigation.

Art Institute in the Community: In the community program Stitches and Stories, the Art Institute branches out to the Chicago Public Library to creatively introduce iconic works from the collection to local elementary school students.

What's New: Visit Collecting for Chicago the inaugural exhibition of the museum's newly opened prints and drawings galleries, and stop by for live music and outdoor dining at the Summer Music Series.

Art Institute in the Community: Tour the museum with Art Institute expert Jane Clarke and learn interesting historical facts about this Chicago landmark.

Collection Connection: Hear how the re-integration of painting and sculpture in the Allerton galleries gives us a clearer window into the world of Old Master artists.

Exhibition Focus: Learn about Graphic Thought Facility, the museum's first exhibition dedicated solely to graphic design.

What's New: Take advantage of the last days to see Edward Hopper and Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light,  and learn about some of the offerings for our Target Free Summer Evenings.

Collection Connection: Instructions written by Sol LeWitt are at the heart of his conceptual work. Visit with Takeshi Arita and Eileen Jeng, who are executing Wall Drawing Number 1257: Scribbles for the first time.

Exhibition Focus: Hear highlights from the opening day symposium for the exhibition Ed Ruscha and Photography.

Family Fun: The books of Chris Raschka pop and sing with the rhythms of poetry and jazz. Listen as the artist speaks about his artistic motivation.

What's New: Visit the “My Collections” Web page and create a gallery of your favorite works, design your own tour, or get connected to useful resources.

Exhibition Focus: Exhibition curator Judith Barter takes a close look at the iconic Nighthawks, the centerpiece of the museum's retrospective on Edward Hopper.

Art Institute in the Community: Local "performance potter" Theaster Gates describes how his artwork connects to Japanese ceramics.

Conservation Connection: Conservator Kristi Dahm reveals the techniques hidden beneath the surface of Winslow Homer's  light-filled watercolors.

What's New: Warm up to free general admission  the entire month of February.

Art Institute in the Community: Chef Graham Elliot Bowles is an artist in his own right when it comes to creating kitchen masterpieces. Hear how the museum inspires his culinary creations.

Exhibition Focus: What's a kid to do in a museum that's a hands-free zone? Visit Big, Small and interact with art that's really big and really small.

The Modern Wing: Unbeknownst to many, the Art Institute has been a forerunner of environmentally-friendly building design. Hear how the Modern Wing  will continue the museum's tradition of going green.

What's News: Construction of the Modern Wing has allowed the museum to renovate many of its existing galleries. Find out about a downloadable tour that walks you straight to museum highlights, and hear about special programs and hours for the holidays.

Exhibition Focus: Jasper Johns: Gray  co-curator Douglas Druick explains the important role the color gray has played in the work of Jasper Johns.

American Perspectives: Continuing this yearlong celebration of American artistic vision, poet Quraysh Ali Lansana speaks about his work and the painting Cabin in the Cotton by Horace Pippen.

Art Institute in the Community: Check back in with Teen Lab, where Chicago teens create their own art inspired by works in the collection.

What's News: The Modern Wing is taking shape rapidly.  Hear what's new with the building and learn how to find out which galleries throughout the museum are being renovated and reinstalled.

The episode includes:

Exhibition Focus: Hear how the Gates of Paradise was restored to its original luster from curator Bruce Boucher and conservators who led the project.

Art Institute in the Community: Get a sneak preview of Congo Square Theater Company's "Whose Invisible Man" and find out how the photography of Jeff Wall is connected to Ralph Ellison.

From the Collection: Learn about Cubi VII  David Smith's  stainless-steel sculpture in the museum's North Garden.

Latest News: American Perspectives opens September 15--find out about the festivities planned for Opening Day.

The episode includes:

The Art Institute in the Community: A bus tour takes Community Associates right into Chicago's historic Pullman community.

Exhibition Focus: Curator James Rondeau and exhibition coordinator Maureen Pskowski investigate the provocative power of Jeff Wall's photographs.

Modern Wing: Architect Renzo Piano and museum director James Cuno discuss key architectural components that will distinguish the Art Institute's Modern Wing.

Latest News: Revisit the Masterpiece auction game with a self-guide to the collection and learn about more fun-filled options in celebration with the citywide "Art of Play" program.

The episode includes:

Exhibition Focus: Artist Kota Ezawa from On the Scene speaks about how his design process allows him to re-imagine iconic photographs.

The Art Institute in the Community: National Public Radio's Peter Sagal and museum visitors speak about the pieces in the collection that they enjoy.

Modern Wing: Chair of Contemporary Art James Rondeau and Assistant Curator Lisa Dorin give an update on the planned reinstallation museum's contemporary collection in the Modern Wing and share the latest on the ongoing Focus exhibition series.

Latest News: Hear about this summer's Target Free Thursday and Friday Evenings and learn about this month's self-guide, Nightlife in the Museum.

The episode includes:

Modern Art: Visit the Modern Wing's construction site and find out why we're calling the museum's new wing the "Building of the Century."

Collection Focus: Hear a local artist from the museum's Artists Connect program, Bibiana Suarez, discuss how the museum's collection has influenced her own work.

The Art Institute in the Community: Learn about Teen Lab, the museum's program that gets teens engaged with art.

The episode includes:

Exhibition Focus: Curator Douglas Druick speaks with Chicago gallery owner Rhona Hoffman and discusses the world of the art dealer today compared to the times of Ambroise Vollard.

The Art Institute in the Community: Love is in the air! Just in time for Valentine's Day, hear about works in the museum that picture love and romance.

Latest News: Learn about our February Free Days and Q&Art, where you can learn everything you wanted to know about art but were afraid to ask.

Modern Art: Featured Young Chicago artist Peter Pfanner of Motorola speaks about his design process.

The episode includes:

Exhibition Focus: An interview with Betti Xiang, as she plays the Chinese erhu and talks about music of the Silk Road.


The Art Institute in the Community: Find out how a museum program helps first-year nurses and other medical professionals sharpen their observational skills by looking at art, as part of the workplace program Art Express.

Modern Art: Conceptual artist Mel Bochner speaks with curator Mark Pascale in the exhibition Focus: Mel Bochner-Language 1966-2006.

Latest News: Catch up on holiday programs. Hear about progress on the the Modern Wing construction (visible through the online Web cam).