City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism in Chicago
2025-07-05 08:00 - 2026-05-31 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611
City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism in Chicago is an intergenerational group exhibition that highlights Chicago’s essential, yet often underacknowledged, role in the story of queer art and activism. The exhibition examines this history from the mid-1980s, when activists radically mobilized in response to the US government’s disastrous handling of the AIDS crisis. In this moment of change, activists reclaimed the historically pejorative epithet “queer” as a liberatory term, encompassing all who purposefully deviate from heteronormative society. Drawn from the MCA’s collection and other local collections, City in a Garden follows this paradigm shift in LGBTQ+ history by bringing together work from over 30 artists and collectives working in Chicago from the 1980s to the present.
These artists address queerness through diverse media and methods: documenting clandestine queer spaces in photographs, creating sculptures that challenge normative depictions of gender and sexuality, and exploring queer intimacy through drawings, paintings, and videos. City in a Garden also features archival materials related to groups who innovatively combine artistic practices with their activism. The exhibition takes its title from Chicago’s official motto, Urbs in Horto, which translates to “city in a garden.” In the context of this presentation, this motto speaks to the exhibited artists’ and activists’ utopian visions of a metropolitan sanctuary for people of all races, genders, and sexualities. As queer people continue to fight for their lives and livelihoods under ongoing and renewed political threats, these visions remain as urgent today as ever.
City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism in Chicago is curated by Jack Schneider, Assistant Curator, with Korina Hernandez, Curatorial Assistant.

A Midwinter Mixer 50+
2026-01-31 14:00 - 17:00 | Nobody’s Darling, 1744 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL, 60640
Before Sunset and Cookies & Conversations present A Midwinter Mixer, an afternoon celebrating elder community and camaraderie at Nobody’s Darling. Gather for a joyful afternoon of community and connection. The mixer is designed for the 50+ community.

Equality Illinois Gala 2026
2026-01-31 17:30 - 23:30 | Chicago Hilton, 720 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
Equality Illinois is proud to welcome community members, supporters, and allies for an unforgettable evening of solidarity, joy, and collective power.
In addition to individual tickets, a limited number of sponsorship opportunities and table reservations remain available. Leadership support at this moment is deeply meaningful and helps ensure that Equality Illinois can continue protecting and advancing LGBTQ+ rights across Illinois.
By purchasing a table, becoming a sponsor, or placing an ad in the virtual adbook, supporters send a clear and urgent message: LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, and the community stands united in the face of unprecedented challenges.
Together, we gather strong, united, and unapologetic in the ongoing fight for equality and justice.
Equality Illinois looks forward to welcoming everyone on January 31.
2026 Equality Illinois Annual Gala
Saturday, January 31, 2026 | 5:30 PM
Hilton Chicago

Human First Gala 2026: Family Reunion
2026-04-11 18:00 - 22:00 | The Geraghty, 2520 S Hoyne Ave, Chicago, Illinois, 60608, United States
Center on Halsted’s 2026 Human First Gala: Family Reunion celebrates individuals and organizations whose work has had a lasting impact on Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community and allies. This year’s theme is about celebrating the families that make up our LGBTQ+ community, including our families of origin and our families of choice.
This year, the gala will honor the Frankie Knuckles Foundation in memory of Frankie Knuckles, Windy City Times’ Tracy Baim & Owen Keehnen, and Comcast for their exceptional leadership, advocacy, and enduring contributions to our LGBTQ+ community.
