Under the leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, Court Theatre proudly presents America@250 – Now is the Time: Artists Go to Work, a curated set of events programmed in partnership with The Toni Morrison Foundation, Illinois Humanities, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Smart Museum of Art, and UChicago Arts. Programming also includes events presented by the University of Chicago Division of Arts & Humanities, Arts + Public Life, Institute of Politics, UChicago Presents, and the Graham School. Events in the series will run from October through December at venues throughout Chicago.
Spanning theatre, visual art, music, public conversations, workshops, and community gatherings, America@250 – Now is the Time: Artists Go to Work brings together artists, cultural leaders, scholars, and audiences to explore the meaning of America's 250th anniversary through the lens of art and civic life. Taking place at cultural institutions and venues across Chicago, the series examines the nation's history, the complexities of its founding ideals, and the ongoing pursuit of freedom, identity, and belonging. Through exhibitions, performances, artist-led discussions, and opportunities for public participation, the program highlights the role of artists in challenging established narratives, fostering dialogue, and imagining what America's next 250 years might look like.
On July 4, 2026, America turned 250 years old. To reckon with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is to reckon with freedom declared in words long before it was lived in practice, and grapple with a history that has constantly faced erasure.
Toni Morrison taught that the measure of a nation is not in its monuments, but in the stories it has the courage to face. In the face of all the forces daunting the spirit, she famously wrote: "This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair."
A collective of institutions and organizations from across the University of Chicago—along with Illinois Humanities, in partnership with The Toni Morrison Foundation—have partnered to curate a suite of events that respond to Morrison's charge and amplify the deeply inspirational and vital creative work produced by Chicago-based artists working at the intersection of art and civic life.
In convening artists, thinkers, and communities, we invite you to collectively reflect on and illuminate the unfinished work this anniversary makes so strikingly apparent. All events are open to the public.
Attendees are encouraged to curate their experience from a menu of offerings:
- Ongoing: Illinois Voices 250 (Illinois Humanities)
- Ongoing: Nina Chanel Abney: Between Us (Smart Museum of Art)
- Ongoing: Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive (Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts)
- October 17: Family Day: Proud to Be Me (Smart Museum of Art)
- October 28: "The Pursuit": A People's Salon (Illinois Humanities)
- October 29: Unfixed: Identity, Expression & Creative Freedom, a Workshop with Jenn Freeman | Po'Chop (UChicago Arts)
- November 4: Threshold: Conversations on the Stoop, featuring Candace Hunter and Cathy Coen (Arts+Public Life)
- November 5: Court Convening 1: America@250 (Court Theatre)
- November 6: Arts and America at 250: We Stand at the Intersection of Creativity and Politics (Keynote Conversation) (Court Theatre and the Institute of Politics)
- November 6: Artists Go to Work (Keynote Conversation)
- November 6: Artists Go to Work (Breakout Sessions)
- November 6: Exhibition Opening of Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive (Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts)
- November 6: Craig Taborn Trio (UChicago Presents)
- November 7: University of Chicago Arts & Humanities Day (University of Chicago Division of Arts & Humanities)
- November 10: Rear View Mirror Session with Duane Powell (Arts+Public Life)
- November 11: Could AI Put Our Democracy at Risk? (University of Chicago Graham School)
- November 18: Reflecting through Objects A Logan CenterWorkshop Led by Emily Hooper Lansana and William Estrada (Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts)
- December 10-20: Tituba, by Winsome Pinnock (Court Theatre)
- December 14: Tituba: Artist Talk Featuring esperanza spalding and Josephine Lee in Conversation with Avery Willis Hoffman (Court Theatre)
All events are open to the public. Tickets can be obtained from the respective venues presenting each program, or via the links on courttheatre.org.
ABOUT THE EVENTS
Illinois Voices 250
A statewide time capsule of conversations with people in all 102 Illinois counties, this project celebrates and preserves the voices of everyday Illinoisans: who we are, what we care about, and what we think is important about this moment in our country's history.
Dates: Ongoing
Presented by: Illinois Humanities
Nina Chanel Abney: Between Us
Experience Abney's large-scale mural that takes the most familiar images of American life—drawn from children's diagrams, advertising, sports, cartoons, and the news—and turns them against themselves.
Dates: Ongoing through July 2027
Presented by: Smart Museum of Art (Threshold Series)
Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive
Bringing together album covers, book jackets, magazines, film stills, photographs, prints, and other ephemera featuring the work of Charles White (1918-1979), this exhibition examines the expansive cultural life of his imagery.
Date: November 6, 2026 - January 31, 2027
Presented by: Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Family Day: Proud to Be Me
Create a colorful self-portrait collage with guidance from exhibiting artist Nina Chanel Abney. Free participation; registration is requested.
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Smart Museum of Art (5550 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Smart Museum of Art
"The Pursuit": A People's Salon
Featuring commissioned work from Lisa Beasley, INSÉKTA, Mark Turcotte, avery r. young, and Ariel Zetina.
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Ramova Theatre (3520 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60609)
Presented by: Illinois Humanities
Unfixed: Identity, Expression & Creative Freedom, a Workshop with Jenn Freeman | Po'Chop
Through movement, reflection, improvisation, and collaborative exercises, participants will consider how identity shapes and informs how we express ourselves, how we are seen by others, and what we believe is possible. Participants should wear comfortable clothing they can move in and bring materials to write with.
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Harris Studio, Green Line Performing Arts Center (329 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: UChicago Arts
Threshold: Conversations on the Stoop, featuring Candace Hunter and Cathy Coen
Threshold: Conversations on the Stoop is a series of public talks that take place on the front porch within the Intentionality, 1960: Whose Dreams? exhibition. Candace will be in conversation with a host of scholars, artists, archivists and neighbors around questions of race, residential space, displacement, memory, and belonging.
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Arts Incubator Gallery (301 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Arts+Public Life
Court Convening 1: America@250>
Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026
Arts and America at 250: We Stand at the Intersection of Creativity and Politics
Keynote Conversation
Artists, curators, and journalists explore America@250 through the cultural, political, and aesthetic lens of now.
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Court Theatre and the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago
Artists Go to Work
Keynote Conversation
Continuing our artist-centered examination of America@250, our second keynote features a conversation between Chicago-based artists who work at the intersection of art and civic life, nominated through a partnership between Illinois Humanities, Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, Smart Museum of Art, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, the Smart Museum of Art, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and Illinois Humanities.
Artists Go to Work (Breakout Sessions)
Interactive breakout sessions hosted by Chicago-based artists who work at the intersection of art and civic life, nominated through a partnership between Illinois Humanities, Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, Smart Museum of Art, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, the Smart Museum of Art, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and Illinois Humanities.
Exhibition Opening of Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive
Bringing together album covers, book jackets, magazines, film stills, photographs, prints, and other ephemera featuring the work of Charles White (1918-1979), this exhibition examines the expansive cultural life of his imagery. Join our partners for this exciting opening!
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Presented by: The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, South Side Community Art Center, UChicago Arts, the Division of The Arts & Humanities.
Craig Taborn Trio
A frequent collaborator with Tomeka Reid and Vijay Iyer, Taborn and his Trio create a sound that is immersive, audacious, and unequivocally jazzy.
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Performance Hall, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: University of Chicago Presents, in partnership with the Logan Center for the Arts, Chicago Jazz Magazine, DownBeat, Jazz Institute of Chicago, and WDCB 90.9 FM.
University of Chicago Arts & Humanities Day
Now in its 46th year, UChicago Arts & Humanities Day 2026 celebrates the writers, artists, and public intellectuals grappling with the questions and concerns that shape our world.
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Time: Various times
Location: Various locations
Presented by: University of Chicago | Division of Arts & Humanities and Chicago Humanities
Rear View Mirror Session with Duane Powell
Since 2017, the Quintessential Listening and Lecture Series led by music historian and DJ Duane Powell has taken audiences on a journey through the lives of musical legends and heroes. The series continues with a special celebration of Marvin Gaye, the Prince of Motown. Musical guest to be announced soon!
Date: Sunday, November 10, 2026
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Performance Hall, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Arts+Public Life and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, in partnership with Soundrotration and Brain Trust Management. Artist and event support provided by The Toni Morrison Foundation.
Could AI Put Our Democracy at Risk?
As AI reshapes nearly every aspect of modern life, how will it impact our democracy?
Date: Monday, November 11, 2026
Time: 5:45pm - 7:30pm
Location: The University of Chicago Gleacher Center (450 Cityfront Plaza Dr, Chicago, IL 60611)
Presented by: The University of Chicago's Graham School
Reflecting through Objects A Logan Center Workshop Led by Emily Hooper Lansana and William Estrada
A blend of oral storytelling and visual response, this interactive workshop is an opportunity to examine the connection between objects and memory.
Date: Monday, November 18, 2026
Time: 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Tituba, by Winsome Pinnock
A multidisciplinary theatrical spectacle in an iconic location featuring original music by Grammy Award-winner esperanza spalding. A bonfire of laughter. A shift in perspective that fundamentally alters how we view an American classic. She will make the Reverend pay.
Date: December 10 - 20, 2026
Time: Various times
Location: Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (5850 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Court Theatre
Tituba: Artist Talk Featuring esperanza spalding and Josephine Lee in Conversation with Avery Willis Hoffman
A special artist talk exploring the vibrant sonic world, melodies, and rhythms of Court Theatre's Tituba.
Date: Monday, December 14, 2026
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: Performance Hall, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Presented by: Court Theatre
Winner of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago's historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.
