“Off the Beaten Road”
Columbia College’s display of Jack Kerouac’s original On the Road manuscript scroll inspires several Beat-oriented programs this fall. We’re digging this multimedia show, which will use contemporary visual art, sound installations, performance and video to examine the Beats’ revolutionary methods of communicating ideas. Participants include local faves such as Diana Guerrero-Maciá, whose quilted and sewn sculptures bear mysterious messages; photographer Greg Stimac; and the Third Coast International Audio Festival. A+D Gallery, Columbia College, 619 S Wabash Ave (312-344-8687, colum.edu/undergraduate/artanddesign/11th). Sept 25–Nov 8, free.
“Act/React: Interactive Installation Art”
Go ahead: Touch the art. Or walk on it—the Milwaukee Art Museum’s ten temporary, interactive “environments” won’t be set in motion until you do. Works include renowned sound artist Janet Cardiff’s To Touch, a table that speaks to you; Daniel Rozin’s portraits, which automatically depict your face in wooden pegs or virtual snowflakes; and Camille Utterback’s “paintings” formed by your gestures. Besides, do you really need an excuse to visit Santiago Calatrava’s awe-inspiring Quadracci Pavilion? Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, WI (414-224-3200, mam.org). Oct 4–Jan 11, 2009; $4–$8.
“The Divine Art: Four Centuries of European Tapestries”
Classical tales, biblical scenes, plump horses and approximately a billion flowers come to life in the Art Institute’s fall blockbuster. “The Divine Art” assembles the museum’s numerous, but rarely seen, tapestries made between 1400 and 1800 in famous workshops from Flanders, France and beyond. According to the Art Institute, the works are fresh from “extensive conservation” in Belgium that led to exciting discoveries about the collection—but you have to buy the catalogue to learn those secrets. Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave (312-443-3600, artic.edu/aic). Nov 1–Jan 4, 2009; $7–$12.
Read more in our 2008 Fall Preview.
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