Looks like Chicago’s museums have no intention of resting on their Van Gogh-Gauguin and Cleopatra laurels. In the but-what-will-you-do-for-an-encore category, their reply is to start off 2002 with major exhibits on chocolate, genetics, Ansel Adams, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and with such stand-up and salute themes as the United States presidency and historic American documents. Here are thumbnail sketches of some of the city’s big winter-spring shows and new exhibitions (all non-permanent exhibit closing dates are 2002).
ADLER PLANETARIUM AND ASTRONOMY MUSEUM To see the skies from two very different perspectives, browse “Bringing the Heavens to Earth,” then stop at the CyberSpace Gallery. “Heavens,” opening March 20, is a new permanent exhibit that looks at the solar system through the eyes of different cultures, including ancient Incas. “CyberSpace,” a permanent exhibit that opened in December, offers a you-are-there view from outer space through computerized tours that include the International Space Station, satellites and space phenomena.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends and holidays. Admission: $10, which includes admission to a StarRider or Sky Theater show. 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive. 312-922-STAR.
THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO The museum is throwing a free (with admission) birthday bash for Ansel Adams (1902-1984) on Feb. 20, the day the famed photographer would have turned 100. The party, which starts with a 6 p.m. lecture on Adams, offers a first-come, first-served sneak preview of the exhibit “Ansel Adams at 100,” which officially opens Feb. 23 and goes to June 2. Curated by John Szarkowski, director emeritus of New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s photography department, the exhibit coincides with the release of Szarkowski’s book “Ansel Adams at 100.” The exhibit features 114 original prints, many from the1920s to 1940s. Visitors who go or return after March 1 can catch two choice photography exhibits in the Rice Building: “Ansel Adams” and “Taken by Design: Photographs from the Institute of Design, 1937-1971.” Comprising about 220 images, double the size of the Adams exhibit, “Taken by Design” showcases such illustrious photographers as Harry Callahan, Laszls Moholy-Nagy and Aaron Siskind and the legendary school they called home. The exhibit is March 2 to May 12. Photography department curator David Travis, who curated “By Design,” says the two shows offer different but important aspects of photography.
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Suggested donation: $10; free Tuesday. 111 S. Michigan Ave. 312-443-3600 or www.artic.edu.
PEGGY NOTEBAERT NATURE MUSEUM Just when constitutional rights are bumping against government-proposed anti-terrorist tactics, such democracy hallmarks as the Emancipation Proclamation and a print of the Declaration of Independence will go on view at the Chicago Academy of Sciences’ nature museum. The documents are part of “American Originals: Treasures from the National Archives,” a traveling exhibit of documents and artifacts that have taken center stage in United States history. The exhibit can be viewed during regular museum hours Feb. 8-April 28. But the fragile Emancipation Proclamation will be on display 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb.15, 16 and 18 and 9:30-5 p.m. Feb. 17, only, with lectures hosted by the Chicago Historical Society. The exhibit will include the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, an 1893 petition from the Sierra Club regarding Yosemite National Park, an endangered-species act and an original 1941 Ansel Adams photograph of Glacier National Park.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission: $6 adults, $4 seniors and students with ID, $3 children 16 and under. Northwest corner of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. 773-755-5100 or www.chias.org/museum/
CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY Along with checking out several important written documents at the Nature Museum, people can view more than 350 objects, videos and audio documentations that chronicle the lives and thoughts of United States presidents in “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden,” at the Historical Society Feb. 16-Sept. 2. “It delves into more than just the political angle of being a president,” spokesperson Marty Cusack said. “It has everything from popular culture such as movies, the TV show `The West Wing’ and board games to the role of the president in a crisis,” Cusack said.
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Suggested admission: $5 general, $3 age 65 and older and students13-22. $1 ages 6-12, free on Monday. North Avenue and Clark Street. 312-642-4600 or www.chicagohistory.org
THE FIELD MUSEUM Just saying the word “chocolate” prompts a bevy of reactions from ready admissions of addiction to arguments that the stuff is good for the circulation, love life and a variety of other health matters. But popularity and health implications are just some of the reasons the people at The Field thought the seeds of the cacao (pronounced kah-kow) tree made a worthy topic for an exhibition. When “Chocolate,” Feb. 14-Dec. 31, opens, appropriately on its most popular retail day, visitors can also hear that environmentalists are concerned about protecting the trees’ natural habitat in the rainforests and how the seeds (Field officials say “seed” is botanically correct for the cacao tree, not “bean”) were used as currency in some cultures. “We are always looking for an exhibit that is a combination of popular appeal and provides visitors with insight into what we do here on the scientific side. Chocolate combines a sexy topic with conservation biology and anthropology,” exhibitions director Sophia Siskel said.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission: $8 adults, $4 age 3-11, seniors over 65 and students with ID, free age 2 and under. Also free on Wednesdays. 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. 312-922-9410 or www.fmnh.org
MEXICAN FINE ARTS CENTER MUSEUM Center officials have often contended that folk art can be fine art. Their latest supporting argument is Grandes Maestros del Arte Popular Mexicano, an exhibition of more than 250 pieces executed in wood, ceramics, metal, fibers and other media. On display Feb. 16 to May 26, the exhibit features the works of more than 175 artists living in several regions of Mexico. The objects exemplify art as part of daily life, rituals and celebrations, according to visual arts director Cesareo Moreno. For 15 years, the museum “has espoused the fact that there is no difference between the creative process of the artist and the artisan. This exhibition will help to further smudge the line drawn between fine art and folk art,” Moreno said.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday. Admission: free. 1852 W. 19th St. 312-738-1503 or www.mfacmchicago.org
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Fans of renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and people who simply know the name but are not sure why he is considered a leading influence on urban architecture can experience Mies through drawings, photographs, models and videos at Mies in America, Feb. 16 to May 26 at the MCA. Organized by the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the Whitney Museum of American Art with the cooperation of the Mies van der Rohe Archive at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the exhibit explores Mies’ vision of glass and steel skyscrapers and of large space in clear-span horizontal buildings. “Even though Mies was well known and mature when he came to the United States from Germany — he was already 50 and had an international reputation — he was very involved in experimentation and developing an architectural language that looked at buildings as art,” associate curator Staci Boris said. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, closed Mondays. Admission: $10 general, $6 students and seniors, free ages12 and under and free on Tuesday. 220 E. Chicago Ave. 312-280-2660 and www.mcachicago.org
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY From DNA evidence in criminal proceedings and gene therapy that reverses health problems to genetically engineered food products and animal cloning, some aspect of genetics pops up in the news each week. To help us ordinary folk better understand what we are hearing and the implications, MSI has developed “Genetics: Decoding Life,” a permanent exhibit that opens Jan. 11. Visitors learn how DNA codes make them who they are but also that animals and vegetables can be genetically engineered. In addition, there are opportunities to offer opinions on several genetic issues. “The exhibit is designed to give visitors a good foundation and vocabulary on the subject,” project leader Barry Aprison said. Also coming to MSI is “Hip Hop: The Culture, The Sound, The Science,” an exhibition on loan from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Jan. 18 to May 27. The exhibit presents the evolution of hip-hop from street music to a multibillion-dollar industry.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission: $15 adults, $12.50 seniors, $10 children (includes first film, second is $4-$5, free on Thursday, 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive. 773-684-1414 or www.msichicago.org
