April 22, Reception 6:00–7:15 PM, 1st Floor John Knox Hall

Join EXPO CHICAGO and UChicago Arts for a Toast to the South Side at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. This reception is the official kick-off for EXPO ART WEEK and celebrates the creative community in this neighborhood of Chicago. Remarks at 7:00 PM, followed by Midnight: Performance in Two Parts.

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Cocktail sponsorship by Hoste. Cocktails worth Celebrating (@hostecocktails)

click to learn more about other programs during South Side Night

April 22, Performance 7:30 PM, 3rd Floor Gym & Bell Towers

Midnight, a two-person exhibition featuring works by artists Margaret Crowley and Eli Greene opens on Tuesday April 22nd at The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. The exhibition will take place in the Church's two bell towers. The show title, Midnight, references the current position of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Doomsday Clock. As of January 2025, the clock has moved from 90 to 89 seconds to midnight.

On the occasion of the exhibition, Midnight, two performances will take place on Tuesday April 22nd at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago's indoor basketball court. The program will begin with Milking it, a group performance about basketball and physical therapy by Crowley and end with On Falling, Part V, the fifth iteration of an ongoing performance about time, loss and memory by Greene.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Exhibition Runtime: April 22 - June 09
Viewing hours: Sunday 10am - 4pm & anytime by appointment: arts@chicagofirstchurch.org

April 24, 6 - 8:30 PM, 1st Floor John Knox Hall

This Runway Experience will show creations from Chicago based designers @icouch.work, @skinhorse and @ugliknits. Produced/Curated by Heaven Booth and Kennedy Freeman.

These artists will present what it means to uphold excellence and morality, through the lens of creativity, culture and individual upbringing. In collaboration with the revered and deeply historical First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, our show will be apart of the Expo Art Week Program at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago.

An array of live music and performances will accompany us throughout the night, further progressing our overarching ethos. We hope for friendly faces, family, and strangers alike to participate and experience Virtue.

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April 25, 5 - 8 PM, Opening Reception
Basement , 1st Floor , 2nd Floor Gallery

Basement Gallery - stoneware and selvage I Speculation and The Cloak, Southside Film and Media Archive Group Show (Curated by Propagate Cooperative) - Press Release Link

1st Floor Gallery - GO TOGETHER, First Church Artists Residency Show – A group exhibition featuring works by our artists-in-residents, reflecting their time at First Church and their experiences creating in this unique space on the South Side (Curated by Ameera Pernebsati)

2nd Floor Gallery - Flower in Spring (The Dreams of Seeds), a solo exhibition by visual artist Messejah Washington showcasing works on canvas dedicated to his great grandmother Tommie Sean Forte (Curated by Messejah Washington)

Light bite and refreshment provided during opening reception

Exhibition Runtime: April 25 - June 09
Viewing hours: Sunday 10am - 4pm & anytime by appointment: arts@chicagofirstchurch.org

April 25, Sanctuary
Act 1, 7-8:00 PM,
Act 2, 8:15 - 9:00 PM,

Sound & Light, an immersive evening of sound, light, and movements in the historical Sanctuary. Featuring sound-reactive projection mapping and live music,

Act 1: the evening begins with First Church Artist-in Residence Gabrielle Lochard’s improvised performance An Angel Keens on Divine Love , inviting audience participation through voice and movement.

Act 2: The second half features an contemporary jazz set led by Maddie Ma with Chicago musicians Xristian Espinoza, Adam Zanolini, Jaden Esi, and Avreeayl Ra, blending live instrumentation with transmedia visuals for a sacred, transformative experience.

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April 26, 1 - 6 PM, around the building

Open Studio: A day of creative exploration as First Church artists open their studios, inviting visitors into their workspaces to engage with their process.

Open Practice: Across the building, Artists & friends will activate the space with screenings, performances, discussions, and interventions, transforming the church into a dynamic hub of artistic exchange. Contact arts@chicagofirstchurch.org if you would like to participate in the open practice. Welcome all mediums of creative practice.

April 26, 1st Floor Porter Room
6 - 6:15 PM, Screening: Congregating Creativity
6:30 - 8:00 PM, Conversation

We begin with a screening of Congregating Creativity, a short documentary about the Arts Program at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. The film was created by participants in Pentimenti Productions’ Making the Short Documentary class at Hyde Park Art Center (2024).

Filmmakers: Alexandra Antoine, Jazz Echevarría, Courtney Niquia Larry, Violet Law, Sawyer Muir, Érika Ordosgoitti, Cedric A. Thurman, and Vee Villareal.

Following the screening, join us in the Porter Room for an artist talk and discussion, moderated by Shiloh Washington. This conversation offers deeper insight into the work, ideas, and practices of a group of South Side-based artists currently in residence at First Presbyterian Church.

Light bites and refreshments will be provided during the artist talk.

April 26, 8 PM - 11:59 PM, 1st Floor John Knox Hall

DJ Line-up: Gene Hunt & Duane Powell

A high-vibe celebration of Chicago’s house music culture, in collaboration with Dutty House, a Chicago based music label. DJs and artists come together to turn our historical John Knox into a dancefloor, honoring the legacy of house music with an electrifying night of rhythm, movement, and communal joy. Sliding scale ticketing option, all are welcomed.

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