DePaul Night at AIC

Visit the Art Institute of Chicago for a free evening of art! DePaul students, staff, and faculty get exclusive access to:

Complimentary admission to the museum and all exhibitions for up to ten guests

Exclusive student and faculty-led programming in the galleries

Access to special exhibitions like "Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism"

Skip the line and register at the DePaul Night table in the Modern Wing lobby, located at 159 East Monroe Street. Stop by anytime between 5:00 and 7:30 p.m., and be sure to bring your DePaul ID! Visit artic.edu for exhibition, parking, and public transportation information, or call the museum at 312-443-3541 to learn more.

ALUMNI SPECIAL EVENT (RSVP only)

4:00-4:50 Inheritance of Inspiration: A Writer Looks Back at Ben Shahn

Prints and Drawings

Prof. Miles Harvey (English, LAS)

Harvey revisits Ben Shahn’s iconic manifesto The Shape of Content and stunning works in the AIC’s Prints and Drawings Department to explore the impact Shahn has had on his own career as a writer and editor.

EVENING PROGRAM

5:00-6:00 Screening of Abel (directed by Brian Zahm, 2025, 20”) and Q&A

Studio A

Prof. Brian Zahm (School of Cinematic Arts, CDM) and Abel Berumen

“Abel Berumen, an accomplished Mexican-American photographer, woke up blind one day as a result of a rare disease called Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum. This film, made seven years after the unexpected event, reflects on the paradox of his disability: how his loss of vision has enabled him to truly see” (Ashland Independent Film Festival 2026)

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5:15-5:45 Abigail Lucien's Manman Ogou

Gallery 283

John Woodhouse (History of Art and Architecture, LAS)

After situating the work in its historical context, the presentation will focus on material and metalworking and their relationship to Lucien’s personal history.

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5:30-6:00 Triptych Window from the Coonley Playhouse, Riverside, Illinois

Gallery 200

Emilia Moore (Art Education, COE)

This presentation introduces Frank Lloyd Wright's Triptych Window, from the Coonley Playhouse, as a significant work representing his prairie school design philosophy. Made for a kindergarten classroom, nature's vastness and sanctity are taught.

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6:00-6:30 Can you say 'Gesamtkunstwerk?

Gallery 223

Prof. Chung Liang (School of Design, CDM)

Gesamtkunstwerk, German for "total work of art," was an expression to describe the highest forms of artwork in the 19th century. This short talk will go over the origin of the concept, its expression through the Vienna Secession and beyond!

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6:15-6:45 A Mysterious, Mischievous Monster: Looking Closer at Ancient Sculpture

Gallery 150
Nora Rodriguez (Art History, LAS)

What first appears monstrous becomes surprisingly playful upon closer inspection. This conversation explores how close looking, theatrical disguise, and humor transform our understanding of this mischievous ancient Roman satyr statue.

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6:30-7:00 Women, Words and Paintings

Gallery 201

Prof. Jim Fairhall (English Department, LAS)

Susan Sassoon, a young aspiring artist trying to find herself, meditates on Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt and other female artists from a century earlier.

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6:45-7:15 Seurat, the Dot, and a Day in the Park

Gallery 240

Milan-Leon Martinez (Art, Media, and Design, LAS)

This presentation centers on the technical aspects of Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte – 1884 and its influence on contemporary artists.

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7:00-8:00 Beyond the Artist: Mary Gehr’s Graceful Humanity and Eternal Curiosity

Studio A

Prof. Sharon Riggle (Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies, LAS, and First Year program)

Presented by her granddaughter, this portrait of Mary Gehr (1910–1997) looks beyond her acclaimed artwork to reveal a globetrotting humanitarian, award-winning gardener, environmentalist, and woman of boundless curiosity and grace.