Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
312-922-STAR
www.adlerplanetarium.org
In addition to the permanent exhibitions, 2010 is an exciting year for the Adler, what with a major renovation of the Sky Theater for a December launch and a new 8,000-square-foot exhibit for smaller children called "Planet Explorers" now open. Free admission days take place 9/7, 9/13-9/17, 9/21 and 9/28. Sky shows include "Night Sky Live!" and "Skywatchers of Africa."

"Journey to the Stars," now playing: The Adler's new space show lets visitors experience the life and death of stars, including the sun, along with the history of the universe. Witness the first supernovas, look into the heart of the sun and watch its eventual demise, five billion years from now. The film is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and plays daily at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.; on weekends at 11:45 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.

"Planet Explorers," now open: The Adler's latest permanent exhibit is basically a space explorer-themed play area which begins in a house and garden, then blasts kids into outer space to Planet X. Families can play together as they try to locate water crystals, simulate mission control, drive remote-controlled land rovers, experiment in a lab, see how astronauts live and pass through a glass walkway inside a dark tunnel designed to simulate the blackness of space. It's designed for the smallest explorers, so if you have small kids in your family don't miss it.

"Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass," through 12/31: This exciting exhibit celebrates the 400-year history of an important instrument, and includes beautiful historical specimens as well as information about what we're learning from state-of-the-art telescopes such as the Hubble. Free with museum admission.

"Night Sky Live!": This live, narrated show explores the wonders of the universe with a projection on the dome of the Sky Theater, including stars, galaxies and much more. Takes place 3-4 times per day.

"One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure": This presentation (in the Definiti Theater) is geared for 4-6 year olds. Created as part of a global partnership between the Adler, Sesame Workshop, the Beijing Planetarium and the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, the show features "Sesame Street" favorite Elmo and a friend from China named Hu Hu Zhu. It's full of age-appropriate learning about stars and the moon, shown on a digital, 360 degree, 50-foot screen.

Art Institute of Chicago
111. S. Michigan Ave.
(312) 443-3600
www.artic.edu
There's always something going on here, whether it's a new exhibition or a fun event. Come during Target Free Thursday Evenings with free general admission from 5-8 p.m. every Thursday evening. Admission prices have recently changed; adults cost $18, Chicago residents with proof pay $16 and students/seniors pay $12. Kids under 14 are free; special exhibitions are now free with the price of admission. Don't forget to check out the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, plus the Impressionist and post-Impressionist galleries, which all opened two winters ago. And, of course, there's the airy Modern Wing, which is definitely worth a first look, a second look, and a third. Here's a selection of exhibits and events going on at the Art Institute this season:

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century, 7/23-10/3: Covers the work of one of the most original and influential figures in photography, who died in 2004. This is the first full retrospective of his work in three decades, featuring 300 images. It includes Cartier-Bresson's formal, groundbreaking early work and his postwar images, along with compositions from India and Indonesia, China during the revolution, the Soviet Union following Stalin's death and more. The exhibition is separated into sections based on theme, history and geography.

Arthur Pope and A New Survey of Persian Art, 7/17-10/3: Celebrates the opening of the Art Institute's newly refurbished Islamic art collection. Pope, a pioneer in the study of Persian art, heritage and culture, is credited for establishing the basis of what we categorize as Islamic art. This exhibition features ceramics, tilework, textiles, paintings, glasswork and lacquerware from the permanent collection as it examines Pope's legacy in Chicago and the world.

Chicago Stories: Prints and H.C. Westermann--See America First, through 8/16: Contains prints created by artists who studied at the School of the Art Institute after World War II. Highlighted is Westermann's portfolio, called See America First, which captured the spirit of the mid-century travel culture and landscape.

Sound & Vision, through 8/29: Explores the relationship between art and music through a dozen works in various media by artists like Robert Watts, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Louise Lawler, DJ Christian Marclay, Dara Birnbaum, David Hammoms, Hirsh Perlman, Cory Arcangel and John Baldessari. A series of Friday night performances, Summer Sounds, accompanies the exhibit.

Looking After Louis Sullivan: Photographs, Drawings and Fragments, through 12/12: In the '50s, photographers John Szarkowski, Aaron Siskind and Richard Nickel explored in-depth the structures designed by Louis Sullivan, the father of the modern skyscraper. This sparked a renewed interest that helped preserve some of his buildings even as it highlighted the fragile existence of architecture.

In addition to dozens of special exhibitions taking place all the time, check the museum schedule for daily gallery talks on popular artists and exhibits. Tours, social get-togethers, family events, workshops, classes, performances and other related events are also available; there's something going on every day at the museum! Check the Art Institute Web site for a list of events.

DuSable Museum of African American History
740 E. 56^th Place
(773) 947-0600
www.dusablemuseum.org

This very important museum focuses on the life, culture and history of black Americans. Year-round, the museum features many activities for kids and adults, including lectures, performances and more. Admission is free on Sundays; the museum is closed on Mondays starting 6/1. Current and upcoming exhibits and events include:

The African Presence in Mexico, 8/13-11/14: This is the most comprehensive project ever organized about African contributions to Mexico's vibrant culture over the past 500 years. Features three sections: From Yanga to the Present; Roots, Resistance and Recognition; and Common Goals, Common Struggles, and Common Ground.

The Black Panthers: Making Sense of History, through 8/6: This exhibit celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Party with 50 historic photographs, plus artifacts. Explore one of the century's most controversial and inspirational organizations.

Tracing the Civil Rights Movement: 1848 to 1968, open-ended run: The museum's newest exhibit looks at the struggle from the Antebellum era all the way up to the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Photographs, objects and works of art are featured.

Red, White, Blue & Black: A History of Blacks in the Armed Forces, open-ended run: More than 14 million black men and women have served in the Armed Forces of the U.S. Here is their story, from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam, with over 100 artifacts, images and documents on display.

Paintings/ Drawings/ Sculptures: Masterpieces from the DuSable Museum Collection: This new permanent exhibition preserves works by Black artists and promotes an eclectic array of talent that has been omitted by high art institutions in America. William Carter, Charles Dawson, Walter Ellison, Archibald Motley Jr., Marion Perkins, Augusta Savage, Bernard Goss, Charles Sebree and Elizabeth Catlett are included.

Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Dr.
(312) 922-9410
www.fieldmuseum.org
The Field is a fantastic place for families to learn about dinosaurs, ancient cultures, bugs and all sorts of fascinating bits of natural history. Visit the Grainger Hall of Gems, which reopened last fall. Also, the Field is celebrating the 10th anniversary of T.Rex Sue at the Field this spring. Extended days take place 7/2-7/3, 7/9-7/10, 7/16 and 7/23-7/24. Free days are 7/12, 8/9 and 9/13.

RoboSUE: The T-Rex Experience, through 9/6: This small but exciting exhibit, designed to help celebrate Sue's 10th anniversary at the Field, features robotic dinosaurs with face-recognition technology. Of course the tyrannosaurus herself is spectacular, but the triceratops with hatchling eggs and the hunting velociraptor are also fearsome beasts.

Travels of the Crow: Journey of an Indian Nation, through 7/11: This exhibition presents 13 historical objects and large-format photos of more artifacts from the Field's collection, telling about nomadic life on the northern plains, the tobacco society and the importance of the horse.

Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age, through 9/6: Meet Lyuba, the best-preserved baby mammoth in the world, and discover what we've learned about the Ice Age and about the amazing creatures--including early humans--who lived then. This exhibit is perfect for families and includes many touchable artifacts.

kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa, through 9/6: Hapa, which means half in Hawaii, is a term of pride used by many islanders of Asian or Pacific Island descent. Artist Kip Fulbeck explores the meaning of being multi-ethnic through photographic portraits and hand-written responses.

Climate Change, through 11/28: Explore the science, history and impact of our weather patterns and their effects on our cultures, oceans and land. Alternative energy sources and human efforts are covered in this enlightening exhibit.

Lasting Impressions: Chinese Rubbings from the Field Museum, through 1/3/2011: Explore an ancient art form, created by pressing sheets of thin, wet paper into carvings and inking the surface to form an impressions. Two dozen examples are selected from items in the collections.

Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave.
(312) 280-2660
www.mcachicago.org
Get a cutting-edge art education at the MCA, one of the largest facilities in the nation devoted to the innovation of modern artists. There's always something going on, so beat the cold and come on in. The museum offers Target Free Tuesdays all day long every week, and is closed on Mondays.

Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy, through 10/17: Pairs the work of Calder with seven contemporary artists who have been inspired by his legacy. It's the first such exhibit to explore his influence on the next generation of sculptors.

Earthworks: Robert Smithson, Sam Durant, and Mary Brogger, through 9/5: This exhibition brings together three works from the MCA Collection: Smithson's "Spiral Jetty," which documents the production of his landmark work; Brogger's "Earthwork" and Durant's "Partially Buried 1960s/70s Dystopia Revealed (Mick Jagger at Altamont) & Utopia Reflected (Wavy Gravy at Woodstock)." It's designed to look at Smithson's influence on subsequent artists.

Works on Paper from the MCA Collection, through fall 2010: these works represent a sense of conflict or alienation. Includes art by Laylah Ali, Peter Saul, Henry Darger, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Mike Kelley, Karen Kilimnik and Raymond Pettibon.

Selections from the MCA Collection, through summer 2010: Features sculptures from the collection that are made from everyday materials and found objects such as beads, aluminum cans, wool, popcorn, trash and mirrors. The artists explore issues of identity or reconsider the world around us.

Rewind: Selected Works from the MCA Collection, 1970s to 1990s, through 9/5: Features collections of examples of different artists' work that the museum has collected in depth. This exhibition focuses on work from two decades to show how work from the recent past is now becoming historicized.

UBS 12 X12: New Artists/ New Work spotlights Carrie Gundersdorf from 8/7-8/29 and Ben Russell from 9/4-9/27.

First Fridays, 2/5, 3/5 from 6-10 p.m.: Be the first to view the latest UBS 12 X 12 exhibition on these evenings of culture and conversation. Local DJs and an iMac dating bar are featured, as are a creation station, complimentary Wolfgang Puck appetizers and cool drinks. Advance tickets are $11; at the door they cost $16.

The Living Newspapers, daily at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.: The winged performance is revealed daily at 12:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. The Living Newspapers is a socially engaged theater production featuring 10-foot wings that extend from backpacks as two performers recite real-time tweets from Twitter. One of 40 works in the exhibition-as-scavenger hunt "Hide and Seek."

Tuesdays on the Terrace, 6/1-9/28: The MCA hosts free live jazz concerts every Tuesday during the summer, featuring an internationally-themed dinner buffet from Wolfgang Puck produced with ingredients from the MCA's farmer's market ($22 per person). Bring a blanket or opt for lighter concession-stand fare and cocktails, and enjoy the Creation Station to create an Alexander-Calder-style art project. Check the website for a schedule of performances.

Farmers Market, Tuesdays 6/8-10/26: Every summer the MCA hosts the City of Chicago Farmers Market on the plaza. This open-air event features fresh fruit and vegetables, flowers, baked goods, cheeses, spices and more from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Additional stage events, workshops, symposia and more are held all month long, so check out the Web site for information.

Museum of Science & Industry
57^th St. and Lake Shore Dr.
(773) 684-1414
www.msichicago.org
Learn about science in exciting, interactive ways! The museum features free admission on 8/30, 9/7-9/14, 9/20-9/21 and 9/27-9/28. General admission costs $13; the museum features extended hours through 9/6, open till 5:30 p.m. each day. Don't miss some of the great permanent exhibits, including the kid-friendly Idea Factory, Earth Revealed, Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle, the U-505 Submarine and "YOU! The Experience," exploring our health and well-being in a personal and interactive way.

Science Storms, now open: The latest permanent exhibit (it opened in March) is an impressive two-story space totaling 24,000 square feet, with large-scale exhibits recreating lightning, fire, tornadoes, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight and gravity. You can step into a 40-foot swirling vortex of air, watch lightning erupt from a Tesla coil or cause a tsunami in a 30-foot-long tank of water while you learn about these natural forces.

The Oriental Institute
1155 E. 58th St.
(773) 702-9514
oi.uchicago.edu
The Oriental Institute is a sometimes-overlooked treasure with an amazing collection of artifacts from ancient cultures. It's closed on holidays. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5 for adults. It hosts a number of special exhibits and events throughout the year, including a film each Sunday afternoon and the current special exhibit:

Pioneers to the Past: American Archaeologists in the Middle East, 1919-20, through 8/30/10: This exhibit sets out to explore the 1919 expedition of James Henry Breasted across the Middle East to acquire objects for the Oriental Institute through photographs, letters, documents and objects.

"Visible Speech: The Origins of Writing in the Ancient Middle East," 9/28-3/6/11: Writing is among humanity's greatest achievements, and in this exhibit you'll learn about the four instances in human history when writing was invented from scratch, with no previous exposure, in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica. It includes forerunners of writing, like rock paintings and pot marks; objects include the earliest pictographic tablets from Uruk, seal impressions from Egyptian tombs, Chinese oracle bones, and Mayan hieroglyphs. It also reevaluates the origins of the alphabet.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N. Cannon Dr.
(773) 755-5100
www.chias.org
This Lincoln Park museum features many activities, including animal feedings, science workshops and butterfly releases, and features a permanent butterfly exhibit with 75 different species from around the world. Come for the fun! Thursdays are "suggested donation" days. Check the daily schedule for walks, family programs and more every single day. Among these: Haven Yoga takes place in the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven Saturdays at 8:30 a.m.

"Sanctuary: Flight of the Majestic Monarch," though 9/19: In this multicultural, multimedia art exhibit you'll learn about the connections between humans across three countries and monarch butterflies, who migrate hundreds of miles to reach their annual sanctuary in Mexico.

"Managing Eden," through 9/5: Photography from Joann Brennan reveals how our region is handling conservation challenges both in the lab and in the field.

Shedd Aquarium
1200 S. Lake Shore Dr.
(312) 939-2438
www.sheddaquarium.org
With the recently renovated Oceanarium now open and the new Fantasea show drawing people in, the Shedd is a great place to be this summer. Check the daily schedule for Wild Reef dives, Caribbean Reef dives, and special events. Don't miss the Polar Play Zone if you have children. Community Discount Days are 9/13-9/14, 9/20-9/21 and 9/28; the aquarium is open till 6 p.m. through 9/7.

Tots on Tuesdays, throughout the day: Includes storytimes, crafts, animal touch programs, videos, costumed characters and more.

Oceanarium Chats, daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.: Discover the newly renovated aquarium and make a connection with the animals.

Wild Reef and Caribbean Reef Dives, daily 10:30 a.m. (Wild Reef) and 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. (Caribbean Reef): Learn about parrotfishes, eels, turtles and schooling fish during these narrated dives.

Jazzin' at the Shedd, Wednesdays through 9/1: Enjoy the exhibits at the Shedd along with live music, refreshment and drinks; The Wild Reef, Oceanarium and Polar Play Zone open till 8 p.m. and other galleries close at 10 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for kids; add $6 apiece for Oceanarium and Play Zone access. Stay to see Navy Pier fireworks from the terrace in the evening.