What is the first work of art you remember seeing at the Smart?
The Smart Museum of Art is a leader among academic art museums, distinguished by its close partnership with faculty and central role in the student experience. Together we advance new scholarship and inquiry across a range of disciplines and foster critical engagement with global art.
In fall 2025 internationally renowned artist Theaster Gates presented his first major solo exhibition in Chicago at the Smart while also teaching a course grounded in his exhibition. This exhibition brought national acclaim, with a feature on CBS News Sunday Morning and Time Out Chicago citing it as the most important exhibition in Chicago in 2025. In spring 2026 the museum honors Wu Hung, Harrie A. Vanderstappen Distinguished Service Professor of Art History and the College, one of the world’s foremost scholars of contemporary Chinese art, with an exhibition co-organized with the Center for the Art of East Asia that celebrates his profound influence on the field—as a scholar, curator, and museum collaborator.
The Smart’s nationally recognized exhibitions are built through close partnerships with the UChicago campus community. These partnerships have created transformative experiences for students, integrating global art and transdisciplinary inquiry into the intellectual fabric of the University.
On this Giving Day, we invite you to join the global UChicago community in supporting the Smart Museum of Art. Our goal is to secure 100 new gifts that will sustain the exhibitions, programs, and curricular engagement that embody the Smart’s vital role in the University’s mission.
Gifts of $100 or more automatically enroll you as a SmartPartner, providing membership benefits, including free admission to more than 1,000 museums nationwide.
