Fine Arts Building | Home | Chicago's artist haven since 1898.

Second Fridays

Explore the Fine Arts Building during our monthly open tenant studios event to discover the creativity and history throughout all ten floors of the Fine Arts Building.

Upcoming Events

Experience the musicals, comedy shows, concerts, dance, puppetry, opera, and more at the majestic Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building.

Our History

From the 19th century to today, the Fine Arts Building is the heartbeat of arts and culture in America, home to music schools, literary clubs – and social, political, and cultural movements.

Windows Into History

Explore the Fine Arts Building's history with two exhibits on the 5th floor, in celebration of the building's 125th anniversary.

Visit the Directory

Tenant Directory

Discover the tenants of the Fine Arts Building - musicians, architects, dancers, artists, puppeteers, booksellers, luthiers, and much more - who make this building a home for art in all forms.

Visit The Fine Arts Building

The Fine Arts Building

Fine Arts Building, 410 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

Join Our Mailing List

Keep up to date about performances, events, open studios, and more at the Fine Arts Building by signing up for our mailing list.

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Happy World Book Day! Make sure to celebrate and g

Happy World Book Day! Make sure to celebrate and get your book fix during Independent Bookstore Day, this Saturday, April 27. Join us and Exile in Bookville @exileinbookville as they celebrate their third birthday!

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #exileinbookville #chicagobookstore #chicagobookstores #independentbookstore #independentbookstores #independentbookstoreday #indiebookstore #indiebookstores #indiebookstoreday #indiebookstorelove

History Monday! We love this historic photo of the

History Monday! We love this historic photo of the Fine Arts Building and Michigan Avenue. There's no better place in the world!

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #chicagoarchitecture #chiarchitecture #chitecture #chicagohistory #chicagobuilding #chicagobuildings #chicagolandmark #chicagolandmarks

We were delighted to host the Great Lakes Independ

We were delighted to host the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association @glibabooksellers for their Spring Forum yesterday in the Annex, at Exile in Bookville, and at the Studebaker Theater. A lovely day of books and community - thank you GLIBA!

@exileinbookville @studebakertheater

#bookseller #booksellers #booksellersofinstagram #gliba #glibabooksellers #independentbookstore #independentbookstores #independentbookseller #fineartsbuildingchicago #fineartsbuilding

This weekend in the @studebakertheater! From Wait

This weekend in the @studebakertheater! From Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! to the Chicago Academy for the Arts' All-School Showcase to the Origins Championship of Indian classical dance, it's going to be an eventful weekend here at the Fine Arts Building. Get your tickets at fineartsbuilding.com and join us for these great events!

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #studebakertheater #studebakertheaterchicago #thisweekend #eventsthisweek #eventsthisweekend #chicagoevents

Welcome to the second episode of Artists of the Fi

Welcome to the second episode of Artists of the Fine Arts Building! Meet Don Yang, a visual artist at the Fine Arts Building. We had a lovely conversation about plein air painting, making connections through art, and discovering beauty in the everyday.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Don Yang came to the United States in his late teens. After 7 years of service in the U.S. Army, he pursued his childhood dream of living as an artist by training at the American Academy of Art College in Chicago, where he earned a BFA with honors and later an MFA with emphasis on fine art and traditional illustration. Don has been teaching drawing, oil painting, and anatomy in and around Chicago for the past 23 years, while operating an independent art studio working as a freelance illustrator.

Follow Don:
Website: donyang.com
Instagram: @donyangart

Music: A New Hope by Matt Large

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #artiststudio #artiststudios #artiststudiolife #artiststudiotour #artiststudiopost #artiststudiospace #artiststudiovisit #artistinterview #artistinterviews #chicagoart #chicagoarts #chicagoartist #chicagoartscene #chicagoartist #chicagoartistry #chicagoartists #interviews #interview #interviewing

History Monday! This 1986 photo of the Fine Arts B

History Monday! This 1986 photo of the Fine Arts Building lobby is a glimpse back to when the Studebaker Theater was being used as a movie house by M&R Entertainment. Note the poster for A Room With A View!

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #studebakertheater #chicagohistory #chicagoarchitecture #chiarchitecture #chitecture #historicbuilding #historicbuildings #chicagolandmark

Second Fridays is TONIGHT! Join us for our free op

Second Fridays is TONIGHT! Join us for our free open studios event from 5:00-9:00 to explore the Fine Arts Building and meet the amazing artists who work here! Don’t miss these paintings by Greg Morrissey, @chiartist519 - now on display in the Second Floor Gallery across from @exileinbookville. See you tonight!

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #chicagoart #chicagoartist #chicagoartscene #chicagoartist #chicagoarchitecture #cityscape #artiststudio #artiststudios #openstudio #openstudios #secondfridays

Happy Theater Thursday! We love hearing how much p

Happy Theater Thursday! We love hearing how much people enjoy visiting the Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater - this patron from last weekend’s @bronzevillethemusical loved the show and their visit! Bronzeville closes this weekend so make sure to catch this incredible show!

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #audience #audiencereactions #studebakertheater #bronzeville #bronzevillechicago #musicaltheater #musicaltheatre #newmusical #musicals #chicagotheatre #chicagotheater

Join us this Friday for our favorite event of the

Join us this Friday for our favorite event of the month: Second Fridays! Explore the Fine Arts Building and meet the artists who make this Chicago's most vibrant creative hub. We'll see you here Friday from 5:00-9:00pm - free and open to the public! RSVP here: fineartsbuilding.com/second-fridays

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #secondfriday #secondfridays #openstudio #openstudios #openstudiodays #artiststudio #artiststudios #artiststudiotour #artiststudiospace #artiststudiovisit #chicagoarts #chicagoart #chicagoartist #chicagoartscene #chicagoartgallery #chicagoartgalleries #chicagoartist #chicagoartists

Happy History Monday! We love this 1989 photo of t

Happy History Monday! We love this 1989 photo of the Fine Arts Building's entry - the ornamental kickplates with lyre and floral details really shine through. Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #chicagohistory #chicagoarchitecture #chiarchitecture #chitecture #chicagobuilding #chicagolandmark #chicagolandmarks #historicphoto #historicphotograph #historicphotography #historicphotographs

Welcome to the first episode of Artists of the Fin

Welcome to the first episode of Artists of the Fine Arts Building, our new video series! Our first interview is with Cecilia Beaven, a visual artist at the Fine Arts Building. We had a lovely chat about mythmaking, narrative in art, and playfulness as creative process.

Cecilia Beaven is a visual artist and art instructor from Mexico City, based in Chicago. Cecilia holds an MFA in Studio from SAIC which she coursed as a Fulbright scholar and a BFA with honors from ENPEG La Esmeralda (Mexico City). Cecilia’s multidisciplinary artwork has been shown in solo shows in Mexico City, Houston, and Chicago, as well as in group exhibitions in Mexico, the US, Colombia, Sweden, Italy, and Japan. She has painted murals in several cities such as Hiketa, Paris, Houston, Chicago, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Pachuca, Tepoztlan, and Tijuana, where she was commissioned to paint a segment of the border wall between Mexico and the US.

Through her work, which includes painting, drawing, animation, film, and sculpture, Cecilia develops a speculative mythology with unique visual narratives. Cecilia questions who gets to tell stories and establish the official cultural narratives. The artist affirms her creative agency by modifying existing tales and mythology and seamlessly adding fiction and personal anecdotes. Through this analytical and ludic experimentation, Cecilia brings a unique perspective on Mexican identity that goes beyond folklore and mainstream ideas of Mexico.

Follow Cecilia:
Website: ceciliabeaven.com
Instagram: @samuraiceci

Music: A New Hope by Matt Large

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #artiststudio #artiststudios #artiststudiolife #artiststudiotour #artiststudiopost #artiststudiospace #artiststudiovisit #artistinterview #artistinterviews #chicagoart #chicagoarts #chicagoartist #chicagoartscene #chicagoartist #chicagoartistry #chicagoartists #interviews #interview #interviewing

Happy History Monday! We love this photo of the Fi

Happy History Monday! We love this photo of the Fine Arts Building’s entrance from 1986, when the Studebaker Theater and neighboring World Playhouse were rebranded as the “Fine Arts Theatres.” These were part of a cineplex of 4 screens that showed art and independent films. Note the “Box Office” signs on the doors. What a great shot!

#fineartsbuildingchicago #fineartsbuilding #studebakertheater #chicagoarchitecture #chiarchitecture #chitecture #chicagolandmark #chicagohistory #throwback #chicagobuilding #chicagobuildings #michiganave

Introducing “Artists of the Fine Arts Building,” a new video series that takes you inside the artists’ studios throughout the building and hear from incredible artists and creators about their work. Each installment will feature one artist who calls the Fine Arts Building their creative home! The first installment launches on April 2, with new videos dropping every other Tuesday here and on our YouTube page. We can’t wait to share the amazing inspiration of the Fine Arts Building with you!

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #chicagolandmark #chicagoarchitecture #chiarchitecture #chitecture #chicagoart #chicagoarts #chicagoartist #chicagoartists #artiststudio #artistrystudio #artiststudios #openstudio #artistinterview #artistinterviews

History Monday! This photo from 1975 captures a cr

History Monday! This photo from 1975 captures a crowd leaving a production of English comedy “Big Bad Mouse” starring Eric Sykes and Jimmy Edwards. It proved to be a successful show with an extended run - the first of a US tour - but the production was unfortunately closed early due to the city of Chicago ordering nine theaters closed due to city code violations.

#theaterhistory #chicagohistory #theatrehistory #chicagotheater #chicagotheater #fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #studebakertheater

Views of the @mitskileaks Here On Earth: Chicago G

Views of the @mitskileaks Here On Earth: Chicago Gallery + Pop-up Shop in collaboration with @exileinbookville here at the Fine Arts Building. March 21-24, 4-7pm. Photographs from The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. Curated by @ebruyildiz

.

#popup #mitski #mitski #thelandisinhospitableandsoarewe #chicagoevents #popupshop #independentbookstore #chicagobookstore #chicagoart #photography #photogallery #fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #exileinbookville

Join us this week, March 21-27 from 4-7pm daily, f

Join us this week, March 21-27 from 4-7pm daily, for Here On Earth: Chicago Gallery + Pop-up Shop from @mitskileaks and @exileinbookville on the 2nd floor here at the Fine Arts Building! Featuring photographs from The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, curated by @ebruyildiz along with 2024 Mitski merch.

Entry is free and open to the public! No ticket or purchase necessary. A limited-edition large-format photo zine is available exclusively at Exile, plus books that Mitski recommends!

We’ll see you here this week!

#mitski #exileinbookville #fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #chicagoevents #livemusic #independentbookstore #indiebookstore #chicagobookstore #merch #popup #popupshop #chicagogallery #chicagoart #chicagoartist #chicagoartscene

History Monday brings us this 1915 advertisement f

History Monday brings us this 1915 advertisement for the film “Life Under the Ocean,” made by filmmaker J.E. Williamson during an underwater expedition in the Bahamas. It played at the Studebaker Theater daily from 11am to 11pm. Williamson was a pioneer in ocean filmography for over 50 years until his death in 1966.

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #studebakertheater #chicagohistory #moviehistory #filmhistory

Happy Theater Thursday! In honor of the majestic S

Happy Theater Thursday! In honor of the majestic Studebaker Theater, we are so so thrilled to introduce the STUDEBAKER GOLDEN ALE, created in partnership with @pollyannabrewingcompany. With artwork inspired by a Studebaker playbill from the 1920s featuring our iconic Michigan Ave entry, this new offering captures the spirit of our beautiful 125-year-old theater. Available now at concessions!

#studebakertheater #fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #pollyannabrewing #chicagotheater #chicagotheatre #concessions #theaterhistory #theatrehistory #chicagobeer #chicagobrewery #playbill

History Monday brings us this incredible photo fro

History Monday brings us this incredible photo from ca. 1950, when NBC Studios converted the Studebaker Theater into one of the largest television broadcast studios in the Midwest! Programs including Cavalcade of Stars and Hawkins Falls were broadcast from this studio until it closed in 1955 and the Studebaker started showing live theatrical performances again.

#nbc #nbcstudios #televisionhistory #televisionstudio #tvhistory #studebakertheater #chicagotheater #fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #chicagohistory

Join us for our Second Fridays open studios this F

Join us for our Second Fridays open studios this Friday from 5pm to 9pm and meet the artists who make the Fine Arts Building a home for art in all forms! Discover books, art, puppetry, opera, and more at our favorite free event!

#fineartsbuilding #fineartsbuildingchicago #chicagoarchitecture #chiarchitecture #chitecture #openstudio #openstudios #openstudiodays #artiststudio #artiststudios #artiststudiospace #artiststudiotour #artiststudiospace #artiststudiovisit #artstudio #artstudios #artstudiotour

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