Ozians, assemble
As the craze for all things \u201cWicked\u201d continues, dive into the original \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d film with a new exhibit<\/a> of memorabilia at the Driehaus Museum<\/b>. Displays include costumes, production memos and a draft of the script. Baum, lest we forget, was a Chicagoan \u2014 and there\u2019s no place like home for all things Oz.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Land of Oz: Beyond the Page,\u201d open through March 15 at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum, 50 E. Erie St., open Weds.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with additional free admission hours 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday; $20 general admission, $15 seniors, $10 students, free for active military and children 12 and under. For more information, visit driehausmuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pull up a chair<\/p>\n What might the affordable housing of tomorrow look like? From now through the spring, the National Public Housing Museum <\/b>hosts one vision. Architect and University of Illinois Chicago professor Alexander Eisenschmidt designs a living room for you to nestle into, all while reading up on Department of Housing and Urban Development history.<\/p>\n \u201cBREAKTHROUGH: Housing Futures,\u201d open through April 19 at the National Public Housing Museum, 919 S. Ada St., open Weds.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free admission. For more information, visit nphm.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n So asks the Nature Museum<\/b> in \u201cNight Flyers,\u201d<\/b> its new exhibition on owls. The museum\u2019s taxidermic collection shows off the diversity of this regal order of raptors.<\/p>\n Through June 28 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive, open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; admission $15 in-state adults, $10 students and seniors, $8 children; naturemuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n America\u2019s expats<\/p>\n James Baldwin. Josephine Baker. Richard Wright. These are just a few of the African American luminaries who moved to Paris at the height of their careers, seeking to escape the prejudice of their home country. The City of Lights became a refuge for Black artists and intellectuals, if not an uncomplicated one. A recently opened exhibition at the DuSable Museum<\/b> explores this migration.<\/p>\n \u201cParis in Black: Internationalism and the Black Renaissance,\u201d The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Pl., open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Mondays (closed); general admission $12.50 for Chicago residents, $9 for students and seniors, $4 for children 6-11, free for children 6 and under. For complete pricing information, visit dusablemuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Like its recent \u201cChasing Eclipses,\u201d the Adler Planetarium<\/b> mixes history and science in \u201cStars Aligned,\u201d<\/b> a survey of astronomical methods over time. The new exhibition displays tracts and calendars from across cultures and ages. And yes, horoscope nerds, that means there\u2019s some astrology in the mix, too.<\/p>\n \u201cStars Aligned: Tracing the History of Astronomy and Astrology\u201d at Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, open Fri.-Mon. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., open until 10 p.m. Wednesdays, closed Tuesdays and Thursdays; museum entry begins at $25 for adults and $13 for children 3 to 11. For complete ticketing information, visit adlerplanetarium.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where the wild things are<\/p>\n The Chicago Children\u2019s Museum<\/b> educates little ones about natural habitats \u2014 cities very much included \u2014 through \u201cI AM WILD,\u201d<\/b> a new exhibition inspired by the whimsical, geometric style of artist Charley Harper. (The Cincinnati-based artist wrote a popular book series of the same name before his death in 2007.) While there, be sure to swing by Ella Jenkins\u2019 spinning top collection<\/b>, gifted to the museum after the adored singer-songwriter\u2019s death in 2024 and recently put on display.<\/p>\n \u201cI AM WILD: A Charley Harper Exhibit,\u201d Jan. 17 to May 10 at the Chicago Children\u2019s Museum at Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave.; open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fri.-Sun. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., closed Tuesdays; chicagochildrensmuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Masterminding the couture in \u201cWicked,\u201d \u201cHamilton,\u201d Steven Spielberg\u2019s redux of \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d and more, Paul Tazewell<\/b> is safely one of the most famous costume designers of our time. The Museum of Science and Industry<\/b> displays some of his most iconic creations. The retrospective is very much in keeping with the institution\u2019s not-at-all-sciencey-but-fun-so-who-cares curational strategy while it preps for \u201cPowering the Future,\u201d<\/b> a major permanent exhibition<\/a> opening at a date-to-be-determined later this year.<\/p>\n \u201cCrafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell,\u201d Jan. 19 to Sept. 7 at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, open daily 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $26 general admission, $15 children ages 3 to 11; for more ticketing info, visit griffinmsi.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ya\u2019 like \u201cJazz\u201d?<\/p>\n Visitors to the Reva and David Logan Center at the University of Chicago have already gotten a taste of Henri Matisse\u2019s cut-paper series \u201cJazz,\u201d<\/b> with prints displayed in the complex\u2019s lower level. But the Art Institute<\/b> has the real thing, showing the set for the first time since its 1948 acquisition.<\/p>\n \u201cMatisse\u2019s Jazz: Rhythms in Color,\u201d March 7 to June 1 at the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave.; open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Tuesdays (closed) and Thursdays (open until 8 p.m.); $20 general admission for Chicago residents, $14 for seniors and students, and free for youth 17 and under. For complete admission pricing, visit artic.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n Extension alerts<\/p>\n \u201cParadise Lost,\u201d<\/b> Raqib Shaw\u2019s epic, 100-foot tableau, has become an Art Institute<\/b> favorite since its installation in the Alsdorf Galleries<\/b> this spring. After effusive visitor feedback, Shaw has permitted the Art Institute to hang onto the work through November 15, nearly a year longer than planned. Meanwhile, West Town\u2019s Intuit Art Museum<\/b> has extended its reopening exhibition,<\/a> \u201cCatalyst: Im\/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago,\u201d <\/b>through March 22.<\/p>\n Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Tuesdays (closed) and Thursdays (open until 8 p.m.); $20 general admission for Chicago residents, $14 for seniors and students, and free for youth 17 and under. For complete admission pricing, visit artic.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CT-MuseumsNotebaert15.jpg\")
A snowy owl and a great horned owl on display at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, photographed in 2014. (Nancy Stone\/Chicago Tribune)
\n\u201cWhoooo is in your backyard?\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2025_10_27_PLANETARIUM_6D6A1701.jpg\")
The Adler Planetarium features the new exhibit “Stars Aligned” on the Museum Campus this winter. (Provided by Adler Planetarium)
\nAncient knowledge<\/p>\n![\"Costumes](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RS49938_West_Side_Story_3.jpg\")
Costumes by Paul Tazewell in a scene from the 2021 movie “West Side Story.” (20th Century Studios)
\nWhen a celebrity clothier came to the science museum<\/p>\n