Raymond Hayen

As winter weather begins to let up, it's time to put away those heavy winter coats, open the windows, and start making some fun summer plans. Luckily for local Chicagoans and visitors, the Windy City has an abundance of fantastic fine art festivals that are worth checking out. Although visual art is the focus of these festivals, many of them also include great food, music, and even dancing.

Opening with a replica maquette of the untitled Richard J. Daley Center Picasso sculpture, the Art Institute of Chicago's current special exhibition, Picasso and Chicago, is quick to emphasize the famous artist's connection to the city. In fact, nearly all of the included pieces in the show are a part of the Institute's collections, giving the exhibit a unique point of view and showcasing the Museum's vast inventory of pieces that are often rarely seen.

In a big (and expensive) city like Chicago, finding inexpensive ways to connect with culture can often be a daunting task. Luckily for Chicagoans looking to get their cultural fix, the Chicago Arts District in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago hosts their Second Fridays Gallery Night on the second Friday of every month.

As can be expected from one of the Midwest's leading cultural institutions, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's new exhibition, RONAN AND ERWAN BOUROULLEC: BIVOUAC, pushes the boundaries of what can be accomplished through ground-breaking design concepts.

Following its highly publicized summer Lichtenstein retrospective, the Art Institute of Chicago appears to be putting emphasis on video art and film installations during the fall season with two innovative new exhibitions - FOCUS: HITO STEYERL and STEVE MCQUEEN.