In addition to horticultural displays, the Garden presents a wide variety of exhibitions, including fine photography and an array of artwork. Click here for a map of the Garden's Regenstein Center, where most exhibitions take place.
Krehbiel Gallery Plant Displays
The year gets off to a colorful start with bowls of amaryllis followed by the bright yellow and fragrant branches of canary broom contrasted with deep blue anemone poppies. The spring months bring tall flowering spikes of forced perennials such as foxglove, larkspur, and lupines, and a brief appearance of the fragrant, purple-boughed wisteria trees. In the summer, the pool is filled with a variety of tropical foliage and flowers. In the fall, the gallery is filled with baskets of cascading and specialty mums.
Opens January 12, 2013
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This exhibition presents landscape photographer Miles Lowry. Through his remarkable photographs, Lowry captures the grace and grandeur in what remains of the vast forests and savannas that once covered the eastern half of the United States. Since 2001, he has searched out and documented restored savannas and pockets of old-growth forests, focusing attention on these now-rare landscapes.
April 27 - May 19, 2013
9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Joutras Gallery
See the Garden in a new light! In this exhibition, photographs of the natural world feature the work of Garden Photographic Society members. Their remarkable images capture fleeting moments of beauty — from the morning mist to the first spring bloom. Society members have held their meetings at the Garden for more than 30 years, appreciating it as a special place to perfect their craft.
Shown at left: PHOTO by Maria Rebelo
May 11 – October 27, 2013
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
June 5 – August 28, 2013
Extended hours on Wednesdays only until 8 p.m.
The 7,500-square-foot Model Railroad Garden: Landmarks of America exhibition features trains running on 1,600 feet of track. The garden-scale trains are 1/29th the size of life-size trains. Train and garden enthusiasts, young and old, return year after year for the delightful sights and sounds of the miniature trains traversing high and low through tunnels, across bridges, and around buildings.
May 25 – September 2, 2013
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, weather permitting
The Butterflies & Blooms exhibition is a butterfly exhibition where visitors can immerse themselves in a habitat filled with hundreds of live butterflies. This exhibition is filled with species native to South America, Asia, North America, and Africa, as well as those native to Illinois. The 2,800-square-foot white mesh enclosure is located on the lawn of the Learning Campus.
Saturday, May 25, through Sunday, August 18
Joutras Gallery
Celebrating the intersection of art and agriculture, Art of the Heirloom showcases original works commissioned by the Hudson Valley Seed Library for their annual Art/Seed Pack collection. The exhibition features works in a variety of media and styles such as oil painting, paper, collage, encaustic, colored pencil, and printmaking. Exhibiting artists range from the undiscovered to the up-and-coming to the world renowned. Each work of art becomes a unique seed pack.
Opening Reception
Friday, August 23, 2013, 6 – 8 p.m.
August 24 – September 29, 2013
9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Join us for the annual exhibition of botanical photography by students of the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The exhibition features outstanding works by students and instructors in our diverse offering of photography classes. Click here to view last year's exhibition online.
Shown at left: Eternal Flame
by Greg Jarosz
Opening reception: October 4, 2013, 6 – 8 p.m.
October 5 – 20, 2013
9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Each autumn the Regenstein School's Annual Student Botanical Art Exhibition features outstanding student and instructor works in the Joutras Gallery, Regenstein Center. Come enjoy vibrant landscape scenes, delicate watercolors, intricate pen and ink studies, amazing pastels and much more. Select pieces are available for purchase.
Shown at left: Bittersweet (Celastrus scandes)
by Ku-mie Kim
Thursday, November 7, 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Friday – Sunday, November 8 – 10, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Stunning quilts, lovely knitted artwear, woven wonders, and breathtaking beadwork are among the abundant handcrafted items on view and for sale during the Fine Art of Fiber, held at the Garden's Regenstein Center. The area's oldest, largest, and most unique fiber art event, the Fine Art of Fiber is hosted by Illinois Quilters, Inc., North Suburban NeedleArts Guild, and the Weavers Guild of the North Shore. A complimentary opening night, including early buying privileges, is from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday evening.
November 29, 2013 through January 5, 2014
Daily, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Take a magical adventure to a winter wonderland of twinkling lights and holiday beauty at the Chicago Botanic Garden when we kick off the holiday season! Outside, 750,000 lights sparkle and welcome you and your family to the Garden's wonderland. Inside the Regenstein Center, a 10,000-square-foot exhibition of miniature trains winds through more than 80 miniature Chicago-area landmarks, including Navy Pier, Soldier Field, Chicago Stadium, the Chinatown Arch, the Art Institute, the South Shore Cultural Center, the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House, and much more!
