Cleve Carney Museum of Art's Andy Warhol exhibition among the summer's most anticipated cultural events

Among the suburbs' most anticipated cultural events this summer is the Cleve Carney Museum of Art exhibition "Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop/Works from the Bank of America Collection" opening Saturday, June 3, at the McAninch Arts Center.

Exclusive to the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, "Andy Warhol Portfolios" consists of 200 Warhol works, 94 of them from the Bank of America collection, along with 150 Warhol photographs and original works from the museum's permanent collection. The exhibition, which comes on the heels of CCMA's 2021 blockbuster "Frida Kahlo: Timeless," also includes "Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds," an interactive installation consisting of oversize, metallic balloons on loan from The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

The combination of Warhol works, an historical exhibit highlighting parts of his life, a kids' pop art print factory, a Studio 54 experience and a Central Park-inspired outdoor area along with concerts, a workshop and free lectures, makes for an accessible, "multifaceted experience that tells the story of Warhol," said CCMA curator Justin Witte.

While many CCMA visitors will gravitate toward the iconic pieces inspired by Marilyn Monroe and Campbell's Soup, Witte encourages them to take in his favorite works, the sunset series.

"Andy was a talented colorist. His use and understanding of color is fantastic and comes through in all of his work," especially that series, Witte said.

"They're incredibly beautiful, subtle and skilled pieces," said Witte, who predicts "Silver Clouds" will be a favorite among visitors.

"It's dynamic, beautiful and interactive," he said. "It's also very fun. And it's accessible."

The photographs from the CCMA collection offer a deeper understand of the artist in that they illuminate Warhol's inner life, Witte said.

"The photos we have highlight his process of doing portraits and making silk-screens," he said. "It gives us a peek into his everyday life. You get a sense of Andy the person."

"Andy Warhol Portfolios" runs through Sept. 10 at the CCMA, McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Tickets range from $25-$40 and are available at (630) 942-4000 or warhol2023.org.

The Warhol exhibition may be among the biggest suburban events this summer, but it's not the only one. Here are noteworthy exhibitions running at suburban and city venues.

Suburban exhibitions

• "65 Years": May 29 through Nov. 11 at the First Division Museum, Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. A nod to Cantigny's 65th anniversary this year, the exhibition consists of more than 465 artifacts, some of which have never been displayed. Reflecting the mundane and the momentous, the items highlight soldiers' everyday lives as well as their honors including medals, patches and flags. (630) 668-5161 or cantigny.org.

• "Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross": June 3 through Aug. 20 at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst. The exhibition includes more than 50 works by the acclaimed illustrator, who has translated images of The Avengers, Captain America, Spider Man, Black Panther and the X-Men's Storm into fine art. It chronicles Ross' evolution through childhood drawings to sketches to paintings to his three-dimensional busts of Marvel Universe characters. (630) 834-0202 or elmhurstartmuseum.org.

• "No Rest: The Epidemic of Stolen Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2Spirits": Through September at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 Central St., Evanston. Twelve Indigenous artists contributed 35 works to this exhibition, which highlights crimes committed against Native American women and members of the Native American LGBTQIA community. According to federal sources, urban, rural and reservation-based Native communities experience the nation's highest violent crime rates including domestic and sexual violence. (847) 475-1030 or mitchellmuseum.org.

• "Chim: Between Devastation and Resurrection": Through Feb. 4, 2024, at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie. This photography exhibition showcases the work of the 20th-century photographer who was born Dawid Szymin in 1911 and published under the name David Seymour. An astute observer of 20th-century European politics, social life and culture, he covered the struggle against fascism and the rebuilding of countries ravaged by World War II, including the struggle for workers' rights. The exhibition's more than 50 photographs highlight postwar reconstruction of Europe, elections, the effect of the war on children and the birth of the new state of Israel. (847) 967-4800 or ilholocaustmuseum.org.

• "Of the Earth": Through spring 2025 at the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. This installation showcasing works by Polish American artist Olga Ziemska includes five, large-scale sculptures "created from reclaimed tree branches and other natural materials gathered from various locations throughout the arboretum's 1,700 acres." It examines Ziemska's "we are nature" philosophy designed to remind people that the same basic elements form everything in nature, including ourselves. (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org.

• "Titanic: A Tribute to the Tragedy": Ongoing at the Volo Auto Museum, 27582 Volo Village Road, Volo. The exhibition recounts the maritime tragedy of April 14, 1912, when the luxury ocean liner struck an iceberg and sank nearly three hours later. It includes tributes to the ship's artifacts including a collection of Titanic-era automobiles, a 1910 Steinway grand piano like the one onboard and some personal effects of ship band leader Wallace Hartley. (815) 390-4853 or volocars.com.

Chicago exhibitions

• "Nuestras Historias: Stories of Mexican Identity From the Permanent Collection": Ongoing at The National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., Chicago. The exhibition highlights works from the museum's permanent collection, which showcase the stories of Mexican identity in North America through ancient Mesoamerican and colonial artifacts, modern Mexican art and folk art from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org.

• "Gary Simmons: Public Enemy": June 13-Oct. 1 at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. MCA's exhibition marks the first career retrospective of the multidisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in examinations of race, class and gender as depicted in America's visual culture. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

• "Diaspora Stories: Selections From the CCH Pounder Collection": Through July 16 at The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago. This exhibition features paintings from the collection of Emmy Award-nominated CCH Pounder ("NCIS: New Orleans," "Avatar," "The Shield"). An avid art collector for more than 40 years, Pounder's collection numbers more than 500 works including Kehinde Wiley, Robert Pruitt, Ebony G. Patterson, Mickalene Thomas, Betye Saar and Geoffrey Holder, among others. The exhibition consists of 24 works by artists from Cuba, Senegal, South Africa, Martinique, Cameroon, Trinidad, Jamaica, Cape Verde and the U.S. in a capsule collection that showcases contemporary art's current Black Renaissance. (773) 947-0600 or dusablemuseum.org.

• "Kwame Brathwaite: Things Well Worth Waiting For": Through July 24 at The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Inspired by music, Kwame Brathwaite picked up a camera in 1956 intending to document the "Black is Beautiful" movement. Over the course of his career, Brathwaite documented the lives of Black people - ordinary citizens and celebrities - alongside the civil rights and Black Power movements. This exhibition focuses on the photographer's passion for music. Also at The Art Institute, "Van Gogh and the Avant-garde: The Modern Landscape" features 25 of the artist's paintings along with works by his fellow pioneers Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Emile Bernard and Charles Angrand, whose vivid colors and brush strokes reflected novel painting techniques. The exhibition runs through Sept. 4. artic.edu.

• "Pompei: The Exhibition": Through Sept. 4 at The Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. "Pompei" offers visitors a glimpse into what life was like in ancient Rome through more than 150 artifacts - including sculptures, armor, jewelry and coins - and immersive, multimedia experiences. Holographic displays include a simulation of Mount Vesuvius' eruption and a gladiator competition. msichicago.org.

• "First Kings of Europe": Through Jan. 28, 2024, at The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. The Varna treasure, consisting of human-made gold objects from 6,000 years ago; Bronze Age swords and armor; and a Thracian prince's gold crown are among the 700 objects included in this exhibition. Twenty-six museums in 11 European countries contributed prehistoric tools, weapons and sculptures that reveal life within these early societies and chronicle how warriors evolved into kings. (312) 922-9410 or fieldmuseum.org.

Immersive exhibitions

• "Immersive Van Gogh," a digital exhibition consisting of Vincent Van Gogh's masterworks, runs in repertory with "Mozart Immersive: The Soul of a Genius" at the Lighthouse Artspace at the Germania Club, 108 W. Germania Place, Chicago. The Mozart exhibition chronicles the composer's life using some of his most famous compositions accompanied by recorded video that includes dancer/actor Mikhail Gorbachev and his father, Leopold. mozartimmersive.com.