Cultural Developments in Chicago and Beyond: Gallery Additions, Store Closures, and Museum Debates

Western Exhibitions gallery has expanded its roster by adding three artists: Journie Cirdain, Nanako Kono, and Olivia Zubko. Cirdain creates large allegorical drawings exploring themes like life and death, following her solo exhibition 'The Gloaming' in fall 2025. Kono produces humorous paintings inspired by comic strips and Chicago Imagist traditions, after her show 'Doublespeak' in summer 2025. Zubko makes sculptures using ceramics and found materials focused on domestic spaces like bathrooms. In retail news, Saks Fifth Avenue plans to close its Michigan Avenue location as part of broader store reductions, though the nearby Neiman Marcus will stay open. A controversy involves the Art Institute of Chicago considering removal of Adler & Sullivan's Stock Exchange Trading Room, which Preservation Chicago has listed as endangered for 2026. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is campaigning to protect Wright's Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, with an event scheduled for March 19 at the Charnley-Persky House Museum. In architecture, Patrik Schumacher won a legal case allowing Zaha Hadid Architects to rename the firm without paying ongoing fees to the Zaha Hadid Foundation. Dining updates include Original Mr. Beef opening a second location near Midway Airport and Bar Bambi launching in West Town. Film industry news covers concerns about potential layoffs from a Paramount-Warner merger and Middle East sovereign funds' investments being at risk due to regional conflicts. Additionally, Columbia College hosts Storytelling Week through March 14, featuring writers and veterans. Radio owner Cumulus Media filed for bankruptcy, and German publisher Axel Springer agreed to buy Britain's Daily Telegraph. David Ellison, involved in the Paramount deal, pledged editorial independence for CNN. Plans for a Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum are part of a larger redevelopment project on State Street. Filament Theatre will premiere 'Farewell Opportunity' by Georgette Kelly in May, and Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre Company laid off staff due to financial issues.