Saturday May 9, 2026

2:00 pm CST

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

Join us at the museum for an artist talk with Victor Hugo Enriquez (USMC), who has been activating the NVAM Open Studios since November 2025. Victor will share his creative journey of reclaiming identity after service and finding meaning through art. His studio in the Open Studios gallery will be open to the public to view his oil paintings and sculptural work.

Saturday, May 9, 2026

10:00am - 12:00 pm CST

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

Bring the whole family to the museum for an afternoon of art-making and reflection. Together, we'll learn about the meaning of Memorial Day and create colorful posters by hand, the same posters our marchers will carry through the streets at the Chicago Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

Come make something meaningful with us.

Monday, May 11, 2026

6:00 pm CST

7th Floor Author's Room
Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Chicago, IL 60605

Brittney Chantele Aston (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice centers the body, drawing on lived experience as a veteran and an artist.

Through endurance, repetition, and material transformation, they explore what the body carries, what it's forced to carry, and what it refuses. Their work pushes against ideas of strength, control, and productivity, tracing how institutional systems stay in the body long after you leave them.

This artist talk is part of a series inviting artists who have served to discuss their practice and work, inspired by the exhibition, National Veterans Art Museum: 30 Years, presented as part of Chicago Public Library's commemoration of America's 250th anniversary.

Paper-making & Pulp Painting
Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 4:00 PM
Friday, May 15, 2026 | 4:00 PM

Sewing and Writing
Saturday, May 16, 2026 | 2:00 PM

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

Ticket Required (Limited Spots)

2025 NVAM Artist Fellow Jenn Hassin returns to Chicago to share her artistic practice with the community. Feeling creative? Join us for a hands-on weekend exploring the art of paper-making, pulp-paintings, and sewing in paper with this accomplished veteran artist.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

12:00 pm CST
Parade - Downtown Chicago on State Street (begins at Lake St and ends at Van Buren St)

1:00 pm CST
Reflection at Above & Beyond
Harold Washington Library Center, 3rd Floor
400 S. State Street
Chicago, IL 60605

The National Veterans Art Museum will march alongside veteran artists, military-connected community members, and partner organization Kids Rank, carrying handmade art prints and posters with messages of remembrance such as "We Remember" and "Never Forget."

Join us on May 9th to make posters for the parade.

Monday, May 25, 2026

Special Open Hours
10:00am-4:00pm

Reading Program
1:00-3:00pm

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

RSVP Encouraged but not required

This Memorial Day, the National Veterans Art Museum opens its doors from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, inviting you to gather in community to remember those we've lost and reflect on the lives shaped by service.

From 1:00 to 3:00 pm, hear directly from veteran contributors to I Remember: Chicago Veterans of War (Big Shoulders Books, 2015) as they share readings drawn from their own experiences.

Join us as we take a moment together to remember what this day truly means.

Saturday, May 30, 2026

12:00 pm CST

Rogers Park Branch
Chicago Public Library
6907 N. Clark Street
Chicago IL 60626

FREE

Join us for a special post-Memorial Day screening of Above and Beyond, a documentary on Cpl. William T. Perkins Jr., the only combat photographer in U.S. history to receive the Medal of Honor, told through his own combat footage, letters, and the voices of those who knew him.

Presented in partnership with the National Veterans Art Museum, the screening will be followed by a conversation with the film’s producer, Debora Masterson.

On View from Friday, February 27, 2026 - Monday, June 1, 2026

Harold Washington Library Center, 3rd Floor Gallery
400 S. State Street
Chicago, IL 60605

Visit the Harold Washington Library Center's 3rd Floor Gallery for National Veterans Art Museum: 30 Years, an exhibition celebrating three decades of preserving, exhibiting, and collecting the stories of artists who have served.

Presented in collaboration with the Harold Washington Library Center to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, this exhibition features reproductions from NVAM's permanent collection, honoring the voices of artists who have served, told in their own work.

Saturday, June 13, 2026

2:00 pm CST

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

Join us for the closing reception of the Strength in Fragility and celebrate 2025 Artist Fellow, Jenn Hassin (US Air Force).

Saturday, July 11, 2026

2:00 pm CST

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

Save the date for the opening reception of new paintings by 2026 NVAM Artist Fellow, Gregory Rick. Join us in celebrating the debut of this powerful new body of work and meet this extraordinary artist.

RSVP available soon.

September 11, 2026

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

Never Forget: 9/11 25th Anniversary is a multi-layered tribute marking 25 years since September 11, 2001, weaving together video narratives and portrait photography from across the UIC community to create a space for collective memory and reflection.

Saturday, September 12, 2026

10:00am - 12:00 pm CST

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60641

Join us at the museum to learn printmaking techniques and create handmade cards. Your cards will bring cheer to veterans and their families receiving care at Jesse Brown VA and Hines VA, as well as military-connected children served by Kids Rank and Blue Star Families.