Museum of Contemporary Art
.jpg?width=480)
.jpg?width=480)
Museum of Contemporary Art is a museum in Illinois, at a modelled elevation of 180 m. Mount Trashmore stands 204 m to the north-northwest, 9.7 miles off. The nearest named place is Anne & John Kern Terrace Garden, a garden less than a tenth of a mile away. Historic Route 66 passes 1.2 miles off. 16 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) is a contemporary art museum near Water Tower Place in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The museum, which was established in 1967, is one of the world's largest contemporary art venues. The museum's collection is composed of thousands of objects of Post-World War II visual art. The museum is run gallery-style, with individually curated exhibitions throughout the year. Each exhibition may be composed of temporary loans, pieces from their permanent collection, or a combination of the two. The museum has hosted several notable debut exhibitions, including Frida Kahlo's first U.S. exhibition and Jeff Koons' first solo museum exhibition. Koons later presented an exhibit at the museum that broke the museum's attendance record. The current record for the most attended exhibition is the 2017 exhibition of Takashi Murakami's work. The museum's collection, which includes Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, and Alexander Calder, contains historical samples of 1940s–1970s late surrealism, pop art, minimalism, and conceptual art; notable holdings also include 1980s postmodernism, as well as contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, and related media. It also presents dance, theater, music, and multidisciplinary arts. The current location at 220 East Chicago Avenue is in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area. Josef Paul Kleihues designed the current building after the museum conducted a 12-month search, reviewing more than 200 nominations. The museum was initially located at 237 East Ontario Street, which was originally designed as a bakery. The current building is known for its signature staircase leading to an elevated ground floor, which has an atrium, the full glass-walled east and west façades giving a direct view of the city and Lake Michigan.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1967.
Wikidata Q118142, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What to expect
- Fee
- Yes
- Step-free access
- Yes
How to reach it
- 1.2 mi off the Historic Route 66, National
- 27.0 mi off the Lincoln Highway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Des Plaines River · 14 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Anne & John Kern Terrace Garden: 0.0 mi
- Limestone Glade: 0.7 mi
- Chicago Lights Urban Farm: 1.0 mi
- Dark Plate: 1.1 mi
- Light Plate: 1.1 mi
- Ben: 0.0 mi
- Family: 0.1 mi
- Allow Me: 0.2 mi
- Archbishop Quigley: 0.3 mi
- George Wellington "Cap'n" Streeter: 0.4 mi
- Seneca Park: 0.0 mi
- Lake Shore Park: 0.1 mi
- Jane M. Byrne Plaza: 0.2 mi
- Lakefront Park: 0.3 mi
- Chicago + State Park: 0.3 mi
- Eli Schulman: 0.1 mi
- Adé H: 0.5 mi
- Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite: 0.6 mi
- PFC Milton Lee Olive III: 0.6 mi
- Site of Fort Dearborn: 0.6 mi
- Chicago Sports Museum: 0.1 mi
- Loyola University Museum of Art: 0.2 mi
- Richard H. Driehaus Museum: 0.3 mi
- McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum: 0.6 mi
- Chicago Architecture Center: 0.6 mi
- Museum of Ice Cream: 0.5 mi
- Shoreline Sightseeing: 0.6 mi
- Odyssey Chicago River: 0.6 mi
- Wendella Tours - Michigan Avenue: 0.6 mi
- Wendella Tours - Dock 3: 0.6 mi
- Picnic Grove B: 1.0 mi
- Picnic Grove C: 1.0 mi
- Lincoln Park - Grove 2: 1.3 mi
- Lincoln Park - Grove 3: 1.4 mi
- Lincoln Park - Grove 4: 1.6 mi
- South Pond Natural Area: 1.5 mi
- Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool: 2.0 mi
- North Pond Nature Sanctuary: 2.3 mi
- Ping Tom Natural Area: 2.7 mi
- Diversey Natural Area: 2.9 mi
- Oak Street Beach: 0.4 mi
- Ohio Street Beach: 0.5 mi
- 12th Street Beach: 2.4 mi
- Margaret Burroughs Beach: 4.1 mi
- Humboldt Beach: 4.3 mi
- Soldier Field Sledding Hill: 2.7 mi
- Mount Bridgeport: 4.0 mi
- Horner Park Hill: 5.8 mi
- Players Hill: 7.7 mi
- Obama Center Sled Hill: 8.0 mi
- Rosemont Waterfall: 13.9 mi
- Sawmill Creek Waterfall: 22.1 mi
- Canyon Creek Cascade: 24.2 mi
- Canyon Creek Falls: 24.3 mi
- Swallow Cliffs: 19.5 mi
- Covington Bluff: 24.9 mi
- Rain Garden Springs: 7.1 mi
- Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis: 22.0 mi
- Tedens: 22.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Museum of Contemporary Art. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Trashmore | NNW 334° | 204 m | 9.7 mi |
| Players Hill | W 259° | 187 m | 7.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:55 | 18:26 | 19:03 |
| June solstice | 05:16 | 19:48 | 20:30 |
| September equinox | 06:39 | 18:13 | 18:50 |
| December solstice | 07:16 | 15:38 | 16:23 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 26 | 29 | 38 | 48 | 58 | 68 | 74 | 74 | 67 | 54 | 43 | 31 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Chicago Northerly IS, 3 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/24800223
Day trips start here
- Chicago/Near North · 0 mi
- Chicago/Loop · 1 mi
- Chicagoland · 1 mi
- Chicago · 2 mi
- Chicago/Near South · 3 mi
- Chicago/Near West Side · 3 mi
Take the scenic way to Museum of Contemporary Art.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.