The Culture Coast is a collection of artistically vibrant neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side known for its high concentration of museums, music and theater ensembles, performance venues, cultural nonprofits, and arts education opportunities.
The region spanning from just south of McCormick Place to the South Shore Cultural Center is home to many of Chicago’s cultural gems such as the Museum of Science and Industry, the Western hemisphere’s largest science museum, and the Hyde Park Art Center, the city’s oldest alternative exhibition space. Other key institutions include the DuSable Museum of African American History, the country’s first museum dedicated to the study of African American history and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The University of Chicago, which is home to the Oriental Institute Museum, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, the Smart Museum of Art, and the Renaissance Society, also hosts numerous visiting artists, performances, and lectures throughout the year.
Culture Coast’s rich artistic heritage includes creative icons such as playwright Lorraine Hansberry, novelist Saul Bellow, and jazz pioneer Herbie Hancock. The lakefront area has evolved into an eclectic architectural landscape since the mid-1800s, featuring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-style homes, the Hyde Park-Kenwood Historic District, and the University of Chicago’s Collegiate Gothic quadrangles and modern constructions, such as the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.
Our mission as an organization is to showcase Chicago’s South Side as a premier cultural destination and serve as a networking collective for South Side artists and cultural institutions. Learn more about the Culture Coast.
Photo Credit: Choose Chicago