Chicago, IL–When the shopping and the crowds on the Magnificent Mile drain your energy, head to LUMA for a recharge. LUMA, short for Loyola University Museum of Art, is a pocket museum directly across from the historic Water Tower at 820 N. Michigan Avenue.
A couple of exhibitions now are worth exploring, both running just through October 23. In Holiness and the Feminine Spirit: The Art of Janet McKenzie, the Vermont artist covers primarily African Americans and women in her paintings of religious themes.
My favorite exhibit, though, is Inscribing the Divine: the St. John’s Bible, a richly colored hand-illuminated and calligraphed Bible by Donald Jackson for the Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota. The exhibit displays 13 folios from the Pentateuch and the Psalms, all touched with gold, bright colors and amazing calligraphy.
LUMA is free on Tuesdays and open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission on those days is $6.