National Museum of Mexican Art | Benito Huerta | Elsa Mu

If you were to pass the unassuming National Museum of Mexican Art on a stroll through Chicago’s Lower West Side, you probably wouldn’t realize you had just gone by one of the largest Latino cultural institutes in the country — unless, of course, you went inside. The museum’s permanent collection of 6,500 Mexican artifacts and pieces of art spans centuries and includes traditional textiles, paintings, photography, fascinating ephemera and much more. The current special exhibitions* showcase the contrasting works of living artists Benito Huerta, whose style ranges from abstract to pop art, and Elsa Muñoz, an academic realist.
Cost: nada. www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org