Ionit Behar

Thank you @mariela.acuna and @ionitbehar for sharing your knowledge with us at our most recent professional development workshop “Working Together: Navigating Curator-Artist Relationships” and to everyone who attended in person and online! Our next workshop is “Copyright Basics” with Barry F. Irwin and Victoria Hanson of Irwin IP on Thursday, June 11 from 6-8pm. Participants can attend in person or online via Zoom. Check out our other upcoming workshops at the links in our bio or on our website at chicagoartistscoalition.org/upcoming-events/.

Join us on Saturday, May 16 for a special cross-gallery program presented by moniquemeloche and GRAY, connecting Cheryl Pope: ‘ALL THERE IS’ and Roger Brown: ‘Weathervane’. The afternoon will begin at GRAY with a walkthrough of Roger Brown: ‘Weathervane’ led by Anastasia Tinari and Cheryl Pope, exploring Brown’s enduring influence and the visual resonances between his work and Pope’s new body of landscape-based textile works. The program will continue at moniquemeloche with a conversation between Cheryl Pope and Ionit Behar, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Together, the program considers the shared throughlines between two Chicago artists of different generations, both connected to SAIC, and their distinct approaches to landscape, memory, and the emotional weight of land and sky. Saturday, May 16 2-3:30pm Walkthrough at GRAY 2–2:30pm
Conversation at moniquemeloche 2:45–3:30pm
 RSVP via the link in our bio! 🌟 @cherylpope @richardgraygallery @ionitbehar @anastasiaktinari Cheryl Pope, ALL THERE IS, 2025, Roger Brown, Lake Effect, 1980. © The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brown Family, Cheryl Pope, Ionit Behar

On Wednesday, May 13 from 6-8pm we have another professional development workshop, Working Together: Navigating Curator-Artist Relationships with Ionit Behar and Mariela Acuña. REGISTER TODAY AT THE LINK IN OUR BIO. Rooted in our core values of knowledge-sharing and building community, this 2-hr seminar will include plenty of Q&A time. Bring your experience and your questions to the group! Email us your questions in advance. This workshop will attempt to answer the question “What makes a curator return to an artist’s work time and again?” Join Mariela Acuña (Director of Exhibitions and Residency, Hyde Park Art Center) and Ionit Behar (Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago) for a candid conversation about the dynamics of curator-artist relationships. From studio visits to exhibition planning, this workshop explores how trust, communication, and mutual respect shape long-term collaborations in the art world. This is a hybrid event. Participants may attend in person or via Zoom. Registration is required. $10 for the general public $5 for CAC alumni FREE for current residents #chicagoartistscoalition #cac #chicagoartistresources #artistresources #professionaldevelopmentforartists

Alice Tippit + Mary Simpson + Ionit Behar + Omnivore ! Join us at @expochicago Saturday 4/11 at 12:30pm for a dialogue and book release celebrating Tippit’s exhibition at @depaulartmuseum We will be talking about friendship, books & death (all the important things) 📚☠️👯

Two years ago, the first meeting was at the DePaul Art Museum. This week at EXPO Chicago, we picked up exactly where we left off. 🤝 Ionit Behar was just appointed Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago 🏛️, and her vision for the MCA's 60th anniversary in 2027 is something to watch. She is building a curatorial framework that pairs emerging artists with established ones inside a major retrospective. She moves between institutional spaces and grassroots practice with real fluency. And she has a sustained commitment to raising the visibility of women artists. 🌟 We found deep common ground: Cecil McDonald Jr., Joiri Minaya, Krista Franklin, Faheem Majeed. Artists we have walked alongside and/or supported. Artists she champions, too. That overlap is not coincidental. 🎯 Photo Credit: Nolan Jimbo @nomiji_martini The Darryl Chappell Foundation empowers Afrodescendant artists to build sustainable careers through community, mentorship, and market access. Seven years. 100 artists. $140,000 in direct support. 🖤 @mcachicago @ionitbehar @cecilmcdonald @therealkristaf @joiriminaya @faheemmajeedstudio Learn more about the artists that we have supported. Link in bio. #DarrylChappellFoundation #AfrodescendantArtists #EXPOChicago #MCAChicago #ContemporaryArt #BlackArtists #WomenArtists #ArtMatters #BlackArt #AfricanDiaspora

“Rose Obsolete,” gallery artist Alice Tippit’s inaugural museum solo presentation, opens at the DePaul Art Museum in Chicago this Thursday, March 5th, and will remain on view through June 21st. “​What is the difference between ‘looking’ and ‘seeing’? How is meaning made and how do forms signify? These questions have concerned Chicago-based artist Alice Tippit for more than a decade. Her paintings and works on paper generate multiple layers of meaning through poetic techniques like metaphor, serving as indirect references rather than clear, straightforward representations. The images in Tippit’s paintings float between the familiar and the enigmatic––recognizable forms and shapes are removed from any clear context or obvious meaning. Included in this exhibition are a selection of Tippit’s works from the past ten years as well as new commissioned works.” This exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalog published by DePaul Art Museum, distributed by the University of Chicago Press, designed by Omnivore, with essays from Ionit Behar, Johanna Fateman, and Mary Simpson. Alice Tippit “Spouse” (2025) Oil on canvas 20 x 16 inches Alice Tippit “Umber” (2024) Oil on canvas 18 x 15 inches @alicetippit @ionitbehar @depaulartmuseum

On March 5, DPAM opens two solo shows by Alice Tippit @alicetippit and Barbara Nessim @barbaranessim — two artists who I admire and adore deeply. ♥️✨ These exhibitions feel especially meaningful, marking a significant chapter in DPAM’s story. A turning point. Hope you’ll join us to celebrate this moment together. 🥂 Opening reception: Thursday, March 5 6-8pm. @depaulartmuseum @xxphoo @rye.toast @bernnotbird @lcdelara @omnivoreland

We'd like to introduce our new Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator Ionit Behar! We're so excited to have her on the team 🤗 Learn a bit more about Ionit!

Desde ESTE ARTE estamos orgullosos del próximo ICI Curatorial Intensive en Montevideo, en colaboración con Independent Curators International (ICI) y con sede en la Facultad de Artes de la Universidad de la República (UdelaR), que se llevará a cabo del 14 al 22 de marzo de 2026. Esta edición en Montevideo es posible gracias a la visión y liderazgo de Laura Bardier, directora de ESTE ARTE, cuyo compromiso sostenido con el desarrollo cultural ha permitido fortalecer el diálogo regional e internacional. El programa se nutrirá del ecosistema artístico uruguayo y de su relación con los movimientos culturales globales. Celebramos a los participantes de esta edición: Andrés Gorzycki (Argentina), Bruna Costa (Brasil), Camila Arbeláez (Colombia), Cecilia González Godino (Estados Unidos), Fabiana Puentes (Uruguay), Guad Creche (Argentina), Javier Sandoval Velasquez (Argentina), Juaniko Moreno (Colombia), Luiza Testa (Brasil), Mateus Nunes (Brasil), Paola Nava (Chile), Sebastián Valenzuela-Valdivia (Chile) y Santiago Ávila Albuja (Ecuador). El programa incluirá visitas de sitio, seminarios y mesas redondas lideradas por destacados profesionales del arte, entre ellos: Marina Reyes Franco (curadora independiente, San Juan, Puerto Rico), Ionit Behar (Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Estados Unidos), Keyna Eleison (co-curadora general, 36ª Bienal de São Paulo, Brasil), Maya Juracán (curadora y escritora, Ciudad de Guatemala), Ana Laura López de la Torre (artista, educadora y gestora comunitaria, Montevideo) y Victoria Noorthoorn (directora, Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, Argentina). Agredecemos la colaboración de @erartfoundation , @mnav_uruguay y el @inavculturamec • @curatorsintl @facultaddeartes_udelar @victorianoorthoorn @ionitbehar @keynaeleison @mayaxjuracan • @andres.gorzycki @ceciliaggodino @camila.arbelaezc @puentesfabiana @guad.creche @tecnopoeticxs @juanikok @luiza.testa @mateuscn @paolanava_

What a bittersweet day leaving DPAM. I’ve been here since 2020, and so much has unfolded in that time—from global and local crises and profound shifts, to watching Asher grow (now 7!), welcoming Tali (now 2), and finishing my dissertation (another kind of baby). Through it all, I’ve had the immense privilege of working with truly the best artists, colleagues, and collaborators. I’m deeply grateful for these 5+ years. I curated many exhibitions, helped organize many others, planned countless public programs, and worked closely with students, faculty, grassroots organizations, and partners across the city. At the core of all this work, one truth has remained constant: the most important thing is ARTISTS. I love artists and I love art—simple as that sounds, it’s at the center of what I do. Artists are essential to grappling with the difficulty of the world and of living. Every studio visit, every collaboration expands my mind and heart. I don’t say this lightly—I truly mean it. Thank you to everyone who welcomed me into your spaces and made room for me. You know who you are. I’m excited to carry this dedication forward at the MCA and to keep giving to Chicago. PS: I’ll be back at @depaulartmuseum for the final two exhibitions I curated, featuring the incredible Alice Tippit and Barbara Nessim, opening March 5.

Working with Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle on “A Want for Nothing” has been one of the most rewarding and thought-provoking experiences of my career. Our conversations about architecture, spirituality, and the quiet labor of art have stayed with me in so many ways. This exhibition reflects Iñigo’s extraordinary ability to hold beauty and rigor, stillness and urgency, all at once. If you’re in Chicago, please join us on Thursday, November 13 at 6pm at DePaul Art Museum for a roundtable discussion on Iñigo’s practice — a chance to think together about the ideas and questions his work continues to raise. The wonderful Michelle Grabner, Sean Kirkland, and Lane Relyea will present and Iñigo and I will join them in conversation. 🪣 🗳️ Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: A Want for Nothing is on view now at DPAM until Februay 8, 2026. @depaulartmuseum @manglanoovalle @lrelyea8 @michelleagrabner #seankirkland

In conjunction with "Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: A Want for Nothing" at DPAM, join us next Thursday, November 13 at 6pm for a roundtable discussion exploring the artist’s deep engagement with conceptual art. Participants include Sean Kirkland, Lane Relyea, Michelle Grabner, and Manglano-Ovalle himself, in a conversation moderated by DPAM Curator Ionit Behar. Register at the link in our bio. This program is in partnership with DePaul’s Philosophy Department, DePaul's Institute for Nature and Culture, DePaul Humanities Center, DePaul's Department of History of Art and Architecture, DePaul's Environmental Science and Studies Department, Northwestern’s Art, Theory, Practice Department, and University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Art. 📸 Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Well 35°58’16”N - 106°5’21”W (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM), 2014. Pictured: Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle. Courtesy of the artist.