EXPO CHICAGO has long been a favorite among curators and museum directors, who flock to the Windy City not only for the fair’s annual Curatorial Forum and Directors’ Summit, but also for the gallery’s ambitious, research-driven presentations and strong institutional programming that coincides with its opening. Making this institutional and curatorial focus central to the art fair’s identity has been a defining priority for its new director. Kate Sierzputowskiwho succeeded founder Tony Karman after resigning last May.
“My vision for the fair is really focused on quality presentations — ones that feel cohesive and grounded in strong programming,” Sierzputowski told the Observer ahead of the fair, which opens April 9 at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. “EXPO has always had that strong curatorial stance. As we move into the future, I want to make sure it’s embedded in what the galleries are bringing and how they’re curated into sections to reinforce that reputation.” She joined the team in 2020 – way back he entered the galaxy of the Frieze brand—She most recently served as its artistic director, where she contributed to the fair’s curatorial and public programs, bringing key curators and institutional leaders to the fair, while also creating meaningful moments for the local community.
For Sierzputowski, the obvious next step is to bring more of that curatorial rigor to the fair floor. “Seeing how those programs can be more deeply integrated into the presentations is really how I envision EXPO developing,” she said, pointing to the 2026 edition as a clear example of that direction. “EXPO CHICAGO wants to be the fair where curators and directors come first. That’s the priority.”
This year, the curated sections of the fair reflect some longstanding relationships with curators across the country. Kate A. Pfohl of the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is curating Exposure, is a former Curatorial Forum participant and has an established relationship with EXPO and its programming partner, ICI. Louise Bernardfounding director of the soon-to-open Obama Presidential Center and curator of the ‘Embodiment’ section, was part of the inaugural group of Directors Summit and delivered a keynote address in 2024. “It shows how EXPO CHICAGO is a fair that has evolved through these curatorial and director-led relationships.” more thematic and cohesive identity for the fair – one where institutional thought and gallery presentations increasingly function in dialogue.
Sierzputowski also noted Core Hardencurator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, who directs Profiles, which for the first time is a curator-led section. “She’s really thinking about who’s coming, where there are institutional gaps in the collections, and who we can invite based on presentations within that section, making some of those matchmaking happen locally.”
The first curatorial approach of the fair is also related to Chicago art scenewith its strong institutional programming. “The way I see the future of the fair is really through the storytelling done with the institutions that we partner with,” Sierzputowski reflected. For the 2026 edition, that narrative inevitably centers on the long-awaited opening of the Obama Presidential Center, a project more than a decade in the making that will now open on June 19. “Telling that story about cultural production in Chicago, but also about Obama’s broader vision, is something that allows us to feel uniquely Chicago20 for a very Chicago20 specific form. edition of EXPO that feels fresh, timely, and of the moment.”
The fair will have a direct curatorial connection to the project through Bernardi’s “Learning” section, which will present a selection of galleries inspired by the Center’s architecture and commissioned artists in a sneak peek. According to Sierzputowski, “it’s really about expressing what’s happening now, rather than relying on more standard programming—programming that’s actively unfolding in the present and anchored in the reality where the fair takes place.”
Even before her appointment as director, she was working to strengthen EXPO CHICAGO’s regional collector base, positioning the fair as a central meeting point for the Midwest first. “We are the largest fair in the Midwest, and we hold this really unique position to have access and support from institutions, artists, collectors and galleries throughout the region,” she explained. “It’s been really important to me to show up in those cities and make it clear that we’re the hometown fair in the Midwest.”
Through events in Louisville, St. “For me, it’s really important to have our regional base show up in Chicago,” Sierzputowski said. “Of course, we’ll have international collectors and collectors from the coasts and across the U.S., but what’s more important is that the galleries are meeting collectors from places like Minneapolis, Kansas City, St.
That said, it is also continuing to expand the fair’s international reach, particularly through ongoing collaboration with the Gallery Association of Korea (GaoK), which will bring 12 Korean galleries to Chicago this year in the main sections, building on the strong response from collectors last year. The partnership positions EXPO as a platform for broader global exchange between highly engaged and distinct art scenes and markets, increasing US visibility of emerging and established Korean galleries, including LEE & BAE, PAIK HAE RI, 021 Gallery AND Keumsan Gallery.
The edition’s full line-up will see 130 exhibitors take part—down from the 170 who took part in 2024, but positioned within a more careful framework across its sections. Sierzputowski sees the 2026 edition as anchored by a new structure and approach to the fair’s overall presentation that will help visitors navigate its offerings through focused thematic capsules. In “Exposition,” Pfohl has developed a specific thematic framework, “Gathering Waters,” which explores migration and landscape along the Mississippi River basin and diasporic histories. The section highlights connections between Detroit, New Orleans, and the broader Midwest, with notable presentations of work from the African, Latin American, and Caribbean diasporas. Highlights include LaKella Brownbotanical still life sculptures presented by 56 HENRY, while Sao Paulo-based Miter Galeria presents new oil paintings by Diego Mouro inspired by Afro-diasporic origins, interwoven gesture, memory and spirituality. Also notable are the presentation of minimal sculptures in April Faye HeavyShield from Kainai (Blood) Blackfoot First Nation Confederacy, intricately layered collages and sculptural brass wreaths Helena Metafaria presented by Superposition Gallery, and the hand-stitched glass works of Demon Melancon presented by Jonathan Carver Moorerooted in New Orleans’ centuries-old black masking culture.
In Profile, Harden will present a more institutionally driven structure focused on solo presentations, with a notable international reach including four galleries from Lagos. Highlights include a three-person booth next to 47 Canal with works by Janiva Ellis, Lewis Hammond AND G. Peter Jemisonan intergenerational presentation titled “The Cosmic Family” presented by Bay Area gallerist Jessica Silverman featuring David Huffman, Lava ThomasKoak et al Sadie Barnetteand Third Born’s unique presentation of Sidony O’Neal’s intriguingly succinct formalism, balanced with charged intuition and material sensibility.
Other highlights include Aliza Nisenbaumpaintings and watercolors related to a large mural commission for the Obama Presidential Center, featured in “Embodiment” in a joint presentation by Anton Kern Gallery and Regen Projects. In the same section, GRAY’s presentation of works by Candida Alvarez, McArthur Binion, Torkwase Dyson, Theater gates, Richard Hunt AND Rashid Johnson explores how abstraction becomes a tool for transformation, embodiment and liberation. San Francisco gallerist Wendi Norris presents a curated dialogue between spiritually attuned practices by artists such as Ambreen Butt, María Magdalena Campos-Pons AND Chitra Ganeshexploring migration, memory and transformation from a diasporic perspective.
Across all sections, Sierzputowski’s vision for EXPO CHICAGO is cohesive: a fair dialogue based on institutional dialogue, balanced between regional depth and global reach, and increasingly embedded in the city itself. Beyond Navy Pier, citywide programming remains a defining part of this identity—from OVERRIDE, which activates digital billboards across Chicago with works by local participants and artists, to after-hours programs anchored in individual neighborhoods, museum benefits, and late-night gallery openings.
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