Chicago’s Top 10 : Niche Museums

National Museum of Mexican Art

The largest Latino museum in the US explores the culture sin fronteras
(without boundaries), showcasing works from both Mexico and
Mexican-American communities. Pre-Columbian ceramics, Day of the Dead
candelabras, and prints by such luminaries as Diego Rivera are
highlights of the permanent collection.

• 1852 W. 19th St

• 10am–5pm Tue–Sun

• Free

• DA

Museum of Broadcast Communications

Dedicated
to the culture and history of news and entertainment media, this museum
archives over 70,000 radio and television programs and commercials. In
addition to watching and hearing vintage tapes, visitors can anchor
their own newscast and read from a teleprompter.

• 400 N. State St.

• Open late spring 2007

• DA

Swedish–American Museum Center

Located
in Andersonville, the historic neighborhood of Scandina­vian
immigrants, this tiny museum’s permanent collection of personal items
brought over by early settlers is supplemented by temporary exhibitions
on Swedish culture. An interactive children’s museum on the third floor
brings the immigrant journey to life.

• 5211 N. Clark St.

• 10am–4pm Tue–Fri, 11am–4pm Sat & Sun

• Adm.: $4; children, seniors, students $3

• DA

Museum of Holography

The
art really jumps out at you in this quirky loft devoted to all kinds of
laser-produced 3-D images. Exhibits relating to the technology employed
explain how holographs are produced.

• 1134 W. Washington St.

• 12:30–5pm Wed–Sun

• Adm.: $4; children 6–12 $3; under 6 free

• DA

The Peace Museum

Art,
history, and politics as seen through a pacifist’s prism: the Peace
Museum houses a 10,000-item collection, including sculpture, banners,
and lithographs. Rotating exhibits cover themes such as 20th-century
peace movements, the AIDS quilt, and art from Japanese A-bomb survivors.

• 100 N. Central Park Ave.

• 1–6pm, Thu–Sat, noon–4pm Sun

• Donation

• No DA

Spertus Museum

Here,
Judaica in forms ranging from cartoons to ancient Torah scrolls
comprise a lively, multi-faceted retelling of Jewish history and
culture. The museum’s Zell Holocaust Memorial was the first such
permanent installation in the US, while the Artifact Center gets kids
involved in unearthing the past in a hands-on “archeological dig”.

• 618 S. Michigan Ave.

• 10am–5pm Sun–Thu (7pm Thu), 10am–3pm Fri

• Adm., Free Fri

• Kosher Café and Children’s Center

• DA

DuSable Museum of African-American History

Named
for Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, Chicago’s first settler (who was of
African descent), this museum chronicles the African-American
experience. There is a powerful exhibit on slavery, complete with
shackles, while temporary displays cover topics such as early black
millionaires, African hair art, and the Kwanzaa holiday celebration.

International Museum of Surgical Science

Medicine
meets the macabre at this museum, with four floors displaying historic
instruments that span 4,000 years of surgery. Murals and sculptures pay
tribute to the profession. Stronger stomachs may appreciate the ancient
Peruvian skulls showing evidence of early surgical attempts.

• 1524 N. Lake Shore Dr

• 10am–4pm, Tue–Sun May–Sep, Tue–Sat Oct–Apr

• Adm.: $8; students and seniors $4

• DA

Hope and Help, International Museum of Surgical Science

National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum

Veterans
of the Vietnam War, both US and Vietnamese, have contri­buted to the
vast and moving collection of artworks cataloged by this
thought-provoking museum. Some 130 artists created 1,000 works in pen,
paint, clay, and word testifying to war’s horrors.

Jane Addams Hull House

Nobel
Peace Prize-winning social reformer Jane Addams worked her good on
Chicago’s immigrant population from these two Victorian houses. In
addition to her original art and furniture, Hull House
stages temporary exhibits relating to the social settlement that
brought day care, counseling, and education to the working class
.