By William S. Bike

A variety of art activities and exhibits can be enjoyed in this community during June.

ART

The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario St., (312) 787-3997, presents George Grosz in America 1933-1958, featuring oil paintings and works on paper in pen and ink, charcoal, and watercolor through Friday, July 23.

The Russell Bowman Art Advisory, 311 W. Superior St., (312) 751-9500, www.bowmanart.com, presents works on paper by James Castle, Joseph Yoakum, and Charles Steffen from Friday, June 4, through Saturday, July 17, with an opening reception Friday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m.

The Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., (312) 744-6630, presents Pride of Paper/Orgullo en Papel through Saturday, July 3. Chicago artist Kiff Slemmons has collaborated with Mexican artists from a paper making facility outside Oaxaca to create paper jewelry and paper sculptures.

The Chicago Loop Alliance, in association with the Chicago Artists Coalition, presents a first-Thursdays gallery walk, Pop-Up Art Loop, every month, 5 to 8 p.m. It is a free, self-guided tour of new art venues in the Loop. Locations are 23 E. and 29 E. Madison St. and 208 S. and 220 S. Wabash Ave. Log on to www.PopUpArtLoop.com for information.

The Chicago Public Library Harold Washington Center, 400 S. State St., www.chicagoppubliclibrary.org, (312) 747-4300, presents a photography exhibit by Lisa Howe-Ebright, Capturing Chicago Theater: 35 Years of Theater Photography, through Sunday, Oct. 3.

Gallery 400 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, 400 S. Peoria St., (312) 996-6114, is showing work by Eun Hyung Kim, Designing Egos, and by Erin Cosgrove, What Manner of Person Art Thou?, through Saturday, June 12.

An art opening and fundraiser for artist Sandra Manesky will be held Saturday, June 5, at the Prairie Avenue Gallery, 1900 S. Prairie Ave. The opening runs 5 to 7 p.m., and the party from 7 to 10 p.m. Manesky is recovering from a long illness, and the art reflects her pain, illiness, recovering, and healing. Call (312) 907-7909.

The Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave., (773) 702-2368, will offer a tour of the exhibition The Darker Side of Light by curator Anne Leonard on Sunday, June 13, at 2 p.m.

Linda Warren Gallery, 1052 W. Fulton Market, (312) 432-9500, www.lindawarrengallery.com, is showing resin icicles, snowflakes, and other representations of winter wonders in the show Cold Comfort by Carson Fox through Saturday, June 19.

MULTIMEDIA

The Chicago Tourism Center Gallery, 72 E. Randolph St., (312) 742-2036, is offering the Chicago Is a Community Garden Exhibition, which looks at urban gardens, vertical farming in the city, and urban chicken keepers through photographs, architectural drawings, and installations. In conjunction with the exhibit, which runs through Sunday, Sept. 19, community garden tours will be given at 10 a.m. on the Saturdays of June 26, July 1, and Aug. 28. To make a reservation for a tour log on to www.ExploreChicago.org.

MUSEUMS

The Chicago Children’s Museum, 700 E. Grand Ave., (312) 527-1000, features Kraft Free Family Night on Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. Target Free First Sundays offer free admission for children 15 and younger the first Sunday of every month. At the open microphone show on Saturday, June 19, from 1 to 3 p.m., visitors of all ages are welcome to recite a poem, dance, or sing. Log on to www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org.

The Clarke House Museum, 1827 S. Indiana Ave., the city’s oldest house, is open for tours Wednesday through Sunday at noon and 2 p.m. Call (312) 744-6569 or log on to www.ClarkeHouseMuseum.org.

The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., (312) 922-9140, presents Waking the T. Rex 3-D: The Story of Sue through Monday, Sept. 6.

The Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr., (773) 684-1414, is showing Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes, images from 40 years of space exploration, through Sunday, Aug. 29.

Peggy Notabaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Dr., (773) 755-5111, wwww.naturemuseum.org, will present a nature walk on Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $12. Registration preferred. E-mail teacherprograms@naturemuseum.org. The exhibit Sanctuary: Flight of the Majestic Monarch, which celebrates the migration of butterflies, also is on view.

MUSIC

Sherwood Community Music School, 1312 S. Michigan Ave., (312) 369-3100, hosts the PianoForte salon series concerts every Friday at 12:15 p.m.; they also are broadcast live on WFMT-Radio 98.7 and www.wfmt.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., (312) 744-6630, presents photographs of people in downtown Chicago and pictures of Chicago area manufacturing plants by John Fjortoft through Sunday, June 27.

THEATRE

Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave. at Navy Pier, (312) 595-5600, www.chicagoshakes.com, begins its 2010-11 World’s Stage Series with Itsoseng, written and performed by Omphile Molusi. Taking its name from the South African township where Molusi was raised, Itsoseng tells the story of a young man desperate for change but unable to achieve it. Balancing comedy and tragedy, it explores the effects of changing politics on the townships. The show runs Wednesday, June 9, through Sunday, June 20.

From Wednesday, June 30, through Sunday, Aug. 29, a new family musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, will be performed.

Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., (312) 443-3800, www.goodmantheatre.org, will present The Sins of Sor Juana, a play about the legendary Mexican poet who came to be called “la decima musa” (the tenth muse), from Saturday, June 19, through Sunday, July 25.