A soul-striking work from Obama portrait painter Amy Sherald. A stunning virtual reality experience above Lake Michigan from the boundary-pushing artist Nancy Baker Cahill. A drop-in exhibit of Black artists curated by Chicago rapper Vic Mensa.

These are some of the stunning public works of art that Chicagoans can see for free, starting this week, as part of 2023 EXPO Chicago.

EXPO, a ticketed art fair that runs April 13 through 16 at Navy Pier, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a larger, more accessible public art push in satellite locations in the city and suburbs.

The programming is spread across the city from Oak Lawn to Evanston. An interactive map makes it easy to find exhibitions in specific neighborhoods.

1. Start at the Peninsula Chicago

The luxury downtown hotel hosts this year a contemporary art exhibition called Neo Chicago that boasts gems such as Amy Sherald’s All the Unforgotten Bliss (the early Bird) (2017), the collection’s “hero piece.” It’s a striking image of a woman in a straw hat with a large blue hummingbird necklace set against a muted peach background.

Susan Ellefson, communications director at the Peninsula, says the piece hangs low at the request of the artist so the viewer can be eye to eye with the portrait subject. For those looking to connect even more with the work, the hotel put a hummingbird dessert on its menu that was inspired by the art.

The 22-piece Neo Chicago exhibition features works from the private holdings of longtime collector and curator Beth Rudin DeWoody. Another notable work on display is Kendall Carter’s We (2012), featuring 15 pairs of bronze plated shoes that belonged to Carter and the artist’s loved ones that seem to float on wooden shelves. Ellefson says the work is a “self portrait” of the artist’s life.

Neo Chicago opens April 14 and runs through May at the Peninsula Chicago, 108 E. Superior St.

2. Head down the street to the 21c Museum Hotel Chicago

The 21c Museums operate in several cities as boutique art hotels and are known for rotating contemporary art exhibits in their properties. Still, the Chicago location’s latest, OFF-SPRING: New Generations, is unique in the way it represents the impact of religious and cultural rituals and carries the theme across 100 multimedia artworks.

Sculptures, paintings, photographs and videos are used to invoke a familial familiarity. In the atrium of the hotel, visitors will be immediately greeted by the works by the prolific Carrie Mae Weems. The black-and-white portrait Untitled (1990) depicts a mother and daughter sitting at a table doing their makeup. The sepia-toned May Flowers (2002) shows three young girls with flowers in their hair and on their dresses.

Juli Lowe, 21c museum manager, curated the exhibition along with 21c’s Chief Curator and Museum Director Alice Gray Stites.

New Generations runs now through January 2024 at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E. Ontario St.

3. Stop by Skin + Masks, curated by Chicago hip-hop artist Vic Mensa

Grammy-nominated rapper, singer and visual artist Vic Mensa’s creative and political interests are the central narrative for the presentation, which is running through April 15 in a storefront on Michigan Avenue.

Presented by gallerist Kavi Gupta, the curated show features the works of artists like Nikko Washington, a fellow Chicagoan and friend to Mensa whose work Swing on ‘Em (2021) uses bold oils on canvas to display blindfolded men boxing with each other.

During a recent panel about how the show came together, Mensa reflected on the trajectory of both himself and Washington. “I remember we used to get kicked off of the steps outside of the Art Institute and now look at us — having our art and our vision inside a gallery on Michigan Avenue.”

Another artist to look for is Thelonious Stokes, A Post Mortem Portrait of Emmett and Louis Till (2021). The large oil portrait of a father and son in a thick gold frame appears relatively simple until you realize it is Louis Till holding his son Emmett Till, who would later go on to be one of the central figures of the Civil Rights Movement.

Skin + Masks can be viewed at 535 N. Michigan Ave., through April 15.

4. Head to the lakefront

Los Angeles-based artist Nancy Baker Cahill has become known for electronic works that use augmented and virtual reality. For Chicago, she’s bringing an installation that first debuted in Miami and has been specially geo-tagged to appear over Lake Michigan near the Museum Campus, so viewers who download an app can see it appear in the sky above the lake.

The project speaks to the potential impact of the climate crisis on our planet.It was inspired by conversations between Cahill and Sophia the Robot (the world’s “first robot citizen”) about the climate crisis.

To see it, people must download the free 4th Wall app, then walk to the lakefront between the Shedd Museum and the Adler Planetarium. Pointing the phone at the sky, you will see how particles in the sky come together to form a planet that goes from being vibrant to dark and polluted. (This work can only be experienced at the lakefront near the Museum campus.)

On the way to the lakefront, look for one of several bus shelters along Grand Avenue that display the photographs of Ethiopian photographer Aida Muluneh. Set against graphic backdrops and full of symbolism, Muluneh’s photographs often feature women with painted faces or wearing bold colors staring at the camera. The bus shelter takeover — happening through May in Chicago, New York, Boston and Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire — is part of a large Public Art Fund installation. Click here for a map of the Chicago locations.

5. Walk to Navy Pier

Starting Tuesday, a group of frolicking unicorn statues will greet visitors at the entrance of Navy Pier. The exhibition Funtime Unicorn by artist Derrick Adams was timed to debut a few days before EXPO opens to the public and is the artist’s take on play and leisure in the Black community.

EXPO is in town until April 16, but many other free public art installations will be on display long after the event at Navy Pier ends. Take a look at the full list for additional events and specific locations.

Samantha Callender is a digital reporting fellow for WBEZ. Follow her across social media @OnYourCallender.