Chicago galleries open in March with Beyond the Needle, Klauba survey

The Art Center Highland Park opened KLAUBA on Friday, March 6, 2026, with an opening reception from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM; the survey of painter and tattoo artist George Klauba runs through April 4, 2026 and is curated by gallerist Teresa Hofheimer. CGN describes the show this way: "Curated by gallerist Teresa Hofheimer, this large exhibition of paintings and sculpture spans over two decades, referencing George Klauba’s life works as a Navy officer, a tattoo artist, and eventually a celebrated painter and fine artist."

Running concurrently at The Art Center Highland Park is Beyond the Needle, which CGN identifies as "an exhibition featuring ten tattoo artists from across the United States." CGN provides no separate run dates for Beyond the Needle; the Art Center listing gives the KLAUBA dates as March 6–April 4, 2026, and Beyond the Needle is described explicitly as concurrent with that program.

Museum programming tied to tattoo imagery played out earlier in the week at the Driehaus Museum, which hosted "Ornament & Identity: From Tiffany Studios to Tattoo Studios" on Thursday, March 5, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The conversation paired tattoo artist Beth Mintzer with Elizabeth McGoey, Ann S. and Samuel M. Mencoff Curator, Arts of the Americas at the Art Institute of Chicago, and CGN notes, "Together, they’ll explore the legacy of Tiffany lamps from decorative art icons to contemporary tattoo inspiration." CGN also reports that Beth Mintzer guested at Dwelling Tattoo on March 3 and 4 and created special tattoo designs inspired by The Driehaus's exhibition Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade.

Commercial-gallery openings across the city clustered around March 6. 65GRAND opened Carlos Rolón’s The Division Street Riots on March 6, with the exhibition running through April 12, 2026 and an opening reception from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM; CGN writes that Rolón's show features "new graphite and charcoal drawings, works on aluminum, a DIY bicycle sculpture with audio, and a hand-embroidered textile inspired by the 1966 Division Street uprising in Humboldt Park and West Town." Oliva Gallery appears in CGN as well: LENS 2026 is listed Mar 7–Mar 29, 2026, while a separate Oliva blurb says the ten-year anniversary group show MMM…. opens March 6, 2026 and features Melanie P. Brown, Mia Capodilupo, and Michelle Stone, a discrepancy preserved in the event listings.

On the festival side, the Chicago Tattoo Arts Festival #16 is promoted on InkPPL as taking place March 20–22, 2026, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N River Rd, Rosemont, Illinois 60018, with promotional copy noting vendors, sideshow entertainment and live human suspension and calling the event family-friendly. A separate World Tattoo Events page contains an internal conflict: its header lists the festival as "20 • 22 April 2026" while its body repeatedly displays "Chicago Tattoo Arts Festival #16 20 March 2026." The venue address on both pages matches the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center listing, but the date discrepancy between March and April remains on organizer pages.

KLAUBA will remain on view at The Art Center Highland Park through April 4, 2026, and Beyond the Needle is described as concurrent with that run; the March calendar for Chicago galleries and tattoo programming continues to mix museum talks, commercial openings, and a high-profile convention whose dates warrant confirmation with organizers.