Our city is a prime destination for summer music festivals, but it took Pitchfork and the Art Institute to amplify Chicago out of its February doldrums by creating Midwinter in 2019. The Modern Wing’s Griffin Court revealed itself to be a bright, airy, multidimensional sounding hall suited for Deerhunter’s shimmering indie-pop, while Chicagoan Haley Fohr of Circuit des Yeux turned a landing over the main staircase into a dramatic forum for a sacred solo-chanting processional. The main auditorium worked, of all things, as an auditorium. Best of all, the AIC kept the galleries open, so you could catch the greatest hits of art, too. (Bart Lazar) midwinter.pitchfork.com/experience
