Past Events

D.E.F. is both an acronym for “DePaul Experimental Film” and the slang word “def,” meaning “cool.” Experimental film is a visionary art form, boundary pushing and virtually limitless in scope. And yes, it’s really, really cool!

 The juried “Showcase Screening” features short films that span many forms of the experimental filmmaking medium. In many cases, the work is challenging and complex, stunning visually, and often times incredibly personal—it is work that deserves to be seen and celebrated. Preceding the “Showcase Screening” is Experimental Animation on loop from 1–2:30pm.

The showcase films were created by DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts students in Experimental Filmmaking I and Experimental Filmmaking II classes.

Though registration is not required, a limited number of seats are available for the 3pm "D.E.F. Showcase Screening."

DPAM invites you to an evening with the House of Dov. The Chicago-based dance company will be performing its new sketch, Three Generations of Women, in conjunction with Barbara Nessim’s work on view in our galleries. Choreographed by Drew Lewis, this movement study, made in reverence to the lineage of women in Lewis’ family, explores the paradoxical ways in which the artist feels both included in and excluded from the nesting doll of womanhood. Three Generations of Women is a portrait, wrapping itself in ancestry, in things handed down: stories, artifacts, and genes.

Image by Chloe Hamilton. This program is partially supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events CityArts program and the Illinois Arts Council.

Join us for an exclusive walkthrough of Alice Tippit: Rose Obsolete with the artist herself. Tippit’s paintings and works on paper generate multiple layers of meaning through poetic techniques like metaphor, serving as indirect references rather than clear, straightforward representations, exploring, in turn, the differences between “looking” and “seeing.” Her images float between the familiar and the enigmatic––recognizable forms and shapes are removed from any clear context or obvious meaning. The walkthrough will feature exclusive insight into the exhibition from the artist and Curator, Ionit Behar, followed by an audience Q&A.

This program is partially supported by EXPO Chicago, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events CityArts program and the Illinois Arts Council.

Join us as we celebrate the release of the accompanying publication for DePaul Art Museum’s exhibition Alice Tippit: Rose Obsolete, designed by Omnivore. Artist Alice Tippit will be in conversation with contributing author Mary Simpson, and publication designer Karen Hsu, moderated by exhibition curator Ionit Behar, at EXPO Chicago.

This program is presented in partnership with EXPO Chicago and TAKES PLACE AT THE FAIR ON NAVY PIER.

Please join us for an opening reception in celebration of DPAM’s Spring/Summer 2026 exhibitions, Alice Tippit: Rose Obsolete and Barbara Nessim: My Compass is the Line. Light refreshments will be served.

In conjunction with the exhibition Tengo Lincoln Park en mi Corazón: Young Lords in Chicago, DPAM invites you to an afternoon of Bomba, the oldest Afro-Puerto Rican musical form, rooted in resistance and collective expression. Artist and educator Arif Smith, Program Manager at the Old Town School of Folk Music and Research Associate at the Field Museum, will lead a conversation and performance with ensemble group Los Medicos exploring music’s role in activism and memory. The event features archival songs from the Young Lords Organization performed through Bomba for the first time, activating the form’s power as a tool for political imagination. Smith is also featured in the exhibition with a commissioned video installation created in collaboration with artist Rebel Betty. 

This program is supported by DePaul University’s Vincentian Endowment Fund through the Division of Mission and Ministry, The Center for Latino Research, The Center for Black Diaspora, The DePaul School of Music, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, and Office of the President. 

Image credits: (foreground) photograph by Tafari Melisizwe; (background) Francisco Oller, El Velorio, 1893.

In celebration of DePaul University’s Alumni and Family Weekend, please join us for a guided tour of DPAM’s Fall/Winter 2025-26 exhibitions, Tengo Lincoln Park en mi Corazón: Young Lords in Chicago and Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: A Want for Nothing, led by DPAM’s student staff – Kayla Hodge, Eloise Lyons, Bernardo Soares, and Erin Zeman – who will share insights into the exhibitions and their broader historical and artistic contexts.