Name: Commemorative Day | Women’s History Month
Start: 2026-03-28T11:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-03-28T15:00:00-05:00
Location: Chicago History Museum

$Commemorative Day | Women\u2019s History Month$

Included with general admission.
As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this year, we at the Chicago History Museum are centering civic action and what it takes to build and maintain democracy all year long. There are many ways we all fight for a better world, including using the arts to make statements and fight for change.
March is Women’s History Month. This year at CHM, we’re taking this time to think more critically about the history of women making change through the arts. Join us for a day of hands-on arts-making celebrating women in history and in our own lives. Then join us in the afternoon for a dual performance of two fabulous Chicago singers, Amy Lowe and Shawn Christopher, as they sing us all into action!
SCHEDULE
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Button Making for Social Change
Create your own buttons to honor Women’s History Month and wear them proudly inside and outside the museum. Draw images of important people and moments in women’s history or show your support for a cause that matters to you today! Great for all ages!
Designing for Protest: Make Your Own Protest Sign
Chicago has a long history of protest and civic action. Figures like Ida B. Wells, Jane Addams, Lucy Parsons, and Pearl Hart all engaged in civic action both in public and behind the scenes.
Show your support for the history of women’s activism by making your own protest sign. See some examples of feminist artivism (activism + art) in our exhibition Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s and then come design your own protest art to let others know what matters to you!
12:00–1:00 p.m.
Hands-On Relief Printing Workshop with Vida Sačić
Design your own simple typographic compositions using foam and cardboard backing, then experiment with hand-printing techniques to produce your own prints. Learn about foundational ideas in typography and relief printmaking in an accessible and tactile way to create and print your own message.
This workshop is led by artist Vida Sačić, whose current work is featured in the US at 250: Civic Action in Chicago art installation in our main lobby.
This workshop is designed with youth and adults alike in mind. Participants of all ages are encouraged to join.
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Music Making Change: Amy Lowe and Shawn Christopher
Celebrate women making change through the arts with back-to-back performances by two amazing musical performers, Amy Lowe and Shawn Christopher. A fun time for people of all ages!
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Amy Lowe
Amy Lowe is a singer-songwriter with more than 30 years of experience in the music business. She wears a number of musical hats that include multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, storyteller, and teaching artist. Amy’s songs inspire diverse audiences of all ages. Whether performing original compositions, Americana Blues, World Roots, Adult Contemporary, or Children’s music, her timeless style will remind listeners of songs from the Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Etta James, and Lucinda Williams. She is a prolific songwriter with an extensive recording career and a vast catalog of original songs that fill the Music Libraries of Jewel-Eye-Music-BMI; Emphasis Entertainment; and Who’z the Boss. Her commitment to creating quality compositions for an assortment of clients include commissioned works for museums, theater groups, arts organizations, educational institutions, and individuals has brought her accolades along with many awards.
Shawn Christopher
Shawn Christopher is a Chi Town native with a career spanning more than four decades, both in the US and abroad. Shawn’s most notable works are her Billboard #1 records, produced by Mike “hitman” Wilson, “Another Sleepless Night” (1991, Artista Records), “Don’t Lose the Magic” (1993, Artista Records), and “Sweet Freedom” (1998, Produced by Eric Kupper, Hysteria Records).
Shawn has toured and recorded with artists such as Chaka Khan, Gavin Christopher, Vesta Williams, Donna Summer, Sonia Dada, the Nicholas Tremulis band, Matt Redman, and Saddleback Worship. She later went on to co-write and record gospel dance songs with DJ/Producer Ron Caroll like “Cant’ Give Up” (2001, Yellow Orange Records) and “You Can Make It” (2005, Soulfuric Records).
In 2023, Shawn celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of “Another Sleepless Night,” which climbed to #1 on the Track Source charts, marking her return to the world stage with performances at Ravinia, Navy Pier, and internationally in Naples, Italy.