Wrightwood 659 - Museum in Chicago - 659 W Wrightwood Ave, USA

We were very excited to visit because this gallery seems to be one of the more unique in Chicago and possibly the world. Our experience quickly soured. While the staff were friendly they were almost too friendly. We saw on the gate outside that tickets were to be bought in advance. We scanned the QR code and were in the process of looking for tickets on the site when we were welcomed in. When we were welcomed in we were told to sit because, "buying tickets takes a while". When we sat down on the benches just outside the lobby we saw there was only one ticket available (there were two of us) in 30 minutes. At this point they already made my wife and I toss our $15 worth of coffee drinks that we barely got to touch. That would have been fine had there been a time-slot for us but there wasn't. We left angry to say the least. Don't invite us in and coerce us to throw away our drinks if you don't have space for us. That's said, mask mandates, only open one day a week, not handling cash / payments from forcing people to pay online in advance and limited time slots is a throwback to May 2020. While I would have appreciated biosecurity protocols circa 2020, in 2023, the death rate from COVID has gone from around 3% to 0.06% and long-COVID understood be a treatable form of MCAS. The owner really needs to get over themselves. Also reading about the guests that were told strollers weren't allowed until they were already on the second floor due to the "patina on the granite" doesn't surprise me at all with these people.

The exterior looks like the original apartment building, set in the middle of a neighborhood. The interior is stunning with very interesting exhibits. I signed up for their newsletter and look forward to visiting again in the future.

Dismayed to say the least! We were excited to find this beautiful gallery and looking forward to experiencing the exhibits and space. Unfortunately, they are not inclusive to families with young children. Our 2 and 4 year old are interested in art and want to engage with it as one would expect young children to do. We teach them to be respectful of the art but our 2 year old in particular is still learning not to run around and touch things. Their NO STROLLERS rule makes it especially difficult to experience the gallery as a family. The reasoning given to us by the Director of Operations was capricious. It would be very surprising that the architect would want to exclude families for fear of casting a patina of wear to the unfinished granite floors! Anyways, we made it through the 2nd Floor but left after having it confirmed that using our stroller was, in fact, disallowed and not some misunderstanding at the front desk. I’m assuming they’re ADA compliant, the elevators and wide berths supporting this assumption. I’m not sure how the feared marks left by strollers are any different than those left by wheelchairs.

them/ them mask on internet art show, good building

Nobody asked me to check my bag. When I was on the second floor ( after half hour exploring) listening to an artist wearing headphones a guest service made me stop and asked me to check the bag. As I was finishing to listen to the artists talking (what she should/could have waited as there was no threat of harming any artwork ), I hear she telling in the radio I didn’t want to go down and check the bag. Many mistakes! First they should have asked me when checking in, second the girl should have waited for me to finish listening to what I was and she did not need to talk to everyone on the radio about me as I was doing something very wrong. Extremely disrespectful. The gallery is awesome and I enjoy the Exhibits there, but today the stuff ruined my experience today.

Do not waste your money. There are better museums in this city where the staff is actually knowledgeable and passionate about their work. Anytime I asked a question or tried to engage the work, I felt like I was bothering them just for being there. NOT worth it.

Every exhibition i have seen there has been great. Innovative and fun. Highly recommended!

I always feel happy while walking through the Wrightwood 659. The exhibits are well researched, the building is gorgeous and worth the price of admission, and there's the staff who are friendly, usually artists who are very informative. The exhibits strike a balance of local and international artists.