Museum of Contemporary Photography

Columbia College Chicago established the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) in 1976 as the successor to the Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography. The museum has a permanent collection as well as the Midwest Photographers Project (MPP), which features portfolios of work by Midwestern photographers and artists. Since its inception in the early 1980s, the Museum of Contemporary Photography has amassed a collection of approximately 15,000 pieces by over 1,500 artists. The American Alliance of Museums has accredited the MoCP.

It's simple to go into this modest downtown museum, which is part of Columbia College Chicago, and see what's on display from the changing permanent collection. You may come across images by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Harry Callahan, Sally Mann, Ai Weiwei, Robert Capa, or any of the other 1500 great contemporary photographers in the collection. Provocative exhibitions rotate every three months and tackle issues ranging from democracy to gun violence to global migration. It's free to watch and takes around a half-hour to complete.

Location: 600 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Website: mocp.org