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This week on Bad at Sports, Duncan MacKenzie and Brian Andrews sit down with Kate Sierzputowski to talk about the evolving identity of EXPO Chicago under Frieze and what 2026 signals for the fair, the city, and the Midwest at large.
Now Director of EXPO, Sierzputowski reflects on scaling up leadership while doubling down on care for Chicago’s ecosystem. The 2026 edition marks a shift toward a more curatorial, thematic, and relational fair model: smaller in scale, more intentional in layout, and driven by embedded curatorial frameworks rather than parallel programming.
Major highlights include a deep institutional partnership with the Obama Presidential Center, a rethinking of the fair’s floor plan and visitor flow, and a stronger emphasis on Midwest networks and inter-city cultural exchange. Across the conversation, Sierzputowski frames EXPO not just as a marketplace, but as a platform for storytelling, regional identity, and long-term relationship building.
At stake is a bigger question: what does it mean for Chicago to be both global and defiantly local?
Kate Sierzputowski – EXPO Chicago Director – https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/kate-sierzputowski-director-expo-chicago-essence-harden-1234760346/
Duncan MacKenzie – https://kurasmackenzie.com/
Brian Andrews – https://www.brianandrews.org/
Frieze – https://www.frieze.com/
EXPO Chicago – https://www.expochicago.com/
Obama Presidential Center – https://www.obama.org/presidential-center/
Dr. Louise Bernard – Obama Presidential Center Founding Director – https://www.obama.org/press-releases/obama-foundation-announces-dr-louise-bernard-director-museum-obama-presidential-center/
Katie Pfohl – Detroit Institute of Art – https://www.diaart.org/
https://dia.org/about/media-room/news/detroit-institute-arts-names-katie-pfohl-associate-curator-contemporary-art
Essence Harden –https://www.essenceharden.com/
Independent Curators International – https://curatorsintl.org/
Images by Leslie Hewett and courtesy of EXPO Chicago
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