The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has just announced newly-extended dates and an additional slate of 50 contributors, bringing the total number of cultural participants to over 100 for the exhibition, which runs from September 21st to February 11th of next year.

Under the direction of the curatorial collective Floating Museum, CAB 5 will open in two phases: One, beginning next month, will hone in on select openings at sites across the city, which align with the previous Biennial’s decentralized ambition. The second, which is meant to encourage public participation, will see the activation of CAB’s other sites in coordination with exhibition programming hosted by the Graham Foundation and the Chicago Cultural Center.

Additional partners for CAB 5 include the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, Goethe-Institut Chicago, MAS Context, the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). This year’s theme is titled This is a Rehearsal, harkening the optimism of future possibilities through what organizers say is a "horizontal approach [that] demonstrates a commitment to engaging multiple publics and practices while inviting visitors to understand architecture through the city."

"The Chicago Architecture Biennial has many audiences, all of which enhance our city. In addition to being a vital part of Chicago’s arts and cultural environment, the Biennial is an important element of attracting tourists, drawing visitors from across the country and throughout the world. Closer to home, the Biennial’s partnerships with community arts organizations enrich our neighborhoods. Together they focus on architecture and design to address the issues which confront urban areas everywhere. I look forward to the product of these mutual efforts," the city’s new Mayor, Brandon Johnson, offered.

Exhibitions will be staged across the Loop, Lakeview, Gold Coast, Devon Avenue, Bronzeville, Englewood, South Chicago, Hyde Park, Grand Crossing, and North Lawndale, in addition to the new exhibition space at the Chicago Cultural Center and the Graham Foundation's Madlener House location. Topics explored through them will include a critical look at land use, food production, water rights, and power, using the notion of the city as a lens.

"With CAB 5 — as we center relationships between architectural process, community, and cities as sites of perpetual transformation — it’s only fitting that the Biennial embrace a novel exhibition format that highlights local partners and communities across Chicago and invite the public to navigate a tapestry of geographically organized experiences that showcase Chicago's creative spirit and potential," Floating Museum said in a collective statement. "Now both decentralized and transitory, we hope the Biennial will live and breathe with the city and evolve as we continue to collectively rehearse architecture in pursuit of new solutions, systems of care, and improvements to urban life."

The full list of CAB 5 partners can be found here.