Navigating the MCA
Check out our recommended routes to different areas of the museum so you can explore the galleries, enjoy a performance in the theater, shop in the MCA Store, eat at Marisol—or find the nearest restroom.
Access
There are three ways to enter the museum. Use the accessible, plaza-level entrances at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way (through the MCA Store) and at the corner of East Pearson Street and Mies van der Rohe Way (the restaurant and theater entrance), or climb the staircase to the main entrance located on Mies van der Rohe Way.
During the summer, take a shortcut through the garden entrance. Usually locked, gates are open every day Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Galleries are located on the second, third, and fourth floors of the museum and are accessible by the north elevator. Second- and fourth-floor galleries are also accessible by the south elevator.
Need a break? The third-floor balcony is an ideal spot to sit and observe the Lefkofsky Lobby below.
Our new Education Center is located on the museum's third floor, above the Commons. To access, use the northeast stairs or elevator, located just past the new staircase connecting the Commons to Marisol and the Street below.
The MCA Store is located at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way, with an accessible entrance on the MCA plaza. From inside the museum you can access the store through the Kovler Atrium and the south elevator. If you're coming from the Edlis Neeson Theater, take the elevator or stairs to the second floor and cross the atrium. You can also venture outside to cross the plaza and enjoy the museum's modern architecture along the way.
Marisol Restaurant and Bar is located on the first floor of the museum. Use the Griffin Entrance on the corner of Mies van der Rohe Way and Pearson Street or from inside it is accessible by the north elevator and staircase.
The Edlis Neeson Theater entrance is located in the first-floor lobby of the museum. Use the Griffin Entrance on the corner of Mies van der Rohe Way and Pearson Street or from inside it is accessible by the north elevator and staircase.
Multiuser men's and women's restrooms are available in the first-floor lobby and come equipped with baby-changing stations. Take the north elevator or staircase to the first floor. Restrooms are on either side of the theater entrance (men's to the left; women's to the right).
Single-use, all-gender restrooms are located in the Commons on the second floor, accessible by the north and south elevators. Restrooms are located on either side of the south wall, to your right when entering the Commons from the atrium.
If you have any questions or are in need of a private restroom or a place to breastfeed, please seek out a friendly Visitor Services staff member who would be glad to help.
For events on the Kern Terrace, automatic doors open to the the Anne and John Kern Terrace Garden. From the terrace, a ramp leads down to the sculpture garden.
During the summer, take a shortcut through the garden entrance. Usually locked, gates are open every day Memorial Day through Labor Day so you can drop by for lunch on the lawn or Tuesdays on the Terrace with ease.