UW-Eau Claire students and community members will have the opportunity to explore art in Chicago from Nov. 8 to 11.

The university’s art department will sponsor a trip to various museums and art galleries in Chicago and Milwaukee.

Some highlights of the trip are a visit to “The Medici, Michelangelo and the Art of Late Renaissance Florence” exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, along with visits to the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Arts Club Chicago. Associate art professor Bobby Pitts said Chicago is one of the best cities to experience art in the United States.

The group will leave at 8 a.m. Friday on a Chippewa Trails bus and will be staying two nights at the Cass Hotel, which is near Michigan Avenue.

The hotel is small, but it is affordable for students and is in a good part of town, Pitts said.

The art department has planned similar trips to Chicago and New York City for several years. Safety was never been an issue, Pitts said.

“This has always been a safe trip, plus we don’t have the budget to bail anyone out,” he said.

There is no set itinerary for the trip, and tourists will be able to visit other exhibits and events in the city.

Trip organizers try to suggest affordable activities and places to eat while in Chicago.

“There are great places to go for free,” Pitts said.

In past trips the group visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio and went downtown to view a variety of architecture.

Eau Claire alumni who currently attend graduate school at the University of Chicago have held a party for the visitors.

Students had a marvelous time, Pitts said.

On the way back from Chicago, the group will stop at the Milwaukee Art Museum to view the “Leonardo Da Vinci and the Splendor of Poland,” along with other exhibits.

The cost of the trip includes two nights lodging and round-trip transportation for $110 for quad occupancy, $165 for double occupancy. The maximum number of occupants allowed on the bus is 40. Tickets for the trip need to be purchased by Oct. 7.

An informational meeting for interested students or community members will be held at 7 p.m Tuesday in room 105 of the Haas Fine Arts Center.