Along with unique views inside and outside, the 10-story faceted glass wall on the front of Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is “a window into the world of Jewish culture and learning.”

Spertus inspires learning in a variety of ways. Public programming ranges from cooking demonstrations like A Summer BBQ with All the Works on July 22 to an architectural tour of the award-winning Spertus building at 610 S. Michigan Ave. on August 2 to the September 13 multimedia lecture “From the Desert to the Sown – Ancient Israel and Its Environment.”

Exhibitions as part of Spertus Museum’s Ground Level Projects initiatives showcase commissioned works created for the building’s glass-enclosed street-level vestibule, such as (through July 19) artist Deb Sokolow’s hand-drawn texts and images. Through August 16, A Force for Art explores the legacy of Chicago businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald who nurtured African American artists, writers and scholars.

Collections open to the public as well as to scholars, writers, curators, students and others include more than half a million books, films, music, artworks, artifacts, rare antique maps and archival items.

In the Gray Children’s Center – open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays – children (accompanied by adults) can explore the Wall of Doors and Drawers, listen to traditional Jewish stories and create their own, climb through a rope tube, and tunnel under an aquarium to search for narratives.