The stories of art and design in Chicago often take second place to the city’s history as a commercial center and its lauded tradition of architecture. But Chicago has long nurtured a unique creative community through its admired art schools and fearless community centers and via its networks of commerce and independent-minded alternative scenes. Painters, sculptors, photographers, and ceramicists have forged their own paths here; muralists, curators, and students have fostered communities through their art; graphic designers, commercial directors, and typeface designers have innovated within their fields, all while working to meet the demands of a client.
We invite you to explore the creative contributions of Chicago’s artists and designers. Discover the works and histories of some of the city’s singular people and institutions, from the famous to the neglected, the outsider to the canonized. You may know the work of painter Archibald Motley, but what about the story pots of Marva Lee Pitchford-Jolly? The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is familiar, but the Institute of Design? Sure, you’ve seen the windows of Marshall Field’s – do you know the au courant tableware of socialite Helen Hughes Dulany? Discover these stories and more and open your eyes to the incredible art and design that has been hidden in plain sight in Chicago.
A new show at the Art Institute explores the work of a group of Chicago artists who made a strong impression on the art world in the 1960s. The Hairy Who were skillful technicians who used popular imagery with a playful approach. And more than 50 years after they emerged, they are getting their first major museum exhibition.
Chicago has been the creative home to many unusual artists over its history. An encyclopedic new book looks at the big picture, from the Great Chicago Fire to the art scene of today, and includes new work by Chicagoans from cartoonist Chris Ware to painter Kerry James Marshall.
It is a story that takes two museums to tell: how South Side artists charted new courses for Chicago art in the 1960s and 1970s – and created a cultural legacy that echoes to this day. Explore the exhibits at the DuSable Museum of African American History and the Smart Museum of Art.
Her photos of Chicago people and places are in the collection of the Art Institute, the MCA, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Yet Barbara Crane has flown under the radar for much of her career that’s lasted nearly seven decades. Meet the 90-year-old photographer.
The sculptor Marion Perkins never devoted himself full-time to art, but still managed to create powerful works, one of which became famous when it was bought by the Art Institute of Chicago. But now many of his works have been lost. Chicago Tonight looks into the discovery of what may be a lost Perkins work.
On the 100th anniversary of his birth, the Chicago artist Charles White was recognized with the first major retrospective of his work since 1982, at the Art Institute of Chicago. Take a look at the exhibit and the life of White with Chicago Tonight.
Jay Shefsky tells the amazing story of Vivian Maier, a Chicago nanny who took more than 100,000 photos during her lifetime but never showed them to anyone. Now that she's gone and her photos have been discovered, some say she may rank among the top street photographers of the 20th century.
Vivian Maier took over 100,000 photographs in her lifetime, but never showed them to anyone. Now, after her death, some rank her among the best street photographers of the 20th century. This episode tells the story of the Chicago man who stumbled on her negatives at a storage locker sale, and what we are now learning about the life of this remarkable photographer.
In 1961, Tom Burrell became the first African American to work in a Chicago advertising agency – in the mailroom. Within a decade, he had started his own agency, which became a pioneer of targeted advertising, incorporating black culture and positive images of black people into commercials.
Everyone knows the Picasso and the Bean, but there's a lot more outstanding public art waiting just around the corner in downtown Chicago. Discover ten works by some of the twentieth century's most famous artists, and a piece that was just removed from a major Chicago tourist attraction.
One of Chicago's most iconic emblems came out of an unlikely alliance between a gruff, conservative mayor and a sensuous, progressive artist. Through the mediation of a charming bon vivant architect, they changed the face of public art in America.
Pilsen is known in Chicago for its public art and, in particular, its many colorful and distinct murals along 16th Street and beyond. Murals distinguish the neighborhood as a center not only of Mexican culture but of creativity and self-expression.
The cultural flowering of Harlem between 1917 and 1935 has been internationally recognized for its impact on American arts and culture. In Chicago, a powerful but lesser-known creative force emerged on the South Side during the 1930s and continued through the 1950s.
Pilsen has been a mecca for the Mexican muralist movement, and its buildings, alleyways, and even doors are places where artists express their roots, their values, and their opposition to injustice. Learn about the history of murals in Pilsen.
Hector Duarte’s vibrant, provocative murals reflect the experiences and dreams of immigrants like himself. He grew up in Michoacán, Mexico, but has long made the Pilsen neighborhood his home, and its streets his canvas.