Chicago Archives + Artists Project

Launched in 2017, the Chicago Archives + Artists Project pairs artists with archives across Chicago to spark new experiments in creative interpretation, to showcase the rich histories and materials being preserved in participating archives, and to share archival practices with local artists and their communities. The project explores archives across the city via online features, new artist commissions, and a series of public programs, which have included two iterations of the Chicago Archives + Artists Festival and an exhibition that showcased the new work created for this project. A book that reflects on the project and serves as a site for new archive-inspired work will be published in Spring 2023.