The Art Institute of Chicago

Founded in 1879, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the world’s major museums, housing an extraordinary collection of objects from across places, cultures, and time. We are also a place of active learning for all—dedicated to investigation, innovation, education, and dialogue—continually aspiring to greater public service and civic engagement.

We recognize, at the heart of our work, our mission to care for and interpret our collections and our moral obligation to confront the biases and inequities of our history and the present. Museums like ours have long centered certain stories while marginalizing and suppressing others. We acknowledge the adverse consequences of this exclusionary past and its impact on the present within the specific social and cultural context of Chicago, a majority of whose citizens are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.