Intuit celebrates the power of outsider art and is home to the Henry Darger Room!
Operating as usual
The word is out: Intuit will be expanding!
Intuit received a Community Development Grant of $5 million from the City of Chicago as part of Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot’s Chicago Recovery Plan, supporting the museum’s renovation of its existing building to increase audience space and expand institutional reach.
Read about the renovation and the funding here: https://www.art.org/city-of-chicago-awards-intuit-a-community-development-grant/
In search of something to do this weekend? Block Club Chicago has you covered with 16 events happening throughout the city, including this evening's Milwaukee Avenue Art Stroll.
You can also sample sips of vino at Wine Fest, watch a Stevie Wonder tribute concert and attend a children's lantern parade.
NOW OPEN—"Tarik Echols: Open" and "Creative Growth Art Center: Selections from the Collection"
Intuit celebrates the opening of these two exhibitions today, Dec. 9, with free admission and extended hours (11 a.m.–8 p.m.)! Join us from 5–8 p.m. for an evening reception with light refreshments as part of the Milwaukee Avenue Art Stroll, and be sure to stop by fellow arts spaces A Very Serious Gallery, Gallery Cafe and Weinberg/Newton Gallery along the way. 🎟️ Reserve tickets in advance on Tock or walk in!
Images: Donald Mitchell (American, b. 1951). Untitled, n.d. Marker on paper, 18 3/4 x 22 1/2 in. Collection of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, gift of Creative Growth Art Center, 2004.6.1. Courtesy Creative Growth Art Center
"There’s conflict, grief, helplessness, loss, and also joy, camaraderie, and loyalty that inhabit artist Roman Villarreal’s south-side neighborhood and, consequently, the work he’s made there," —Chicago Reader
"Roman Villarreal: South Chicago Legacies" is on exhibition at Intuit through January 8, 2023! Read the article to learn more about Villarreal and the community that inspires his art.
There’s conflict, grief, helplessness, loss, and also joy, camaraderie, and loyalty that inhabit artist Roman Villarreal’s south-side neighborhood and, consequently, the work he’s made there. All of this is on […]
The Intuit website is temporarily down due to maintenance, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. While the team works on the site, we encourage you to utilize the sources below for assistance with tickets, membership, donations and the Intuit Store. If you have any questions, please contact us at (312) 624-9487 or [email protected].
UPDATE (12/01/22): The website is up and running! Thanks for your patience.
Two weekends remain to see "Recent Acquisitions," an exhibition that spotlights the works of art acquired by Intuit for its collection in the past five years. The show features paintings, drawings and sculptures by celebrated outsider and self-taught artists, including pieces by Madge Gill and Nikifor donated by the Saul Family. The artworks in the exhibit demonstrate the museum's commitment to growing and enriching its collection.
Intuit will be closed on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, reopening with museum hours the following day. "Recent Acquisitions" runs through Sunday, Dec. 4, after which Intuit will open two new exhibitions on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 8! Information coming soon.
July 22–December 4, 2022 Curated by Alison Amick
Marvin Tate's beloved workshop returns! This Thursday, November 17, make artful birds with found materials alongside Tate, a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist and educator.
Register for Art After Work: Marvin Tate on Eventbrite:
Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist and educator Marvin Tate guides an art-making workshop inspired by one of his pastimes: birdwatching.
!["Those who didn't leave [South Chicago], they have this spirit in them that I think is wonderful and I just don't see an...](https://img3.gluseum.com/120/106/509618671201066.jpg)
"Those who didn't leave [South Chicago], they have this spirit in them that I think is wonderful and I just don't see anywhere else," says filmmaker Steven J. Walsh in an interview with WTTW - Chicago PBS about his documentary film "SOUTHEAST: a city within a city".
Intuit will screen the film this Saturday, November 12.
Through interviews with his grandfather and others who lived through the neighborhood’s rise and fall, filmmaker Steven Walsh shows what he says is the forgotten story of the area in his documentary “Southeast: a City Within a City.”
In an interview with Choice Reviews, the curatorial and collections teams at Intuit discuss the development and preservation of the Henry Darger Room Collection and its significance to Chicago: "As a Chicago-based author and artist, [Henry] Darger’s story, circumstances, and influences are important to tell here in the city where he lived and worked."
Read the full interview here:
Alison Amick, Christina Stavros, and Claire Renaud discuss the development, preservation, and value of Intuit’s Henry Darger Room Collection.
Intuit is a community partner with Open House Chicago, a free annual architecture festival presented by Chicago Architecture Center. In its 12th year, OHC includes various in-person events and tours (Oct. 15–16) and online programs (Oct. 1–31). Discover architecture in your neighborhood or one you have not explored yet, all on the OHC app and website.
When you tour the Near West Side as part of , we encourage you to stop by Intuit to say hello!
The Chicago Architecture Center's Open House Chicago is a FREE annual festival that typically offers access to hundreds of sites across Chicago, from iconic locations to under-the-radar architectural gems.
Artist-built homes, gardens, studios and other environments captured Ted Degener’s interest in 1973 after his cross-country visit to photograph Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers. For Degener, that trip was the first of a lifetime of seeking and photographing makers within their artist-built environments. From January to May 2023, Intuit will present a collection of these photos, including this portrait of Mr. Imagination.
In support of this upcoming exhibition, the museum's Young Professionals Board will host Fall Intuit at Colabyrinth tomorrow evening, September 30, 7–9:30 p.m. The fundraiser takes place at Colabyrinth, the creation space co-directed by artist Lucy Slivinski and musician Kahil El’Zabar. In addition to the atmosphere, attendees will enjoy tasty food from Milo's Market, wine and beer, live music by DJ Hameedullah, and a silent auction—all while supporting Intuit.
Purchase tickets in advance or at the door! Information about the fundraiser (address, donations, silent auction, etc.) is available on the Fall Intuit at Colabyrinth website.
Image: Gregory Warmack (Mr. Imagination) in his home in Bethlehem, Pa., in 2007 by Ted Degener. Photo courtesy Ted Degener.
Intuit is participating in West Town Chicago's West Town Art Walk this weekend: Friday, Sep. 23, 5–8 p.m., and Saturday, Sep. 24, 12–8 p.m. No matter where you start your art walk, we hope you enjoy the many festivities and art experiences, including the exhibitions "Roman Villarreal: South Chicago Legacies" and "Recent Acquisitions" at Intuit.
Follow our friends at West Town Chamber of Commerce for the latest and greatest news from the !
Established in 2011, the West Town Art Walk is organized by the West Town Chamber of Commerce and a committee of West Town business owners to celebrate the diverse community of businesses in West Town while highlighting Chicago artists.
Intuit President and CEO Deb Kerr recently joined Andrea Darlas on the WLS-AM 890 podcast "Show & Tell" to talk about all that's happening at the museum—exhibitions, programs, education initiatives. Listen in!
From gourmet food to concerts in candlelight, this week on the Show & Tell Podcast, we'll be talking about inspiring places and events you can visit this month to spark your creativity! This week we'll talk with Sam Toia, the President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, about this years...
Intuit will be closed until 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 22, while staff participates in professional development training. The museum will be open to the public from 4–6 p.m. that afternoon; we look forward to welcoming you then!
Reserve tickets →
Founded in 1991, Intuit is a premier museum of outsider and self-taught art, defined as work created by artists who faced marginalization, overcame personal odds to make their artwork, or who did not, or sometimes could not, follow a traditional path of art making, often using materials at hand to r...
Intuit is participating in West Town Chicago's this Friday and Saturday! The event returns for its 12th season, celebrating art in all forms—visual, culinary, fashion and music—from neighborhood shops, restaurants, museums and galleries. In addition to exhibitions and public art, attendees enjoy art making, tours, and food and drink specials.
Check it out →
Established in 2011, the West Town Art Walk is organized by the West Town Chamber of Commerce and a committee of West Town business owners to celebrate the diverse community of businesses in West Town while highlighting Chicago artists.
This evening, September 17, tune into CBS Chicago at 10 p.m. to watch an interview with artist Roman Villarreal.
Watch live:
Latest breaking news from CBS2 WBBM-TV Chicago.
Today is Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day! If you have a ticket to Intuit, don’t forget to bring it with you to receive free admission.
Today is Museum Day! We look forward to seeing your photos as you explore participating museums across the country, and do remember to tag .
We thank you for being part of Smithsonian Magazine's 18th Annual Museum Day made possible by The Quaker Oats Company and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2022/
Today, September 16, is Mexican Independence Day! In this colorful sculpture, artist Roman Villarreal depicts parade-goers celebrating and participating in the holiday's festivities.
Image: Roman Villarreal (American, b. 1950). The Parade, early 2000. Acrylic on foam, 12 x 6 x 35 in. Courtesy of the Villarreal Family. Photo by Joseph “Fugie” Almanza
Drawn to the stylized motifs of flowers, trees and animals found in self-taught artist Scottie Wilson's work, Intuit Fellow Abena Motaboli designed a workshop that incorporates natural materials, including coffee grounds, turmeric, honey and hibiscus.
Make art with us tomorrow, September 15, at Art After Work: Scottie Wilson! Register here:
Intuit Fellow and interdisciplinary artist and educator Abena Motaboli guides an art-making workshop inspired by Scottie Wilson.
Intuit is participating in Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day next Saturday, September 17, and all tickets are claimed—wow! If you have a Museum Day pass to Intuit, please contact Lindsey Wurz at [email protected] to schedule the time of your visit in advance.
"I'm sharing experiences that happened in this community with the world, what happened in this community during the peak of the steel mills and then when the steel mills disappeared," said Roman Villarreal of his exhibition at Intuit in conversation with The Chicago Sun-Times.
Read the full article here:
Self-taught painter and sculptor Roman Villarreal’s work is on view at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art until January.
When he began his artistic practice, Roman Villarreal deliberately avoided looking at work by classical and modern sculptors to find his own voice and develop his style. "Tribute to the Masters" is one of his later studies in facial expressions; it remains the only piece Villarreal has sculpted with Carrara marble and pays homage to the Italian sculptors of the past.
Image: Roman Villarreal (American, b. 1950). Tribute to the Masters, late 1990s. Carrara marble, 9 1/2 x 6 x 5 1/2 in. Courtesy of the Villarreal Family. Photo by Joseph “Fugie” Almanza
The Arts Issue of South Side Weekly is here! Editor-in-chief Jacqueline Serrato met with artist Roman Villarreal in his studio to discuss his art and life.
Read the article and watch the video here:
Sculptor and painter Roman Villarreal on growing up in the margins of the city and the joys of working with stone.
We want to show off our collection for a little while longer 🤩
EXHIBITION EXTENSION: Intuit is pleased to extend "Recent Acquisitions," an exhibition spotlighting works of art newly added to the museum's collection. See this piece by David Butler and more by Scottie Wilson, Madge Gill and George Widener when you visit Intuit. The museum is open Thu–Sun, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Image: David Butler (American, 1898-1997). Whirligig (boat), c. 1980-1995. Painted metal, 38 x 27 1/2 in. Collection of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, gift of Robert and Susan Zohlman, 2019.12. Photo by John Faier
📸: Two and half years ago, at Art After Work.
This Thursday, August 25, the art-making program returns to the museum's performance space! Join us at Intuit for Art After Work: Eugene Von Bruenchenhein. 🎨
Photography by Lily Katz | https://katzphoto.wixsite.com/katz |
Art After Work is a free monthly series of drop-in art making inspired by Intuit’s exhibitions and the outsider art genre.
This is a must-see exhibition! Roman Villareal: South Chicago Legacies at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art was named one of the Top 10 Art Shows of the Summer. Villareal captures the "beauty" and "pride" of the Southeast side through 40 years of sculptures and paintings. Learn more (or take a virtual tour!) at art.org.
📷️: Installation view of Roman Villarreal: South Chicago Legacies at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art (June 17, 2022–January 8, 2023). Photo by Cheri Eisenberg.
!["For [Roman] Villarreal, art not only portrays the realities of his community, it also represents the possibility of ren...](https://img5.gluseum.com/729/468/448682467294687.jpg)
"For [Roman] Villarreal, art not only portrays the realities of his community, it also represents the possibility of renewal. 'Art is the new steel,' he likes to say. It can provide the fiber to pull the neighborhood together," writes William Swislow, author of the article "Walking in Beauty."
In "Walking in Beauty," Swislow writes about Villarreal, his artistic practice and his work to support the arts in South Chicago. You can find the article in the Winter 2021/2022 edition of the museum's annual publication, The Outsider—accessible on Issuu!
Image: Installation photograph by Cheri Eisenberg
Sure to capture your attention with its presence, fierce in subject matter and large in scale, this mixed-media piece by Reverend Samuel David Phillips is featured in the exhibition "Recent Acquisitions."
The captivating “Revelations” by Phillips, alongside works of art by Aldobrando Piacenza and Lonnie Holley, is on view at Intuit through Labor Day, September 5.
Image: Rev. Samuel David Phillips (American, 1890-1973). Revelations, c. 1950. Pencil, crayon and water-based paint on oil cloth canvas, 46 x 47 in. Collection of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, gift of Jan Petry, 2017.5. Photo by John Faier
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein's artistic output was vast. His extensive oeuvre includes photographs, sculptures and fantastical paintings, many of which have botanical forms and vibrant colors, as seen here. The artist used varied techniques to create, using his fingers or objects like combs and sticks to manipulate the paint and make abstracted shapes.
Want to make art like EVB? 🎨 Join art educator Dorothy Broers at Intuit on Thursday, Aug. 25, for Art After Work! This free series of art-making workshops returns after its short summer hiatus and will take place in the museum's performance space. Broers will guide a printmaking workshop inspired by Von Bruenchenhein's techniques.
Learn more about the in-person workshop and register on Eventbrite!
Image: Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (American, 1910-1983). Untitled #289, 1955. Oil on board, 17 3/4 x 15 in. Collection of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 2003.3.9
Timeline photos
"Recent Acquisitions" at (Chicago) through September 5, 2022, celebrates the works of art acquired by Intuit for its collection between 2017 and 2022. The exhibition features paintings, drawings and sculptures by William Hawkins, George Widener, Scottie Wilson, Madge Gill and Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, among others.
Image: Artworks by Alexander Maldonado, Aldobrando Piacenza and Reverend Samuel David Phillips
Gérard Sendrey's oeuvre extends from monochromatic, intricate drawings to colorful, expressive paintings. This drawing is one of two by Sendrey in the exhibit "Recent Acquisitions," which features artworks from the museum's collection acquired between 2017 and 2022.
Visit Intuit to see "Recent Acquisitions" through Labor Day, Sept. 5! Museum open hours are Thu–Sun, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. 🎟 Reserve tickets in advance on Tock or walk in.
Image: Gérard Sendrey (French, 1928-2022). Untitled 241087, 1987. Pen on paper, 16 1/8 x 11 3/4 in. Collection of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, gift of the Saul Family Collection, 2020.9
Inspired by his nephew, Roman Villarreal carved "In a Clinch," as he enjoyed following his nephew's success as a middleweight boxer. 🥊 In this piece, Villarreal shows two boxers in a clinch, a defense tactic in which an athlete will grab the other's arms, making jabs impossible until the referee breaks them up.
Image: Roman Villarreal (American, b. 1950). In a Clinch, 2000. Alabaster, 20 x 16 in. Courtesy of the Villarreal Family. Installation photo by Cheri Eisenberg.
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Have you ever wanted to read Henry Darger's famous epic novel? Now is your chance! Since Henry Darger's artwork and writings were discovered by the world in 1973, audiences have come to Intuit hoping to read his fantasy manuscript and discover the adventures of the seven Vivian girls. Intuit has microfilm images of the manuscript, which is inaccessible without special equipment. In celebration of Darger's birthday coming up on April 12, Intuit is digitizing the microfilm, and the public will finally have onsite access to Darger's mysterious story! Make your contribution here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/revealing-henry-darger-s-secret-manuscript#/
"Every time I did something with outsider art [in the classroom] my students would just wake up and start being more engaged." -- Amanda Nadig, Taft High School Visual Arts Teacher This Giving Tuesday, November 27, become an Annual Fund donor to help bring outsider art to Chicago Public Schools youth through Intuit's award-winning Teacher Fellowship Program. Donate today! http://www.art.org/annual-fund/
Celebrating PRIDE🌈
Intuit's Art Design Chicago exhibition, Chicago Calling: Art Against the Flow, explores 10 extraordinary self-taught artists who taught Chicago to love art from the edge. Get a first look at the museum's free opening reception next Thursday, June 28 from 5-8 p.m. http://www.art.org/chicago-calling-art-against-the-flow
Happy New Year! Intuit is closed today, but we can't wait to spend the rest of 2018 with you.
You bring to life Intuit's stunning exhibitions and world-class programming. Thank you for supporting Intuit on #GivingTuesday, and every day! We couldn't do it without your inspiring generosity!
We are honoring Faheem Majeed with the Trendsetter Award at this year's Visionary Ball. While checking out The Floating Museum, Faheem told us why he creates art and what he loves about Intuit. P.S.- Happy belated birthday, Faheem Majeed! http://www.art.org/visionary-ball-2017
Here's an exclusive sneak peak of the Starship Philharmonic VII playing live at Intuit this Thursday Aug 3, 7:30pm!
You won't want to miss the Q&A tomorrow at 1 p.m. with Betsy Fuchs, Henry Darger's down-the-hall neighbor. We are celebrating Henry's 125th Birthday all day long on April 12, from 12-8 p.m. Come and join the fun!
A #GivingTuesday message from our awesome intern Emily!
Extended by popular demand! Private Eyes will now be on view until, Sunday, October 16. Rebecca Fasman, Manager of Traveling Exhibitions at the Kinsey Institute talks more about the exhibition's context to outsider art and the works now being on public view.
Curator Faheem Majeed
Opening Reception: Post Black Folk Art in America 1930-1980-2016
Feed Salon
Intuit Turns 25
Live from the Spring Intuit Benefit!
Stories of Lee Godie continue at #BYOG!
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