Chicago Artists Coalition

About

Supporting Chicago contemporary artists and curators.

Story

Over 40 years ago, CAC began as a small group of artists advocating for rights, support and visibility in the city’s cultural landscape and economy. Small in size but mighty in impact, CAC was critical to the formation of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the development of Chicago Artists Month and the passing of the Percent for Art Ordinance. The latter designates 1.33% of new construction or renovation budgets of public buildings to a public art fund dedicated to the commission, purchase and maintenance of public art in Chicago

Since then, the organization has evolved and grown to meet the needs of Chicago’s artists, moved into the West Loop in 2011, and launched its groundbreaking residencies and professional development programs. CAC was the first to offer a residency with a curatorial component (HATCH Projects) and is still one of the only residency programs that offer onsite studio space and a guarantee of a solo exhibition to its 10 BOLT residents. Since then, 60 BOLT artists have had solo shows, 288 HATCH artists have participated in group shows, 2,950 artists have participated in professional development programs, and 24 curators have further developed their curatorial and exhibition making skills

In 2012, the Coalition significantly expanded its programs and outreach by acquiring the Chicago Artists Resource website, known as CAR, from the City of Chicago. The Coalition was identified early on by the City and other stakeholders as the exemplary candidate to assume ownership of CAR because of the organization's long commitment to providing direct services to individual practicing artists and helping to build networks and resources for a thriving creative marketplace within the community. The acquisition of CAR fulfills important strategic goals for the organization, including serving artists in any and all creative disciplines, enhancing other programs and outreach for more diverse populations, and positioning the Coalition for national growth.

Mission

The Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC) is committed to building a diverse community of artistic leaders who define the place of art and artists in our city's culture and economy. We do this by providing residencies, education, exhibitions, and other opportunities for artists and the arts community.

Products

CAC produces events throughout the year that provide vital professional development to advance our mission of building a sustainable marketplace for entrepreneurial artists and creatives. We invite artists, arts patrons and the general public to engage with our programs, exhibitions, and events. All CAC events are either free or deeply discounted for our members.

For more information visit our website: http://www.chicagoartistscoalition.org/what-we-do