Chicago and Vicinity Art Shows

The Art Institute’s (AIC) Chicago and Vicinity 1st Annual, which ran from January 26–February 21, 1897, was the first of 81 shows that spanned 88 years. The final Chicago and Vicinity 81st Annual: Drawings ran from May 4–June 16, 1985 and then the show was no more.

AIC established the exhibition to provide a juried platform specifically for Chicago-area artists. This included the students, alumni and teachers from the affiliated School of the Art Institute (SAIC). This provided a major venue for local artists to exhibit and sell their work.

At the time, Chicago's art scene was rapidly developing, and opportunities for local artists to show their work were scarce. The Chicago and Vicinity exhibitions supported the city's artistic community, gave it an artistic home, and connected it with the public.

This event series was one of many annual exhibitions, like exhibitions for watercolors, American painting and sculpture, as well as awards for architecture and more. These events were foundational to the AIC's early programming. These made the museum a vital center for art, thus informing Chicago, the Midwest and the rest of the country to what was happening on the local art scene. 

The annual exhibition for Chicago and Vicinity artists continued until 1985. This allowed for a dialogue between the city’s artists, art collectors and the public, both local and out of town visitors. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a push for the AIC to start these annual shows again, though their fostering of the city’s artistic community feels conspicuously absent from their programming. That’s a shame.