Chicago to the Core

Accessibility Chicago Community

The MCA's exhibitions articulate who we are in our city.

Chicago itself is a very unique place. I've lived and worked in other places, I've spent a lot of time in major metropolitan areas, and there's truly no place like Chicago. And having said that, I argued often enough and hopefully not too vociferous enough that it became a distraction, but even as we were thinking through the creation of and the launch of the vision campaign, you'd have to include Chicago in the name, because there are other museums of contemporary art, but there's only one MCA Chicago. Because of how Chicago anchors us in the work that gets done here, the work that gets produced by artists, but also in the work of the curators, the work of the staff behind the scenes, the technical aspects of presentation, the shows that get put on here that are more than just what's hanging on the walls, but what's actually being presented as a way to articulate this is who we are: We are Chicago.

And I would add that it's a continuing challenge for us to live that truth because we need to be focused on being more diverse, but not for diversity's sake. We need to focus on being more inclusive, because we have a leadership that isn't yet as reflective of Chicago from a "this is who we really are" standpoint. So, I continue to be hopeful, and I'm active in helping to bring that to fruition.  

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