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Multiple Visit Program field trip with students from Theodore Herzl School of Excellence, May 3, 2016. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

We Don’t Have All the Answers

Heidi Reitmaier
The MCA poses questions to visitors so that they can draw their own connections. 
Community Education Staff Visitors Youth
Installation view, Frida Kahlo, MCA Chicago, Jan 13–Mar 5, 1978. Photo © MCA Chicago.

Leapfrogging the Masters

Madeleine Grynsztejn
The DNA of the MCA's 1967 founding continues to influence the museum and has resulted in a number of US "firsts."
1960s Artists Directors Exhibitions Firsts

Curating Doris Salcedo

Madeleine Grynsztejn
Madeleine Grynsztejn reflects on the power of the Doris Salcedo retrospective.
2010s Artists Curatorial Directors Exhibitions

Tuning in to Chicago

Armand Mevis, Linda van Deursen
When Armand Mevis and Linda van Deursen came to Chicago to work with the MCA, they first undertook an exploration of the city, from its climate to its city plan.
Chicago Design

Creative Curating

Michael Darling
The MCA curatorial team is encouraged to be loose and playful in presenting the collection.
Collection Curatorial Exhibitions Staff
John Cage, A Dip in the Lake: Ten Quicksteps, Sixty-two Waltzes, and Fifty-six Marches for Chicago and Vicinity, 1978. Felt-tip pen on map; 53 ½ x 41 ½ in. (135.9 x 105.4 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, restricted gift of the MCA Collectors Group, Men’s Council, and Women’s Board, and National Endowment for the Arts Purchase Grant, 1982.19. © 1993 John Cage Trust. Photo © MCA Chicago.

A Kaleidoscope of Contemporary

Michael Darling
The task of balancing local and global is one of the curatorial team's ongoing challenges.
Artists Chicago Curatorial Global Staff
Marisol Restaurant and Bar, interior. Photo: Kendall McCaugherty – Hall+Merrick Photographers, © MCA Chicago.

Truly Cosmopolitan

Michael Darling
The new restaurant and theater together create a unique cultural experience.
2010s Building Renovation Staff Visitors
Shirin Neshat, Turbulent, 1998. Black-and-white video installation. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, gift of Susan and Lewis Manilow, 2000.22. © 1998 Shirin Neshat. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

Turbulent

Omar Kholeif
Omar Kholeif describes Turbulent by Shirin Neshat.
1990s Artists Board Collection Staff
Larry Clark, Untitled (KIDS), 1995. Chromogenic development print; 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift from The Howard and Donna Stone Collection, 2002.16.1. Photo: Michal Raz-Russo, © MCA Chicago.

Longevity and Collections

Omar Kholeif
Omar Kholeif talks about the importance of enduring collections.
2010s Collection Curatorial Exhibitions Staff
Installation view, MCA Chicago Plaza Project: Yinka Shonibare, MBE, MCA Chicago, Jun 16–Oct 2014. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

Globalizing the Museum

Omar Kholeif
Omar Kholeif hopes to bring a global perspective to the museum's programs and activities.
Chicago Collection Curatorial Global Staff
Installation view, Seeing Is a Kind of Thinking: A Jim Nutt Companion, MCA Chicago, Jan 29–May 29, 2011. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

A Local Approach

Monique Meloche
Chicago gallerist Monique Meloche commends the curatorial team's support for Chicago-based artists.
2000s 2010s Chicago Collection Curatorial
Installation view, Christo: Wrap In, Wrap Out, MCA Chicago, Jan 18–Mar 2, 1969. Photo © MCA Chicago.

Joseph Randall Shapiro and the Fire Department

Helyn Goldenberg
Fire inspectors come to inspect the Christo installation and are "reassured" by Joe Shapiro.
1960s Chicago Christo Exhibitions Founders Joe Shapiro

An Auction Like Sotheby’s Does

Helyn Goldenberg
The MCA organizes the first Sotheby's-style auction to benefit a museum.
Events Firsts Joe Shapiro
Performance in conjunction with Theaster Gates: 13th Ballad, MCA Chicago, May 17, 2013. Photo: Jeremy Lawson, © MCA Chicago.

Chicago as an Art World Competitor

Monique Meloche
Former MCA staffer Monique Meloche reflects on the vibrant Chicago arts scene.
2010s Artists Chicago Global

“We’ve Got to Stop That”

John D. Cartland
The decision to start collecting is spurred by inter-city rivalry.
Board Chicago Collection Collectors

Always Making New Friends

Martin H. Nesbitt
Exhibitions can lead to friendships, and those friendships can inform collections.
Artists Board Community
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