Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago, the first major exhibition to focus on the importance of immigration and migration in the genre of self-taught art, will now be on view through March 22, 2026, at the recently reimagined Intuit Art Museum (IAM), 756 N. Milwaukee Avenue. This special exhibition, co-curated by Intuit Chief Curator Alison Amick and independent curator Dana Boutin, spotlights 22 artists and features more than 92 works from leading collections, in a range of media, including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, printmaking, textiles, ceramics, woodcarving and installation.

A highlight since opening May 23 is a dramatic 9’ x 18’ site-specific installation by Pooja Pittie, raised in Mumbai, India and now living in Chicago, entitled What We Build to Belong (2025). Encompassing hand-knotted net, cords, readymade nets, crochet, knittings, discarded drawings, wrapped watercolor fragments, residual fiber and paper objects from the artist’s studio, the work has invited museum visitors to add their own written or drawn reflections about belonging, with more than 500 personalized paper tags currently contributed.

“Especially in this current climate, Intuit is proud to be offering the public an opportunity to discover a treasure trove of works created by artists who immigrated to Chicago since the early-20th century, much of it examining the experience of migrating from one’s homeland. The act of creating art can be a form of personal activism as well as the expression of lived experience, and Intuit is proud to feature the work and honor the lived experiences of those whose stories are frequently overlooked,” said Debra Kerr, Intuit Art Museum President and CEO. ​“For those who haven’t checked out our new, welcoming space, yet, our upcoming free Community Day in February is a great opportunity to catch Catalyst, too.” 

Among ongoing programming offered by Intuit is its quarterly IAM Community Days, inviting the public to explore the Museum, learn about the art on view and work with IAM educators to create a work of art while building connections with others.

About Catalyst 

Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-taught Art in Chicago underscores the creative contributions of migrants and immigrants, broadening the scope to include artists deserving of greater attention, while posing questions about access to the art world and how art comes to be defined and valued. Considering artists in the context of their migration experience, cultural backgrounds and communities invites new insights into their work. Chicago, a city with a significant and ongoing history of immigration and migration, is fertile ground for investigating the rich array of academic and nonacademic influences—cultural, communal and familial—that enrich artistic production. The exhibition aims to be inclusive of the experiences of immigrants and migrants while acknowledging social and legal differences.

Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-taught Art in Chicago explores catalysts for leaving home, for coming to Chicago and for pursuing an art practice. The range of personal and political subject matter and artistic styles reflects artists processing distinct cultural traditions, memories and experiences of living far from one’s homeland. Themes in the artworks range from belonging and longing for homeland, to labor and individual expression, to bearing witness to history, to assimilation. The narrative centers on the rise of self-taught art in Chicago during the second half of the 20th century, opportunities for artists leading up to this time, and the continued importance of im/migration and self-taught art to Chicago today.

Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-taught Art in Chicago is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. 

Participating Artists

• Carlos Barberena, active in the United States, born Granada, Nicaragua
• Isamu Guy Conners, active in the United States, born Tokyo, Japan
• María Enríquez de Allen, American, born Allende, Mexico
• Albina Felski, American, born Fernie, Canada
• Stefan Harhaj, active in the United States, born Stuttgart, Germany
• Aaron Kleeblatt, active in the United States, born Poland
• Thomas Kong, American, born Hwanghae Province, North Korea, raised in Incheon, South Korea
• Alfonso ​“Piloto” Nieves Ruiz, active in the United States, born Querétaro, Mexico
• Marion Perkins, American, born Marche, Ark
• Aldobrando ​“Aldo” Piacenza, American, born S’Anna-Pelago, Italy
• Marva Lee Pitchford-Jolly, American, born Crenshaw, Miss.
• Pooja Pittie, American, born in Coimbatore, India, raised in Bombay/now Mumbai, India
• Pauline Simon, American, born Nesvizh, Russian Empire/now Belarus
• Genya ​“Jennie” Siporin, American, born Łódź, Russian-occupied Poland/now Poland
• Drossos P. Skyllas, American, born Kalymnos, Ottoman Empire/now Greece
• Dr. Charles Smith, American, born New Orleans
• Bronislaw ​“Bruno” Sowa, American, born Lubomierz, Poland
• Stanislaw ​“Stanley” Szwarc, active in the United States, born Krotoszyn, Poland
• Jesús Torres, active in the United States, born Silao, Mexico
• Charles Warner, American, born partitioned Poland/now Poland
• Derek Webster, American, born Puerto Castilla, Republic of Honduras, raised in Belize City, British Honduras/now Belize
• Badaskhan ​“Betty” Zakoian, American, born Kharpert, Ottoman Empire/now Turkey

About the new Intuit Art Museum

Intuit Art Museum is recognized worldwide as one of the few institutions dedicated solely to championing the work of self-taught artists. Following a major $11 million renovation and expansion of its current facility—completed in May of this year—Intuit has dramatically updated its exhibition, programming and learning spaces for the showcase and study of self-taught art, defined as work made by artists who often work outside the mainstream and have developed a serious artistic practice. Some artists may have faced societal, economic or geographic barriers to pursuing extensive training in the arts.

Now encompassing three floors over 18,000 square feet, Intuit offers dramatically enhanced spaces that welcome its guests, including five exhibition galleries; a dedicated learning and art-making studio; a flexible community gathering space to host performances, lectures and activities; a revamped gift store featuring an array of unique, fun and artist-made products; and a reimagined Henry Darger Room and interpretive exhibition, showcasing the art and life of the iconic Chicago artist over the span of two floors. Intuit’s staff is especially proud of the physical upgrades to accommodate all guests, including a new passenger elevator, interior staircases, and an accessible and welcoming entryway. 

Founded in 1991 as a nonprofit, Intuit is a premier museum of self-taught art. Intuit champions the diverse voices of self-taught art, welcoming both new and familiar audiences. Intuit Art Museum is open 11 am–6 pm. Wednesday through Sunday and until 8 pm on third Thursdays. Admission is $20, or free for members, those 24 and younger, and those unable to pay. 

Funding support for the Catalyst exhibition was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation. Funding support for the museum renovation was provided by a City of Chicago Community Development Grant and generous individuals.