Programs
Chicago Art Department’s Studio Residency Program is a subsidized initiative that aims to support 12-month growth opportunities for artists. As part of the application process, artists are asked to identify goals for their practice, strategies for intention and engagement, and plans for exhibitions and public events. At the end of each term, Resident Artists revisit goals to identify areas of growth while defining next steps for their practice.
Requirements for Resident Artists
1) To develop new works through 12 months of studio practice.
2) To show new works in exhibitions, and interact with a public audience.
3) To participate in monthly meetings and critical discussions.
4) CAD also accepts applications from small organizations who do not have a footprint anywhere else.
Chicago Art Department (CAD) was founded in 2004 in part as a response to the war in Iraq. CAD grew out of a need to create space for artists to Try it, Make it, Share it; its founders and early members were recent art-school graduates, educators, and activists looking to grow their practice, collaborate with like-minded individuals, and create a safe space for dialogue around political and social injustice work. From the beginning, CAD embodied a spirit of community, collaboration, and inclusion for all Chicago artists and creatives working toward civic change.
Today, CAD’s mission is to provide space and resources for socially-minded artists to grow their practice while questioning the city we live in. We provide artists with opportunities for professional development through subsidized studio residencies, think-tank programs, and public engagement through monthly events and contemporary exhibitions.
CAD is a community of communities—a collection of diverse stories tied to each resident artist, program partner, and collaborator. CAD serves as a hub for different voices from across the city who are meeting, doing the work, and envisioning a better Chicago. CAD is the sum of the efforts of our varied community members; part artist-residency space, part community gathering space, and part learning-and-exhibition space.
For nearly two decades, CAD has offered more than programs, developing a residency model that has worked with over 100 artists, and through partnerships and exhibitions, has exhibited works by over 1,000 artists. CAD’s Pilsen space has grown to feature 11,000 square feet comprising three public galleries, private studios for up to 20 artists, and community event areas available to all for use.
Resident artists are required to attend monthly critical dialogue meetings to present their practice for feedback from other resident as well as visiting artists. CAD resident artists pay monthly fees (subsidized by Chicago Art Department’s fundraising initiatives) for 24/7 access to individual studio areas, shared printing and wood-shop spaces, three separate gallery spaces, a network of 20 peer artists-in-residence, and a larger public CAD audience of thousands.
If you are an artist looking for an opportunity to push your practice, you are encouraged to fill out a resident artist application form.