About
Founded in 1982 as Chicago Gallery News, today CGN is the central source for information about the area's art galleries, museums, events, services and news. CGN aims to be an accessible and engaging regional guide to the visual arts, as well as a collector and community resource.
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief since 2007
Virginia B. Van Alyea
Business Manager and Managing Editor
Emily Ackerman
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Our History
Read a 2022 interview about CGN's 40th Anniversary here.
Chicago Gallery News was founded by Natalie van Straaten in the winter of 1982/83 as a way of centrally promoting the openings and exhibitions of a handful of galleries located around Superior and Huron Streets in what is today known as River North.
Eventually, that handful, known as the Original 16, expanded throughout River North and then around the city, into the West Loop, Wicker Park and Bucktown, to Lincoln Park, Humboldt Park, Bridgeport and Pilsen. Today new galleries continue to open their doors, while existing spaces adapt with the times and forge new paths in vital districts like West Town, as well as in Chicago's many suburbs. The city's strong visual arts culture continues to thrive, and CGN is proud to support it.
CGN has evolved too. What began as a four-page black and white pamphlet today covers dozens of Chicago area galleries, artists, art centers and museums, as well as visual arts happenings and institutions throughout the region, reaching readers in the Midwest and beyond. CGN aims to be a clear, accessible link to the creative world, as well as an advocate on behalf of our art community.
Published 3 times a year, our annual listings guide, plus our summer and fall magazines, our print editions and website feature over 120 galleries and arts institutions and their exhibitions and specialties. We also list scores of art-related businesses and resources, arts nonprofits and alternative spaces, artist studios, and art centers. CGN features a series of art profiles, highlighting the unique perspectives of Chicago's art dealers, artists, and collectors.
Continuing the tradition of CGN being a woman-owned small business, Virginia Van Alyea bought CGN from van Straaten in 2007 and took over as publisher of the magazine. In the years since our tiny team has been committed to modernizing the publication and expanding its mission and coverage. We still publish in print three times a year and we have invested in making our digital offerings the best they can be. We are always building on CGN's foundation as a keeper of the city's art history, a voice for members of the art community as well as an unparalleled resource for those who want to learn about and explore art in Chicago and the Midwest.
We thank our galleries, museums, artists and readers for being a part of and supporting CGN!
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief since 2007
Virginia B. Van Alyea
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• Print Subscriptions are available for $25/year. Single copies of CGN are available for purchase at BUDDY Chicago on the first floor of the Chicago Cultural Center. You can pick up limited free copies by visiting CGN galleries and museums while quantities last.
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