African American Designers in Chicago: Art, Commerce and the Politics of Race

Featuring work from a wide range of practices including cartooning, sign painting, architectural signage, illustration, graphic design, exhibit design and product design, this exhibition is the first to demonstrate how African American designers remade the image of the black consumer and the work of the black artist in this major hub of American advertising/consumer culture. African American Designers in Chicago: Art, Commerce and the Politics of Race is funded in part by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, as part of Art Design Chicago, an exploration of Chicago’s art and design legacy.

Location: Chicago Cultural Center • Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor North

Photo credit: Robert Savon Pious, 1908-1983, American Negro Exposition, 1865-1940, 1940, Poster, 55 x 35 cm (21 5/8 x 13 inches) Image courtesy of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, Art Institute of Chicago