Buddy at the Chicago Cultural Center

What is Buddy?
Buddy is a store in the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago with the mission of supporting and showcasing local artists, makers, and small businesses. Its nearly 2500 square foot retail space features 300+ artists at any moment including prints, photos, art objects, functional art, textile, publications, music, jewelry, care products, toys and much more. The space also features annual programs, including a rotating Art 4 Sale exhibition series, rotating Randolph St. display window installations, and monthly in-store events. Buddy is a program of Public Media Institute, a Bridgeport-based non-profit that has been supporting Chicago artists for over 30 years. 

Our Mission
Buddy is a shop, a hub for making connections between friends we have and those we have yet to meet. We are committed to giving artists and small manufacturers in Chicago a place to showcase and sell their goods and artworks to a vast audience of Chicagoans and visitors at the Chicago Cultural Center. This collaboration between Public Media Institute and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) furthers both institutions’ goals of providing visibility and opportunities to artists across the Chicagoland area. Through exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances, readings, and product launches, Buddy will work to bring the creative output of our city’s neighborhoods to the city center for visitors and locals alike to consume. Buddy is a place that introduces the world to the people making it happen in Chicago, a place that helps them create a sustainable world we all want to work, play, and live in.

Hey! 
Did you know that Buddy is a non-profit shop in the Chicago cultural center that's run by a small (3-5 people to be exact!) but mighty team?We are consistently working hard on each and every order,customer inquiry,outreach,fairs/markets,programming,cultural center events, and vendor relationships, in order to bring the Chicagoland community closer together. If we take a little bit longer to respond, or get an order out to you, it's probably because we’re working hard on the many different roles it takes to keep Buddy going! We can’t express enough how much we appreciate your patience and understanding while we make sure every person is taken care of, and we can’t wait to share all the new artworks and programming with you!