Contemporary Art Workshop (Chicago, Ill.) records, 1949-2009, bulk 1970-2008

For listening purposes, it is necessary to use a copy, not the original (and to have a listening copy made if one is not available).

Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Materials were a gift of the Contemporary Art Workshop (accession # 2009.0076).

Contemporary Art Workshop records (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Administrative records, correspondence, artist files and portfolios, financial documents, exhibition planning and publicity materials, press releases, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and other records of the Contemporary Art Workshop (CAW), a non-profit, artist-run gallery, community center, and studio space located in Chicago (Ill.). The collection relates primarily to CAW's daily operations, including renting studios to artists, mounting exhibitions, offering community outreach programs, publicizing events, and raising funds through donations and grants. Also present are materials about the artists who worked with the organization; grant applications and donor records; and photographs, slides, and CD-ROMs depicting exhibitions and the work of artists.

The Contemporary Art Workshop (CAW) was a non-profit, artist-run gallery and community arts organization in Chicago (Ill.). CAW was founded in 1949 by sculptor John (Jack) Kearney and his wife Lynn, as well as artists Leon Golub, Cosmo Campoli, Ray Fink, and Al Kwitz. Kearney was the owner of the Contemporary Art Gallery, from which CAW evolved, and is known for creating animal and figurative sculptures, including large-scale public sculptures made from chrome car bumpers that were placed in Chicago and across the United States. CAW supported emerging artists by staging solo and group exhibitions to promote their work, offering classes and other technical assistance, and renting 20 low-cost studios. In addition, CAW hosted community outreach programs, including local public school student art shows; field trips and workshops; and an internship program for students of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. CAW participated in art fairs, such as SOFA Chicago and Art Chicago, and was the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, in 1984.

CAW was located originally in the carriage house of the Cyrus McCormick mansion near Michigan Avenue and Chicago Avenue, then in a loft near the Wrigley Building, and ultimately moved to 542 West Grant Place in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in 1960. At the larger Lincoln Park facility, CAW was able to put on more exhibitions and work with a greater number of artists; by 1989, CAW worked with approximately 200 artists each year. While CAW featured Chicago and Midwestern artists, the work of national and international artists was also exhibited. Well-known artists affiliated at CAW include: Lee Grantham, June Leaf, Didier Nolet, Arnaldo Roche Rabell, and Seymour Rosofky. CAW closed in 2009.

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include a collection of photographs from the Contemporary Art Workshop; and publications and sound recordings cataloged separately that relate to John Kearney and other artists associated with CAW.

• Names
  • Contemporary Art Workshop--Archives
  • Campoli, Cosmo
  • Fink, Ray
  • Golub, Leon, 1922-20045
  • Kearney, John, 1924-
  • Kearney, Lynn
  • Kwitz, Al
• Subject
  • Alternative spaces (Arts facilities)--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Art, American--Illinois--Chicago--20th century--Exhibitions
  • Art, Modern--Illinois--Chicago--20th century--Exhibitions
  • Artists--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Artists' studios--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Public welfare--Illinois--Cook County--20th century
• Geographic Coverage
  • 542 West Grant Place (Chicago, Ill.
  • Chicago (Ill.)--Social life and customs--20th century
  • Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill. : Community area)

The collection is arranged in six series.

Series 1. Administrative records, 1949-2009 (box 1-6)

Series 1 consists of the administrative records of CAW, such as an office manual, financial records, Year in Review reports, organizational histories, and lists of affiliated artists. Also included are advisory board meeting minutes, by-laws, studio rental records, copies of artist contracts for exhibitions, and a 2003 property tax reassessment appeal.

Series 2. Artist files, 1977-2009 (box 7-50)

Series 2 contains files on individual artists who participated in exhibitions at and/or rented studio space from CAW. Contents of artist files includes resumes; correspondence; art sales records; press releases; exhibition lists and layout designs; exhibition fliers; news clippings; and sample artworks in formats such as 35 mm slides, color photographs, black and white photographs, audiocassettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and pencil sketches. Included are the files of exhibiting artists Arnaldo Roche Rabell (1983, 1989), John Kearney, Leon Golub, Didier Nolet (1983), Nick Blosser (1987, 1988), Lee Grantham (1987), Nicole Gordon (2000), and Catherine Arnold (1991).

Series 3. Grants and fundraising files, 1970-2008 (box 51-63)

Series 3 consists of grant applications, letters of inquiry, financial reports, receipts, donation lists, news clippings, and other materials related to the CAW's pursuit of funding from institutional and individual sources. Also included are accounts receivable cards; art sales records; and materials related to benefit events put on by and/or for CWA, including invitations, promotional materials, committee minutes, and financial reports.

Series 4. Exhibitions, 1973-2009 (box 64-73)

Series 4 contains information about exhibitions hosted by CAW; Chicago-area exhibitions in which the organization participated, such as SOFA Chicago and Art Chicago; and exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, in which the organization was featured, such as Alternative Spaces: A History in Chicago. Included are fliers and promotional materials; exhibition catalogs and price lists; reviews and news clippings; press releases; and 35 mm slides and photographic prints of artworks from the exhibitions. Also included are an exhibition catalog from the Museum of Contemporary Art (1984) and materials from CAW's Homage to Henryk Stazewski (1995).

Series 5. Public relations materials, 1959-2009 (box 74-78)

Series 5 contains publicity and public relations materials created by and/or about CAW, including fliers, posters, mailings, press releases, news clippings, and community directory listings.

Series 6. Scrapbooks, 1949-2009 (vols. 1-3)

Series 6 consists of three scrapbooks containing fliers, posters, invitations, letters, and ephemera from the CAW exhibitions and events. Materials are arranged in chronological order.