The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, comprises both a museum and a school. The original, core beaux-arts building was built in 1893 to be used as an auxiliary meeting place for the World's Columbian Exposition and to become the permanent home of the Art Institute. The museum houses more than 300,000 works of art within its 10 curatorial departments. Among its great treasures are the legendary artworks A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte-1884 by Georges Seurat, American Gothic by Grant Wood, Nighthawks by Edward Hopper and 33 paintings by Claude Monet.

The Art Institute offers a wide variety of public programs, resources, and interactive exhibitions for adults and children including:

Adult Programs
Daily public programs including gallery tours, symposia, courses and lecture series, study days, concerts, and performances assist visitors in exploring the world of art.

Faces, Places, and Inner Spaces

This interactive exhibition is designed to introduce children, young adults, parents, and teachers to works of art from diverse cultures, time periods, and geographic regions. This exhibition approaches 11 art objects from the museum's collection—including works from China, India, the Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, and the United States—in a fun and accessible way. Visitors can walk into a re-creation of the beloved Doris Lee painting Thanksgiving; look through an African mask and watch a videotape of a performance that uses it; observe 17th-century Dutch perspective techniques through a camera obscura; and strike a pose on a Kabuki stage like the actors in Japanese prints. Interactive games, audio, video, and computer elements dig deeper into the human stories behind these art objects and offer new ways of understanding and enjoying art.

The Elizabeth Stone Robson Teacher Resource Center
Teachers, art volunteers, parents, and other educators are invited to visit the Teacher Resource Center, located in the Kraft Education Center of the Art Institute. A collection of teacher manuals, research files, exhibition catalogues, lesson plans, and gallery activities are available for research, loan, copying, and/or purchase.

Student and Teacher Programs
Guided tours and special programs are offered to students in grades one through twelve. For educators, the division offers classes and workshops to assist in integrating the visual arts across the curriculum.

Family Programs-Behind the Lions Family Days
The whole family is invited to participate in bi-monthly fun-filled days of gallery walks, art activities, gallery games, and performances.

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