Chicago Historical Society

TO SHARE CHICAGO'S STORIES, SERVING AS A HUB OF SCHOLARSHIP AND LEARNING, INSPIRATION, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

EDUCATION AND AUDIENCE - CHM ENGAGES AUDIENCES WITH HISTORY THAT REFLECTS OUR CITY'S COMPLEX PAST AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. OUR EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS BRING CHICAGO'S PAST TO LIFE FOR FAMILIES, ADULTS, MUSEUM MEMBERS, AND STUDENTS. IN 2020, WE FACED SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS TO OUR IN-PERSON OFFERINGS BECAUSE OF COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, AND WE USED OUR VAST ONLINE RESOURCES TO DELIVER CONTENT TO CULTURAL AUDIENCES WHILE THE MUSEUM WAS CLOSED. MOST NOTABLY, WE LAUNCHED OUR CHICAGO HISTORY AT HOME VIRTUAL SERIES, WHICH OFFERS "BITE-SIZE" INTERPRETIVE MOMENTS TO HISTORY LOVERS VIA EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA. THE INITIATIVE DRAWS A MONTHLY AVERAGE REACH OF 350,000 ON SOCIAL MEDIA. OVER 150 POSTS WERE CREATED IN 2020, EACH FEATURING IMAGES FROM OUR COLLECTION AND RELATED STORIES. WE ADVANCED OTHER DIGITAL PROJECTS IN 2020 AS WELL, COMPLETING OUR VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRST FERRIS WHEEL AT THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION AND ADDING EXHIBITIONS TO OUR GOOGLE ARTS AND CULTURE SITE. WHILE WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO WELCOME 20% OF OUR USUAL 50,000 ANNUAL SCHOOL VISITORS ONSITE, WE STEPPED UP TO SERVE 16,000 STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS WITH REMOTE WORKSHOPS AND VIRTUAL TOURS. ANOTHER 9,200 FAMILIES AND TEACHERS DOWNLOADED OUR LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH. THE MUSEUM HOSTS ROBUST PUBLIC PROGRAMS, INCLUDING PANEL DISCUSSIONS, COMMEMORATIVE DAY CELEBRATIONS, FILM SCREENINGS, AND PUBLIC HISTORY TOURS OF THE ICONIC SITES AND NEIGHBORHOOD TREASURES OF CHICAGO. THESE EXPERIENCES ALLOW CHM TO BRING OUR COLLECTION AND INTERPRETIVE CONTENT TO BROAD AUDIENCES. WE REACHED 14,314 PEOPLE THROUGH VIRTUAL PROGRAMS IN 2020. LAST YEAR, CHM SERVED OVER 11,000 STUDENTS THROUGH THE CHICAGO METRO HISTORY FAIR, A PROGRAM THAT ENGAGES NEARLY 90 SCHOOLS WITH AN INQUIRY-BASED CURRICULUM AND CULMINATES IN SHOWCASES OF STUDENT PROJECTS. WE PIVOTED TO VIRTUAL FAIRS AND TEACHER SUPPORT FOR HISTORY FAIR IN 2020.

COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH CHM HOUSES A PREMIER COLLECTION, ESTIMATED AT 25 MILLION OBJECTS, DOCUMENTS AND IMAGES, INCLUDING AN UNPARALLELED SET OF MATERIALS PERTAINING TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN; ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT COSTUME COLLECTIONS IN THE WORLD; THE HEDRICH BLESSING ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION; THE PHOTO MORGUES OF THE CHICAGO DAILY NEWS AND THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES NEWSPAPERS; COLOR WORKS BY VIVAN MAIER; AND THE COMPLETE LIBRARY OF STUDS TERKEL'S WFMT INTERVIEWS. CHM SEEKS TO MAXIMIZE DISCOVERABILITY OF ITS COLLECTIONS, MAKING PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS. OUR ONSITE VEHICLE FOR PUBLIC ACCESS IS THE RESEARCH CENTER, A NON-CIRCULATING LIBRARY OF PUBLICATIONS, IMAGES, DOCUMENTS, AND ARTIFACTS, WHICH SERVED NEARLY 4,000 PATRONS IN 2021. CHM'S WEBSITE INTRODUCES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ANNUAL ONLINE VISITORS TO COLLECTION HOLDINGS AND OFFERS ACCESS TO ITS RESEARCH CENTER STAFF, WHO ADDRESS RESEARCH INQUIRIES. THE RESEARCH CENTER ALSO HOSTS HUNDREDS OF HISTORY DAY STUDENTS EVERY SEASON, WHO VISIT TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON THEIR SELECTED TOPICS.

EXHIBITIONS CHM SHARES CHICAGO'S STORIES, ENABLING VISITORS TO EXPLORE HISTORICAL THEMES AND EVENTS AND REFLECT ON THE CITY'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. CHM EXHIBITS PHOTOS, VIDEOS, ARTIFACTS, AND INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS THAT CONNECT AUDIENCES TO HISTORY. EXHIBITS ARE DESIGNED, FABRICATED, AND INSTALLED ACCORDING TO NATIONAL INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES AND WITH AN EYE FOR INNOVATIVE METHODS OF INTERPRETATION. IN ADDITION TO MAINTAINING PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS SUCH AS THE LANDMARK CHICAGO: CROSSROADS OF AMERICA, FACING FREEDOM, AND SENSING CHICAGO, CHM OFFERED SEVERAL TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS IN 2021. THEY INCLUDE REMEMBERING DR. KING: 1929-1968; MILLIONS OF MOMENTS: THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES PHOTO ARCHIVE; VIVIAN MAIER: IN COLOR; AND CITY ON FIRE: CHICAGO 1871, A MULTIMEDIA EXHIBITION THAT REVISITS THE IMPACT OF THE FIRE FOLLOWING ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY.