In my nearly 30 years at the Art Institute, nine as its president and director, I have been guided by the fundamental conviction that works of art carry unique, often transformative powers.
As a primary, tangible record of human creativity, art transmits our thoughts, beliefs, values, and abilities. It structures the ways in which we see and understand the world. A direct interaction with an artwork can reassure, energize, teach, and challenge us—intellectually and emotionally. It can serve as a catalyst for connection and exchange, for expanding our understanding of our collective past, present, and future.
As one of the world’s leading art museums, the Art Institute of Chicago offers exactly these opportunities. We serve as a site both restorative and invigorating, encouraging solitary encounters with individual objects while also fostering collective experiences and growing communities.
This is why the words of one of the Art Institute’s earliest leaders, Charles L. Hutchinson, remain our guidepost to this day: “We are here to serve the public, not the few.” As much as we aim to further scholarship and care of our world-class global collection, we give equal attention to ensuring that the broadest audiences possible can experience these collections. We are committed to continually developing inventive and meaningful ways to share our collections with our Chicagoland community and the world so that all feel welcome, engaged, seen, and reflected in our galleries.
Just as we are a place for the many, we too are a place of many, a site activated by the tremendous talents, wide-ranging expertise, and thoughtful efforts of outstanding colleagues throughout the museum, including exceptional senior leaders. Together we are able to create dynamic galleries and landmark exhibitions, develop engaging programming and innovative storytelling, carry out groundbreaking research and revelatory conservation initiatives, and foster ever-growing civic partnerships. I feel incredibly fortunate to work alongside this team to advance the museum’s mission.
I also feel fortunate to spend a great deal of time with our collection. While our collection is permanent, we change, and the meaning and inspiration we glean from the range of human imagination and ingenuity inherent in these objects changes with us. I invite and encourage you to visit the Art Institute galleries for your own unique and ever-evolving experience, as you encounter old favorites anew and new works that strike a familiar chord in novel and provocative ways.
—James Rondeau
President and Eloise W. Martin Director
