Archives

Introduction

The Archives strives to make its collections available for research to the fullest extent possible; all access requests adhere to legal requirements and ethical access considerations, including public statutes, donor contracts, privacy requirements, and the proprietary rights of the museum. 

These guidelines and procedures apply to all records under the purview of the AIC Archives regardless of format, location, processing status, or provenance.

Access Procedures

The Art Institute of Chicago Archives welcomes researchers to make use of our collections. Library and archival collections are available by appointment only; walk-in requests are not possible.

All media and press requests should be directed to [email protected].

Researchers seeking access to all archival collections must request their appointment via this Contact Form at least one week in advance of their desired visit. 

• Museum visitors of high-school age and above may consult the collections of the Archives by appointment. Younger researchers should contact Archives to inquire about access in advance of their visit. 
• Depending on the nature of the request and the availability of materials, requested appointments may be canceled or rescheduled according to staff discretion.
• Archival research appointments for the public are available M, W, Th, F 1:30-5.
• Research appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis and will be confirmed via email by Research Center staff. 
• Appointments take place at the Research Center’s Franke Reading Room, a shared space in which researchers can consult the collections of the Ryerson and Burnham Library and the Art Institute of Chicago Archives. The reading room is located just south of the Grand Staircase inside the Michigan Avenue entrance to the museum.
• Researchers must complete a pre-registration process and submit their request for materials one week prior to arrival onsite.
• The Archives welcomes all qualified users and is committed to making its services accessible to everyone. Persons with disabilities who would like to request an accessibility accommodation are encouraged to send an email to [email protected] as far in advance as possible.
• Researchers agree to follow the museum’s visitor policies in addition to established reading room policies.
• Researchers agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Art Institute of Chicago and its officers and employees from and against all claims and actions arising out of the researcher’s use of any AIC collections. 
• Learn more about appointment availability and procedures for the SAIC community.

Assessing Access Requests

Archives staff will assess each research request, granting access contingent upon several factors, including:

• Purpose of the request
• Relevance of the request to the museum’s mission
• Condition of the requested collections
• Accessibility of materials
• Staff capacity
• Privacy and confidentiality concerns

In certain cases of limited access, when capacity allows, the Archives may use restricted files to answer questions for researchers, extracting the pertinent but unrestricted information. Access to certain materials that are fragile or have high intrinsic value may be limited, and the examination of such materials will be supervised. In addition, the quantity of material requested for examination may be limited due to workspace constraints.

The Art Institute reserves the right to deny access to any researcher, including any researcher who has previously violated our policies or regulations.

Restrictions

With few exceptions, the collections of the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives are unrestricted and available to all users. The museum’s Institutional Archives are largely restricted to external users, though limited access may be granted by request.

Guided by institutional policy, legal requirements, and established professional best practices, the Archives reserves the right to restrict access to any materials, including, for example, sensitive or confidential materials, records which could impair key functions or relationships within the institution, or anything that would compromise the museum’s security or operations.

Documents that are restricted from public access include (but are not limited to):

• Board of Trustees records
• Director’s files
• Personnel files
• Financial information, including purchase records
• Legal records, including records related to contracts, and negotiations
• Donor and lender information
• Fundraising and development records
• Insurance and appraisal records, including insurance values
• Conservation and condition reports
• Architectural and engineering drawings of museum campus
• Curatorial records
• SAIC student records
• Unprocessed collections

Disputes regarding restricted materials are settled in consultation with the Director of Archives, Executive Director of the Research Center, the Deputy Director and Senior Vice President for Curatorial Affairs, and/or the museum’s General Counsel.

Records in the Archives sometimes contain Personally Identifying Information (PII). Records deemed to have high research value which contain certain types of PII will be restricted with limited access at the discretion of the Archives staff, or a copy will be made available with the PII redacted. Publicly-available PII is generally not restricted.

Materials may also be restricted due to format, condition, or donor-requested stipulations.

Reproduction and publication requests will be assessed using the same policy employed for access in addition to other applicable concerns related to reproduction. Some documents made available for viewing may not be approved for reproduction or publication.

• Visitors to the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archive’s Archival Images & Media database may download study images with a maximum dimension of 1000 pixels using the “Download” button found in the upper right quadrant of all database object pages. Larger, high-resolution versions of images and/or new photography may be requested through our Contact Form.
• A variety of photoduplication options are available to researchers both remotely and in the reading room.
• Publication requests must be submitted a minimum of two months in advance of delivery deadline. A fee chart and contract summary is available here.
• All reproduction requests must be approved by the Director of Archives or the Institutional Archivist. 
• If approved, licensing of Art Institute of Chicago institutional records must then be requested through our Image Licensing site. Please contact Archives staff with any questions.
• Please note that works of art, text, and other content appearing in reproductions may be protected by copyright or related interests that are not owned by the museum. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain whatever copyright or other permissions may be required from an artist, the artist’s agent or estate, or any other third party rights holder. By accepting or using any reproductions, the researcher agrees to indemnify the museum and hold it harmless against any and all claims, demands, and/or actions of any nature, including the expenses thereof, arising as a result of the use of the reproductions.
• Documents from the museum’s Institutional Archives should be cited as: “Courtesy, Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.” Captions must be approved by Archives staff prior to publication. Citations for materials from other archival collections should be requested via our Contact Form.
• The Archives reserves the right to decline reproduction and publication requests if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would cause damage to the material or involve violation of copyright law.

For image rights and reproductions of works of art from the museum’s curatorial collections, please review this information on imaging licensing and contact Art Resource accordingly. The Archives does not manage such requests and cannot provide information or guidance regarding any such inquiries.

Do you have questions that were not answered above? Contact the Archives.

The collections of the Art Institute of Chicago Archives include records that contain language, attitudes, and stereotypes reflective of the time in which they were created. Such content may be offensive or harmful and does not represent the current values or views of the Art Institute of Chicago.

To ensure a comprehensive and accurate historical record, we preserve and present these materials in their original form. We acknowledge the importance of recognizing and confronting past prejudices as part of our commitment to a more inclusive and respectful future, and we strive to accurately catalog these materials using updated culturally sensitive subject terms. This work is ongoing.

If you encounter images or language in our collections with offensive content, or if you have questions about our cataloging practices, please contact us. We welcome your thoughts and feedback and encourage you to reach out with suggestions.