The Institutional Archives contain the official records of the Art Institute of Chicago, dating back to the institution’s founding as both a museum and a school in 1879.
The Institutional Archives contains over 13,000 linear feet of records created or received by the Art Institute/SAIC in the course of its everyday operations, as well as 300,000 negatives, slides, and photographic prints, and several hundred thousand digital files. All of which document the history of the museum and its collections, exhibitions, and events.
Though the majority of our institutional records have not been digitized, some records are available for browsing online, either through our website or database. Resources available through the website include:
Annual and Financial Reports (browse by date)
Exhibition Histories, including installation views and catalogs
Resources available through our database include:
An introduction to print and online resources related to the history of the museum and the School can be found in our research guides, as well as how to research a work of art from the museum’s curatorial collections.
Visitors to the museum may consult the Institutional Archives in the Research Center’s Franke Reading Room by appointment only. Walk-in visits are not possible. Some records may not be available for review due to privacy and/or confidentiality restrictions.
Find more information about our access guidelines and procedures here.
Contact the Archives
To ask a question, please reach out via our Contact Form.
