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The Hyde Park Art Center is one of those few, and its experience reinforces Mr. Hodes’s point. Founded in 1939, the center has a 60-year record of supporting new and emerging Chicago artists. Artists as varied as Cosmo Campoli, Ed Paschke, Jim Nutt, Ken Warneke, Paul Sierra, Arnaldo Roche Rabell, Gelsy Verna, and Hyonae Blankenship all count the Hyde Park Art Center as one of the first spaces to exhibit their work. Over the past ten years, the center has seen the need for this type of support grow exponentially. With important nonprofit galleries gone (such as Randolph Street and N.A.M.E.) and the commercial galleries retrenching, a much broader range of artists are turning to the center as one of the few viable spaces in which to exhibit their work. Previously, the center primarily supported young artists just starting out in their careers. Now, there are many mid-career artists that need that same support. The center obviously will continue to meet as many of these demands as it can, but there is need for more.
Mr. Hodes’s idea that certain projects, such as the Midway Airport terminal, should proclaim the greatness of Chicago art and artists is excellent. This should not be the goal for every public art project, but it should be used for such major visitor sites as the airports and the river walk. These are the places where the city can puff out its chest and proclaim the superior quality of its artists.
It is in the interests of both the Hyde Park Art Center and the Department of Cultural Affairs to help foster such an institution. It would do much more than simply add to their efforts to promote contemporary Chicago artists. It would give those efforts a context and a lasting impact that they currently do not have.
