The Intuit Art Museum has proudly announced its reopening after an extensive renovation and expansion, costing approximately $11.5 million.
As anticipation built around the museum’s reopening on Friday, questions emerged regarding whether the newly renovated institution would retain the rough, unpretentious charm that made it inviting to visitors.
I’m pleased to share that despite the substantial increase in size, now tripling to about 12,000 square feet of exhibition area, the architectural integrity of its two interconnected manufacturing buildings from 1874 and 1875 remains unchanged.
Founded 34 years ago, Intuit, previously known as Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, has long been regarded as one of the foremost institutions dedicated to self-taught or outsider art in the United States.
This impressive transformation is expected to significantly enhance its profile within the art community.
The renovated Intuit now boasts several new features that were absent before, including a dedicated gift shop and entry room, an educational and art-making studio, and a main gallery on the first floor that will showcase rotating displays from its permanent collection, which consists of 1,500 to 1,600 objects.
One of the highlights of this revamped visiting experience is the new centerpiece gallery, where patrons can explore 25 standout pieces from Intuit’s holdings—works that were infrequently displayed as part of special exhibitions in the past.
Among these treasures is an eye-catching relief painting titled “The Statue of Liberty” (1986) by William Hawkins, a prominent folk artist.
The vibrant work features an array of imagery depicting New York buildings, an Air France jet, and a British sailing ship, along with a partially painted depiction of the statue capped by a small American flag, rising above the top of the composition.
Also featured in this inaugural permanent collection display is a magnificent collage titled “Yes, We Will Find Peace, My Sister” (2024) created by Della Wells from Milwaukee, alongside Kevin Sampson’s striking found-object sculpture “Port Wine Stains” (2007), a 4-foot-tall representation of a sailing ship commanding the center of the gallery.
Recent exit surveys reveal that nearly half of Intuit’s visitors are motivated to see the museum’s recreation of artist Henry Darger’s one-room Lincoln Park apartment and studio.
Darger, a hospital custodian who became a revered figure in outsider art posthumously in 1973, is primarily known for his monumental unpublished novel consisting of 15,145 pages, featuring the fantastical saga of the Vivian Girls—seven young princesses hailing from the imagined Christian nation of Abbieannia.
Accompanying the narrative are inventive illustrations that blend tracings with freehand drawing.
In 2000, the contents of Darger’s living and working space were donated to the museum by his former landlords, Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner.
This collection included architectural elements, furnishings like a dresser, table, and typewriter, as well as various clippings and source materials pivotal to his artwork.
Another crucial aspect of the renovation was centered around how the museum would handle the Darger room, and this has been executed most satisfactorily.
Visitors now first enter a newly designed Darger gallery on the first floor that will showcase a rotating array of his works.
After experiencing Darger’s artistry, guests transition through a stairwell that dramatically leads them to the relocated room situated in the basement level, where its isolation creates a particularly meditative and special ambiance.
This new installation encompasses approximately 75% of Darger’s original dwelling, providing a more spacious and representative view than the earlier version that was quietly situated within a side gallery.
Enhancing the atmosphere are mural-sized photographs from the 1970s by Michael Baruch depicting the artist’s room, and a small stained-glass window from Darger’s space, graciously contributed by Kiyoko in 2022, which now graces this new presentation.
Completing the impressive lineup of opening exhibitions is “Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago,” hailed as the first significant showcase exploring migration and immigration issues within the realm of outsider art.
Spanning the museum’s refreshed second-floor galleries, this exhibition features over 90 paintings, sculptures, original prints, and mixed-media pieces by 22 Chicago artists, with 14 making their debut at Intuit.
Noteworthy contributions include Marion Perkins’ limestone relief carving “Untitled” (ca. 1947), a creation rooted in his migration to Chicago in 1916 during the Great Migration, and Genya “Jennie” Siporin’s Marc Chagall-inspired watercolor “Yoshke Goes Away” (1937), created from a Yiddish folk song.
Additionally, Nicaraguan-born Carlos Barberena continues the rich tradition of Latin American printmaking with his impactful linocut titled “Riding the Beast” (2012), which confronts sociopolitical issues.
The future direction of the Intuit Art Museum was largely shaped in 2016 when the decision was made to purchase the second level of its main buildings during a time it was put up for sale.
Debra Kerr, Intuit’s president and chief executive officer, along with other museum leaders, opted to purchase the property rather than seek alternative locations for expansion.
The proximity to downtown and accessibility to public transportation were major factors that influenced their choice.
Moreover, the existing space offered a quirky, lived-in ambiance that aligned well with the type of art presented by the museum.
Extensive refurbishment plans were formulated, but concrete steps weren’t taken until 2022 when Intuit applied for and secured a $5 million community development grant from the city of Chicago, part of then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s COVID-19-related recovery plan.
To qualify for the grant, the museum expedited a design process, enlisting Doyle & Associates, a Chicago architectural firm noted for its expertise in adaptive reuse of existing structures.
Doyle and their design team struck an impressive balance in their new architecture.
While new enhancements such as white wall panels for art display were incorporated, the original indented wood floors on the first floor were preserved, alongside visible brick and concrete walls that retain an edgy, unique character.
Furthermore, the architects innovatively connected spaces, as noted by Kerr, referring to these as “adjacencies” which effectively maximized the limited available area.
One significant addition includes a beautiful new open-air stairway, both functional and visually striking, positioned centrally within the building.
This successful renovation and expansion allow Intuit to exhibit more art than ever before, reaffirming its institutional values and significantly enhancing its status as one of Chicago’s vital visual art destinations.
image source from：https://chicago.suntimes.com/museums-zoos/2025/05/24/intuit-museum-reopens-art-center-chicago
