Mission

Chicago Humanities connects people to the ideas that shape and define us, and promotes the lifelong exploration of what it means to be human. The organization fosters curiosity, celebrates creativity, explores the boundaries of contemporary knowledge and culture, and challenges us to see ourselves and the world anew.

Values

Curiosity & Conversation: We seek opportunities to present and learn through the diverse life experiences, identities, and ideas that help us better understand ourselves, our communities, and our world.

Equity & Inclusion: We seek equity by sharing the voices and viewpoints of those who have been kept at the margins, believing that inclusive conversations and experiences can be transformative.

Access & Participation: We seek to hold space for and eliminate barriers to participation for the full continuum of human ability, experience, identity, and belief.

History

Chicago Humanities began in 1989 as a dream shared by a determined group of Chicago’s cultural leaders eager to extend the rich ideas of the humanities to wider public audiences.

With the Illinois Humanities Council and its then chairman, Richard J. Franke, a Humanities Day was proposed. The first Chicago Humanities Festival, a one-day symposium, was held on November 11, 1990, at the Art Institute of Chicago and Orchestra Hall. An audience of 3,500 people enjoyed eight thoughtful and accessible programs centered on the theme Expressions of Freedom, including a memorable keynote address by playwright Arthur Miller. Founding co-sponsor institutions included the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Chicago, and the University of Chicago.

Since then, the Festival has expanded into a year-round presenter, gathering some of the world's most exciting thinkers, artists, and performers to celebrate ideas in the context of civic life. We bring together novelists, scholars, musicians, archaeologists, historians, artists, performers, playwrights, theologians, poets, architects, policy makers, and others—both established and emerging talents—to offer conversations, performances, screenings, and exhibits on a theme of universal interest, such as Speed, Citizens, Belief, and Style.

Presented in partnership with some of Chicago’s premier cultural institutions, and produced in some of Chicago’s most remarkable public and performance spaces, the Festival has become a year-round asset for thousands of people from Chicago and beyond.