Intuit Art Museum, also known as IAM, and formerly known as the Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, is a museum in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. Founded in 1991, the museum is one of only a few internationally that presents exhibitions and educational programs dedicated to self-taught and outsider art.
A group of Chicago art enthusiasts, including Susann Craig, Robert A. Roth, and Marjorie and Harvey Freed, founded Intuit in June 1991.[1][2] In 1995 the museum gained a physical space in the Roger Brown Home and Studio at 1926 North Halsted Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.[3] The museum moved to a larger space in 1999, an 1874 brick building at 756 North Milwaukee Avenue which was formerly the location of the Randolph Street Gallery.[3][4] An expansion in 2006 provided more exhibition space and the Robert A. Roth Study Center.[3] From 2023–2025, Intuit Art Museum completed a 20-month, $10 million renovation and expansion that trippled its exhibition and programming space.
Collection
Intuit is one of the few museums in the world that exclusively shows self-taught and outsider art.[5] The permanent collection includes artists such as William Hawkins, William Dawson, Minnie Evans, Howard Finster, Wesley Willis, Lee Godie, Mr. Imagination, and Joseph Yoakum.[3][6] Like many outsider artists, the artists represented in Intuit's collections have often faced significant life challenges, such as mental illness or institutionalization.[4][7]
The museum took ownership of the contents of Henry Darger's apartment in 2000, and in 2008 opened a permanent exhibit recreating the artist's living and working space.[7][8]
Programming
Intuit has created multiple social outreach programs, coordinating with schools, libraries, and other organizations to promote arts in education.[7] IntuiTeens is an annual summer program where teenagers collaborate with teen mentors, professional artists, and community organizations to develop their art skills.[7] The Teacher Fellowship Program provides teachers at Chicago Public Schools with the skills to introduce their students to non-traditional materials and methods.[9] Intuit programs have also included workshops for people with dementia, low vision and blindness, and developmental disabilities.[4]
The museum has also hosted an Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art and publishes an annual magazine, The Outsider.[10]
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