I asked those who receive my ArtLetters to grade Chicago's institutions that exhibit visual art. Here are the fascinating results. Thank you for participating.
The most votes were cast for:
1. Art Institute of Chicago
2. Museum of Contemporary Art
3. Chicago Cultural Center (the top 3 were essentially a tie)
4. Smart Museum
5. Hyde Park Art Center
6. Renaissance Society
The fewest votes were cast for:
1. Cervantes Institute
2. Sullivan Galleries of the School of the Art Institute (new)
3. Little Black Pearl
4. McCormick Freedom Museum
The highest grades were for (B or higher)
1. Chicago Cultural Center
2/3 Oriental Institute
2/3 Smart Museum
4. Art Institute of Chicago
5. Hyde Park Art Center
6. National Museum of Mexican Art
7 Museum of Contemporary Photography
The lowest grades were for: (D or below -- perhaps more votes here would have made a difference)
1. Cervantes Institute
2. Southside Community Arts Center
3. Little Black Pearl
4. DuSable Art Museum
5. Chinese American Museum of Chicago
The most controversial (those with the most range in the votes) were:
Renaissance Society
Museum of Contemporary Art
Chicago History Museum
The Institutions and their scores: (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0)
Art Institute of Chicago 3.17
Arts Club of Chicago 2.59 (No Website)
Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture 2.20
Beverly Art Center 2.44
Block Museum 2.91
Cervantes Institute 1.60
Chicago Cultural Center 3.40
Chicago History Museum 2.93
Chinese-American Museum of Chicago 1.88
Columbia College galleries 2.71
DePaul Art Museum 2.52
DuSable Museum 1.86
Elmhurst Art Museum 2.56
Evanston Art Center 2.38
Field Museum 2.96
Gallery 400 2.50
Governor's State Sculpture Park 2.50
Hyde Park Art Center 3.09
I Space 2.56
Illinois State Museum, Chicago 2.90
International Museum of Surgical Science 2.46
Little Black Pearl 1.77
Loyola University Museum of Art 2.19
McCormick Freedom Museum 2.20
Museum of Contemporary Art 2.50
Museum of Contemporary Photography 3.00
Museum of Science and Industry 2.98
National Museum of Mexican Art 3.07
Oriental Institute 3.25
Renaissance Society 2.74
Smart Museum 3.25
Smith Museum of Stained Glass 2.67
Southside Community Arts Center 1.70
Spertus Museum 2.75
Sullivan Galleries 2.95
Ukrainian Institute 2.42
Vietnam Veterans Art Museum 2.53
There are a lot of things to discuss here. A lot of people provided comments with their "ballots." I would hope that those who've already commented do so again, here, publicly and that others do too.
Thank you very much,
Paul Klein