The Intuit Art Museum in Chicago is presenting "Cutting and Pasting a World: The Paper Craft of Henry Darger," an exhibition opening June 17, 2026, that explores how the self-taught artist Henry Darger (1892-1973) was influenced by traditional American paper crafts like paper dolls and scrapbooking. Curated by art historian Dr. Mary Trent, the show reframes Darger's large-scale mixed-media narratives as double-sided pages from bound books, tracing their roots in early 20th-century domestic practices. The exhibition is part of the nationwide "Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026" initiative marking the 250th anniversary of American craft, and will run through January 31, 2027.
This exhibition matters because it challenges the conventional framing of Darger's work as fine art, instead reconnecting it with the craft traditions and social contexts that shaped his practice. By highlighting how Darger subverted domestic crafts into a critique of American family ideals and the vulnerabilities of marginalized children, the show offers fresh insights into one of the most celebrated self-taught artists. It also underscores the Intuit Art Museum's ongoing commitment to championing outsider and self-taught art, and contributes to a broader national conversation about the diversity and significance of American craft.