The Intuit Art Museum in Chicago has extended its exhibition “Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago” through March 22, 2026. Featuring nearly two dozen artists, the show highlights the creative contributions of migrants and immigrants alongside the rise of self-taught art in 20th-century Chicago. Among the works is Pooja Pittie’s interactive piece “What We Build to Belong,” a hand-knotted net-like structure where visitors can add notes, drawings, or string. The museum is hosting a free community day on Feb. 7, 2026. The exhibition includes artists from diverse backgrounds, such as the late Tae Kwon “Thomas” Kong, who made collages from packing materials at his convenience store, and Charles Warner, a carpenter who created wood-carved cathedral models. Three artists came to Chicago from the South as part of the Great Migration.
The exhibition matters because it centers self-taught and outsider artists—often overlooked by mainstream institutions—and connects their work to the lived experiences of migration and labor. By extending the show, the Intuit Art Museum underscores the ongoing relevance of these narratives in a city shaped by waves of immigration and internal migration. The interactive nature of Pittie’s piece and the museum’s free community day also reflect a commitment to accessibility and audience participation, broadening who feels welcome in the art world.