Alternative Spaces: A History in Chicago is the first comprehensive documentation of a vital history of art in Chicago: the role and contribution of the many artist-founded cooperatives and galleries that have enlivened this city’s art scene. These spaces are commonly held to be children of the 1970s, however, this book reveals a much longer tradition that can be traced back to the mid-1800s. Without such venues, a great deal of new and innovative art might never have come to the attention of the Chicago community and, indeed, the community-at-large, as a considerable number of locally, nationally, and internationally renowned artists were introduced through alternative spaces.
Preface by Mary Jane Jacob and text by Lynne Warren. 72 pages, MCA Chicago, 1984. The exhibition Alternative Spaces: A History in Chicago was presented at the MCA, June 23-August 19, 1984.