Chicago New Media 1973–1992 chronicles the under-recognized story of Chicago’s contributions to new media art by artists at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Electronic Visualization Laboratory, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and at Midway Games and Bally from 1973 to 1992. The exhibition features video game artifacts, new media technologies, historical photographs, game stills, playable video game consoles and virtual reality modules. Consisting of an exhibition, public program and scholarly catalog, the project yields a new, art historical understanding of the Chicago-based artists and organizations that contributed to digital art and technology in the latter half of the twentieth century. The exhibition is curated by Jon Cates, Associate Professor of Film, Video, New Media and Animation, Art History, Theory and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and organized with the curatorial assistance of Chaz Evans and Jonathan Kinkley.
Project Credits:
- The touring presentation of ˟Chicago New Media˟ is generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Austrian-American Partnership Fund of the U.S. Embassy in Austria.
- The Chicago New Media exhibition, public program and catalog was organized by VGA Gallery in partnership with University of Illinois at Chicago’s Gallery 400 with support from Electronic Visualization Laboratory.
- ˟Chicago New Media 1973–1992˟ is part of Art Design Chicago, an exploration of Chicago’s art and design legacy and an initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art with presenting partner, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.
- Additional generous support for this project is made possible by The Chicago Community Trust, the Goethe-Institut Chicago and the Video Data Bank at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Biographies:
Jon Cates is Associate Professor of Film, Video, New Media and Animation, Art History, Theory and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His writing, which focuses on experimental forms of media art and media art histories, can be found in numerous print and online publications. His experimental New Media, Noise and curatorial/organizational projects are presented internationally and widely available online. Cates is the curator of ˟Chicago New Media 1973-1992˟, organized by the Video Game Art Gallery. @joncates
Jonathan Kinkley is a co-founder and Executive Director of VGA Gallery. He is a writer and museum professional with more than a decade’s experience working in galleries and museums across the world. Academically trained as an art historian, Kinkley holds a BFA in Art History from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MA in Art History from University of Illinois at Chicago with a thesis focus on the art and architecture of virtual worlds. @yelknik
Chaz Evans is a co-founder and Director of Exhibitions and Programs of VGA Gallery. He is an artist, educator, art historian, and curator working at Northwestern University. He has taught courses on creative programming, web art, moving image art and games. He holds an MA in Art History and an MFA in New Media Art from University of Illinois at Chicago.
