The Chicago Artists’ Coalition was founded in 1974 by a group of artists and friends who wanted to create a better environment for the artists living and working in the Chicagoland area. At that time, self-employed artists lacked basic amenities, such as access to health insurance. CAC was modeled after the Boston Visual Artists’ Union, Inc., and had an immediate impact on the art community. The organization helped promote advocacy for the Percent for Art bill, and was a key factor in establishing the Chicago Office of Fine Arts, now the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. In addition to advocacy work, CAC began publishing a newsletter to provide networking possibilities and a source for important news. This newsletter has since evolved into a monthly newspaper, The Chicago Artists’ News.

Our primary organizational objective has remained consistent: to improve the environment in which artists live and work. This primary objective includes benefits, services, and networking opportunities for artists: increasing opportunities for exhibitions and sales of artists’ work, locally, regionally, and nationally, increasing financial support for artists from government sources, and increasing exposure and recognition for artists in the media and in major institutions.