The Chicago Humanities Festival’s annual Fallfest is filled with nearly 100 programs that celebrate ideas within the context of civic life, connecting artists, authors, journalists, scholars, and other thinkers—both established and emerging—with passionate and inquisitive audiences.

During fall 2018 and in partnership with Art Design Chiacgo, the Chicago Humanities Festival hosted Fallfest GRAPHIC! The series explored our increasingly visual world, examining how visual modes—from emojis and selfies to design thinking and data visualizations—are transforming the way we work, play, communicate, and think. The Terra Foundation for American Art served as Lead Partner.

To serve as an ongoing record and resource for the study of art and design, presentations were video-recorded and made available for viewing on the Chicago Humanities Festival’s Youtube channel. To access specific videos, visit the links below. 

November 4, 2018: Presented in partnership with the Chicago Film Archives, this film screening illustrated the impact of design on both product manufacturing and everyday life in Chicago through a film selection of industrial, corporate, and sponsored films. Watch the video.

November 8, 2018: Curators joined together for a panel conversation reflecting on the intersection of violence and art on the 50th anniversary of the landmark exhibition Violence! in Recent American Art , presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 1968. Watch the video.

November 9, 2018: On the occasion of the major exhibition Hairy Who? 1966–1969 at the Art Institute of Chicago, three original Hairy Who artists including Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, and Suellen Rocca gathered for a panel discussion unpacking the history and impact of their groundbreaking partnership.. Watch the video.

November 11, 2018: Art and design scholars explored the social, artistic, entrepreneurial and political opportunities of Chicago’s midcentury, with a particular focus on how African American and white designers differently navigated their roles within the field and resolved their radical politics with the commercial dictates of that industry. Watch the video.