Is the City of Architecture’s cultural institutions accessible?

The prevalence of Chicago as an architectural hub began in 1871 with the The Great Chicago Fire. Four miles of city blocks made up of mainly wooden structures were ablaze and destroyed. While the loss of 17,500 buildings was extremely tragic, this allowed Chicago architects to reimagine how the future of Chicago would look like. Now in 2023 the question is did these architectures integrate accessibility into their design? And how important is accessibility to our cultural institutions? 

Home to The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum for Contemporary art, Chicago is home to not only one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country but also to promoting contemporary art in the Midwest. Our cultural institutions should have spaces that are accessible to everyone in order to create a more equitable society. When you walk into these spaces how many elevators, ramps, and braille signs do you see? When you take it a step further how wide are the aisles, What lighting is available to sensory impaired visitors?

Accessible design must be inclusive for not only physical and visual disabilities, but also sensory and cognitive disabilities. The more socially inclusive our museums are, the more opportunity for cultural engagement there is.

According to the MacArthur Foundation, The Art Institute of Chicago has 1.4 million visitors each year. In regards to their visual accessibility all visitors have access to free audio guides, and volunteer tour guides for illustrative tours.Within The Art Institute’s Modern Wing lives The Elizabeth Morse Touch Gallery, where visitors are able to engage with the artwork on a sensory level. The Touch gallery is available to all visitors, but was initially designed for anyone visually impaired. The sculptures that vary over time periods are adorned with text labels, and braille. The advisor behind these labels is from the Catholic Guild of the Blind. The Art Institute integrates touch even further with their use of TacTiles. These etched carvings that are machine created resemble works in the Institute’s collection.

The main issue with these spaces truly exists in the foundational structures, due to many being constructed before July 26, 1990 when George H.W Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

A culturally accessible art collection in Chicago that many don’t know exists within the Chicago Transit Authority. The CTA has over fifty transit stations, and more than 50 public art works. One of the largest public art works of the CTA is by Chicago based artist Theaster Gates’ $1.3 million installation at 95th Street station. The collection is funded by The Federal Transit Administration’s Transit enhancement funds. According to the CTA 100 percent of their buses and trains are accessible, and 103 out of their 145 stations are accessible. 

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago relays their commitment to accessibility with their accommodations to the visually impaired, hard of hearing, and individuals with physical disabilities. Enchroma color blindness correcting glasses for tours and visits. Audio descriptions are available for all performances, but advanced notice is required for all visits. In regards to educational programming, sign language translators and listening devices are also readily available. 

Inclusiveness in these social spaces need to be available from our first cultural experiences. The Chicago Children’s museum provides accessible and all-gender restrooms, in addition to fidget toys, guides, and sound reducing headphones. Visitors are also allowed emotional support, and service animals with them during their visit. The museum sets their accessibility initiatives as a crucial aspect to their growth. 

All of these spaces show movements towards accessibility integrated into the visitor experience, but the future of inclusive architecture should have these needs ingrained in the architectural design and that will create a standard for universal accessibility. This doesn’t stop at mobile and visually impaired, but must include enriching experiences for all of our senses.