
Terra Foundation for American Art
The Chicago Humanities Festival is proud to be a longtime partner of the Terra Foundation for American Art, which is dedicated to fostering exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts of the United States for national and international audiences.
2023 & 2024 Programs

Public Art and Environmental Justice in Chicago
Latino Photojournalists Sebastián Hidalgo and Luis C. Garza
2022 Programs
Chicago Performance Artist Jefferson Pinder
Artmaking & Incarceration: Nicole R. Fleetwood with Maria Gaspar
2021 Programs
Imagining Chicago’s Future: A Film Screening & Conversation
Revisiting the Wall of Respect and the Black Arts Movement
2020 Programs
2019 Programs
The Terra Foundation for American Art was the Lead Partner for the 2018 Fall Festival, Graphic!
The 2018 Fall Festival was part of Art Design Chicago, an initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art exploring Chicago’s art and design legacy, with presenting partner, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.
There were nine Art Design Chicago Terra Foundation programs in fall 2018:

Creative Chicago: An Interview Marathon with Hans Ulrich Obrist
Jerry Saltz: The Art World Problem
Art, Chicago-Style
Past Terra Programs
Recognizing the importance of experiencing original works of art, the Terra Foundation provides opportunities for interaction and study, beginning with the presentation and growth of its own art collection in Chicago. To further cross-cultural dialogue on American art, the foundation supports and collaborates on innovative exhibitions, research, and educational programs. Implicit in such activities is the belief that art has the potential both to distinguish cultures and to unite them.
The Terra Foundation for American Art was established in 1978 by businessman and art collector Daniel J. Terra (1911–1996) who believed that the art of the United States is a dynamic and powerful expression of the nation’s history and identity. The governing mission of the foundation remains to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of historical American art through acquisition, exhibition, interpretation, and scholarship.
The Terra Foundation has generously provided the Festival with a multiyear grant to produce an annual lecture series. Now, with additional support from the Terra Foundation, these art history presentations are available online. These talks provide free and open access to the enriching ideas garnered from the immense breadth of the history of American art.

















