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About the Committees

The Chicago Art Census is intentionally co-authored in community with art workers. As part of this initiative, the Census is made through the participation of several Census Committees made up of art workers who represent a breadth of communities, disciplines, organizational affiliations, and zip codes who are integral to the creation, dissemination, and evaluation of the Census. The Census Committees are our locus point, the space in which data, information, knowledge, and wisdom collide. It is where the lived experiences of art workers from all different sectors, zip codes, and backgrounds can give life and shape to a tool that hopes to serve their larger communities.

There are five Census Committees: Steering Committee, Research and Development, Community Outreach, Community Liaisons, and the Census Peer Review

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee provides strategic oversight and guidance to the project. The individuals of this group are the main advocates for the project's endeavours and help establish and uphold the values and mission of the project.

Research and Development Committee

The Census will survey and engage across the visual, performing, musical and literary arts throughout Chicago. The Research and Development Committee consists of members who represent these different art sectors across Chicago, bringing the unique needs and desires of their audiences into the build-out of the Census. This committee is actively involved with the building of the Census and is crucial to the by-and-for approach of the Census. This committee uses community-centered design practices as a way to co-create the Census together.

Community Outreach Outreach and Community Liaisons

The Community Outreach Committee ensures the widespread and accessible dissemination of the Census and works to digitally and physically distribute the Census across all 77 neighborhoods in Chicago. Community Liaisons focus on coalition building throughout the Chicago arts community. This group helps identify and cultivate relationships with arts community partners and maintain enthusiasm for the project amongst partners. They also advise on educational programming and public events. The Census team is currently working to build these teams.

Peer Reviewers

Representing Chicago’s 77 community areas, Peer Reviewers take and review the Census before its release to the wider public. There are three phases of peer review—two initial drafts and one final draft—with each phase tested and evaluated by 25 to 26 reviewers. Peer Review is a formal community assessment offering the opportunity to institute change at each stage of development.