Explore the Chicago Arts Census data with us in person!
Join organizers from the Chicago Arts Census for a presentation on Our Work Our Worth: The Lives and Labor of Chicago’s Arts Workers, a recently published report based on survey responses from 1,200+ arts workers in Chicagoland.
Town Halls are designed as an initial entry point into the data; offering context, language, and tools to help you engage with and use the findings in your own work and communities. Additionally, this is an invitation to see ourselves as part of a shared workforce, to understand the conditions we face in common, and to begin using this information as a tool for collective action.
The presentation will include information about housing, labor, education, community connection, income, disability and accessibility, cost of living, transportation, fair compensation, and more! Attendees will have the chance to learn more about how the census was created, opportunities to connect to ongoing efforts, and meet other people interested in creating better living and working conditions for arts workers in Chicago.
Automated live captioning is available upon request. Please contact anthony@acreresidency.org at least one day in advance of the event to request automated live captioning.
The Chicago Arts Census is a cross-discipline data collection effort in the city created by and with the art workers of Chicago. The Census is built to amplify our voices as art workers in Chicago, serve as an advocacy tool fighting for better working, living, and making conditions, and create opportunities for coalition-building across art sectors. In spring 2026 the organizers of the Chicago Arts Census are holding a series of presentations and conversations across Chicago. These town hall presentations will share the process of developing the Census, analyzing the data, and introducing some of the insights we gathered throughout. Each Town Hall session will end with an opportunity to connect with fellow Chicagoans on issue areas that matter most to arts workers.