There’s a fresh reason to visit one of Chicago’s most beloved hidden gems: the Intuit Art Museum in West Town has unveiled a brand-new exhibition, Cutting and Pasting a World: The Paper Craft of Henry Darger, on view through January 31, 2027.
The show celebrates Henry Darger, the legendary Chicago artist whose secret universe of illustrated storytelling — discovered only after his death in 1973 — became one of the most beloved bodies of outsider art in history. Instead of his famous epic manuscript, this exhibition explores something more intimate: the connection between Darger’s art and traditional American paper crafts.
Drawing on research by guest curator and art historian Dr. Mary Trent, the exhibition reveals how turn-of-the-century pastimes like making paper dolls and paper dollhouse scrapbooks may have shaped Darger’s evolution as an artist and maker. Visitors will see both finished artworks and the original source materials he adapted, including delicate paper doll cut-outs and vintage paper doll books from Intuit’s renowned Henry Darger Collection, a gift of Kiyoko and Nathan Lerner.
The exhibition is part of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide initiative led by Craft in America honoring the handmade during America’s Semiquincentennial, joining museums across the country in celebrating craft traditions that connect us through time.
The Intuit Art Museum is located at 756 N. Milwaukee Ave in West Town and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — a perfect creative stop for the fall and winter season.
Photo: Intuit Art Museum
