National Public Housing Museum

05/29/2026

Affordable housing for everyone! At a time where there is not a single US county where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford to rent a modest apartment, we’re excited to see that expanding access to housing is on agendas across the country, from the BUILD act here in Illinois to new housing proposals in New York and California aimed at building hundreds of thousands of homes. Come to the museum to learn more about the history of housing and the public policies that have helped to shape our communities, and add your voice in advocating for a future where housing is a human right.

Pictured is “Affordable Housing For Everyone” a risograph by William Estrada that was inspired by the WPA posters such as “Low Rent Homes for Low Income Families” (between 1936 and 1940) on view in the National Public Housing Museum’s ongoing exhibition “Housing for All, Art for All, Posters for the People,” about the legacy of the New Deal.

05/29/2026

“This blending of the past and present is where the museum is at its best.” A feature from Emma Janssen at The American Prospect explores how “at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago, the past is alive and fighting.”

At the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago, the past is alive and fighting.

05/23/2026

Now on view! “Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother” opened with a packed artist talk and picnic celebrating the Chicago homecoming of the artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn.

Up through August 23, the exhibition features Quinn’s collage-like composite portraits and explores the relationship between identity, place, memory, and perception.

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the opening!

Lead support for this exhibition and related programming is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, and Gagosian.

Special thanks to Rhona Hoffman for her support in making this exhibit possible.

📷 Photos by Joe Nolasco.

05/21/2026

05/20/2026

Artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn's exhibition expresses the complexities of living in public housing, where Quinn experienced poverty and abandonment, but also found love and inspiration.

05/19/2026

The artist explores his public housing heritage in a new exhibition at the National Public Housing Museum.

05/19/2026

🏆 Our unique partnership with Related Midwest won Special Achievement of the Year at the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards last week! This recognition reflects an innovative partnership that helps to preserve the social and economic diversity that makes neighborhoods like the Near West Side so vibrant. Our site includes not only a first-of-its-kind museum but also 15 affordable apartments, and was realized as part of the multi-building Roosevelt Square development in partnership with the Chicago Housing Authority with contributions from HED, LBBA, and many others.

Learn more: https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/news/food-depositorys-largest-annual-fundraiser-raises-1-1-million-for-hunger-relief-in-cook-county/

05/18/2026

Opening this week! “Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother” at the National Public Housing Museum. Join us Thursday for an opening celebration that features a conversation at 5:30 pm between the artist and Robert Smith III.

05/10/2026

“Baby, you can be the best artist you can be.” Artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn shares memories of his mother with Hyperallergic. On Mother’s Day, we honor all those who fill us with conviction, love, assurance, and support.

Opening soon—“Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother” debuts later this month at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago.

“She taught me how to play, how to laugh until my face burns, and how to dance in the kitchen to ‘Believe’ by Cher.”