Cutting and Pasting a World: The Paper Craft of Henry Darger

About this event

Intuit Art Museum (IAM), recognized worldwide as one of the few institutions dedicated solely to championing the work of self-taught artists, marks the 250th anniversary of American craft with Cutting and Pasting a World: The Paper Craft of Henry Darger, an insightful new exhibition exploring the connection between the work of prolific Chicago-based artist Henry Darger (1892-1973) and traditional American paper crafts. With this exhibition, Intuit Art Museum is a proud participant in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, joining more than 250 organizations around the country contributing exhibitions and events that showcase the depth and diversity of American craft. Cutting and Pasting a World opens at the recently reimagined Intuit Art Museum, John Jerit Center, 756 N. Milwaukee Avenue, in Chicago’s vibrant West Town neighborhood on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. An opening reception is free and open to the public on Wednesday, June 17, from 6-8 pm. Cutting and Pasting a World will remain on view through January 31, 2027. Drawing on research by guest curator, art historian and College of Charleston Associate Professor Dr. Mary Trent, Cutting and Pasting a World illustrates how the turn-of-the-century practices of making paper dolls and paper dollhouse scrapbooks may have influenced Darger’s evolution as an artist and maker. By showcasing both finished artworks and original source materials, the exhibition demonstrates how Darger adapted these humble pastimes into sophisticated methods for constructing large-scale, mixed-media narratives. “This exhibition reestablishes Darger’s works to their original form and concept, not as framed fine art objects, but as double-sided pages in bound books, rooted in paper doll and scrapbooking crafts. By returning them to their source in domestic practices of women and children, we can finally read them as what they always were: a pointed critique of American family ideals,” said Trent. The exhibition provides context for…

Description from choosechicago.com