MBAs and Art Lovers: Booth and the Chicago Art World’s Best-Kept Secret
If anyone believed that business school students don’t have an appreciation for art, check out this recent Bloomberg BusinessWeek article explaining one of Chicago’s best-known secrets: one of the City’s finest collections of contemporary art calls the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business its home.
Booth houses about 500 works of art by 85 different artists in the Charles M. Harper Center. The pieces can be found scattered throughout the six-story building and, contrary to what most would expect from a business school, is not meant to be an investment. Even more surprisingly, the art isn’t perceived as a simple décor either.
“We want to use art to reinforce the educational mission of the school. We’re trying to get people to think,” says Canice Prendergast, a Booth economics professor, who considers art collection his hobby and is one of the five people who decide what works are purchased and brought into the building.
Examples of art up for display in the building include The Russian Ending, a series of etchings featuring explosions, shipwrecks and funerals by Tacita Dean, as well as the work of Vietnamese artist Danh Vo.
Ultimately, Booth’s support for art is simply another example of its constant drive for intellectual exploration, says Prendergast. Students who are intrigued by the collection can sign up for tours that are offered about three times per year. Because only a select number of students can be accommodate on each tour, Prendergast has also made recordings explaining the pieces that people can hear on their iPhones while conducting self-guided tours.
“Contemporary art is difficult to get into. We try to make it accessible,” he said. “Art,” he added, “is our latest frontier.
