January at Hull-House!
New Year, New Look for the Hull-House Reception Room

Happy new year from everyone at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum!

Things look a little different when you walk through the museum’s doors…

Our new welcome desk provides a focal point for the visitor experience, where we welcome you into the museum, and extends our commitment to radical hospitality. Designed and made by Titus Wonsey and Michal Koszycki, the desk responds to the unique architectural detail of the Hull-House reception room and winding staircase. Curatorial Manager Ross Jordan agrees, “We are excited to renew Hull-House's legacy of hospitality with this desk, designed and made by Chicago artists! This piece is the most significant addition to the interior of Hull-House in many years.”

Come visit the museum to see this striking design at the heart of Hull-House!

Contemporary Ex-Votos: Devotion Beyond Medium opens January 12 at Hull-House and Gallery 400

Opening Tours led by Dr. Emmanuel Ortega with introductory remarks by Hull-House Director Liesl Olson

Friday, January 12th, 2-3 pm (Register)

Thursday, January 18th, 3-4 pm (Register)

Contemporary Ex-Votos: Devotion Beyond Medium is the first exhibition to pair historic ex-votos with new works by contemporary Latinx artists. Painted on tin and other found materials, ex-votos are small and vivid devotional paintings that tell the story of a miracle. Painted by unknown indigenized artists, often women, these ex-votos were displayed in sanctuaries and other communal contact zones. Like many works in the Hull-House collection, ex-votos blur art historical distinctions between fine art and craft. They are also stunning works of resilience.

In this joint exhibition, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum will present a series of ex-votos from the collection at New Mexico State University. Gallery 400 will present contemporary interpretations of the form.

Contemporary Ex-Votos presents the curatorial work of Dr. Emmanuel Ortega, the research of students at the University of Illinois Chicago and New Mexico State University, and the practice-based investigations of fifteen artists. The curatorial approach for this exhibit has been collaborative, spanning communities in Las Cruces, NM, and Chicago, IL. Dr. Ortega organized an undergraduate seminar at UIC where conversations about critical approaches to ex-votos ranged from new ways to consider translation to a reconsideration of outdated art-historical language.

Learn more about Contemporary Ex-Votos 

Educator Office Hours
Come hang out with our Education Team!

Educator Office Hours is a new pop-in program designed to answer your Hull-House related questions and spark your curiosity! Every Wednesday and Thursday from 2:00-4:00 PM, an educator will be stationed in Hull-House’s sun-drenched octagonal office, ready to talk all things Hull-House. If you have any questions, contact [email protected].

During January we will continue to offer two Educator-led public tours per week: Tuesdays at 2 P.M. and Fridays at 2 P.M. Together, we delve the histories of the Hull-House settlement and surrounding neighborhood. Our weekly tours are always FREE!

We also offer guided tours for school groups, college students, and community & arts organizations. If you have any questions or would like to inquire about booking, please contact us at [email protected].

Reserve a spot on an Educator-led Public Tour