Art Shay: Chicago Accent

About

Art Shay: Chicago Accent is a collection of photographs of Chicago taken by Art Shay between 1949 and 1968. Hand-picked by the artist they also reveal a deep friendship and collaboration with his subject, the author Nelson Algren. Together, the photographs capture the culture of the post-war underclass. Shay was a staff reporter for Life and Time magazines before devoting himself to journalism through the lens of his Leica, yet Shay never abandoned his proclivity to write, and the captions accompanying the photographs on view are his words alone. Shay continues to live in the Chicagoland area and is working on several photographic and literary projects.

This exhibition is presented by the MCA Performance Department in conjunction with the Lookingglass Theatre Company's presentation, in association with the MCA, of Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day (June 4–29).