Editorial

West by Midwest

Black and white photo of three men with light skin sitting on an old Chevy

Jerry McMillan, Joe Goode, Jerry McMillan (self-portrait), and Ed Ruscha with Ed’s 39 Chevy, 1970. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Jerry McMillan and Craig Krull Gallery, Santa Monica.

This website was built on the occasion of the exhibition West by Midwest, on view November 17, 2018–January 27, 2019. The selection of artists, places, and topics is not exhaustive but instead represents and expands the exhibition’s focus on networks that influenced the trajectory of contemporary art in the United States.

Black and white photo of four men sitting on the ground and on paint pails surrounded by art-making supplies

Joe Goode, Jerry McMillan, Ed Ruscha, and Patrick Blackwell in the studio space they shared while in school at Chouinard, c. 1959. Photo: Patrick Blackwell, courtesy of the Joe Goode Studio

Okies in LA

Joe Goode, Jerry McMillan, Ed Ruscha, and Patrick Blackwell in the studio space they shared while in school at Chouinard, c. 1959. Photo: Patrick Blackwell, courtesy of the Joe Goode Studio

Two people sit at the top of an outdoor set of stairs above them is a white building with the entrance labeled Womanhouse

Cover of the Womanhouse exhibition catalogue, 1972. Pictured from left: Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro. California Institute of the Arts Institute Archives: Feminist Art Materials Collection.

Consciousness-Raising and Collaboration

Cover of the Womanhouse exhibition catalogue, 1972. Pictured from left: Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro. California Institute of the Arts Institute Archives: Feminist Art Materials Collection.

A group of people gather in the sand under an underpass

Senga Nengudi, Ceremony for Freeway Fets, 1978. Chromogenic development print; series of 11, each: 12 × 18 in. Edition of 5, aside from 1 artist's proof. © Senga Nengudi. Courtesy of Lévy Gorvy Gallery, New York, and Thomas Erben Gallery, New York. Photo: Roderick "Quaku" Young

Studio Z's Constellation

Senga Nengudi, Ceremony for Freeway Fets, 1978. Chromogenic development print; series of 11, each: 12 × 18 in. Edition of 5, aside from 1 artist's proof. © Senga Nengudi. Courtesy of Lévy Gorvy Gallery, New York, and Thomas Erben Gallery, New York. Photo: Roderick "Quaku" Young

Archival image of two people sitting on a rug near an object that looks like a plastic stool. One of them holds a pair of drumsticks.

William T. Wiley and Robert Nelson drumming on Stephen Kaltenbach’s Slant Step 2, 1971. © 1971 Gunvor Nelson & Dorothy Wiley. From the film Five Artists: BillBobBillBillBob. Film still courtesy of Canyon Cinema Foundation.

UC Davis and the Slant Step

William T. Wiley and Robert Nelson drumming on Stephen Kaltenbach’s Slant Step 2, 1971. © 1971 Gunvor Nelson & Dorothy Wiley. From the film Five Artists: BillBobBillBillBob. Film still courtesy of Canyon Cinema Foundation.

Polaroid of a group of people hanging out on a front porch

Color Polaroid labeled “Candy Store.” Roy De Forest papers, 1916–2015, bulk 1948–2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

The Candy Store Gallery

Color Polaroid labeled “Candy Store.” Roy De Forest papers, 1916–2015, bulk 1948–2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

A black-and-white photograph of two men shaking hands is mounted to a light-colored piece of wood.

West by Midwest

Visit the Exhibition Page

Credits

This website has been produced by the Design, Publishing, and New Media Department of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in collaboration with the Department of Rights and Images and Curatorial Department based on research by Charlotte Ickes, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow. It was originally built using the content management system behind the mcachicago.org website (2015–25) and has been reformatted for archival purposes.

All quotes are from interviews conducted by MCA staff with the artists unless otherwise noted. Images found on this site are for educational use and are published under the umbrella of the Fair Use doctrine.

All attempts have been made to fact-check the content on this site. If you notice errors or omissions, please let us know at webteam@mcachicago.org. We also invite you to contact us with additional information about the artists and communities described on the site.

Design & Programming: Tomáš Celizna
Editorial: Shauna Skalitzky, Sheila Majumdar, Leah Froats, and David B. Olsen
Audio/Video Compilation & Editing: Bridget Reilly O’Carroll

Typeface created by Karl Nawrot

  • CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER
    Susan Chun

    DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA
    Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli

    INTERIM DESIGN DIRECTOR
    Gabriel Melcher

    SENIOR EDITOR
    Sheila Majumdar

    WEB DEVELOPER
    Alexander Shoup

    DESIGNER
    Christine Zavesky

    PRODUCTION DESIGNER
    Dorothy Lin

    ASSOCIATE VIDEO PRODUCER
    Bridget Reilly O’Carroll

    ASSOCIATE EDITOR
    Leah Froats

    WEB CONTENT MANAGER
    Anne Walaszek

    MANAGER OF PLANNING AND PRODUCTION
    Lorenzo Conte

    DESIGN AND PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
    Christina Stephens

    MANAGER OF RIGHTS AND IMAGES
    Bonnie Rosenberg

    RIGHTS AND IMAGES ASSISTANT
    Elyssa Lange

    JAMES W. ALSDORF CHIEF CURATOR
    Michael Darling

    ANDREW W. MELLON POSTDOCTORAL CURATORIAL FELLOW
    Charlotte Ickes

    RESEARCH ASSISTANT
    Lindsay Hutchens

    CURATORIAL INTERN
    Elizabeth Smith

Funding

Lead support for West by Midwest is provided by the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris: Caryn and King Harris, Katherine Harris, Toni and Ron Paul, Pam and Joe Szokol, Linda and Bill Friend, and Stephanie and John Harris; Zell Family Foundation; Cari and Michael J. Sacks; Karyn and Bill Silverstein; and the Nancy Lauter McDougal and Alfred L. McDougal Exhibition Fund.

Major support is provided by Jennifer and Alec Litowitz.

Generous support is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship program.