Alternative Spaces: A History in Chicago is the first comprehensive documentation of a vital history of art in Chicago: the role and contribution of the many artist-founded cooperatives and galleries that have enlivened this city’s art scene. Without such venues, a great deal of new and innovative art might never have come to the attention of the Chicago community and, indeed, the community-at-large, as a considerable number of locally, nationally, and internationally renowned artists were introduced through alternative spaces.