“Hairy Who? 1966–1969”

In 1966, School of the Art Institute graduates Jim Falconer, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, Suellen Rocca and Karl Wirsum presented a group show at the Hyde Park Art Center, exhibiting together under the moniker of "Hairy Who." The artists went on to present five more shows, displaying bold, humorous art that was inspired by everything from comic books to sign painters. The Art Institute's latest exhibition presents work that was displayed during one of the six Hairy Who shows—much of which hasn't been seen publically since the ‘60s. Installed using some of the same techniques that the Hairy Who employed (such as covering gallery walls with colorful linoleum), “Hairy Who? 1966–1969” celebrates the unique creative spirit of some groundbreaking Chicago artists, all of whom would later be lumped in with the Chicago Imagists movement.