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The Host Committee for ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2020 was so excited about welcoming 2,000 archivists to our great hometown, with its spectacular architecture and so many wonderful archival repositories. We won’t be able to hop on the El this week to sample Chicago’s culture… our very good food… or baseball. But we have compiled the lists below of virtual tours and exhibits of Chicago-area institutions as well as online order information for some of our favorite eats—like Garrett Popcorn and Lou Malnati’s pizza. Enjoy a taste of Chicago’s finest!
Our most important consideration, of course, is everyone’s health and safety. So we’ll see you when SAA returns to Chicago in 2024! Until then, be well.
The 2020 Host Committee is:
Hathaway Hester (Chair), National Association of Realtors
Amanda Axel, Adler Planetarium
Jerrice Barrios, Archives of the NA Province of the Cenacle
Drew Davis, College of American Pathologists
Stephanie Giordano, Rotary International
Meghan Kennedy, American College of Surgeons
Emily McNish, Gallagher
Derek Potts, DePaul University
Rebecca Smith, Wiss Janney Elstner Associates
Virtual Tours and Exhibits
The Adler Planetarium is a public museum dedicated to the study of astronomy and astrophysics. Founded in 1930, The Adler was the first planetarium in the United States. Online exhibitions cover everything from women in space to rare astronomy books to first-hand stories from the Apollo 11 mission.
The Art Institute of Chicago is known for its astounding collection, which includes iconic works by Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Andy Warhol. The Museum’s online resources feature more than 40,000 of its works, digitized in high-resolution.
The Baháʼí House of Worship for North America
The Baháʼí House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, is the second Baháʼí House of Worship ever constructed, the oldest surviving, and one of only nine continental temples. The architecture of the Baha'i House of Worship embodies the concept of oneness. It was designed in 1920 by French Canadian architect Louis Bourgeois; construction of the architect's intricate and ambitious designs took many years, and the temple did not open to the public until 1953. The grounds of the temple also includes nine gardens that are planted with foliage of various colors and fragrances to convey the beauty of unity in diversity.
Explore Chicago’s history with the Chicago History Museum‘s online exhibitions portal, where you’ll find stories of Abraham Lincoln, the Haymarket riots, and the Great Chicago Fire. Be sure to check out the Chicago θθ Project, which offers virtual reality experiences of events like the SS Eastland Disaster and the 1933 World’s Fair.
DuSable Museum of African American History
The DuSable Museum is the nation’s first independent museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, and study of the history and culture of Africans and Americans of African descent. The DuSable’s online exhibit Freedom, Resistance, and the Journey Toward Equality showcases artifacts representing the story of African American struggle and achievement across centuries.
The Field Museum, one of the premier natural history museums in the country, originated with items displayed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the artifacts displayed at the fair. Today, the collection has grown to 40 million artifacts and specimens. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour through the museum’s educational YouTube channel, The Brain Scoop.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed and owned this property, located in the nearby suburb of Oak Park. Tour this National Historic Landmark and other Wright buildings via the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s YouTube Channel.
The Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest conservatories in the nation, with a mission to change lives through the power of nature. The Conservatory occupies two acres of public greenhouse space and 10 acres of outdoor gardens in Garfield Park, a 184-acre site located on Chicago's redeveloping Westside and designed as a pleasure ground by William LeBaron Jenney. The facility and plant collection are owned and managed by the Chicago Park District, while the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance provides educational programming, interpretation, and fundraising for the facility.
Founded by László Moholy-Nagy as The New Bauhaus in 1937, IIT Institute of Design (ID) is known for pioneering human-centered design and systems design. Online exhibits explore the school’s early years and celebrate the Bauhaus movement on both sides of the Atlantic.
Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
With a mission to “Remember the past, transform the future,” the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center honors the legacy of those lost and salutes the courage of those who survived. The museum’s virtual offerings include documentaries of survivor stories, audio tours, and the current featured exhibition, Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Museum of Contemporary Photography
Founded in 1976 by Columbia College Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Photography houses more than 15,000 objects by more than 1,500 artists. The museum’s digital collections showcase photographs selected by artists, curators, and students.
The National Hellenic Museum is the second oldest U.S. institution dedicated to the legacy of Greek culture and history and the Greek story in America. More than 20,000 of the museum’s artifacts, photos, historic newspapers, books, and recorded oral histories are available to explore online.
National Museum of Mexican Art
Home to one of the country’s largest Mexican art collections, the National Museum of Mexican Art showcases more than 3,000 years of Mexican art and culture. Walk through the museum’s colorful galleries, where you can view paintings, pottery, textiles, and more.
The Newberry is an independent research library whose world-famous collection is free and available to the public. Digital Newberry features more than 1 million manuscripts, books, maps, and other rare materials from The Newberry’s vast collections.
The Oriental Institute Museum showcases the history, art, and archaeology of the ancient Near East. Part of the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, the Museum displays objects from the ancient days of Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, and beyond. The virtual tour provides a close look at the museum’s galleries and objects from the collections.
The Shedd Aquarium is home to more than 1,500 species, including sea otters, seahorses, beluga whales, reef sharks, stingrays, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and beyond. Join penguins Wellington, Annie, and Edward as they adventure around the aquarium and learn more about the animals through the Stay Home with the Shedd series of videos.
Chicago Good Eats to Go
Eli’s Cheesecake had its start as the signature dessert at award-winning restaurant Eli’s the Place for Steak. The dessert’s popularity led to the creation of The Eli’s Cheesecake Company, a family-owned business, in 1980.
Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, confectioner Fannie May is a long-time Chicago institution. Enjoy some of Fannie May’s most famous chocolates, like Pixies®, Trinidads®, or Mint Meltaways®.
Frango mints are a brand of chocolate truffles first created for the Frederick & Nelson department stores. Traditionally flavored with mint and widely popularized by the Marshall Field and Company department store, Frango mints were produced in large melting pots on the 13th floor of the flagship Marshall Field's store on State Street for 70 years.
Since 1949, both locals and visitors to Chicago have been lining up to get a taste of Garrett Popcorn. The popcorn is made fresh daily and features flavors like the signature Garrett Mix, a combination of family recipes CaramelCrisp® and CheeseCorn.
Giordano's has been serving Chicago's famous deep dish pizza since 1974, when Efren and Joseph Giordano opened their first restaurant on Chicago's historic south side. Since then, millions of happy and loyal fans as well as hundreds of critics call Giordano's the city's "best" stuffed pizza!
Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is an American Chicago-style pizza restaurant chain headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. It was founded by the son of Rudy Malnati, who was instrumental in developing the recipe for Chicago-style pizza, and it has become one of the Chicago area's best-known local lines of pizza restaurants.
A try-this-at-home chocolate truffle-making kit? That yields 40-45 chocolate truffles? Since the launch of Katherine Anne Confections in 2006, their award-winning truffles have captured the hearts and satisfied the taste buds of sweets-lovers worldwide. Yum!
What began as a hot dog stand in 1963 grew to a restaurant chain specializing in Chicago-style foods such as hot dogs, Maxwell Street Polish, and Italian beef. Be sure to save room for Portillo’s famous chocolate cake!
Vienna Beef was founded in 1893 by Austrian-Hungarian immigrants Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany, who introduced their family frankfurter recipe at the legendary World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. The hot dog was a hit at the fair, and the next year, Vienna Beef opened its first store on Chicago's near west side. The iconic "Chicago style" hot dog includes Vienna Beef, mustard, pickles, sport peppers, tomatoes, onions, relish, and celery salt on a poppy seed bun.
