Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

Intuit Art Museum, also known as IAM and formerly known as Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, is a museum in Chicago's West Town neighborhood dedicated to self-taught and outsider art. Founded in 1991, it is one of only a handful of museums worldwide that presents exhibitions and educational programs exclusively devoted to intuitive and outsider art. The institution has grown from a small nonprofit into a significant cultural venue, most recently completing a major renovation and expansion from 2023 to 2025 that tripled its exhibition and programming space.

Intuit was founded in June 1991 by a group of Chicago art enthusiasts including Susann Craig, Robert A. Roth, and Marjorie and Harvey Freed. The organization was initially established as the Society for Outsider, Intuitive and Visionary Art (SOIVA), with the stated mission of promoting public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of intuitive and outsider art through education and exhibition. The museum gained its first physical space in 1995, occupying the Roger Brown Home and Studio at 1926 North Halsted Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. In 1999, Intuit moved to a larger location at 756 North Milwaukee Avenue, an 1874 brick building that had previously housed the Randolph Street Gallery. An expansion in 2006 added more exhibition space and established the Robert A. Roth Study Center. From 2023 to 2025, the museum underwent a 20-month, $10 million renovation and expansion that tripled its exhibition and programming capacity.

Intuit is one of the few museums in the world that exclusively presents self-taught and outsider art. Its permanent collection numbers approximately 1,300 works and focuses on outsider art and contemporary autodidactic art. The collection encompasses works by artists who have often faced significant life challenges, including mental illness, homelessness, or institutionalization. The museum's holdings span a wide range of self-taught artists, with particular depth in American outsider art. In February 2026, the museum announced a major acquisition of 61 works from two collectors, Gordon W. Bailey of Los Angeles and the late Jan Petry, who had been a long-time supporter of the institution.

The museum's current home at 756 North Milwaukee Avenue is an 1874 brick building in Chicago's West Town neighborhood. This structure previously served as the location of the Randolph Street Gallery before Intuit occupied it in 1999. The 2006 expansion increased exhibition space and added the Robert A. Roth Study Center. The 2023-2025 renovation and expansion, which cost $10 million and lasted 20 months, tripled the museum's exhibition and programming space while also refurbishing the Henry Darger room installation.

Intuit Art Museum is located in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago, United States. The museum operates as a nonprofit organization and maintains an active public programming schedule. Its educational initiatives include IntuiTeens, an annual summer program where teenagers collaborate with mentors, professional artists, and community organizations; the Teacher Fellowship Program, which provides Chicago Public School teachers with skills to introduce non-traditional materials and methods to students; and workshops for people with dementia, low vision and blindness, and developmental disabilities. The Robert A. Roth Study Center serves students and scholars researching intuitive, self-taught, and outsider art, housing a library of books, catalogs, journals, slides, photographs, films, and archival materials. The museum also hosts the annual Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art and publishes an annual magazine, The Outsider, which began in 2015. The official website is https://www.art.org/.