Commiserate Chicago is an inaugural new media arts festival seeking to reflect on the state of media art, particularly in the context of Chicago, a city with a legacy of new media art and an emerging generation of artists. Local and international artists are invited to exhibit work and share their process through talks and workshops.

Starting on the day that does not exist 75% of the time, a day renowned for the most depressing Chicago weather, we summon new media artists to exhibit their works, join our discussion, and demonstrate their artistic process in live workshops at the University of Chicago’s MADD Center.

This event especially, but not exclusively, reaches out to artists from under-represented communities (women, LGBTQ+, POC).