About Us
A forum for experimental collaboration between artists and scholars
The Richard and Mary L. Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry is dedicated to removing barriers that separate intellectual and artistic exploration. Through support, programming, publications, and other outlets, we provide a space for reimagining the relationship between these two modes of creativity, investigation, and expression.
Our website is currently under construction. We look forward to unveiling our newly designed digital presence soon. In the meantime, learn more about our activities and events.

Events
From our ongoing programs to special happenings, the Gray Center offers a panoply of virtual and in-person discussions, performances, screenings, get-togethers, and more throughout the year.
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NEWS

Now Available | Portable Gray 14 – Pope.L: The Chicago Years
The Richard and Mary L. Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry at the University of Chicago is pleased to announce the release of the fourteenth issue of Portable Gray, a publication that draws on the work of the Gray Center. Pope.L: The Chicago Years is a special hard cover edition of the journal dedicated to remembering and considering the work of Pope.L, with a particular emphasis on his time in Chicago (2010–2023). Personal remembrances, art historical essays, creative writing, and reproductions of Pope.L’s works spanning 40 years, some never before published in their entirety, come together to offer a comprehensive view of the life and oeuvre of this extraordinary artist. This issue also continues our reviews section, Portable Gray Review (PGR).
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Fellowships
Designed to foster intensive and experimental collaborations between artists and scholars, fellowships at the Gray Center are open to individuals at any stage of professional development in their fields, from emerging leaders to recognized figures.
Portable Gray
An interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the weirdness found at the intersection of the arts and scholarship, Portable Gray features essays, interviews, poetry, musical compositions, and non-traditional academic research.
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Programs

Sidebar
The Gray Center welcomes the public for an ongoing conversation series with invited artists and scholars featuring food, drink, and meaningful engagement in a workshop setting.

Gray Sound
Artists and the community engage in performance and discussion to explore the boundaries of sound.