Publications Program


The Terra Foundation for American Art publications program consists of a portfolio of projects that broaden and enrich the research and study of the visual arts of the United States in a global framework. The projects funded include original manuscripts, translations, and digital initiatives, among others. The titles published directly by the Terra Foundation align with the foundation’s previous curatorial and academic programs.

Current Publication Grant Opportunities

Art Design Chicago Publications Grants administered by the Terra Foundation offer grants for book-length publications that contribute new insights and knowledge about Chicago’s art and/or design history, specifically related to the confluences of artists, designers, and creative ideas in Chicago, and their impact on art and design in the city and beyond. These grants are awarded as part of Art Design Chicago, an ongoing exploration and celebration of Chicago’s distinct contributions to American art and design.

Digital Publication Initiatives

Digital Publication Initiatives are innovative projects that promote the use and application of computational technology and data in the study of the visual arts of the United States and the dissemination of the resulting research.

If you have a project idea or question about support, please contact us at [email protected].

Terra Foundation Publications

The foundation produced titles that resulted from the past work of the foundation’s curatorial and academic program teams. These books include exhibition catalogues in multiple-language editions, scholarly monographs, critical anthologies, and a thematic research series and serve as a resource to scholars, students, and the arts-interested public.

All our titles are available through the University of Chicago Press.

A selection of our titles includes:

Terra Foundation Essays, including the most recent volume, Humans, vol. 5 (2022)

Art of the Unites States, 1750–2000: Primary Sources

Colonization, Wilderness, and Spaces Between

Creative Chicago: An Interview Marathon

Conversations with the Collection: A Terra Foundation Collection Handbook