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Mission & Values

A dynamic resource for people with an interest in the history of social reform, the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum offers exhibitions and programs that aim to inspire action. We serve to educate a diverse range of visitors, including young learners, the University of Illinois Chicago community, and civic-minded people in Chicago and beyond.

 

Two museum visitors stand before a marble fireplace in a room with floral wallpaper. Above the mantel hangs a large, ornate portrait of a woman in a yellow dress, with smaller framed photos displayed on the ledge below.

Our Values

We believe in working with communities to inform how we tell stories through historical objects and archival collections.

We believe in an ethics of hospitality, of open doors, of making all visitors feel welcome.

We believe in improvisation, in responding to the needs of the moment, and in the value of changing your mind.

We believe in the value of rest, play, and the imagination.

We believe that democracy relies upon the work of everyone.

We believe in the radical “scheme” of Hull-House as a model for imagining the work of the museum today.