MdW (pronounced “Midway”) is an evolving regional coalition of artist-run projects, platforms, and spaces spanning across the Midwest. MdW is an expanding initiative that takes shape as “Convenings” which connect and strengthen communities within the cultural landscape, the “Atlas” which serves as an alternative publishing platform, and “Drifts” which explore and document regional hubs of creative energy. Artist-centered in its approach, MdW is a growing ecosystem of hyperlocal art scenes from across the Midwest working together to build lasting coalitions of purposeful, artist-led action.
MdW was an artist-run art fair that took place three times between 2010-2012. A partnership between threewalls, Public Media Institute, Roots & Culture, and Document, the fair hosted galleries based in Chicago and the Midwest in an alternative art fair setting. Though sometimes criticized for its avoidance of commercial art fair norms by art world critics, the fair was usually praised by Chicago’s artist community and was of vital importance to Chicago’s artist-run culture and the network of Midwestern spaces.
At the 2012 iteration of MdW, a conference took place called Hand in Glove, versions of which were later hosted in many other cities and eventually became Common Field, a national organization that convenes and supports artist-run spaces.