Opened in 2017, CHICAT is based on a successful model created in Pittsburgh by social entrepreneur and MacArthur Fellow, Bill Strickland. Strickland founded the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, a center dedicated to help adults-in-transition and youth in underserved communities realize their own genius through arts and technology. CHICAT is a part of the network of Manchester Bidwell’s National Center for Arts & Technology (NCAT).
The Chicago Center for Arts & Technology (CHICAT) educates, empowers, and elevates the talents of underserved individuals, transforming lives and catalyzing equitable, inclusive spaces for individuals to learn, work, and grow. CHICAT pursues it mission by providing an enriching learning environment with access to emerging technologies, artist-led classes, and standards-based vocational training to support each person’s pathway.
– Environment shapes behavior
– Every human being is an asset and every life is valuable
– Design thinking solves human problems and expands human possibility
– Being engaged in the broader conversation matters
– Creativity fuels enterprise