The Hunt Experiential Bistro at the University of Chicago Unites Culture and Community

Visitors at The Hunt can explore American sculptor Richard Hunt's art and life. © 2026 The Richard Hunt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Tony Smith

Sandro Miller's photographic portraits of Richard Hunt line the wall of The Hunt at the Logan Center for the Arts, University of Chicago. © 2026 The Richard Hunt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Tony Smith

At the Echo & Ink listening bar, visitors can explore LPs inspired by Richard Hunt's personal vinyl collection. © 2026 The Richard Hunt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Lila di Florio

In the tradition of cultural spaces honoring master artists such as Picasso, Cassatt, and Dalí, The Hunt offers an immersive tribute to Richard Hunt.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Now open, The Hunt at Logan reimagines campus hospitality by bringing together nutritious food, art, and community. Located at The University of Chicago’s Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, The Hunt bistro creates a welcoming destination where students, faculty, staff, and the broader community can gather, connect, and discover the life and legacy of acclaimed sculptor Richard Hunt. The Hunt will host a public Grand Opening celebration on November 19, 2026 from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.

TURNING DINING INTO CULTURAL CONNECTION
For decades, Monica Haslip’s work at Little Black Pearl has connected art, education, entrepreneurship, racial healing, and community development on Chicago’s South Side. The Hunt extends the vision she began with Carver 47, the food and wellness market inspired by scientist, botanist, educator, and humanitarian Dr. George Washington Carver. It creates another environment where people can gather around food while encountering the stories of pioneering Black Americans.

“My intention is to expand the ways we tell and experience important cultural stories,” says Monica Haslip. “I do not want Richard Hunt’s legacy to live only in museums, archives or formal educational settings. Through food, art, music, images, objects, and thoughtful design, we can bring his story into the rhythm of everyday life. People may enter The Hunt simply to have a meal or meet a friend, but the environment gives them an opportunity to discover something meaningful while they are there. That is the power of experiential design: it allows culture, history, and human connection to become part of how a space is lived.”

Renowned vocalist and culinary artist Lizz Wright created the menu for The Hunt, adding, “I am excited to celebrate the legacy of a national and neighborhood hero in a space that provides warmth and inspiration for students and our community.”

RICHARD HUNT: A CHICAGO LEGACY
Born in Chicago and raised on the South Side, Richard Hunt maintained an enduring connection to the University of Chicago. Those experiences helped shape the organic forms and themes of resilience that became signatures of his work.

Haslip envisioned The Hunt as a multidimensional portrait of the artist. The bistro incorporates two Hunt sculptures, African art, and archival materials contributed by the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation and the Richard Hunt Trust. Portraits of Hunt by photographer Sandro Miller are also featured.

“Located mere blocks from where he was born in West Woodlawn, this space reveals Hunt’s deep, lifelong connection to the University of Chicago—a bond forged in the 1950s at the Zoological Laboratory, where daily encounters with organic forms ignited his revolutionary vision of direct-metal abstraction,” says Jon Ott, Executive Director, Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation.

The Hunt serves as a gateway into the life, art, and philosophical principles of Richard Hunt. The Hunt joins a select group of international dining destinations that honor master artists like Pablo Picasso (Café Pablo), Mary Cassatt (Mary Cassatt Tea Room), Julio González and Pablo Picasso (Els Quatre Gats), and Salvador Dalí (Restaurant Le Dalí). By embedding Hunt’s narrative and signature industrial-organic aesthetic into a vibrant campus hub, the bistro cultivates community, conversation, and intellectual inquiry.

A MODEL FOR CAMPUS HOSPITALITY
The Hunt’s menu is vibrant and casual, with signature sandwiches, all-day breakfast, house-made baked goods, and sauces prepared from scratch. The menu reflects a soulful, nourishing approach to everyday dining, with dishes designed to feel both comforting and considered. Highlights include The Sculpture (blackened chicken thigh, smoked Gouda, pickled red onion, charred red pepper relish, garlic aioli, brioche bun), BBQ Jerk Salmon Burger (house-made salmon patty, BBQ jerk glaze, mixed greens, pickled red onion, tomato, cucumbers, lemon garlic aioli, brioche bun), and The Woodlawn (grilled beef patty with white cheddar, turkey bacon, pickled onion, tomato, whole grain mustard and mayonnaise on a toasted pretzel bun), alongside Signature Juices & Smoothies such as Green Glory, Moses, Joy, Red C, Front Porch, Jade, and Sol Fuel.

Together, the food and beverage experience is intended to rethink shared campus spaces, making The Hunt as compelling a destination for a meal or coffee as it is for art, culture, and connection. It demonstrates how hospitality can support healthier choices, elevate cultural and culinary voices, strengthen relationships with surrounding communities, and create a deeper sense of belonging.

“The Hunt represents the kind of collaboration that can move campus hospitality forward by bringing together thoughtful food, local leadership, and a deeper understanding of what students need from the spaces around them. We believe dining spaces can play an important role not only in how students eat, but also in how they gather, discover new perspectives and become part of the cultural life of a campus,” says Sarafina Handy, District Marketing Manager, Chartwells Higher Education.

CONTINUING A COMMITMENT TO BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH THE ARTS
Since opening 14 years ago, the Logan Center has been a creative gathering destination, bringing together cultural partners, students, faculty, and staff, celebrating the rich cultural legacies of the South Side, and supporting the arts education and creative practices of UChicago’s many communities.

Working in partnership with colleagues at the university and across the city, the Logan Center has been honored to celebrate Chicago’s rich cultural legacy including AfriCOBRA, Gwendolyn Brooks, Oscar Brown, Jr., Studs Terkel, and countless blues and jazz artists, as well as companies that advance Black dance. The Logan Center’s collaboration with Little Black Pearl began very early on – working with artists and youth to create murals that were unveiled at the Center’s groundbreaking ceremony.

“We are excited to expand our longstanding collaboration with Little Black Pearl, Monica, and Lizz and begin a new partnership with the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation and the Richard Hunt Trust,” says Bill Michel, Executive Director of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. “The Hunt will continue to be a place to meet, study, reflect, and experience art. I hope all will join us to experience Monica and Lizz’s transformative design and culinary work, learn more about Richard Hunt, and be inspired.”

Additional Media Contact: Jesse P. Cutler, JP Cutler Media, 415.318.9663, jesse@jpcutlermedia.com

Molly Ott
Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation
info@richardhuntsculptor.org
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The Hunt at Logan