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Explore the history of the vegetarian movement and the vitality of today’s vegan community. The Vegan Museum exhibit is on display at the Main Library throughout March and April.
The Vegan Museum, formerly the National Vegetarian Museum, is a nonprofit traveling exhibition focused on veganism and vegetarianism. It tours various locations around Chicago, showcasing the history of the vegan and vegetarian movements in the U.S.
Founded in 2017 by Kay Stepkin, a former vegetarian restaurant owner and Chicago Tribune columnist, the museum rebranded in 2020. The name change coincided with the addition of an advisory council of prominent vegans, including Dr. Neal Barnard, Anne Dinshah, and Seth Tibbott. In 2022, the museum released a free research guide to promote scholarship on the history of American vegetarianism, a field that Stepkin notes has long been underexplored.
The current exhibit is called "What Does It Mean to Be Vegetarian?” The exhibition covers factory farms, Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, comedian Dick Gregory, the history of the Chicago Vegetarian Society, the Pure Food Lunch Room (Chicago's first vegetarian restaurant, established in 1900), and the Vegetarian Times, magazine.
AAPLD embraces inclusivity in its programs and services. To request accommodations, please email [info@aapld.org] or call (847) 458-6060 x143 at least 7 days in advance.
