In 2010 The Field Museum began an initiative to collect contemporary urban culture. With 200+ objects in collection, this site captures an ongoing effort to study how Chicagoans consume health and wellness.
"Placemaking" describes how people reinvent their environments to reflect their cultural and social identities- including the ways they seek health. Studying placemaking allows us to understand how people access heath related products and services in their daily lives. Chicago's neighborhoods have many apothecaries, groceries, herbal stores, gardens, and community centers that encapsulate various heritages and types of health and wellness. Everything you come across in our collection of objects and stories links back to one of these neighborhoods.
You can view objects in the Collections Gallery by their store of purchase, neighborhood of purchase, or the search engine. Recognize an object? Use the comment section to share your knowledge.