Artic Edu Art Institute of Chicago API

Can I search for artworks by an artist or movement?

Yes. GET /artworks/search accepts a q parameter for free-text search. For field-level filters such as artist_id or a date_start range, pass an Elasticsearch domain syntax query through the query parameter, which the spec provides for exactly that purpose. Resolve artist ids first with /agents/search, since the API files artists under its agents tag and /artists itself has no search operation.

What are the rate limits for the Art Institute of Chicago API?

The museum's API documentation states that anonymous users are throttled to 60 requests per minute, with each IP counted as a separate user. It also asks you to send an AIC-User-Agent header naming your project and a contact email. Cache responses and avoid per-request calls in user-facing loops to stay inside that throttle.

How do I get the image for an artwork?

Each artwork record includes an image_id which can be combined with the IIIF image base URL to produce an image. /images and /images/{id} also expose image asset records directly when you need additional metadata.

How do I search the collection through Jentic?

Install Jentic One on the machine that will host it, run jentic register on the separate machine where your agent runs, then import the Art Institute of Chicago API from the API Directory. Your agent searches Jentic for 'search artworks at the Art Institute of Chicago', loads the schema for GET /artworks/search, and executes with your query string. That operation pages with its from and size parameters, which the spec describes as Elasticsearch conventions.

Can I list current exhibitions at the museum?

Yes. GET /exhibitions returns every exhibition with a status field recording whether it is open or closed, plus aic_start_at and aic_end_at dates. The list operation declares no query filters, so select the open records yourself, or use GET /exhibitions/search with the query parameter.

Is there an Art Institute of Chicago MCP server?

You don't need an MCP server to give your agent the Art Institute of Chicago API. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: import it and your agent gets the full 97-endpoint surface, so it can search artworks, browse exhibitions, and pull tour audio without another server's tool definitions loaded into its context. Because the API is unauthenticated you have no credential to configure either, and your own rules still decide which of the 97 operations the agent may call.

Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Art Institute of Chicago API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which operations the agent may call, so you can restrict it to just the endpoints it needs, such as searching artworks via GET /artworks/search or listing exhibitions via GET /exhibitions. This API exposes only GET reads over open collection and editorial data, so there are no write operations to include and the agent cannot alter anything at the museum. Since the API is unauthenticated, there is no credential to hand out, and the call still routes through your own self-hosted instance so scoping is handled the same way as for authenticated APIs.