Individual works of various artists commissioned by the Chicago Reader as cover art, or to illustrate features, news articles and columns.

The collection contains original pen and ink drawings, charcoal drawings, paintings, and computer-generated images by local, regional and nationally known artists and illustrators. Works were published as cover art or to illustrate feature stories or columns. Included in the collection are multiple small drawings and cartoons by Slug Signorino, illustrator of the nationally syndicated question and answer column The Straight Dope since 1975, early pen and ink drawings by innovative comic artist Gary Panter, and illustrations by Chicago musician and artist Archer Prewitt.