Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-artic What exhibitions are currently on view at the Art Institute?"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
Art Institute of Chicago MCP — wraps the ARTIC public API (free, no auth)
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1476+ live data sources.
Tool | Description |
| Search the Art Institute of Chicago collection by keyword. Returns artwork titles, artists, dates, mediums, and image IDs. Use get_artwork to fetch full details. |
| Get complete details for an artwork by ID. Returns title, artist, date, medium, dimensions, description, credit line, and high-resolution image. |
| Get an artist's biography and their artworks by ID. Returns name, birth/death dates, bio text, and linked artwork IDs. |
| Browse current and past exhibitions at the Art Institute. Returns exhibition titles, descriptions, and status (active or closed). |
Related MCP server: mcp-clevelandart
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"artic": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/artic/mcp"
}
}
}tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/artic/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1476+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Artic data" })The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
MIT
This server cannot be deployed
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