 At the time of the "New Art Examiner" 's launch in October 1973, Chicago was "an art backwater" according to Artnet's Victor Cassidy.Artists who wished to be taken seriously left Chicago for New York City, and apart from a few local phenomena, such as the Hairy Who, little attention was given to Chicago art and artists.For the generations of artists who grew up reading the New Art Examiner, it provided a unique vantage point outside the artistic mainstream.