Chris Beaty was born in 1976 in Central, Illinois and is now based in Chicago, Illinois. He worked as a professional firefighter before returning to school as a non-traditional student. He studied painting and drawing at Southeast Missouri State University (2016), and received an MFA in painting from University of Illinois (2020). Beaty currently is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Elgin Community College, Saint Xavier University and University of Saint Francis.

Beaty’s work has been exhibited nationally, including exhibitions at the Krannert Museum (Champaign, IL), Zhou B. Art Center (Chicago, IL), Fosdick-Nelson Gallery (Alfred, NY), and the Crisp Museum (Cape Girardeau, MO). He was the inaugural artist-in-residence at the Heather MacDonald Greene Multimedia Center., and his works are included in numerous private collections.