Opened in 2000, Arts of Life was the first program in Chicago to provide employment in the arts for adults with developmental disabilities. The studio serves as both an community day program and creative epicenter for its artists. Our program expanded to the North with the opening of our Glenview Studio in 2010 and In-Home and Community Programs in 2021. In 2024, we launched a new satellite studio in Woodlawn’s First Presbyterian Church, further increasing our accessibility to artists living on Chicago’s South Side. Funded partly by the Department of Human Services, Arts of Life is proudly supported by The Coleman Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; the MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts; Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; and the Illinois Arts Council and depends on fundraising efforts to sustain its program. OUR VISION is a rich creative arts community where artists with intellectual & developmental disabilities participate through leadership and collaboration. OUR MISSION The Arts of Life advances the creative arts community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership. OUR VALUES ? Inspiring Artistic Expression: The Arts of Life’s model uses art facilitation to support creative decision-making and experimentation, increasing the artists’ self-confidence. ? Building Community: Our primary purpose is supporting each other as professional artists in creating a thriving art community based on cooperative decision-making and mutual respect. ? Promoting Self-Respect: The Arts of Life encourages its members to accept themselves for who they are and develop a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. ? Developing Independence: Through their artwork, and as members of the community, the artists gain a sense of inner freedom, enabling them to take risks and trust their own judgment.
Arts of Life, Inc.的外部链接
Arts of Life, Inc. is hosting our annual Studio Sale in October. You will not get better deals than these. Perfect for the home refresh, giving your office some personality, or getting a jump start on your holiday shopping list. See you there! As always, 60% of sales go directly back to the artists.
Join us for our annual studio sale to get the best deals of the year. A wide range of artwork from 60+ studio artists will be available at steeply discounted prices.
此处无法显示此内容
在领英 APP 中访问此内容等
?? Kicking off DSP Recognition Week! ?? Join us in honoring our incredible Direct Support Professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to support our artists in pursuing their creative passions. Thank you to our Studio Managers, Coordinators, Art Specialists, and 1:1 staff for helping our artists flourish and reach their full potential. We couldn’t do it without you! ???? Your commitment and care are the true backbone of our community! . . . . #DSPWeek #ThankYouDSPs #ArtCommunity #DSP #directsupportprofessional #artstudio #chicagoartstudio #MakingMagicHappen #ArtsOfLife
It is with grave sadness that we share that a beloved member of our Chicago studio, Joey Center, passed away on Thursday, August 15, 2024, of complications from being hit by a car while riding his bike home from his job at Jewel-Osco. There’s never an easy way to share the loss of an Arts of Life community member and this loss is especially hard. Everyone feels individually impacted because Joey made time to share his abundant kindness with everyone, regardless of their interests, ability, or communication style. His outgoing energy felt like an unstoppable force in our studio, and to see that bright light go dark so quickly has left a hole that will not be easily filled. Joey’s Arts of Life experience was unique in that his primary practice was at our Chicago Studio, but he was developing an emerging ceramics practice through our Art Center partnerships and our North Shore studio ceramics program. Joey was also a natural ambassador for Arts of Life, having such ease in meeting people and finding a connection. If you attended an exhibition opening, there’s a good chance you encountered his infectious energy and engaging smile. Joey took his ambassadorship seriously serving on both Arts of Life’s exhibition committee and supporting external events to introduce our work to the broader community. Joey’s family and Arts of Life will be hosting celebrations of Joey’s life. Both events will be open to the public. We will share details as they become available. – Denise Fisher, Executive Director Read more of Denise Fisher’s letter in the latest blog, Remembering Joey Center, here-> https://lnkd.in/e_HyvD9A . . . . #JoeyCenter #??????
?? We're thrilled to announce that Arts of Life has been recognized as one of 2024's Great Nonprofits! ?? This honor is a testament to the incredible support from our community and the dedication of our artists, staff, and volunteers. Check out some of the amazing reviews we’ve received from our very own artists! Help us secure this recognition in 2025 by sharing your review today! Your feedback helps us continue to grow and fulfill our mission. ?? Read and give a review -> https://lnkd.in/g64erzDN . . . #Grateful #GreatNonprofits2024 #Nonprofit #InclusiveArts #DisabilityAwareness #DisabledArtists #ArtForAll #ArtsOfLife
Gareth Kaye, our new Lead Archivist at Arts of Life, has been super busy archiving our current and past roster's work. Watch as Gareth gives a behind-the-scenes look into his process and shares some interesting findings from Arts of Life founding artist, Ronnie Cuculich. . . . . #ArchiveUpdate #ArtPreservation #GarethKaye #ArtsOfLife #ArtCommunity #Archivist #Archive #ChicagoArchivist #ArtArchive #ArtistArchive
And The Award goes to………?? Congratulations to Susan Pasowicz (Chicago Studio) and Vontrell Nunn (North Shore Studio) for their outstanding accomplishments as Arts of Life's 2024 Artists of the Year!!! Arts of Life is proud to support and celebrate artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing them a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership. Every year we host Awards Shows to celebrate our Artists’ incredible talent and dedication. Congrats to all of this year’s awardees! ?? About Arts of Life’s North Shore Artist of the Year, Vontrell Nunn: Vontrell’s?pen and marker drawings capture a nostalgia for 90s cartoons, family gatherings, and friendship. His color placement is purposeful as is the composition of his chosen subject matter.? Nunn creates an opportunity for us to reflect on what things leave lasting impressions and shape our views on life. About Arts of Life’s Chicago Artist of the Year, Susan Pasowicz: Born in Chicago in 1955, Sue Pasowicz is a dreamer and visionary. Fascinated by mystery, color, and organic forms, Pasowicz intuitively uses colored pencil and graphite to create whimsical, dream-like landscapes. Informed by both the fantastical and everyday, hints of her surroundings and memories become tangled in a web of wispy, hair-like marks that build up on the works’ surface. Often incorporating mirrors, portals, windows, or doors, Pasowicz’s work transports the viewer to nebulous and magical environments. . . . #ArtistOfTheYear #ArtistOfTheYear2024 #ArtsOfLife #SusanPasowicz #VontrellNunn #ChicagoStudio #NorthShoreStudio #CreativeArts #ArtCommunity #InclusiveArts #DisabilityArts #ArtisticAchievement #SupportArtists
For years we dreamed of a comprehensive archiving system to document and preserve work and to foster professional relationships between our artists, collectors, and curators. I am so grateful to have found the right partners and team members right now as we gear up for our 25th Anniversary.
?? Exciting Update! Thanks to a generous $200,000 grant from Smith-Tieken, we have built a state-of-the-art Archive to preserve and celebrate our artist’s work. We are thrilled to introduce Gareth Kaye, our new Lead Archivist at Arts of Life! Gareth and his team will be responsible for bringing all current and past artist’s work from all 3 of our studios into the future. As a previous Co-Founder of his own gallery, Apparatus Project, Gareth brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for art preservation and history. We can’t wait to see the full impact of his expertise on our Art collection. Join us in welcoming Gareth to the Arts of Life family! Watch the video till the end to learn more about Gareth and our new Archive. Stay tuned for more updates on our newly built archive space, as well as progress from Gareth and his team! . . . . #ArtPreservation #GarethKaye #ArtsOfLife #SmithTieken #ArtCommunity #Archivist #Archive #ChicagoArchivist #ArtArchive #ArtistArchive #artistwithdisability #artistwithdisabilities #disabledart #disabledartist #disabledartists #neurodiverseartists #IDD #circlecontemporary #chicagoarchive #chicagoartarchives #chicagoarchivesartists #artGallery #ChicagoArtGallery #SmithTieken #SmithTiekenFoundation #ArtIntoTheFuture #ProgressiveArtStudio #Grateful
?? Exciting Update! Thanks to a generous $200,000 grant from Smith-Tieken, we have built a state-of-the-art Archive to preserve and celebrate our artist’s work. We are thrilled to introduce Gareth Kaye, our new Lead Archivist at Arts of Life! Gareth and his team will be responsible for bringing all current and past artist’s work from all 3 of our studios into the future. As a previous Co-Founder of his own gallery, Apparatus Project, Gareth brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for art preservation and history. We can’t wait to see the full impact of his expertise on our Art collection. Join us in welcoming Gareth to the Arts of Life family! Watch the video till the end to learn more about Gareth and our new Archive. Stay tuned for more updates on our newly built archive space, as well as progress from Gareth and his team! . . . . #ArtPreservation #GarethKaye #ArtsOfLife #SmithTieken #ArtCommunity #Archivist #Archive #ChicagoArchivist #ArtArchive #ArtistArchive #artistwithdisability #artistwithdisabilities #disabledart #disabledartist #disabledartists #neurodiverseartists #IDD #circlecontemporary #chicagoarchive #chicagoartarchives #chicagoarchivesartists #artGallery #ChicagoArtGallery #SmithTieken #SmithTiekenFoundation #ArtIntoTheFuture #ProgressiveArtStudio #Grateful
Arts Of Life is very excited to introduce to you our newest artists from our expansion program in the South Side of Chicago facilitated by our Community Programs Coordinator, Payton Harris-Woodard!! We are only a few months into development, here’s a few updates: Our current artist roster consists of Lewis Sandoboe, Katrina Jackson and David Jarmon. We just started planning our first big show with other artists who share our studio space at The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. Currently, we are working on expanding, and are looking for more artists to join our studio. So, if you know someone that would be a great fit, let them know! About Our South Side Artists: Lewis is a South Side native, he attended Walter Payton College Prep, he also used to work for CAN TV. He enjoys illustrating a wide range of production company logos via his preferred medium Graphite. Lewis has big dreams of working at Universal Studios Florida. He is a really good pianist and loves gospel, 80s music, and Phil Colins. Katrina is a South Side native where she went to the Hyde Park academy, and The South Side occupational school. Her preferred medium is painting, and colored pencil. She is a great leader in the studio, and great at advocating for herself. Katrina loves the Cheetah Girls, Disney movies, and Hip hop. David’s preferred medium is graphite on paper, and he likes to illustrate portraits. His favorite subject matter is horror films. He is really into 90's rap. About Our Community Programs Coordinator: Payton Harris-Woodard’s earned her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College Chicago, and her Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Harris-Woodard’s work explores the emotional and psychological complexities of inhabiting the black female body, while simultaneously questioning lexicons of aspirational black imagery in society. Part monster, part deity, her figures reconcile with reflection, isolation, and difference in celebration of finding one's own voice through femininity. #SouthSideChicago #SouthSide #ChicagoArtists #ChicagoArt #disabledArtists #Disability #IDD #NeurodiverseArtist #Neurodiversity #Art #Chicago #Artist #Art