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Our Mission

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 Mission

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.

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Upcoming & Recent Events

chicago city scape with Neon Dreams flier text

Neon Dreams Benefit Auction

May 5 @ 6:30 pm - May 6 @ 12:00 am
Bridge 410

EXPO Chicago 2023

April 13 - April 16
Navy Pier

Letting the Clock Play the Piano

March 24 - May 22
Circle Contemporary Chicago

Hand Drawn Circle: Arts of Life studio past and present

March 23 - May 21
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

Our Artists

We were founded with the idea that the studio belongs to its artists. The guiding principle behind the studio is to give people an opportunity to shape and be a member of an artistic community; a community that changes with the growing needs of the artists and one that is a contributing member of the larger society.

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Hand drawn illustration of two friends at a table. The man is saying to his friend, "The Arts of Life is so interesting. The peoples work together to understand what it is all about."

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📢 Join us at Circle Contemporary Chicago on Friday, March 24th, from 5 – 8pm for the opening reception of Letting the Clock Play the Piano, guest curated by Special Feature. This is part of back to back shows next week, starting with a opening at Intuit on Thursday. We hope you can come out to one or both opening shows!!!

About the show:
Spontaneous synchronization is a phenomena where a movement or activity of a group of organic or mechanical entities unintentionally become in synch or in step with one another. Any pattern or repetition can inadvertently become rhythmic. We are distracted as spectators, and often don’t have the time to recognize a large or unfamiliar pattern to their completion. There are a multitude of hidden melodies waiting to be realized everywhere.
This exhibition relates the pull of visual rhythm and form.
It wanders through the impact of the meta-iterative and the harmonies of different graphic textures.

About the Curator:
Special Feature is an artist-run exhibition space in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. It is a project designed to help pair local and out of town artists work together and connect communities.

Featured Artists:
Rykeyn Bailey, Joey Center, Maggie Crowley, Ben Foch, Phil Gazzolo, Billy James Joyce, Mike Kloss, Leonardo Kaplan, Gabrielle Ledet, Bill Lilly, Lawrence M, Alex Scott, Lucy Walsh, Noah Wieder, Maria Vanik

When: 🗓
Opening Reception - Friday, March 24th, from 5 – 8pm

March 25th- May 22nd 2023
Open by appointment only

Where:
Circle Contemporary Chicago
2010 W Carroll Ave
Chicago, IL 60612 United States

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Image Description:
ID1 - A Flyer with multiple colors stacked with hearts overlaying. On top is text written in 3 concentric circles. The outer circle has numbers 2 through 12. The next has “Letting the Clock Play the Piano”. The inner most circle says “Special feature , Arts of Life”
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#ArtExhibit #ChicagoArtExhibition #ArtsOfLife #CircleContemporary #Art #OutsiderArt #IntuitveArt #ArtistsWithDisabilities #DisabledArtists #IDD #ChicagoArtGallery #Chicago #ChicagoArt #JoeyCenter #PhilGazzalo #BillyLilly #LawrenceM #AlexScott #LucyWalsh #NoahWieder #MariaVanik
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We are thrilled to announce that In 1 week we will be having back to back opening receptions starting with the opening for Hand Drawn Circle: Arts of Life Studio Past and Present, on Thursday, March 23rd at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art from 5-8pm. We hope to see you there!

About the Show:
Hand Drawn Circle: Arts of Life Studio Past and Present, brings together work by current and former artists that utilize the Arts of Life studio. The title for the exhibition is a nod to one of the key formal components of founding artist Veronica Cuculichs’ oeuvre of what she referred to as ‘Babydolls’. A simplified figure with an enlarged circular head that Cuculich returned to throughout her practice. These babydolls were often drawn emanating mandala-like linear elements and stripes of color visually paralleling many types of devotional iconography. The works on view in Hand Drawn Circle comprise a range of approaches to the sacred act of representing thoughts in form.

When:
March 23rd - May 21st 2023

Where:
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
756 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642 United States

Featured Artists:
Chris Austin, Veronica Cuculich, Nikki Huesman, Marcus Kennedy, David Krueger, Michael Marino, Susan Pasowicz with Allison Wade, Hubert Posey, Alex Scott, Jean Wilson

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Image Description: A flyer with an impressionistic figurative colored pencil drawing with text in the upper left corner that says, “Hand Drawn Circle: Arts of Life studio past and present”. and “Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art March 23 - May 21” on the bottom center.
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#Intuit #HandDrawnCircle #ArtExhibit #ChicagoArtExhibition #ArtsOfLife #CircleContemporary #Art #OutsiderArt #IntuitveArt #ArtistsWithDisabilities #ChicagoArtGallery #Chicago #ChicagoArt #ChrisAustin #VeronicaCuculich #NikkiHuesman #MarcusKennedy #DavidKrueger #MichaelMarino #SusanPasowicz #AllisonWade #HubertPosey #AlexScott #JeanWilson #SupportLocalArtists
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Get your paddles and glow sticks ready, our annual benefit is on the horizon!
Join us Friday Evening, May 5th at Bridge 410 for a neon-themed 🎨 art auction, and 💃 🕺dance party that you don’t want to miss!

Reserve your tickets today, because like last year, they will sell out fast!

More details below. Ticket link in our Bio

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Event highlights include:
- A tribute to community leader and artist Jason Pickleman
- A curated art auction featuring work by renowned artists from Arts of Life and around the world
-An electric dance party with 🎶 music by Blesstonio
- A energetic dance party performance
-💡 Light Design by Craig Gronowski
- Event 📸 Photography by Colectivo Multipolar
- Complementary 🍽 food, 🍷 drinks, and 🍰 desserts throughout.
- Flowers 💐 by Field & Florist

Neon Dreams is your chance to expand your art collection while investing in OVER 70 talented artists.

FEATURING ARTWORK BY:
Omar Abulsheikh — Ariee Carter — Taylor Augustine — Renata Berdes — Guy Conners — Amanda Gantner — Ted Gram-Boarini — Steve Harhaj — Nikole Heusman — Paula Kamps — Alysha Kostelny — Lawrence M. — Noel Mercado — Yae Jee Min —  Noël Morical — Jason Pickleman — Saemee — Marcelo Eli Sarmiento — Mariam Pare — Sue Pasowicz — Carol Pyes — Brian Reed — Kate Sable – Peter Shear — Andrew Sloan — Edra Soto — Tim Stone — Jennifer Sullivan — Kevin Umana — Lucy Walsh — Sara Wenokur — Jean Wilson — Sandro Miller — Kate Kimmel — Ben Sanders

WHEN:
May 5th, 2023
Vip Entry - 6:30 PM
General Admission Entry - 8:00 PM
Dance Party Entry - 10:00 PM

WHERE:
Bridge 410
410 N Paulina Street
Chicago , IL 60622

Thank you to our Sponsors:
@perrier
@landandseadept
@span_studio
@bridge410chicago
#CapGrow Partners
@kavigupta_
@chicagoprintworks
@tandemthinking
@richardgraygallery
@fieldandflorist
#Braff
#CrescoLabs
#TerryDowdInc.
Rachel and Aaron Martell
Rogers Family Foundation
Abby Puckerr

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#PartyTime #ArtAuction #Neon #LightShow #ArtsOfLife #ArtistBenefit #ChicagoArtist #ArtGallery #ChicagoArtGallery #IDD #DisabledArtist #Artist #ArtistsWithDisabilities #FeaturedArtist #DanceParty
#ChicagoEvents #ChicagoParty #JasonPickleman #Bridge410
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News and Announcements

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IDEA Progress Report 2023

Arts of Life continues our commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity,...
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Arts of Life to Receive $25,000 from the Field Foundation

Arts of Life is proud to be a recipient of...
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Arts of Life to Receive $20,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Arts of Life has been approved for a $20,000 Grants...
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Outsider Art Fair Names 64 Exhibitors for 2023 New York Edition

Arts of Life is thrilled to return to the Outsider...
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