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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.
Upcoming & Recent Events
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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Thank you to everyone that battled the cold and snowy weather to make it out to the Opening reception of Perennial Hug at the Circle Contemporary North Shore Gallery! The show will be up until March 13th, make sure to check it out if you haven’t. If you missed this opening reception, you’re in luck! We have another exhibition titled Off White with an opening reception next week on Friday, February 3rd at Circle Contemporary Chicago. We hope to see you then.
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Image Description
ID1 - Joey Center leaning on a wall, next to his art. a picture of a guitar and a half stack amp.
ID2 - People socializing at the gallery opening
ID3 - Ted Gram-Boarini next to his abstract art.
ID4 - Noel Herrera with a thumbs up, standing next to his art that shows a picture of Santa at a store.
ID5 - Sam Dybeck Standing in front of his art
ID6 - People socializing at the gallery opening
ID7 - Dave Thompson standing in front of his work
ID8 - Omar Abulsheikh With a thumbs up next to his abstract work
ID9 - People socializing in a art gallery
ID10 - Mariam Pare’s art piece showing 2 people with cloth on their face kissing one is in a wheelchair.
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#Perenialhug #OpeningReception #ArtExhibit #ChicagoArtExhibition #ArtsOfLife #ArtGallery #ChicagoArtGallery #CircleContemporary #PartyTime #Art #Chicago #ChicagoArt #JoeyCenter #NoelHerrara #OmarAbulsheik #TedGramboarini
Tomorrow’s the big day! Join us for the opening reception of Perennial Hug, our annual juried exhibition, at Circle Contemporary North Shore from 5pm to 8pm. We hope to see you there!
Guest Jurors: Emily Barker (@celestial_investments), Tommy Ralph (@theorangeshow), Luis De Jesus (@luisdejesuslosangeles).
Featured Artists:
Omar Abulsheikh, Douglas Allen, David Bremer, Joey Center, Casey Chrzan, Ruben Del Cid, Sam Dybeck, Sam Filicky, Myranda Gereau, Grace Gittelman, Ted Gram-Boarini, Laura Greenberg, Noel Herrera, Mikki Jay, Ashlea Karkula, Aaron Kleeblatt, Justin Leblanc, Cristina Marquez, Laura McManus, Mesoma Onyeagba, Mariam Pare, Julio Panisello, Jason Pickleman, Carol Pyes, Aly Raden, Annie Soler, Margie Smeller, Jewlya Sturtevant, Dave Thompson, Ricardo Vilas Freire, Michael Vita, Joshua With
Circle Contemporary North Shore
1963 Johns Drive
Glenview, IL 60025
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Image Description:
A partial side view of a wall showing 7 framed art pieces and one human sized poster in the center showing a picture of a woman in a fullbody flesh colored bodysuit, with an overlayed illustration of the interior of a stomach on top of her own stomach, All on display for Arts of Life's annual Perennial hug exhibition.
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#Perenialhug #ArtExhibit #ChicagoArtExhibition #ArtsOfLife #CircleContemporary #Art #ArtGallery #Glenview #Artistlife #Chicago #ChicagoArt #LauraGreenberg #JoeyCenter #NoelHerrara #OmarAbulsheik #AaronKleeblat #CaseyChrzan #LauraMcManus #SamFilicky #TedGramboarini #CarolPyes #DaveThompson
💥 Join us on Friday, Feb. 3 for our 2nd art exhibition of the new year - Off-White: Perceptions of Color, guest curated by the amazing Sara Wenokur. Hope to see you at Circle Contemporary Chicago! (more details below)
About the show:
The way we perceive color is complex and can change depending on a variety of factors. Color has the power to transcend language allowing for a universal understanding of emotion. In this exhibit, I invite the viewer to immerse themselves in a world of color, and to consider their own perceptions and emotions in relation to the work. The viewer will see how colors can change depending on lighting conditions, surrounding colors, and our own individual visual experiences.
About the curator:
Inspired by scientific botanical illustrations, Sara Wenokur’s repetitive patterns are both minimalistic and expressive. The results do not flatly reflect the forms found in nature, but rather represent a surreal synthesis of plants and pattern.
FEATURED ARTISTS:
Stefan Harhaj, Marcus Kennedy, Alysha Kostelny, Bill Lilly, Lawrence M, Noah Wieder, John Phelan, Tim Stone, Susan Pasowicz, Christianne Msall, Lucy Walsh, Chris Viau, Russell Copenharve, Chris Austin, Becky Kubica, Laura Greenberg, Ted Gram-Boarini, Jessica Dilay, Noel Morical, Dana Pierfelice, Lori Seidemann, Jackie Krejnik-Ryan, Liz Mortensen
When:
Opening Reception:
Friday February 3rd, 2023
5:00-8:00 pm.
February 3 - March 13 2023
Where:
Circle Contemporary Chicago
2010 W Carroll Ave
Chicago, IL 60612
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Image Description:
A Flyer that says Off White on the top left and Perceptions of color in the center followed by the dates from February 3rd to March 13th 2023. In the background their is a painting depicting a wave of colors painted with Acrylic on canvas.
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#ArtsOfLife #CircleContemporary #SupportChicagoArts #ChicagoArtist #CreativeCommunity
#ContemporaryPainting #AbstractArt #DisabledArtist #StefanHarhaj #MarcusKennedy #AlyshaKostelny #BillLilly #LawrenceM #NoahWieder #JohnPhelan #TimStone #SusanPasowicz #ChristianneMsall #LucyWalsh #ChrisViau #RussellCopenharve #ChrisAustin #BeckyKubica #LauraGreenberg #TedGram-Boarini #JessicaDilay
See you in New York City! We are excited to announce our return to NYC for the 2023 Outsider Art Fair in March! We’ll be exhibiting work by Arts of Life artists Renata Berdes, Christianne Msall, and Andrew Sloan.
The Outsider Art Fair is dedicated to showcasing self taught art, art brut and outsider art from around the world.
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
(between 6th & 7th Ave)
Dates:
March 3rd-5th, 2023
VIP Early Access Preview (with invitation):
Thursday, March 2nd: 12pm - 6pm
Vernissage: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
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Image Description 1.
Renata Berdes
Pink Bathtub, 2022
Marker and acrylic on vellum
9”x12"
An acrylic painting on vellum, of a pink bathtub with a purple wall on a yellow floor.
Image Description 2.
Christianne Msall
Peaceful in My Prayers Here At Angel House God Bless Us, 2022
Marker on paper
24"x19"
Colorful rectangular tiled abstract drawing with two concentric circles in the middle, in marker on paper.
Image Description3.
Andrew Sloan
'81 Chevy in the City, 2021
Pen and colored pencil on paper
14"x17"
A Black ’81 Chevy is parked on a road that has a red gradient. The car is in front of three Colorful 2 story buildings. The road and the building are drawn with concentric squares
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#OutsiderArtFair #OutsiderArt #NewYorkCity #NewYorkArt
#ChicagoArtist
#DisabledArtist #ArtistWithDisabilities #Painter #Artist #ArtExhibition #ArtsOfLife #AndrewSloan #ChristianneMsall #RenataBerdes
#AndrewSloan #ChristianneMsall #RenataBerdes
We can’t wait to share with you our first big 🎨 art exhibition of the new year! Mark your calendars 🗓 and join us for the opening reception of Perennial Hug at Circle Contemporary North Shore on Thursday, January 26th from 5-8pm. The show will be up until March 13th. Please come by. More details via the link in our Bio.
Perennial Hug is an annually occurring open call and guest juried exhibition that will feature artists of all demographics, and abilities. Through the deployment of various formal and material strategies the work selected for Perennial Hug functions as an assembly of outstretched arms awaiting the warm embrace of the viewer.
This year’s jurors will be artist and activist Emily Barker (@celestial_investments), Tommy Ralph Pace of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art (@theorangeshow), and Gallerist Luis De Jesus (@luisdejesuslosangeles).
With featured art by
Omar Abulsheikh, Douglas Allen, David Bremer, Joey Center, Casey Chrzan, Ruben Del Cid, Sam Dybeck, Sam Filicky, Myranda Gereau, Grace Gittelman, Ted Gram-Boarini, Laura Greenberg, Noel Herrera, Mikki Jay, Ashlea Karkula, Aaron Kleeblatt, Justin Leblanc, Cristina Marquez, Laura McManus, Mesoma Onyeagba, Mariam Pare, Julio Panisello, Jason Pickleman, Carol Pyes, Aly Raden, Annie Soler, Margie Smeller, Jewlya Sturtevant, Dave Thompson, Ricardo Vilas Freire, Michael Vita, Joshua With
When:
January 26 - March 13 2023
Where:
Circle Contemporary North Shore
1963 Johns Drive
Glenview, IL 60025 United States
Image Description:
A flyer with a abstract impressionistic piece using acrylic and marker on canvas titled “Golden Island” by Omar Abulsheikh in the background. Heavy dark green colored Brush strokes create a landscape as sporadic blue, pink, red and orange lines drawn with marker and bold purple and yellow colored shapes fill the space above. The Flyer reads “Perennial Hug January 26th 2023 to March 13th, 2023.”
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#Perenialhug #ArtExhibit #ChicagoArtExhibition #ArtsOfLife #CircleContemporary #Art #Chicago #ChicagoArt #LauraGreenberg #JoeyCenter #NoelHerrara #OmarAbulsheik #AaronKleeblat #CaseyChrzan #LauraMcManus #SamFilicky #TedGramboarini #CarolPyes #DaveThompson