Community on the Make | Arts of Life 2000 – 2025

“Yet once you’ve come to be part of this particular patch, you’ll never love another… But never a lovely so real.”

— Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the Make

Nelson Algren’s raw love letter to Chicago speaks to the soul of a city made of equal parts beauty and struggle, resilience and reinvention. His words resonate deeply with the journey of Arts of Life—an organization born on the margins and grown into a transformative creative force. For 25 years, Arts of Life has built something “so real”: a studio collective where artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities lead with vision, passion, and purpose.

We quote Algren because his Chicago is our Chicago—not polished, but powerful. Not built for easy consumption, but built to last. And like the city he described, our community didn’t wait for permission to exist—we created our own space.

Community on the Make at the Design Museum of Chicago marks another meaningful milestone in claiming our place within the city’s vast creative landscape. Design is about intention—about systems, structures, and the ways people move through the world. Our artists are not only makers of art—they are re-makers of culture. Together, they have designed a new model for what inclusive creative communities can be: one shaped by collective decision-making and rooted in our core values:

• INSPIRING Artistic Expression
• BUILDING Community
• PROMOTING Self-Respect
• DEVELOPING Independence

This group exhibition is a celebration of what we’ve accomplished—but also a provocation. It asks us to reconsider: Who is art for? Who gets to shape culture? And how can design become a tool of liberation? Community on the Make highlights artists, staff, and volunteers both past and present who have shaped our community while also allowing the public to contribute and engage in the exhibition. Community on the Make is not just a reflection on where we’ve been. It’s a declaration of where we’re going.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

Adrian, Ariée, Chris Austin, Renata Berdes, Matt Bodett, Austin Boehs, David Bremer, Maileen Bugnaski, Raina Carter, Milo Christie, Guy Conners, Bojana Crnomarkovic, Veronica Cuculich, Samarem Diaz Negrete, Andreana Donahue, Rio Goodwin Perez, Ted Gram Boarini, Stefan Harhaj, Megan Harrigan, Noel Herrera, Nik Heusman, Marcus Imani Kennedy, Emory Jones, Maggie Kamphausen, Anna Kramer, Alexis Krebs, David Krueger, Hana Kulovic, Lawrence M, Ben Marcus, Mike Marino, Noel Mercado, Nick Merlock Jackson, Travis Morehead, Noel Morical, Ingrid Olson, Tim Ortiz, Susan Pasowicz, Hubert Posey, Brian Reed, Mina Romero, Nicholas Schutzenhofer, Alex Scott, Karim Shuquem, Anne Skaug, Annie Soler, Kelly Stone, Tim Stone, Cody Tumblin, Maria Vanik, Chris Viau, Allison Wade, Lacey Whittaker, Jean Wilson, Joshua With, Marvin Young, Christina Zion

PLAN YOUR VISIT: 

Exhibition Dates: August 11th – September 30th

Admission: Free and Open to the Public

Hours: 10am – 5pm

Additional Museum Visitor Information and Access Information

DATES OF NOTE: 

Public Opening Reception: Thursday, August 21st (5 – 8pm)

Weekly Open Studio Hours: Thursdays 11am – 1pm

Join our artists at the Design Museum of Chicago for free open studio hours. Activities will include workshops, art critiques, and more.

• Thursday, Aug. 28: Activity TBA
• Thursday, Sept. 4: Activity TBA
• Thursday, Sept. 11: Activity TBA
• Thursday, Sept. 18: Activity TBA
• Thursday, Sept. 25: Activity TBA