Community on the Make | Arts of Life 2000 – 2025

August 11th – September 30th

“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.

Public Opening Reception |Thursday, August 21st (5-8pm)

Weekly Open Studio Hours / Thursdays 11-1
Aug 28th
Sept 4th
Sept 11th 
Sept 18th
Sept 25th

This exhibition is free and open to the public every day from 10-5 pm | Chicago, IL