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Public Programs at Nichols Tower

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) hosts programs for the North Lawndale community in our 12th-floor classroom at Nichols Tower in Homan Square. Courses, workshops, and events are offered in a variety of formats and for audiences age nine to adult. Select the links below to learn more about current and future opportunities.


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Writing Workshop with Keli Stewart

Instructors:
  • Keli Stewart

Writing Workshop with Keli Stewart

Date(s):
June 1—June 29 
Time:
We 6-7:30 PM

Instructors:
  • Keli Stewart

The West Side Writing Workshop is a creative writing circle focused on West Side narratives. Participants are invited to gather and write collectively to explore personal and community identity, local oral histories, and family narratives. In the context of this project, writing serves as both a community archive and a site for imagining future possibilities. Writing participants will be invited to present their writing and engage with the larger neighborhood through public presentations of their writing, activating non-traditional Westside spaces and infusing art into the landscape.

Register Here
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Walking the Walk: Photography Workshop

Instructors:
  • Akinbode Akinbiyi
  • Alexy Irving
  • Isra Renee Pate

Walking the Walk: Photography Workshop

Date(s):
May 4—May 25 
Time:
We 4 PM-6:30 PM

Instructors:
  • Akinbode Akinbiyi
  • Alexy Irving
  • Isra Renee Pate

Photography class taught by Akinbode Akinbiyi, Alexy Irving, and Isra Pate

The first 3 classes will have group walks in North Lawndale. The last class will print photos, review arts works, and celebrate.

The walk is open-ended with cameras to hand. Students can look at and engage with the empty lots, the planted gardens, the architecture, with the sidewalks of a thriving neighborhood of Chicago.

Students will develop visual skills in identifying what it is that draws one into taking and making a photograph. The inner eye that watches everyday life, seeing images in the pavement, streets, and thoroughfares of the borough. Slowly walking then gradually taking in the environment to become visually sensitive to the surroundings.

Register Here
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Blue Circles: Community Quilting Workshops

Instructors:
  • Amanda Harth

Blue Circles: Community Quilting Workshops

Date(s):
April 16—May 7 
Time:
Sa 11 AM-2 PM

Instructors:
  • Amanda Harth

In this 4-session workshop, we will learn about traditional indigo dyeing, quilting techniques, and the relation they have with Black histories in America and beyond: What do quilts, and denim have in common, and why are they relevant when thinking about Chicago’s Westside identity? Working hand in hand with designers Michael White, Amanda Harth and artist Alexandria Eregbu, we will create two unique collaborative denim and indigo dyed quilts that highlight each of the participant’s relationship to the Westside.

Register Here
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Writing Workshops with Keli Stewart

Instructors:
  • Keli Stewart

Writing Workshops with Keli Stewart

Date(s):
March 16—April 20 
— 
Time:

Instructors:
  • Keli Stewart

The West Side Writing Workshop is a creative writing circle focused on West Side narratives. Participants are invited to gather and write collectively to explore personal and community identity, local oral histories, and family narratives. In the context of this project, writing serves as both a community archive and a site for imagining future possibilities. Writing participants will be invited to present their writing and engage with the larger neighborhood through public presentations of their writing, activating non-traditional Westside spaces and infusing art into the landscape.

March 16th-April 20th
Wednesdays, 6-7:30 PM

Register Here
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Lawndale Civic Design

Instructors:
  • Ash Busse

Lawndale Civic Design

Date(s):
March 21—June 13 
Time:
Mo 4-6:30 PM

Instructors:
  • Ash Busse

Lawndale Civic Design is apart of The Walkability Assessment Initiative Kedzie-Homan (WA|K-H) program. This paid programs gives high school students/young adults the opportunity to make a positive impact in their community. In 2022, we will work with the Chicago Department of Transportation to focus on the intersection between Homan and Harrison. Using principles of tactical urbanism, neighborhood students will develop and design interventions for the bump outs, curb cuts, sidewalk and the street itself.

March 21st-June 13th
Mondays, 4-6:30 PM
No Class on April 11 and May 30

Register Here
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Spring 2022 Youth Open Studio

14-18 yrs old

Spring 2022 Youth Open Studio

Date(s):
January 18—April 5 
Time:
Tu 3PM-6PM

Audience:
14-18 yrs old

Join us for Open Studios at Homan Square. Enjoy free and fun art-making workshops, explore, relax, and work on personal art projects using a wide variety of art materials.

Teaching artists will be in the studio to talk with students about their work and help with any questions, including offering technical demonstrations and workshops with a variety of materials.

Register Here
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Fall Open Studios October 12th, 2021

14- 18 years

Fall Open Studios October 12th, 2021

Date(s):
October 12—December 14 
Time:
Tu 3:00 PM- 6:00 PM

Audience:
14- 18 years

Join us for Open Studios at Homan Square. Enjoy free and fun art-making workshops, explore, relax, and work on personal art projects using a wide variety of art materials.

Teaching artists will be in the studio to talk with students about their work and help with any questions, including offering technical demonstrations and workshops with a variety of materials.

This course has been filled
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Soil Lab Workshops-JoVonna Jackson Oct 3rd

Soil Lab Workshops-JoVonna Jackson Oct 3rd

Date(s):
October 3— 
Time:
Su 11 AM-4 PM

JoVonna will be hosting two ceramic workshops. The workshops are open to North Lawndale residents to make bowls and birdhouses while she works with Soil Lab’s outdoor kiln. She will also collaborate with North Lawndale Reads and Open Books to design and install lending libraries decorated with her mosaics incorporating Soil Lab’s locally made bricks.

Register Here!
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Soil Lab Workshops-Sonja Henderson Sept 26th

Soil Lab Workshops-Sonja Henderson Sept 26th

Date(s):
September 26— 
Time:
Su 1-4 PM

Register Here!
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Soil Lab Workshops-JoVonna Jackson Oct 2nd

Instructors:
  • JoVonna Jackson

Soil Lab Workshops-JoVonna Jackson Oct 2nd

Date(s):
October 2— 
Time:
Sa 9 AM-12 PM

Instructors:
  • JoVonna Jackson

JoVonna will be hosting two ceramic workshops. The workshops are open to North Lawndale residents to make bowls and birdhouses while she works with Soil Lab’s outdoor kiln. She will also collaborate with North Lawndale Reads and Open Books to design and install lending libraries decorated with her mosaics incorporating Soil Lab’s locally made bricks.

Register Here!
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Soil Lab Workshop-Sonja Henderson Sept 25th

Soil Lab Workshop

Soil Lab Workshop-Sonja Henderson Sept 25th

Date(s):
September 25— 
Time:
Sa 1 PM- 4PM

Instructors:
  • Sonja Henderson
  • Pilato Nieves

Sonja Henderson and Piloto Nieves will be running "The Full Circle," a public workshop to connect the community by working with an outdoor kiln, clay, and soil to build forms of harmony with the landscape. The artists will teach neighbors how to work with clay casts and molds to create a temporary memorial installation at the Soil Lab workspace. The workshop draws inspiration from restorative justice circles, and sacred circles used by Indigenous Peoples for gathering, and visual reminders of higher principles.  The Lawndale placemaking draws from the historic roots of Dr. Martin Luther King’s global vision for a “Beloved Community”, representing the dimensions of our health and connection to equity and peace through community care.

Location: 1310 S Pulaski Rd.

Register Here!
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(Postponed until further notice) Photography Workshop

Instructors:
  • Akinbode Akinbiyi

(Postponed until further notice) Photography Workshop

Date(s):
August 18—September 22 
Time:
We 5:30 PM- 8:30 PM

Instructors:
  • Akinbode Akinbiyi

****This workshop has been postponed until further notice. Please sign up to express your interest as we will be rescheduling this workshop in the near future.*****

The international artist, Akinbode Akinyibi, will teach six sessions of a free public workshop using his process of walking and photography. Students can check out professional cameras use photo paper to document the everyday encounters in Lawndale. Food will also be available. Akinbode's approach is to take time to learn about the city's urban fabric by going out and taking photos of everyday life, working to reveal the invisible threads woven by the many who live here. As a photographer, he looks at what lines emerge into sight during moments of connection. Each student will learn about digital cameras and print their favorite photos to take home. Space is limited, register today!

Register to be included for the next workshop!
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Mind.Mend.Meditate

Instructors:
  • Sonja Henderson

Mind.Mend.Meditate

Date(s):
August 28—September 18 
Time:
Sa 2:30PM-5:30PM

Instructors:
  • Sonja Henderson

"Repair" thoughts and actions by holding a needle between your fingers, weaving it in and out of the cloth. Combine it with focusing intently on where the stitch is placed, slowing down the mind and entering a meditative space. For centuries people have gathered together to heal while "mending". This class will explore simple textile techniques like: hand stitching, embroidery, cardboard loom weaving, collage and applique as meditative practicesMind. Mend. Meditate will be led by instructor Sonja Henderson and teaching artist Jackie Andres. No cost to participants - all supplies and lunch will be provided.

Register Here
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Summer 2021 Candle Making on 8/21 from 11PM-12 PM & Natural Dyes Workshop 12:30 PM-1 PM with

Instructors:
  • Amanda Christine Harth

Summer 2021 Candle Making on 8/21 from 11PM-12 PM & Natural Dyes Workshop 12:30 PM-1 PM with

Date(s):

Instructors:
  • Amanda Christine Harth

Begins August 14th-August 28th 11 AM- 1 PM

Each week we’ll experiment with colorways using natural dyes. We’ll use classic dyeing techniques to produce a variety of pigments from plants and vegetables. The first session will focus on the color yellow using turmeric, onion skins, and goldenrod. The second session will focus on the colors RED & BLUE using beetroots, bamboo, madder root, woad, and indigo. The very last session will allow students to experiment with different dyes and have an immersive experience with color. This is a workshop series for adults/intergenerational 17+ if under 17 must be with an adult.

Register Here
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Summer 2021 Room Spray Workshop (17+) if under the age of 17 must be with an adult

Instructors:
  • Amanda Christine Harth

Summer 2021 Room Spray Workshop (17+) if under the age of 17 must be with an adult

Date(s):

Instructors:
  • Amanda Christine Harth

Have you ever wanted to put your favorite smells in a bottle? This class will focus on scents, ambiance, and making your own products in the fragrance industry. Students will have the opportunity to learn the first steps towards creating their own fragrance brand. We’ll go through the important steps of launching and running your business and the second half of the class will be dedicated to creating your own fragrance sample.

This course has been filled
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Spring 2021 Virtual Open Studios (ages 14+)

All Audiences/Youth

Spring 2021 Virtual Open Studios (ages 14+)

Date(s):
February 9—April 20 
Time:
Tu 4 p.m. -5:30 p.m.

Audience:
All Audiences/Youth

Do you have an art project that
you need help with? Is there
something you always wanted to
try? Join us for Virtual Art Studios
to work on guided or personal
art projects. A teaching artist will
be available to talk with students
about their work and give
demonstrations on a wide variety
of art-making materials. Art
supplies will be sent to students
who register!

Questions?
Email: acampbell11@artic.edu
Call/Text: (872) 216-5016

Sign up closed
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Voices of Lawndale

Voices of Lawndale

Date(s):
December 1—December 15 
Time:
Sa 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. (12/1 + 12/8), 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (12/15)

In this interactive three part series, students will develop written and visual content for inclusion in Voices of Lawndale, a new publication that will be launched at the conclusion of the workshops. Through hands-on workshops, students will work both individually and as a group to shape the content and form of the final product.

In these workshops, we will focus on honing your writing skills and readying your story for inclusion in a professionally bound, collaborative publication. When all is said and done, you will leave not only with a new understanding of artistry and self-publishing, but your work in print and ebook formats.

Our theme this year is home.

You can begin drafting your work before class starts. Your work should reflect the anthology's theme. What is home to you? Is it a place, a feeling, a community, a group of people?

Voices of Lawndale will be taught by CS instructors Imani Josey (imanijosey.com) and Frances Lightbound (franceslightbound.com).

This workshop is free and open to the public. All supplies and meals/refreshments will be provided.

Interested? Let us know!
School of the Art Institute
of Chicago
SAIC @ Homan Square
906 S. Homan Ave., 10th floor
773-638-2712
homansquare@saic.edu
saic.edu/cs
© 2017 School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  • Apply Now
  • More information

Public Programs at Nichols Tower

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) hosts programs for the North Lawndale community in our 12th-floor classroom at Nichols Tower in Homan Square. Courses, workshops, and events are offered in a variety of formats and for audiences age nine to adult. Select the links below to learn more about current and future opportunities.

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