{"article":{"id":1723,"title":"Hyde Park Art Center to Become Nation's First Tuition-Free Art School","excerpt":"","body":"

 

$13.8 million already secured, including generous $1 million+ gifts from Builders Initiative and the Guida Family Foundation, along with other foundation grants and individual donors with concentration from its South Side community. Public campaign phase is now active.

 

Via PR

CHICAGO -- The Board of Directors of Hyde Park Art Center proudly announces that, effective Spring 2022, the renowned non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago’s vibrant South Side will shift to a tuition-free model in its core curriculum education programs, making it the nation’s first contribute-what-you-can visual art school for all ages. This radical move culminates Hyde Park Art Center’s ambitious five-year strategic plan dedicated to ensuring more equitable access to artmaking, education, and community engagement for years to come.

In 2018, the Art Center Board initiated the $16 million ART MAKES capital campaign, the largest in its 82-year history, to secure a tuition-free education model, establish an endowment, and increase funding for general operations and artist investment in coming years. The ART MAKES campaign, co-chaired by Cynthia Heusing, Walter & Shirley Massey, and Richard Wright, has raised $13.8 million to date, thanks in large part to three generous lead gifts: over $2 million provided from Builders Initiative, $1 million from the Chicago-based Guida Family Foundation, and $500,000 from the Chicago-based David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Arts Foundation. The Art Center’s Board of Directors has been critical to the campaign’s success, committing more than 25% of the total funds raised to date. Further support has been received from local and national foundation and corporate grants, in addition to gifts from dozens of donors from around Chicago and the Art Center’s own South Side neighborhood. The remaining funds are now being sought to complete the campaign; for more information on supporting Chicago artists and arts education with a donation of any size, please visit www.hydeparkart.org/art-makes.

“As we found ourselves planning, we heard that people value Hyde Park Art Center’s legacy, our support of Chicago artists, and how the institution contributes to the local community’s identity. Importantly, we heard that our programs are making an impact— teens are developing their voices, artists are tackling bold and ambitious projects, and families are finding a creative home. Our neighbors, artists, students, and volunteers reinforced the unique role the Art Center plays in bridging social networks, sparking civic dialogue, and exemplifying the best of our city. We also heard that we can do more and the Campaign is allowing us to do so,” said Justine Jentes, Hyde Park Art Center board chairman.

Added Kate Lorenz, Hyde Park Art Center executive director, “We know that artists are essential to a flourishing society, and we aim to invest in Chicago’s art community at all levels by removing tuition as a barrier, making our public programs richer and more engaging for everyone, and increasing support for artists. This is truly a pivotal moment in our history.”

 

Increasing access to art for all

Hyde Park Art Center’s Oakman Clinton School & Studios annually serve nearly 2,000 students of all ages and skill levels with nearly 200 courses across the visual arts. Core curriculum classes comprise about two-thirds of all offerings and include staple Art Center programs at all learning levels and across all artistic media, from ceramics, painting and drawing to printmaking and digital photography.  So as to provide students from all backgrounds the means to participate, create, and benefit from the dynamic learning environment and community at the Art Center, with the Spring 2022 registration, all of the Art Center's core curriculum classes will be offered without a set tuition price and all participants will be asked to contribute how they can, at whatever level they are able. This restructuring of the School and Studios will result in Hyde Park Art Center proudly becoming Chicago’s – and the nation’s – first tuition-free visual art school for all ages.

In addition, monies raised through ART MAKES will be dedicated to investing in the Art Center’s ongoing Pathways Programs delivering broader access to visual arts for some 700 K–8 students in in its neighboring communities—Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Washington Park, and Woodlawn – along with supporting more than 150 teen and young adult artists through its arts and professional training both for high school and post-high school (18-25- year-old) youth. Further engaging the community, the Art Center currently hosts a robust series of artist talks, exhibition openings, free artmaking workshops, and other creative events; increased funding for public programs will provide an even greater platform and space for artists, community members, and peer organizations to collaborate and contribute to civic dialogue and social awareness.

 

Increasing investment in artists

Equally critical is a deeper investment in professional artists. Among the current Hyde Park Art Center initiatives that will benefit from increased funding are faculty/teaching artist development for its current 50 faculty members via additional resources and trainings for the development of studio work and pedagogical practice, as well as provide professional opportunities for artists growing their careers, both inside the building and beyond, through valuable mentorship and exhibition programs such as the Center and Bridge offerings.

Further, the Art Center’s Jackman Goldwasser Residency currently provides local artists access to long-term, rent-free studio space, and international artists the opportunity to live and work in Chicago. Building on this, the residency program will expand its international presence by building on exchanges where Chicago artists travel abroad and connect to the global stage while international artists and curators visit Chicago to connect with our local artists. And finally, the Art Center will invest in new work, supporting artists and the creation of ambitious new work to ensure artists, particularly artists of color and women, can mount career-changing exhibitions.

 

About Hyde Park Art Center

Hyde Park Art Center, at 5020 South Cornell Avenue on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, is a hub for contemporary arts in Chicago, serving as a gathering and production space for artists and the broader community to cultivate ideas, impact social change, and connect with new networks. Since its inception in 1939, Hyde Park Art Center has grown from a small collective of quirky artists to establishing a strong legacy of risk-taking and experimentation and emerging as a unique Chicago arts institution with social impact. The Art Center functions as an amplifier for today and tomorrow’s creative voices, providing the space to cultivate and create new work and connections. For more information, please visit www.hydeparkart.org.

 

 

 

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By CGN STAFF


Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center will reopen its Skokie location on November 11, 2026, following a renovation that expands visitor spaces, updates its core Holocaust exhibition and adds a new reflection gallery. The reopening is timed to coincide with Veterans Day. Active military personnel, veterans and their families will receive free admission that day.


The project includes a redesigned Lillian & Larry Goodman Auditorium and Gallery, an enlarged lobby in the Shapiro Family Foundation Welcome Center, and a refreshed Resilience Hall with an expanded stage for presentations and public programs.


Updates to the Zev & Shifra Karkomi Holocaust Exhibition include additional material on the roots of antisemitism, the story of Chicago resident Leo Edelman, and the experiences of other groups targeted by the Nazis. A new reflection gallery, accessible from the exhibition, offers visitors a quiet space during and after their visit.


“Every visitor’s experience now begins differently and runs deeper,” said Kelley Szany, the Museum’s senior vice president of education and exhibitions. “The new welcome center sets the tone from the moment people arrive, the enhanced core Holocaust exhibition brings the history and the voices of survivors into sharper focus, and our new auditorium gives us a place to gather, listen, and talk about what it means for our communities today.”


Existing attractions, including the virtual reality theater, the interactive Survivor Stories Experience holographic theater, the Take A Stand Center and the Voices of Genocide Exhibition, will remain part of the Museum’s offerings.


Following the reopening, Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare will open November 15 in the special exhibition gallery. Created by and on loan from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the exhibition examines the intersections of politics, antisemitism, freedom of speech and national security during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. It will remain on view through March 2027.


The Museum’s satellite location in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, Experience360, will remain open through December 31, 2026. The downtown space opened during the Skokie renovation to provide continued access to the Museum’s immersive exhibitions.


For information and ticket reservations, visit ilholocaustmuseum.org.


Image: Museum exterior. Photo by David Seide/Definedspace.com

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By GINNY VAN ALYEA


SOFA Chicago, the longtime fair devoted to sculpture, objects, functional art and collectible design, will return to the city October 28–31, 2027, as part of Chicago Art Fair at THE MART, which opened its inaugural edition last night.


Founded in Chicago in 1994, SOFA became a popular fixture on the city’s fall arts calendar. For much of its history, collectors and visitors gathered at Navy Pier to discover works in glass, ceramics, wood, metal and fiber, alongside sculpture and design. Its focus on materials and craftsmanship gave the fair a distinct identity and cultivated a devoted audience.


The announcement comes as the inaugural Chicago Art Fair gets underway at THE MART. The new fair opened with a preview on October 7 and continues through October 10, presenting modern and contemporary art. Tim von Gal, CEO and producer of SOFA Chicago and CEO of Intersect Art and Design, was in Chicago this week for the occasion.

Organizers describe the 2027 collaboration as two distinct but complementary presentations under one roof, with SOFA’s focus on three-dimensional art and design alongside Chicago Art Fair’s broader offerings.


“Chicago has always been an extraordinary home for SOFA and a city with a deep appreciation for art, craft, architecture and design,” said von Gal in the announcement. “Joining the Chicago Art Fair at THE MART gives us the opportunity to build upon that legacy while creating an exciting new experience for collectors and exhibitors alike.”

Eric Smith, owner of Chicago Art Fair and CEO of Redwood Art Group, said the addition would broaden the fair’s scope while preserving SOFA’s identity.


“SOFA has a remarkable legacy and a distinct identity, and its return adds an important new dimension to the fair while reinforcing Chicago’s position as a destination for collectors, galleries and art lovers from around the world,” Smith said.


For those who remember SOFA as an annual opportunity to encounter ambitious work in craft and design, the return will be welcome news. The participating galleries and programming, still to be announced, will provide a fuller picture of how that legacy will take shape in its new setting.


SOFA Chicago is produced by Intersect Art and Design, which also organizes annual art and design fairs in Aspen and Palm Springs.


Additional details about exhibitors, partnerships and tickets are expected in the coming months.


Visit chicagoartfair.com for updates.

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The artist Richard Hunt



By CGN Staff


Pigment International has dedicated Black Fine Art Month 2026 to Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt (1935–2023), recognizing his contributions to American art and his lifelong connection to the city.


As part of the month’s programming, the organization will host Pigmented: Chicago to the World — A Black Fine Art Convening on October 23 at the University of Chicago’s Logan Center for the Arts. Partners include the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation, Adler University, CAI Designs, Chicago Public Art Group, Chicago Sculpture Exhibit and Diasporal Rhythms.


Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Hunt developed an internationally recognized practice while continuing to live and work in his hometown. His welded metal sculptures brought together abstract forms, references to the natural world and an enduring interest in freedom and social justice.


Hunt identified attending Emmett Till’s funeral in 1955 as a turning point in his artistic life. Till had lived just two blocks from Hunt’s home. Decades later, Hunt’s public commissions would honor figures including Martin Luther King Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, Jesse Owens and Ida B. Wells, while also addressing the Middle Passage and the Great Migration.

In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Hunt to the National Council on the Arts, where he became its first African American member. In 1971, at age 35, he became the first African American sculptor to receive a retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. His career encompassed more than 150 solo exhibitions and more than 160 public art installations.


Richard Hunt with artist Chris Devins, who recently completed a mural honoring the sculptor in Hyde Park. Photo courtesy of Chris Devins.


Recent projects in Chicago offer new ways to encounter Hunt’s work and history. This fall, the Logan Center opened the Hunt, a café honoring the artist. Created and designed by Little Black Pearl founder and executive director Monica Haslip, the space incorporates two Hunt sculptures, African art, archival materials and photographs by Sandro Miller.

In Hyde Park, artist Chris Devins and historian Michelle Duster have brought a mural of Hunt to 1515–19 E. 54th Street. The portrait is based on photographs Devins took in Hunt’s studio before the sculptor’s death.


“Richard Hunt was a giant in the arts world and people need to see what he looked like and be inspired by his legacy,” Devins said.


Pigment International’s dedication also reflects its own relationship with Hunt. The organization featured him in its magazine in 2020, and he welcomed its Black Fine Art Month programming into his studio in October 2021.


#


Two events take place this month:


Pigment International at SPECTRUM Chicago Art Fair


October 7–10, 2026.

Chicago Merchandise Mart, seventh floor, booth #3091.

Wednesday, October 7, 5–8 pm, with a champagne toast in the booth and an artist meet-and-greet.

Thursday, October 8, 6-8pm with Diasporal Rhythms

Featured artists: Jesse Howard, Howard Simmons, Edo, Candace Hunter, Sura DuPart and Max Sansing.

Additional events are taking place during the fair


Chicago to the World: A Black Fine Art Month Convening

Presented by Pigment International as part of Black Fine Art Month, which the organization has dedicated this year to Richard Hunt.

Friday, October 23, 2026, 11:30 am–5 pm.

Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th Street, Chicago.


Details at pigmentintl.com



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