Workshops
Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) develops community outreach programming to serve areas around and beyond Project Space with cost-free workshops. We promote art as an educational tool and way to connect communities through inclusivity. In 2022, our outreach programming facilitated workshops with the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, Lathrop Homes (a mixed-Income housing community) and Arts of Life and Tessarae Studios — organizations offering adults and children with disabilities the opportunity to create/showcase artistic creativity. We also have proposed engagements with the Wicker Park Senior Housing CHA Property, and A Special Place for Veterans. In the future, CSI is planning more programming with marginalized communities who would otherwise be without access to public art. Through partnership with the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium (CCAC) we are initiating disability accessible tours ADA Accessible Tours. We are committed to diversity, inclusivity, and equity in our programming.
Air-Dry Sculpture Workshop with Cherylle Booker at Boys & Girls Club of Chicago
On Monday, October 14, 2024, from 2 to 3pm, CSI member Cherylle Booker will lead and faciliate an air-dry sculpture workshop at the Linda and Bill Gantz Boys & Girls Club of Chicago at the Lathrop Homes, 2915 N Leavitt Street in Chicago. The workshop introduces participants to painting and decorating ready-made small air-dry or creating an air-dry sculpture of their own to take home and complete. Please note this is a closed workshop.
Carving Foam Sculptures with Jyl Bonaguro at Tesserae Studios
Above: Student work from Foam Carving Sculptures with Jyl Bonaguro workshop, April 27, 2024
Master the art of sculpting and carving foam in this hands-on workshop led by a professional sculptor.
Saturday, November 2nd, 2024
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM CDT
Free Reservation
Location:
Tessarae Studios
5346 W. Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL 60646
About the event
Let’s Carve Foam – Design, carve, and paint your own sculpture in foam during this 2 hour workshop class under the tutelage of professional stone sculptor, Jyl Bonaguro.
With techniques similar to carving stone but without all the sweat, you will explore the techniques of blocking, detailing, and finishing as you create a stunning masterpiece. No experience is necessary!
Details: Ages 14+. No previous experience is required to participate. Materials are provided.
Workshop is free (donations accepted here) but registration is required to participate.
Click here to register
About Jyl Bonaguro
Jyl Bonaguro is a Chicago-based sculptor and playwright with a professional studio in the Hermosa neighborhood. Jyl creates sculpture works of wings and the human figure in marble, limestone and mixed media for public and private art. Her sculptures have been featured in publications like CS Modern Luxury Interiors, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Newcity Art, and Sheridan Road and are in private art collections throughout the United States.
About Tessarae Studios
Tessarae Studios is a 501c (3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing the lives and livelihoods of individuals with special needs through a neighborhood art studio that provides creative, educational and life-enriching activities and community engagement. Tesserae serves as host to local artist Benjamin J. Durst, who specializes in mosaic art and is on the Autistic Spectrum.
May 2024 Education Art Workshop
Member Michael Gallagher presented a workshop for the after school Educational Art Workshop on May 6th at the Boys and Girls Club of America, located in the Lathrop Homes, 2915 N. Leavitt in Chicago. The event is to prepare the children with a Mother’s Day flower pen project. They created a pen with matching flowers wrapped with colored ribbons to create a colorful and festive present for Mother’s Day.
Photo credits: Set Gozo
Carving Foam Sculptures with Jyl Bonaguro
Above: Student work from Foam Carving Sculptures with Jyl Bonaguro workshop, April 27, 2024a
Master the art of sculpting and carving foam in this hands-on workshop led by a professional sculptor.
Saturday, April 27, 2 to 4pm
Location: CSI Project Space
1912 North Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60647
What you'll learn in this foam carving sculpture class:
Let’s Carve Foam – Design, carve, and paint your own sculpture in foam during this 2 hour workshop class under the tutelage of professional stone sculptor, Jyl Bonaguro.
With techniques similar to carving stone but without all the sweat, you will explore the techniques of blocking, detailing, and finishing as you create a stunning masterpiece. No experience is necessary!
Details: Adults Only Ages 16+. No previous experience is required to participate. Materials are provided. Workshop is free but registration is required to participate.
Jyl Bonaguro is a Chicago-based sculptor and playwright with a professional studio in the Hermosa neighborhood. Jyl creates sculpture works of wings and the human figure in marble, limestone and mixed media for public and private art. Her sculptures have been featured in publications like CS Modern Luxury Interiors, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Newcity Art, and Sheridan Road and are in private art collections throughout the United States.
Rangoli Workshop with Indira Johnson
Photos from the Rangoli courtesy of Darlys Ewoldt, CSI Indoor Exhibitions Co-Chair
Sunday, April 28, 2024, 1 to 3pm
Rangoli is a South Asian folk art tradition, where a woman inaugurates the day by painting a pattern on the threshold of her home. This tradition is embedded in a ritual practice that is centered around the protection and well being of one’s family. Drawing Rangoli patterns, establishes a ritualistic relationship to the ground we walk on, making it sacred. This traditional ritual has its origin in the need to locate the individual within a larger universe. Similar traditions exist in other cultures including Native American and Tibetan.
The making and participation in ritual art is a way of sharing sadhana or grace. We see this in the rituals we design around births, graduations, marriages and deaths. The act of performing those rituals is a way for us to come together to share our joy and sorrow.
Rangoli drawings are made up of symbols, meant to bring beauty and harmony, and counter the negative forces of imbalance with the positive powers of wholeness and vitality. Traditional materials that will be used include rice flour, turmeric powder, earth, and flower petals and leaves
Member Indira Freitis Johnson, has drawn Rangoli Patterns throughout the US. As she explains, “one of the goals of this project is to discover through dialog, art and ritual the commonality of our human experience, and the spiritual potential inherent in all of us.”
December 2023 Education Art Workshop
Boys and Girls Club of America
Merry fun, music, and excitement occurred on December 18 at the Boys and Girls Club of America. Member Jeremy Plotkin Wong shared an amazing educational art workshop that included the use of clay, beads, and pipe cleaners. The kids had a great time making creatures and snowmen!
Altered Book Workshop
Sunday, Septemeber 24th, 2023, 1-3pm
CSI members and the general public were invited to bring in old books so CSI member Laurie LeBreton could share how to turn a book into sculpture and art. The day was full of new ideas, learning and fun as participants made sculptures out of old books. This workshop was free and all were welcome.
CSI Project Space
1912 N. Damen Ave.
(at the corner of Damen & Cortland in the Bucktown neighborhood)
Please check our calendar and newsletters regularly for upcoming workshops.
Coalesce: Knitting & Tufting Workshop
Workshop artist: Yimei(Emair) Zhu
IG: emair_zhu
Sunday October 22nd, 2023, 2 to 5pm
This workshop is open to anyone interested in Knitting & Tufting, no skill base is required and there is no charge. Artists will learn some easier ways to make a small piece of their own in 3 hours.
Attention:
Because materials need to be prepared in advance and to ensure that participants have a wonderful experience, this workshop is only open to those who book in advance and will close this booking link when there are more than 10 people or after October 8th.
Everyone who wishes to join needs to fill out the form, even if you are a parent of a child.
Click here to register for the workshop
CSI PROJECT SPACE
1912 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL
Micki LeMieux, Gallery Director
Gallery hours:
Fri - Sat 2-8pm
Sun 1-6pm
or by appointment
Wearing masks in the gallery is recommended
For more info: projectspace@chicagosculpture.org
Workshop: Turning Cardboard Objects into Sculptures
March 7, 2023
On March 7th, Ei Cullina shared a creative art workshop with the youth through The Boys and Girls Club, located in the Lathrop Homes. We had fun and turned cardboard objects into wonderful sculptures.
“Clay Creatures and Objects”
Workshop with Lathrop Homes Boys and Girls group
Messy, messy clay fun! This is what occurred on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at the Boys and Girls Club of America. CSI Member Julia Paloma shared a colorful educational art workshop with clay, beads and feathers. The kids were thrilled with dirty hands and at what charming clay creatures they created.
“Miniature Parks”
Workshop with Lathrop Homes Boys and Girls group
Summer 2022
MIniature Parks was a virtual workshop led by artist and CSI Vice President of Development and Education, Anthony Heinz May where young artists created miniature parks using simple materials of sawdust, paint, glue, clay, found twigs and paper cut leaves. Each student created their own unique, colorful version of a miniature park while discussing the importance of trees, parks and outdoor environment through various forms of ecopedagogy. Young artists were able to take their completed artworks home with them at the end of the workshop.
"It was great to work with the kids of Lathrop Homes and discuss how their artistic creations contribute to a greener and healthier future. I learned that children are very aware of the importance of nature. Using trees as a focal point for their understanding of how nature and natural cycles work, this workshop helped foster collective solutions for how art can be a tool for change." - Anthony H. May
“Have Your Art And Eat It Too”
Workshop at The Boys and Girls Clubs at the Lathrop Homes
December 6, 2022
Have your Art and Eat it too, was another fantastic art project workshop that was held at The Boys and Girls Clubs at the Lathrop Homes.
Janet Austin shared a fun project that used different fruits and food to create creatures and art. The kids were full of smiles and afterwards could eat their art projects.
“Wooden Ships”
Date of workshop: February 1, 2023
Facilitator: Kara Cobb Johnson
Location: Arts of Life
We set sail on another fun art project workshop; Wooden Ships held at Arts of Life.
On September 22nd, Kara Johnson worked with a new organization for CSI called Arts of Life, where she facilitated a workshop with 5 participants on-site, an additional 3 from their homes via Zoom, and 7 more in Chicago at large (also via Zoom).
Based on a larger work entitled "Wooden Ships" by teaching artist Kara Cobb Johnson, this in-person or online workshop introduced a sculptural assembly technique of painted planes. Students were encouraged to use their own artistic aesthetic to embellish rough altered disc shapes and create new assembled forms viewable from all angles. Student artists had fun discussing both fictional and real narratives that arise from these works with classmates.
The participants responded to the workshop saying, "It is so beautiful!" "Look at the sky above my boat." "I want mine with the three pieces too!" Kara said, "This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain such insight about the work that happens at Arts of Life!" Participants asked, "What are we doing next week?" at the end of the workshop, which leads to a question for CSI members. In contribution to success of CSI's education outreach program:
What ideas do YOU have for a workshop that you would like to lead?
Please reach out to Anthony at anthonyheinzmay@chicagosculpture.org with your ideas.
Thank you to those who have shown interest and keep up the great work!
Sculpture Making at The Boys and Girls Club
It all begins with an idea.
On March 7th, 2023, Ei Cullina shared a creative art workshop with the youth through The Boys and Girls Club, located in the Lathrop Homes. The participants had fun turning cardboard objects into wonderful sculptures.
This workshop and others are part of CSI’s efforts to bring arts education to communities. Art-making helps others to recognize creativity as an important resource and tool which can be used to discover solutions for existing problems and to welcome new opportunities in the future.
For questions and information about ongoing and future CSI workshops, please contact Micki LeMieux, CSI Education Chair at mickilemieux@chicagosculpture.org
