Upcoming Workshop: Carving Foam Sculptures with Jyl Bonaguro

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.

Click here to register for this workshop

Upcoming Workshop: Rangoli Workshop with Indira Johnson

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

Indira 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.”

This event is free but a ticket is required to participate
Click here for tickets

Because tickets are limited, if you need to cancel attending after your ticket is reserved, we kindly request that you contact info@chicagosculpture.org immediately so the ticket may be made available for someone else.

For more information please contact: info@chicagosculpture.org 

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!

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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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

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“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

Learn more about Boy & Girls Clubs of Chicago

“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: The Boys and Girls Club at the Lathrop Homes

We set sail on another fun art project workshop; Wooden Ships held at The Boys and Girls Club at the Lathrop Homes.

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

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