Lillstreet Art Center
 Lillstreet's 2013 Summer Class Catalogue Cover | |
 | |
Former name | Lill Street Studios |
|---|---|
| Established | 1975 |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Type | Art Center |
| Director | Bruce Robbins |
| Public transit access | Montrose and Ravenswood stop, Chicago Transit Authority |
| Website | www |
Lillstreet Art Center is an arts center in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is one of the oldest and most successful multi-faceted art centers[citation needed] in the Chicago area[1] and its facilities include classrooms for arts education, a gallery, an artist residency program, studio spaces, a cafe, and a community outreach program.
History
[edit]The center began as a ceramics studio in a renovated horse barn in Chicago on Lill Street in 1975, Founded by Bruce Robbins, owner of Robbins Clay Co and his partner, potter Martin Cohen,.[2] it started as a ceramics studio known as "Lill Street Studios" with 11 members. After 28 years, "Lillstreet Art Center" relocated to a former gear factory on Ravenswood Avenue in 2003, increasing its space from 17,000 to 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2).[3] The new facility added metalsmithing & jewelry, painting & drawing, printmaking, textiles, glass, and digital arts & photography -- as well as a small coffee shop.[3] Lillstreet hosts studios for more than 50 artists, serves more than 1000 students, and has a summer day camp for kids 6-16.
In 2012, a 400-square-foot (37 m2) green roof was installed at the center. [4] Also on the roof are about 20 beehives, with honey for sale in the gallery. In 2025, Lillstreet is celebrating 50 years in business.[3]
Gallery exhibitions
[edit]Exhibitions at the Lillstreet Art Center have included:
- Reformat: Digital Fabrication in Clay combined traditional ceramic techniques with digital fabrication such as 3D printing and computer-controlled routers.[5]
- Neat: The Art of the Whiskey Vesselwas an exhibit of ceramic bottles, cups, flasks, jugs, and whiskey buckets.[6][7]
- 100 Acts of Sewing, an exhibit of the fiber artist, Sonya Phillip.[8]
- Graphic Noise: Gig Posters from the Chicago Printers Guild, an exhibit of Chicago-based printmakers.[9]
- Cairn & Cloud: A Collective Expression of Trauma and Hope was created by Corinne Peterson, and composed of clay and porcelain objects made by workshops members dealing with trauma and grief.[10]
- Before I Die…, was an outdoor, chalkboard-based, art exhibit that encouraged passers-by to fill in the open-ended sentence. Originally conceived by artist Candy Chang.[11]
- In the Penal Colony was Philip Glass' adaptation of Kafka's short story, staged by the Chicago Fringe Opera. The chamber opera was performed in the painting and drawing studio.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Hawkins, Margaret. "Hangs-On Chicago". American Craft Council. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Whitney Stoepel (March 20, 2010). "Empty Bowls At Lillstreet Art Center: A Tour". Gapersblock.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ a b c Frank EnYart (November 2, 2015). "Lillstreet Art Center celebrates 40 years". Columbiachronicle.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ "Greenroofs.com Projects - Lillstreet Art Center Green Roof Project". Greenroofs.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ "Chicago art exhibit features School of Visual Arts' Lauerman". News.psu.edu. June 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ Thiel, Julia. "Whiskey, art, and art that holds whiskey at Lillstreet Art Center". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Cavanaugh, Amy. "Neat: The Art Of The Whiskey Vessel Opens Friday". The Chicagoist. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Pierson - Cox, Haley. "Crafty Events: 100 Acts of Sewing at the Lillstreet Gallery in Chicago". MAKE Magazine.
- ^ Cristiana Troli (December 2014). "A talk with Tracey Morrison". Artreachchicago.org. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ S. Nicole Lane (December 11, 2015). "An Interview with Corinne Peterson: Healing the Split". Gapersblock.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ Patty Wetli (May 3, 2012). "Before I Die…, the Ultimate To-Do List". Centersquarejournal.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ John von Rhein (May 16, 2016). "Chicago Fringe Opera plunges into 'Penal Colony,' Kafka's dystopian nightmare". Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
