Arts of Life

12/28/2025

🪩 We asked some of our artists how they see Arts of Life in another 25 years…🪩

🪩 As our 25th year ends, we asked some of our artists how they see Arts of Life in another 25 years…🪩... ...

12/26/2025

This Just in: Lewis Sandoboe can play the ABC Channel 7 Chicago News theme.

From paper drawings to piano performances, Lewis’ many artistic talents bring joy and authenticity to our community. Donate today to help support more skilled artists like Lewis. We are about 75% of the way towards our year-end goal!

12/22/2025

2025 HIGHLIGHTS: 🗞️📰🎤 Up next…PRESS! This year we had so much fun being interviewed at our studio by NBC and ABC, visiting WGN and FOX32 studios to talk about our new book, and were honored to have our first solo retrospective exhibit, Community on the Make, reviewed by Newcity and the Chicago Reader to name a few!!

12/19/2025

Arts of Life was founded on a strong foundation - the friendship of our co-founders Ronnie Cuculich and Denny Fisher. Their mutual love and respect set the tone for the hundreds of artists, staff, and volunteers who have joined our community since then. As we approach the end of our 25th celebrations, we wanted to shout out these visionary friends.

If you need a pick-me-up over the holidays, check out Life and Where I’m At - a 45 minute documentary about the remarkable life of Ronnie. (Link in Bio) In this clip, Ronnie receives our Artist of the Year award, a recognition of her unwavering leadership, creativity, persistance, and love that helped shape Arts of Life.

We’re endlessly grateful for Ronnie and Denny, and for everything they’ve made possible.

12/18/2025

2025 HIGHLIGHTS: At the end of the year, we’re celebrating community achievements.

Up Next - An abundance of art activities. Arts of Life artists could be found all over the city and beyond this year. Marvin Young, Susan Pasowicz, and Ambassador Allison Wade were featured at EXPO Chicago. Noel Herrera enjoyed a solo exhibition at AofL Ambassador Brian Jucas’s Patient Info gallery. Isamu Guy Conners, Stefan Harhaj, and Aaron Kleeblatt were featured at Intuit Art Museum’s inaugural exhibition in their renovated space. Plus, our artists’ work was included in exhibitions in Tokyo, Baltimore, Cleveland, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. These external events introduced their work to over 77,000 art enthusiasts!

Not only that! Our artists learned about monotype printing through Spudnik Press Community’s inaugural Mentorship Program. Carol Pyes’ work was featured on a limited-run specialty lager AND she hosted a cyanotype workshop for Intuit Art Museum. Arts of Life Ambassador kg collaborated with Ariée on a fiber workshop at the Design Museum. North Shore artists contributed work to the Free Little Art Gallery in Skokie. Vontrell Nunn created a kite for the Up & Up Kite Show at Promontory Point. Marcus Imani Kennedy completed his first commissioned mural project, which is on display at Facility! And so much more!

12/17/2025

As Katrina Jackson’s Artist Spotlight comes to a close, we stopped by our South Side Studio to learn more about her evolving practice.

We recently sat down with Katrina Jackson, South Side Studio Coordinator, Payton Harris Woodard, and Lewis Sandoboe to talk about Katrina’s interests and artmaking.

watch the full video via the youtube link below

As Katrina Jackson’s Artist Spotlight comes to a close, we stopped by our South Side Studio to learn more about her evolving practice.We recently sat down wi...

12/17/2025

We are determined to continue supporting our artists in 2026. We dream of an expansive future where we can enrich our professional development offerings, sustain our talented staff, and welcome more artists.

As social stigma rises and funding for disability-inclusive arts programs dwindles, your support is more essential this year than ever before. It is not too late to make a difference in an artist’s life. Every dollar donated goes towards safeguarding career opportunities for our artists with disabilities and sustaining our 2026 programs.

Your impact truly matters in the lives of our artists. Whether it be through the materials used to express creativity, the physical spaces where community is nurtured, or the exhibitions that expose our artists’ work to a wide audience of collectors, your tax-deductible charitable contribution helps our artists challenge the contemporary art world to be more inclusive regarding who is, and can be, a successful artist.

Please consider making a donation to Arts of Life today. We are over 57% of the way to our year-end goal of raising $145,000! If you’re one of the 75+ donors who has already committed to our artists this winter, thank you! Big or small, all amounts donated truly make a difference and go directly towards improving career opportunities for our artists.

Want to maximize your tax benefit? Consider donating Stock, Crypto, or DAF through our website!

Want to double your impact? Check out our matching gift webpage to see if your employer is ready to match your generosity to Arts of Life!

ID1 - Marcus Kennedy holds up his at the art in Arts Of Life
ID2 - Sam Filicky at his art desk at Arts Of Life

12/17/2025

At the end of the year, we’re celebrating community achievements.

First up - a memorable season of six exhibitions at Circle Contemporary! Our guest curators play an essential role in forging connections between their networks and our artists. What they said, guest-curated by Bob Faust and Nick Cave of Facility, set a new attendance record as we welcomed over 220 people to our space! In total, the gallery featured works by 54 Arts of Life artists and 62 artists, and attracted over 1,400 art enthusiasts and collectors to our space.

Huge thanks to our 2025 guest curators for helping to make this our most successful season yet: Öykü Kolat, Bob Faust and Nick Cave, Iris Colburn and Gabriel Garza, Marc LeBlanc, and Maggie Crowly and Tim Callahan, along with our jury Charlotte Grüssing, Arthur Peña, and Roger Buttles!

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ID1 - Facility(Bob Faust and Nick Cave)
ID2 - Öykü Kolat getting two cheek kisses
ID3 - Marc LeBlanc with M&Ms
ID4 - Gabriel Garza smelling a flower
ID5 - Iris Colburn with heart on shirt in group photo
ID6 - Maggie Crowly and Tom Callahan talking in a gallery

12/02/2025

We are over 90% towards our Giving Tuesday goal. We are so close!

Give today to support artists with disabilities as they pursue meaningful careers and cultivate community, all while challenging the contemporary art world to be more inclusive! Your charitable donation has the potential to dramatically affect an artist’s life:

Artist Candace Turner knew it was possible to have a career as an artist, but, she explains, “nobody ever got back to it. I would make drawing books and stuff and stack them up…so [a career as an artist] never stood out until I came to Arts of Life.”

Now, with the space and resources provided at Arts of Life, Candace has had the opportunity to experiment with her own standout style. Reflecting on how she feels she has changed since joining, Candace says:

“I’ve been happier, and it’s like I made a family here…It’s fun, and we are professional artists.”

Today is the last chance to double your impact on the career opportunities available to artists like Candace. All $250+ gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 by an anonymous donor through the end of the day today!

Double your impact -> https://www.facebook.com/donate/25315585511410020/1408821391155609/

Image Description:
ID1 - Candace Turner Holding a sign that says “Disabled And Proud” at the Chicago Disability Pride Parade.

12/02/2025

TODAY IS GIVING TUESDAY! Today, we celebrate the incredible impact your donations make on the careers of artists at Arts of Life! With your support, our artists challenge the contemporary art community to be more inclusive and reimagine who is, and can be, an artist—thank you.

TODAY IS THE LAST CHANCE TO DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT with a gift of $250+!

If you have already given, THANK YOU. If not, your donation of any amount will impact the professional opportunities available to the artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community.

Double your impact!!! -> https://www.facebook.com/donate/25315585511410020/1408821391155609/

Image Description:
ID1 - Sam Filicky and Deanna Campbell smiling for a picture together in Arts of Life's Art Studio.

11/30/2025

GIVING TUESDAY IS ONLY TWO DAYS AWAY! Thanks to many generous supporters, we are already more than 25% of the way to reaching our Giving Tuesday fundraising goal! Big or small, any amount you can give will impact the professional opportunities available to the artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community.

Each year, we come together on Giving Tuesday to use generosity as an instrument for catalyzing positive change. Help us continue to build momentum ahead of this celebratory day with a gift today!

Donate here -> https://www.facebook.com/donate/25315585511410020/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Image Description:
ID - Candace Turner holding up two fingers in each hand and smiling in front of her art on a wall during Pressed Together at Spudnik Press Annex Gallery.


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11/29/2025

💥What a great opening! Thank you to all of the people that made it out last Friday night to the opening reception for Hail Mary, curated by Margaret Crowley and Timothy Callahan.

We had a blast! If you were not able to attend, the show will be up until January 9th at Circle Contemporary - West Town. Come on by! Full details via the events link in our bio. 
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