Lillstreet Art Center is an
arts center
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues fo ...
in
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, United States. It is one of the oldest and most successful multi-faceted art centers in the Chicago area
and its facilities include classrooms for arts education, a gallery, an artist residency program, studio spaces, a cafe, and a community outreach program.
History
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,.
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 .
The new facility added metalsmithing & jewelry, painting & drawing, printmaking, textiles, glass, and digital arts & photography -- as well as a small coffee shop.
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
green roof
A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...
was installed at the center. Also on the roof are about 20 beehives, with honey for sale in the gallery. In 2025, Lillstreet is celebrating 50 years in business.
Gallery exhibitions
Exhibitions at the Lillstreet Art Center have included:
* ''Reformat: Digital Fabrication in Clay'' combined traditional ceramic techniques with digital fabrication such as
3D printing
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...
and computer-controlled routers.
* ''Neat: The Art of the Whiskey Vessel''was an exhibit of ceramic bottles, cups, flasks, jugs, and whiskey buckets.
* ''100 Acts of Sewing'', an exhibit of the fiber artist, Sonya Phillip.
* ''Graphic Noise: Gig Posters from the Chicago Printers Guild'', an exhibit of Chicago-based printmakers.
* ''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.
* ''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.
* ''
In the Penal Colony'' was
Philip Glass
Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
' adaptation of
Kafka's short story, staged by the Chicago Fringe Opera. The chamber opera was performed in the painting and drawing studio.
References
External links
*
{{coord, 41, 57, 42.4, N, 87, 40, 24.8, W, region:US-IL_type:landmark, display=title
1975 establishments in Illinois
Art museums and galleries in Chicago
Arts centers in Illinois