Artists in Public Schools

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Artists in Public Schools

Chicago Artists Sharing Stories of Chicago Public Schools CPS Lives pairs some of Chicago's top artists with Chicago Public Schools for one academic year.

The collaboration between artists and
schools will provide a unique arts education for students. The stories told through the artists' work will be showcased on this website, exhibited at local public libraries, and celebrated with the Chicago Cultural Center at the end of the academic year. Through this website, the work will be available and archived as a resource to be easily accessed by resear

chers, teachers, administrators, policy makers, students, families and members of the general public. The artwork produced will provide a unique window into the Chicago Public School system, generating support and reinforcing belief in the Chicago Public School mission; "to provide a high-quality public education for every child in every neighborhood".

05/21/2026

Application is open for the 2026–2027 Artists in Public Schools Residency!

This paid residency places professional artists in Chicago Public Schools for 1-2 years to collaborate with students and faculty on meaningful art projects that reflect and uplift school communities.

✅ $1,000 stipend and budget for supplies
✅ Open to all mediums and project ideas
✅ Opportunities for professional learning and to connect with other cohort members, gallerists, and curators through group critiques and artist meet-ups
✅ Work (both Artists in Public Schools and personal work) promoted on our social media channels and have the opportunity to showcase their work done during the residency in various exhibitions, art fairs, publications, and events.
✅ CPS background check required

🗓️ Deadline: June 15, 2026 at 9AM CST

🌐 Apply now via the link in bio!

Artists in Public Schools seeks diverse voices and encourages artists from historically underrepresented and under-resourced backgrounds to apply. Artists in Public Schools also welcomes alumni of CPS and CPS Parents to apply as well.

05/18/2026

Thank you for featuring the 'CPS All-City Visual Arts Exhibition'! On view now at , this exhibition showcases student achievement in visual arts from pre-K through 12th grade, and includes work by our artist residents during the 2025-26 school year. Come celebrate all that our students and our artist residents have achieved this academic year, and don't miss your opportunity to meet our Artist Residents in person at the closing reception on May 28th!

05/04/2026

Thank you for sharing your platform with us! Check out this article by Natalie Jenkins to learn more about our participation in and the role of art fairs overall.

04/17/2026

We are back at for our Class of 2026 exhibition! Stop by the museum from April 16th till May 28th to see the works of 7 of our artists in residence and their collaborations with their schools this year.

Come celebrate the end of a another great school year at the closing reception May 28th from 5:30-7:30pm.

Afterwards walk over to the Art on the Mart 8:30pm presentation of All City Visual Arts showcase, led by current AiPS artist in residence Sage Lin, !

More to come, see you soon!

04/16/2026

Artist resident .corner has been working with a group of juniors and seniors at to create still life portraiture of personal artifacts. This work examines the intricacies of what makes us individuals in the context of community and family. Students learned about lighting, color, framing, and meaning. These photos were then used as a reference for their still life paintings which will be featured in this show, titled “Traces of Us.”

Opening Night: Friday, April 17, 5-8p
Gallery Hours + Closing: April 18, 1-5p

Big thank you to PACH, , and .air.club for helping make this show possible, and for the gorgeous flier!

And HUGE shout out to the resident artist .simmons for going the extra mile to make sure their students get to experience the feeling of having their work displayed and appreciated.

04/15/2026

Looking for more art? Stop by the Lobby 2 entrance by the Sable Hotel and see the work made by artists in residence Deirdre Colgan Jones in collaboration with Pierce Elementary, Jessi Shapiro with Franklin Fine Arts Center, Tulika Ladsariya with Decatur Classical Elementary School, Juan Baños’s with Lincoln Park High School, and Seonyoung Lee with West Park Steam Academy. Make sure to see this installation before it comes down at the end of April!

04/10/2026

Sunday April 12 | 11:30am | ARTISTS IN THE CLASSROOM
Join us as we discuss the role of arts education in connecting young people with contemporary artists and creative spaces. Drawing on experiences in classrooms, mentorship programs, and cultural initiatives across Chicago, panelists will discuss the unique opportunities these collaborations create for students to build confidence, and better understand the realities of being an artist. The discussion will reflect on the role of practicing artists in educational spaces, bringing new perspectives, materials, and ways of thinking into the classroom. Together, these approaches point to the broader impact of investing in youth creativity as a vital part of a thriving cultural ecosystem. Presented in partnership with Artists in Public Schools and the Obama Presidential Center.

Panelists | Norman Teague (Artist/Designer), Mariam Thiam (Curator of Public Programs, Obama Presidential Center), Dorian Sylvain (Commissioned Artist, Obama Presidential Center). Moderated by Suzette Bross (Founder and Executive Director, Artists in Public Schools).

04/06/2026

Kicking off 2026! Make sure to stop by booth 409 at
to see original work by resident artists and We have a big week of programming coming up, including a booth talk with our artists as well as a panel discussion we are cohosting with the
moderated by our Executive Director with panelists artist , curator of public programs for the Obama Presidential Center, Mariam Thiam, and artist . Also, while you are at the fair, you can stop by the Lobby 2 entrance near the hotel to see more work by our artists as well as the CPS students who inspire them.

Stay tuned for more, and see you there!

04/03/2026

We came, we laughed, and MANY of us won! Cheers to everyone who came out for Bingo night, we are only as strong as the community who supports us, so thank YOU! We loved sharing what our organization does, learning about the experiences of our resident artists, and laughing with new friends as well as continued supporters. BIG shout out to for her generous donation of an original artwork to our raffle, An opportunity to leave with an original artwork made the evening so special! Big thank you to our bingo hosts and residency alumni , and of course our founder and Bingo aficionado !

12/19/2025

School is out for winter break!
Whether you follow the Chicago Public School calendar or not, we can all agree the winter break energy is in the air! We hope this season brings you moments of warmth, reflection, and as always time for creativity!

Our Resident Artists work in many different capacities within Chicago Public Schools. Artist Tonal Simmons, whose students are pictured here, leads hands on projects in the classroom while other artists incorporate student stories into larger bodies of independent work.

For more information, check out the artist page on our website!
https://artistsinpublicschools.org/donate

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Chicago, IL

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https://artistsinpublicschools.org/

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