Mobile Makers Chicago

Mobile Makers Chicago Mobile Makers is a nonprofit organization making design accessible to everybody.

Every Saturday for the last 6 weeks, we gathered at the Historic Stone Temple Baptist Church to dream about what a forme...
06/01/2026

Every Saturday for the last 6 weeks, we gathered at the Historic Stone Temple Baptist Church to dream about what a former empty lot could be. ✨ This intergenerational group, representing a range of ages from 7 to 65, came together to re-design the lot across the street from the church, and a shipping container that sits on it, into a beautiful community space. Although the program is over, we’re excited to physically transform the site throughout the summer!

The West Garfield Park Community Plaza & Roller Rink is officially open! 🌞🌸🛼 Back in 2021, we were engaged by Studio Gan...
05/26/2026

The West Garfield Park Community Plaza & Roller Rink is officially open! 🌞🌸🛼 Back in 2021, we were engaged by Studio Gang and The Goldin Institute to facilitate a 6-month program–Youth Design Leadership for Community Safety–that invited local teens to design a sculpture for this former empty lot. We then worked with site design group, ltd., the Chicago Park District, and neighborhood groups to bring the vision of the youth participants to life. It’s amazing to see the beautiful transformation!

📸: Scott Shigley for Site Design Group

Last weekend, we kicked off our SOLD OUT Intergenerational Design-Build Program in North Lawndale! For the next few week...
04/29/2026

Last weekend, we kicked off our SOLD OUT Intergenerational Design-Build Program in North Lawndale! For the next few weeks, 20 people from the age of 7 to 65 will join Mobile Makers and the Historic Stone Temple Baptist Church to help re-design a shipping container and former empty lot. We’re incredibly excited to help guide this collective design process! 🌺

If you missed the application period for this program, but are interested in getting involved in the future, join the waitlist at mobilemakers.org/chicago-programs.

Happy Spring! 🌸 New Program Opportunity!! Mobile Makers is teaming up with the Stone Temple Baptist Church on an interge...
03/24/2026

Happy Spring! 🌸 New Program Opportunity!!

Mobile Makers is teaming up with the Stone Temple Baptist Church on an intergenerational design-build program in North Lawndale. This hands-on workshop series for teens and adults will explore how we can create more generous and equitable public spaces. Join us to help transform a former empty lot and shipping container into a thriving, sustainable garden sanctuary that provides residents with easier access to green space, fresh produce, and the knowledge to nurture the environment!

We are looking for up to 10 teens and 10 adults to join this program! All are welcome to apply, but priority will be given to folks with a connection to the Lawndale Area. Please spread the word! 🌞

Learn more at mobilemakers.org/chicago-programs

We 💜 Embarc Field Trips! We’ve welcomed more than 70 Chicago Public Schools high school students to our space this year ...
03/11/2026

We 💜 Embarc Field Trips! We’ve welcomed more than 70 Chicago Public Schools high school students to our space this year through our partnership with Embarc. We’re having tons of fun brainstorming, prototyping, and dreaming up our own inventions!

02/05/2026

Spring and Summer Program Registration is OPEN! 📣 We’re bringing back some of our most popular programs, and introducing some exciting new workshop topics. Open to all Chicago Area 3rd-12th graders. Check out the options:

Invention and Prototyping💡Explore how product design and digital fabrication can improve lives, and create your own innovative designs.

World Building 🌍 Learn all about what it takes to create like a game or set designer, and imagine, draw, and build your own worlds.

Products, Fashion, Interiors, Culture ✨ Explore the worlds of product design, fashion, interior design, and how they intersect with culture.

City Makers 🏙️ Research, draw, and build a rendition of a Chicago landmark, and create a collective city.

Community Builders 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 Work together to observe, draw, design, and build life-size prototypes that create more generous and equitable urban spaces.

North Lawndale Intergenerational Design-Build Program 🛠️ Co-design and assist with the build-out of a shipping container in North Lawndale. (We will share more about this program application soon).

Learn more and register at mobilemakers.org/chicago-programs!

Happy New Year! ✨ 2025 Year in Review ⤵️2025 was a rollercoaster ride! We’re so grateful for all of you who joined us fo...
01/08/2026

Happy New Year! ✨ 2025 Year in Review ⤵️

2025 was a rollercoaster ride! We’re so grateful for all of you who joined us for a program or event last year. Here are some of our favorite moments:

• Mobile Makers facilitated over 200 hours of youth programming and pop-ups for kids of all ages.

• We brought 3 youth and community-led design projects into the world—at the Youth Art Expo, New Bedford Art Walk, and at the Chicago Sukkah Design Fest.

• We hosted the 2nd iteration of the Design Summit for Friends of Friends (.designsummit) and had meaningful conversations about the power of design to make positive change.

• We participated in in Boston, and celebrated the opening of Future Ours at and throughout the streets of Denmark.

• We were awarded significant grants by the , , , the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and Chi Treasures Initiative.

• We were featured on the .emergency podcast, at the Hall of Fame, and included in some amazing conversations with , , and more.

2026 is off to an exciting start! More ways to create, gather, build, share, and play coming soon…♥️

Winter Program Registration is OPEN!Introducing World Building ✨🌍 Let’s explore the incredible worlds created in games a...
12/30/2025

Winter Program Registration is OPEN!

Introducing World Building ✨🌍 Let’s explore the incredible worlds created in games and movies! How was the set designed and built in Wicked? How did game designers animate the world of Roblox? Join Mobile Makers for this exciting five-session program where we’ll learn all about what it takes to create like a game or set designer, and imagine, draw, and build our own worlds.

➡️ Runs January 29th - February 26th
➡️ After School from 4:30-6:30pm
➡️ Open to Chicago Area 4th-6th Graders

A big thank you to Gensler Chicago for supporting this program! Find more info at mobilemakers.org. Spring and Summer Program announcements coming soon.

12/13/2025

That’s a wrap on 2025 Programs! 💫 We finished out the year with an amazing group of students from Uplift Community High School in Uptown who invented and built prototypes of different design solutions. We saw a new type of boat for the Chicago River, an indoor edible garden that feeds the community, a robot that cleans city streets, and a levitating high-speed CTA train.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a program this year. We’re so grateful that you choose to spend time creating with us. We’ll be getting some rest in the next couple of weeks, but we’re excited to share our program schedule for the new year soon. 💖

Address

1757 N Kimball
Chicago, IL
60647

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm

Telephone

7739002540

Website

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