ILA Creative Studio

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ILA Creative Studio

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ILA believes in the power of black creativity and exists to be a supportive entity that inspires and

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day. 🖤

A global reminder to raise awareness, fight stigma, and show up for each other in the ways that matter most.

For us that looks like Hear We Art™. A program built on the belief that art and music create space for the things we carry but rarely say out loud. Where strangers sit in the same room and discover that their joys, their traumas, and their experiences connect them in ways they never expected.

Mental health is something we do not always talk about openly enough in our communities. But we believe that changes when we create the right spaces.

Spaces where our youth can be heard. Where our generation can exhale. Where the next generation learns that healing is not weakness. It is one of the most courageous things we can do.

10/08/2026

Our newsletter has a new look! 🔥

Are you subscribed? Check out what we’ve been up to and what’s on the horizon but staying connected to our e-newsletters.

Link in bio!

10/06/2026

We are excited to announce that we are a member of the inaugural LoganArts cohort! 🎉

Piloted by the Reva and David Logan Foundation, LoganArts provides a grant, professional development, and community to small arts organizations doing bold, innovative work. As inaugural cohort members, we will be helping to develop, test and refine the model based on our needs and our community’s lived experience.

09/30/2026

Let us talk about something we do not talk about enough.

Retirement. As a Black artist.

Building a sustainable creative career means thinking beyond today. Beyond the next commission. Beyond the next grant cycle. It means asking yourself what your life looks like at 60 and taking one small step toward that answer right now.

This Saturday October 3rd Cooperation Racine and Just Futures are hosting a free Roth IRA Investment Teach In at the Southside Flea at 3PM. And we would love to see you there.

Free to attend. Link in bio for details!

09/28/2026

Too often Black artists are navigating this ecosystem alone. Searching for grants in one place. Looking for collaborators in another. Missing opportunities because the information never made it to them in the first place.

BLACC was built to change that. One connection at a time.

Every artist who joins strengthens what we are building together. Ecosystems are built on collective power. And this one was built specifically for you.

Download BLACC: The Good Lookin’ App today. Link in bio!

09/25/2026

Date change alert 👀

We moved our free Roth IRA prep session to next Wednesday September 30th from 12 to 1PM CDT!

Building a sustainable creative career means thinking beyond today. And ILA is committed to making sure Black artists in Chicago have access to the financial education they need to do exactly that.

We are partnering with Cooperation Racine and Just Futures to host an educational clinic on setting up a Roth IRA at their upcoming Southside Flea on October 3rd. But first, come get prepared with us next Wednesday.

This session is especially helpful for artists, freelancers, cultural workers, and community members who want to learn how retirement savings can support their long term financial goals.

During the prep session we will break down what a Roth IRA actually is, walk you through eligibility requirements, answer your questions, and make sure you show up to the October 3rd workshop prepared.

Free to attend. Tell a friend to tell a friend. 🖤

Link in bio to register!

09/23/2026

In a culture consumed with productivity, protecting your inner quiet is an act of reclamation. How are you honoring your peace today?

We are often expected to push through stress or carry heavy emotions with nowhere to put them down. But your inner world deserves room to breathe. Music and visual art give us a language for what words cannot hold. A way to get clear on what we are feeling without having to explain it to anyone. Healing is not about performing strength. It is about making space to feel, release, and come back to yourself.

09/21/2026

Being called to create is a spiritual gift. And the work that comes from that calling is an offering to the world.

But here is what we do not talk about enough. The people chosen to do this work need to be taken care of too. Because when artists are resourced and supported they then have the capacity to pour back into their communities and inspire the next generation of creators.

Hear it from our Founder and CEO, Rachel!

09/18/2026

Interested in bringing Hear We Art™ to your school, organization, or community space?

Hear We Art™ is ILA’s arts and wellness program combining music, visual art, and guided reflection to create meaningful opportunities for creativity, connection, and healing. Participants move through a unique sound to art experience inspired by the legacy of Black musicians and walk away with a personalized visual piece that encourages reflection and dialogue.

We can adapt our programming for schools, community organizations, youth programs, corporate wellness, conferences, public events, senior programs, and more. Also ILA provides trained artist facilitators, art materials, and all program equipment!

Interested in partnering? Reach out to our Program Coordinator Andrea Coleman at [email protected] to learn more!

09/17/2026

Young people decompressing. Expressing. Healing through music and art within their own communities. 🖤

This year we carried that into classrooms across Chicago. And what we witnessed moved us.

Our young people deserve access to healing. Not just the ones in certain neighborhoods. Not just the ones in certain schools. All of them.

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Chicago, IL

Website

http://www.ilacreativestudio.com/

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