Beats, Boards & Brushes

Beats, Boards & Brushes Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Beats, Boards & Brushes, Nonprofit Organization, Chicago, IL.

Beats, Boards & Brushes (B³) is a nonprofit that uses art, music, and narrative-based games to uplift youth and families through creativity, education, and community connection.

For most of Gen Con , I was running around taking video ... my phone in one hand, a small camera in the other, trying to...
08/04/2026

For most of Gen Con , I was running around taking video ... my phone in one hand, a small camera in the other, trying to capture the noise, movement, games, and energy of the weekend.

But on the final day, I wanted to slow down.

I wanted to make portraits of the people who made this year’s Gen Con extremely special. TRIBE that are shaping what B3 is and what it could become!

Best part of Gen Con has never just been the games. It is finding your fu*king TRIBE.

Thank you to everyone who stopped, posed, and laughed!

Gen Con 2026, through the faces that made it unforgettable. I cannot thank Gen Con enough!

Thank you to all who made this possible, and if i missed you ... Hit me up and I will add: Nomadik Games Mew 🇰🇭 ZazuX2 Games Dani Kennedy travel_the_board PotterPlays Guy Madeline Streicher • Brand Strategy & Design Grant’s Game Recs Stella Jahja

07/23/2026

We are taking more than a game to Gen Con.

We are bringing a conversation about who gets access to creativity, who gets invited into tabletop gaming, and what becomes possible when communities are given the tools to tell their own stories.

Join me at Gen Con for:

Designing for Belonging: Bringing Tabletop Games to Under-Resourced Communities

Using Battle of Co**ha Corner as a case study, I will share what we have learned from bringing tabletop gaming into community spaces, building with limited resources, and designing experiences rooted in culture, dignity, and belonging.

Friday, July 31
12:00–1:00 PM EDT
JW Marriott, White River Ballroom B

The workshop is free for participants, but space is limited.

Watch our Road to Gen Con story, then reserve your seat.

Thank you to everyone who made this happen:
Moor’s Brewing Co.
jamhalj (thanks for the cameo too!)
Social Change
Fempreneur Poder
Magnolia Screen Printing (for the gear I’ll be rocking)
Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti & Michael Ognisanti
Jeff Herbert Realtor | LincolnParkCondos.com
𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖒 𝕲𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝕮𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖌𝖔
Agave Road Trip and SACRED!
Marcus J. Bradshaw Foundation
Imagine Englewood if....
Da Book Joint
Of course Gen Con

Lastly … Love to LeMar from the Gen Con family for believing in every crazy idea B3 has about brown and black communities having access and the jobs associated with the Hobby. You will be missed terribly.

**haCorner TabletopGaming

07/09/2026

OUR COMMUNITIES FAVORITE PRINT SHOP.

There are companies that ask … “How many shirts do you need?”

And then there are companies that ask … “Who are we making them for?”

That’s Magnolia Screen Printing

Community first.
Ink second.

I’m beyond excited to welcome Magnolia Print Shop as an official sponsor of Battle of Co**ha Corner and our Road to Gen Con.

Over the next few weeks we’re cooking up some ridiculousness together…

Official B3 hoodies.
New merch.
Behind-the-scenes films.
…and probably a few ideas that don’t exist yet.

Because that’s what happens when two groups stop asking for permission and start making cool s**t for their community.

Coffee Cups & Characters is brewing.On Sunday, July 12, we’re teaming up with the incredible folks at Chicago Art Studio...
07/03/2026

Coffee Cups & Characters is brewing.

On Sunday, July 12, we’re teaming up with the incredible folks at Chicago Art Studio | Travel Art Workshops for an early afternoon of caffeine, creativity, and character painting.

Bring your favorite cup of coffee. We’ll provide the miniatures, paints, brushes, and guidance.
You bring the curiosity.

Never painted a miniature before? Perfect.

Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or rolling your very first initiative check, this space is for you.

For just a $10 suggested donation, everyone leaves with a painted miniature and hopefully a few new connections along the way.

Brent Art Studio
4200 W Diversey Ave.
Sunday, July 12
12PM

Registration:
donorbox.org/b3xbrentart

Tag your favorite coffee nerd, art nerd, or game nerd and come make something together.

A TIME WAS HAD!What happens when you mix good people, good music, good conversation, miniature painting, and a room full...
06/29/2026

A TIME WAS HAD!

What happens when you mix good people, good music, good conversation, miniature painting, and a room full of creativity? You get nights like this.

Huge love to everyone who came through to the very first Da Paint Joint collaboration between Da Book Joint and Beats, Boards & Brushes. From first-time painters to folks showing off their brush skills, every table had its own energy and story unfolding in real time.

Special shoutout to everyone who came out and kept that Moor’s Brewing Co. Down With Da King momentum rolling after the Emancipation Ball. Seeing people connect, laugh, create, and leave with a miniature they were proud of is exactly why we do this.

This was the first of many.

Thank you to our new family at Da Book Joint for opening their doors and helping create something special on the South Side.

Who’s ready for the next one?

Yup … we’re painting miniatures.Yup … you’ll learn new techniques.But more than anything, we’re creating a room where st...
06/26/2026

Yup … we’re painting miniatures.
Yup … you’ll learn new techniques.

But more than anything, we’re creating a room where strangers become collaborators and share tricks from their creative bag!

Whether you’ve a seasoned mini master or new to the craft, there’s a seat at one of the dopest board game stores!

Wednesday, July 1 / 6:00 PM / 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖒 𝕲𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝕮𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖌𝖔

BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage … Not Baby. Don’t bring baby)

Miniatures provided
Paint Provided
Brushes provided
Donation suggested / $15 donation.

Every donation also helps us put brushes, paints, and miniatures into the hands of young people on Chicago’s South and West Sides through future Beats, Boards & Brushes workshops.

Come paint. Come meet some good people. Come help us build more creative spaces.

Reserve your spot: (Link in Bio)

THE NEXT MOVE HAS BEEN MADEThe love B3 received at the Moor’s Brewing Co. Emancipation Ball was unreal… but we didn’t bu...
06/23/2026

THE NEXT MOVE HAS BEEN MADE

The love B3 received at the Moor’s Brewing Co. Emancipation Ball was unreal… but we didn’t build this movement to stay in one room for one night.

Down With Da King was always bigger than a chess piece. It was rethinking who gets invited to play, and creating spaces where our stories, creativity, and community take center stage.

So now… we PAINT.

Beats, Boards & Brushes is teaming up with our new family at Da Book Joint for the first of many collaborations:

DA PAINT JOINT: A BYOB miniature painting mixer where imagination meets conversation.

No experience needed. No gatekeeping. Just pull up.

We got you covered:
* Miniatures provided
* Paint provided
* Brushes provided
* B3 signature cocktail for the night (trust us… it matches the vibe)
* And don’t be afraid to buy some books!

Bring your drink, bring your people, bring your creativity.

Suggested donation: $10

Every dollar helps us continue bringing free creative workshops, meals, supplies, and access to communities across Chicago.

To everyone who showed us love at the Emancipation Ball … we continue here!

Da Book Joint
6900 S Stony Island Ave
Sunday, June 28th | 6PM
Space is limited — RSVP link in bio
(https://donorbox.org/b3xdabookjoint)

We knew the night would be special… but we weren’t ready for this.Completely overwhelmed by the love, conversations, and...
06/22/2026

We knew the night would be special… but we weren’t ready for this.

Completely overwhelmed by the love, conversations, and support Beats, Boards & Brushes received at Moor’s Brewing Co. & Care Moor Foundation for Civic Engagement Emancipation Ball.

Finally had some time to clean the pictures and process the night. Can’t thank Guy enough for helping me hold down our booth and take amazing pictures!

We connected with so many good people doing dope sh*t. We look forward to more creative projects that reflect our community and amplify the narrative!

More workshops, more impact and prep for gencon

**t

DOWN WITH DA KING was never just about a chess piece.For generations, games and stories have told us who the heroes are....
06/18/2026

DOWN WITH DA KING was never just about a chess piece.

For generations, games and stories have told us who the heroes are. Who gets kingdoms. Who gets adventures. Who gets remembered.

But every community shouldn’t be included.

Created for the Moor’s Brewing Co. Moors & Care Moor Foundation for Civic Engagement Foundation Emancipation Ball, this limited artifact celebrates culture, creativity, and the power of building our own worlds.

Because our stories matter and everyone deserves a seat at the table.

Creativity is not a luxury.
It is essential.

06/15/2026

CHICAGO… Find Da King for TWO FREE TICKETS to the Moor’s Brewing Co. Emancipation Ball

(Okay… technically we hid him)

Welcome to the first B3 Artifacts & Relics Hunt.

We believe games don’t have to stay on a board.

Stories can live in our neighborhoods.Characters can walk through our city. Creativity can turn any corner into an adventure.

So somewhere on the South Side of Chicago … The “Down With Da King” Artifact is waiting to be found.

Find him and unlock: TWO TICKETS to the Moor’s Brewing Co. Emancipation Ball | June 18th

RULES ARE SIMPLE:
Follow Hip-Hop | Mini Painting | Games + Moor’s Brewing Co.
Watch for the clue drop this TUESDAY
Find Da King
Tap the artifact with your phone
Take a picture with him
(the crazier, funnier, more creative…the better)

Send it to us and claim your tickets

And yes…

North Side Nerd Fam … you may have to cross Roosevelt.

We promise you’ll be okay. Come explore the neighborhoods, creativity, and culture that inspire everything we build.

Our first game, The Battle of Co**ha Corner, is coming soon…

but the world of B3 starts now.

Huge love to Bruv, CUJO, for helping us launch this madness. Shout out to Elephant Room Gallery for letting us record this drop!

“I like Moors. I like B3. That’s real.”

Now go find Da King.

creatives

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Chicago, IL

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