Art Encounter

08/24/2026

Join our partners at the for their 10th Annual RNDD Fall Gallery Walk! Each participating showroom and gallery will be exhibiting work by some of the art world's most influential artists. Chicago’s top designers will select their favorite art and create inspirational vignettes in each showroom showcasing how art feels in a living setting.

Take a self-guided tour of 18 participating showrooms on Friday, Sept. 11 from 5:00–8:00 pm. The walk is free and open to the public, with bites and cocktails served at each showroom!

Visit rivernorthdesigndistrict.com/rndd-fall-gallery-walk to learn more.

08/20/2026

Our Artist Talk for FLOW last Sunday filled the gallery with art lovers and close lookers who dove deep into the work with Dustin, Molly, and Miguel. Moderator Joanna Pinsky (our founder and Artistic Director) brought out the group’s initial perceptions with thoughtful questions that allowed the audience to share their own views of the work before having the artists share the secrets of their visions and process. They talked about how they balance their public and private practices as muralists and studio artists, and what they were working on with this particular new body of work. FLOW has been extended for one more week, so send us a DM as the gallery is open by appt only. Thanks to all who attended! Dustin Harris MollyZ. Art+Design Miguel Á Del Real Evanston Mural Arts Program

08/09/2026

Now open through next Sunday Aug 16- a special exhibition at Space 900 Gallery in Evanston featuring new work by three artists who have painted in Art Encounter’s mural program: MollyZ. Art+Design, Miguel Á Del Real and Dustin Harris, our mural program’s co-founder. See what happens when mural artists move their energy from the street to the studio! Visit artencounter.org/flow-exhibition for more information, or click the link in bio. Hope yo see you there!

08/06/2026

Opening this weekend! Join us for a special exhibition at Space 900 Gallery in Evanston featuring new work by three artists who have painted in Art Encounter’s mural program: Molly Z., Miguel A. Del Real, and Dustin Harris, our mural program's co-founder. See what happens when mural artists move their energy from the street to the studio!

A portion of proceeds will support Art Encounter and our mural program. Visit artencounter.org/flow-exhibition for more information.

07/08/2026

We are now entering the 10th year of our mural program at Art Encounter, and will be celebrating the milestone with special events and programs throughout the year! To start, join us on Wed 7/29 for a walking tour of new and in-process Downtown Evanston murals. In August, visit a special exhibition from 8/6- 8/16 at Space 900 Gallery featuring three of our talented muralists, including our mural program's co-founder Dustin Harris! There's more on the way... hope you can join in!

https://conta.cc/44lpO0d

Email from Art Encounter Join us for a mural tour and exhibition by mural artists...   Celebrating the ten year anniversary of Art Encounter's mural program! Join us as we kick off a special year of c

06/05/2026

NEW MURAL! It was a great pleasure to work with artist Jeff Zimmermann and the Evanston History Center on this exciting mural, as part of .encounter ‘s . Inspired by an exhibition at the Evanston History Center last year called “It’s All Fun and Games”, this mural celebrates and uplifts the innovations and inventions that have come out of Evanston that relate to children’s play and culture. All of the images in the mural are ones whose makers lived or worked in Evanston, and include: Tinker Toys; Ice Cream Sundae; Games by Marvin Glass, including Talking Teeth/ Light Brite /Simon/ Operation; Spirograph; Ringling Bros Circus-related imagery; Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer; children’s View Master; and Duncan Yo-Yos. Some images are rendered more abstractly, some more literally, making a game out of the whole composition of the mural itself! Check it out in person at Greenwood Street and Sherman Avenue. Stay tuned for website links and date of a reception for the mural this summer!

05/29/2026

We are doing a big mural in the Fulton River District this year, and today is the kick-off! We’re bringing three exceptional Chicago- Jordan Nickel/ POSE, Max Sansing, and Jeff Zimmermann - together to collaborate for the very first time, on two massive walls at the Fulton and Milwaukee UP underpass. Today is a meet & greet with the community from 4-6 pm. With .0 🙏🏼 to and for the opportunity

05/21/2026

After visiting the beautiful exhibition of work by Alma Thomas currently on view at the Smart Museum of Art, 4th graders in our ARTiculations program created these lovely paper mosaics inspired by her work! Collaborating in groups of four, each student worked on their own canvas before combining them into one finished piece.

Our 10 week ARTiculations program reaches hundreds of 3rd–5th graders throughout Chicago every year, and is funded entirely through grants and individual donations. If you'd like to help sustain and grow Art Encounter programs like this one, we hope you'll consider a donation during the last few days of our Spring Fundraiser! Visit artencounter.org/make-a-donation to show your support.

05/18/2026

It's our birthday! 🥳 🎉 Art Encounter was founded in 1978 by three dedicated artists who saw the power and purpose of making art a part of our everyday lives. Over the last 48 years, we've brought transformational art experiences to hundreds of thousands of youth, adults, and seniors across the Chicago area. Here's to this day, to you, and to what's on the horizon as we near our big 50th in 2028!

If you share our belief in the power of visual art, we hope you'll help us celebrate by making a donation to sustain our programming for years to come. Visit artencounter.org/make-a-donation to contribute to our Spring Fundraiser!

Pictured: Art Encounter's founders: Bonnie Hartenstein, Joanna Pinsky, and Ellen Kamerling; and current staff: Dustin Harris, Leslie Luning, Joanna Pinsky, Lea Pinsky, Annie Trincot, Miriam Bahena-Cardona Bisby, Yadi Roysterm and Sarah Packer

05/15/2026

New project in Downtown Evanston! Participants from our evening art program with the Center for Independent Futures just completed their culminating project for the year: an art installation on the storefront windows of CIF’s headquarters! Talented muralist Molly Z led the group in designing and painting their own colorful, abstract patterned forms over the course of four sessions this spring. Come check it out at 1015 Davis Street in Evanston!

This program is sponsored in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the Evanston Arts Council as well as individual donors.