Lillstreet Art Center is an arts center in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is one of the oldest and most successful multi-faceted art centers[citation needed] in the Chicago area[1] and its facilities include classrooms for arts education, a gallery, an artist residency program, studio spaces, a cafe, and a community outreach program.
The center began as a ceramics studio in a renovated horse barn in Chicago on Lill Street in 1975, Founded by Bruce Robbins, owner of Robbins Clay Co and his partner, potter Martin Cohen,.[2] it started as a ceramics studio known as "Lill Street Studios" with 11 members. After 28 years, "Lillstreet Art Center" relocated to a former gear factory on Ravenswood Avenue in 2003, increasing its space from 17,000 to 40,000sqft (3,700m2).[3] The new facility added metalsmithing & jewelry, painting & drawing, printmaking, textiles, glass, and digital arts & photography -- as well as a small coffee shop.[3] Lillstreet hosts studios for more than 50 artists, serves more than 1000 students, and has a summer day camp for kids 6-16.
In 2012, a 400-square-foot (37m2)green roof was installed at the center. [4] Also on the roof are about 20 beehives, with honey for sale in the gallery. In 2025, Lillstreet is celebrating 50 years in business.[3]
Gallery exhibitions
Exhibitions at the Lillstreet Art Center have included:
Reformat: Digital Fabrication in Clay combined traditional ceramic techniques with digital fabrication such as 3D printing and computer-controlled routers.[5]
Neat: The Art of the Whiskey Vesselwas an exhibit of ceramic bottles, cups, flasks, jugs, and whiskey buckets.[6][7]
100 Acts of Sewing, an exhibit of the fiber artist, Sonya Phillip.[8]
Graphic Noise: Gig Posters from the Chicago Printers Guild, an exhibit of Chicago-based printmakers.[9]
Cairn & Cloud: A Collective Expression of Trauma and Hope was created by Corinne Peterson, and composed of clay and porcelain objects made by workshops members dealing with trauma and grief.[10]
Before I Die…, was an outdoor, chalkboard-based, art exhibit that encouraged passers-by to fill in the open-ended sentence. Originally conceived by artist Candy Chang.[11]
In the Penal Colony was Philip Glass' adaptation of Kafka's short story, staged by the Chicago Fringe Opera. The chamber opera was performed in the painting and drawing studio.[12]
References
↑ Hawkins, Margaret. "Hangs-On Chicago". American Craft Council. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
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