Project Onward

This is my favorite place in the city. You won’t find better art anywhere, nor will you find kinder people.

Feel the creativity, feel the love! This place is doing great work helping great people make great art! Start a collection now!

Located on the first floor of the Chicago Cultural Center (free admission). This place is so cool — it’s a studio/​gallery for artists with developmental/​mental disabilities. You can purchase things ranging from notecards to having your own portrait done by one of the resident artists. It’s neat to catch a glimpse of the artists’ workspaces, too.

I ended up at the Cultural Center today and stumbled upon the Project Onward studio + gallery on my way out. WOW, what an amazing place! The artwork is unique to each artist — many focus on a certain theme or style. I was admiring an awesome Jimi Hendrix piece on the wall (sadly, far out of my price range) when the artist greeted me and told me more about his work and how he got started. His focus is memorial portraits, which he began 7 years ago after experiencing a loss of a family member who was close to him. I felt touched that he shared his story and passion with me.
There is definitely something in everyone’s price range — many $ 10, $ 20, and $ 35 pieces (many on corrugated cardboard — interesting!). Others were in the hundreds, like the Hendrix piece I was admiring. I ended up going back and picking up a $ 20 Chicago-​themed piece for my new apartment. 70% of sales go back to the artist.
As another reviewer said, you also see some artists at work. Their stations are seemingly as unique as the artwork. The artist who uses glitter… wow! Loved that station!
I spoke with one of the managers on my return trip today, and he said they have around 40 artists. I’m looking forward to telling some of my students about Project Onward as well. Overall a very positive place focused on community and art appreciation.

Project Onward is one of the gems in Chicago’s cultural crown. Next time you’re near Millennium Park, stop in to the Cultural Center to see the gallery and studio. Whether you’ve been before or not, you’ll wonder how you stayed away for so long.