Arts & Entertainment
SkyART Is Expanding South Side Studio, Celebrating 25 Years of Free Youth Arts Programming
The nonprofit arts organization SkyART, which provides free arts programming to young people on Chicago’s South and West sides, plans to expand its South Side studio space in South Chicago after receiving a $2.5 million state grant. (Courtesy of Ry Thiel)
The nonprofit SkyART, which provides free arts programming to young people on Chicago’s South and West sides, aims to reduce the waitlist for its programs through a recently announced expansion of its South Side studio space.
A $2.5 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity covers infrastructure costs for SkyART to add an additional 2,000 square feet of studio and art therapy space at its flagship location in South Chicago, according to a news release.
The planned expansion comes as SkyART gears up to host a free community block party on Saturday from noon-5 p.m. in celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary. The celebration will be held at SkyART West, 3450 W. Lake St., the organization’s West Side location that opened last year in Garfield Park.
Free tickets are available here.
Ahead of the upcoming celebration and planned expansion, Executive Director Devon VanHouten-Maldonado reflected on the organization's programming and its role in supporting young people on the South and West sides amid ongoing funding and fundraising difficulties for arts organizations in the city.
Ensuring Access to Arts Programming for Youth
The organization’s programming, beyond teaching technical art skills, aims to teach young people how to think like an artist, according to VanHouten-Maldonado. These skills — being able to experiment, adapt and try new things — can help build self-esteem and help young people become creative leaders in the future, he said.
“Where we choose to invest in young people is ultimately what’s gonna become our reality,” VanHouten-Maldonado said. “If we’re not preserving, maintaining and building young people’s creativity, their social emotional learning, their emotional intelligence, they’re gonna lose those things, and we already see those things being dramatically threatened by social media, and now, AI.”
SkyART provides free art programs and creative therapies for young people ages 7 to 24.
Programs offered include an after-school social emotional learning program for ages 7 to 13; an open studio program for teens; and an art therapy program. The organization also partners with schools and community organizations.
“SkyART is so special because it’s a welcoming space that provides art classes to youth while also teaching the next generation of artists—welcoming them to teach classes and take on leadership positions,” Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Yvette Mayorga said in a statement. “It’s a place for both the teaching artists and the next generation of artists.”
SkyART is hosting a free community block party on Saturday, Sept. 12, in celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary. The celebration will be held at SkyART West, 3450 W. Lake St. (Courtesy of Ry Thiel)
The organization also provides creative therapy and restorative arts programs within the juvenile justice system in the state, including at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice Youth Centers in Chicago and Warrenville.
Last year, the organization served more than 1,000 young people, according to an annual report.
Trying to Meet Demand as Arts Organizations Face Funding Uncertainties
Through the expansion of its South Side studio space located at 3026 E. 91st St. — which currently sees high demand for its programs — the organization aims to serve even more young people. In the spring, the organization had a waitlist of 80 people for its programs, VanHouten-Maldonado said.
But SkyART’s recently announced grant comes amid a difficult few years of funding and fundraising for arts organizations, which has led to some legacy institutions in the city to shut down, VanHouten-Maldonado noted.
Last year, federal funding for arts and humanities organizations in Illinois was cut by nearly half, or about $10 million, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. President Donald Trump proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest funders for arts and culture.
Along with losing a federal grant and a separate state grant, VanHouten-Maldonado has also seen a shift in funding priorities among not only the government, but also private funders and foundations.
“Funders are maybe turning away from arts or arts education or mental health and turning towards democracy, journalism, things like that, and that’s all great, all of that stuff needs to be funded, but the nonprofit funding landscape is very tenuous,” VanHouten-Maldonado said.
“I think to be a resilient organization, you have to really be able to plan ahead and you constantly have to be grinding, finding new funders, applying for grants,” VanHouten-Maldonado continued. “You’re sort of always operating at a deficit, and that’s the nature of the nonprofit industry that we’ve created in the U.S.”
SkyART, with locations on the South and West sides, provides free art programs and creative therapies for young people ages 7 to 24. Last year, the organization served more than 1,000 young people, according to an annual report. (Courtesy of Ry Thiel)
VanHouten-Maldonado emphasized the role nonprofits often have as a social safety net for many communities, including on the South and West sides.
Looking Ahead
SkyART’s studio expansion on the South Side is expected to open in 2028.
“I always caveat that these expansion projects take much longer than you think they do,” VanHouten-Maldonado said, noting the time it can take for permitting and zoning, and that the West Side expansion ended up taking two years longer than they originally thought.
The upcoming 25th anniversary block party on Saturday will have live music, hands-on art activities and food. Performers include Teefa, DJ Lady D, DJ Lil' John, Ric Wilson, Zion Ali and the Grady Experience. View the full music lineup here. Lawmakers are also expected to be in attendance.
More event information and how to volunteer can be found on SkyART’s website.
With the organization’s 25th anniversary, VanHouten-Maldonado said he is reflecting on the past but also looking at the future to ensure SkyART is a sustainable and growing organization.
“Everyone looks at Chicago as a model for what’s effective, what’s happening and what’s innovative in philanthropy, and I want SkyART to be that model nationally for arts organizations,” VanHouten-Maldonado said.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
WTTW News arts coverage is supported by the JCS Arts, Health & Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation.
