Arts + Public Life (APL) Unveils The Arts Lawn: A New Community Arts Green Space
Chicago, IL - September 7, 2023 - The University of Chicago’s Arts + Public Life (APL), an initiative of UChicago Arts, is thrilled to announce the official grand opening of the highly anticipated Arts Lawn. APL’s first outdoor venue will be a dynamic green space offering arts programs and activations for area residents. Community members are invited to experience the Arts Lawn during the grand opening festivities on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. CT.
The Arts Lawn is set to become a vibrant hub in Washington Park, fostering cultural enrichment, connection, and economic vibrancy on the Arts Block located on Garfield Boulevard between Prairie and King Drive, a historic corridor in the Washington Park neighborhood. The Arts Lawn will provide equitable access to a multitude of outdoor arts programs, including film screenings, live theater and performances, outdoor music experiences, wellness, youth education initiatives, and arts marketplaces.
The Arts Lawn includes performance space, outdoor seating, and a great lawn, along with a pavilion and planter seating created in close collaboration with youth from APL’s Design Apprenticeship Program (DAP). The Arts Lawn will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., April 1 - October 3, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., November 1 - March 31.
“The Arts Lawn is a testament to our commitment to supporting the cultural fabric of Washington Park,” stated Adrienne Brown, Arts + Public Life Director. “We are excited to open this multi-use green space, offering a platform for many forms of artistic expression and engagement. We hope the Arts Lawn will serve as an economic catalyst in the neighborhood while fostering a sense of unity and creativity among its visitors.”
The inaugural ceremony on October 7 will feature leaders of the University of Chicago and the City of Chicago, as well as performances by Kuumba Lynx and the King High School Marching Band. In addition, there will be family-friendly activities and a photo booth. The event will conclude with the world premiere of a short film by D-Composed, projected on the exterior screen wall of the adjacent Green Line Performing Arts Center.
Throughout the day, guests will be invited to #SupportingSouthSideArtists at Vends + Vibes, a beloved annual arts marketplace showcasing the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of local South Side vendors. More than 20 entrepreneurs with curated products, including handmade goods and art, will be present. In addition to Vends + Vibes, visitors can shop at the L1 Retail Store (319 E. Garfield Boulevard) and purchase products created by APL’s current L1 Creative Business Accelerator fellows Samantha Jo of Samantha Jo’s Balm Yard, Jamica Harper of Red Elephant Candle Co. and Keyon Huggins of Hyde & Park Co as well as our Legacy Fellow Peter Gaona of Reformed School.
This eagerly anticipated addition marks the fourth space to be managed by Arts + Public Life, further enhancing the dynamic Arts Block. The Arts Incubator (2013), Green Line Performing Arts Center (2018), and the L1 Retail Store (2021) share the block with privately owned dining and event spaces, including the Retreat at Currency Exchange Café and Miyagi Records. For more information about programming events and activities hosted at the Arts Lawn, please visit our website at artsandpubliclife.org.
Media Contacts:
Alyssa Gregory, Communications Manager, Arts + Public Life, gregorya@uchicago.edu
Liu Yang, Associate Director of Communications, Arts + Public Life, llyang@uchicago.edu
Arts + Public Life Mailing Address
301 E Garfield Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60637
Email: artsandpubliclife@uchicago.edu
Web: https://artsandpubliclife.org
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @artspubliclife
Arts + Public Life
Arts + Public Life (APL), an initiative of UChicago Arts, is a dynamic hub of exploration, expression, and exchange that centers people of color and fosters neighborhood vibrancy through the arts on the South Side of Chicago. As a neighborhood platform for arts and culture in Washington Park, APL provides residencies for Black and Brown artists and creative entrepreneurs, arts education for youth, and artist-led programming and exhibitions. The L1 commerce-focused addition to the Arts Block builds on APL’s commitment to creative entrepreneurship and is an extension of the arts and culture redevelopment efforts of UChicago Arts.
The Arts Block
The new Arts Lawn is part of the Arts Block, a vibrant collection of cultural and commercial spaces on historic Garfield Boulevard in the Washington Park neighborhood. The Arts Block combines University of Chicago-led initiatives, programming produced by cultural organizations, and both philanthropic and private investments. The Arts Block includes the Arts Incubator (2013), Green Line Performing Arts Center (2018), and the L1 Retail Store (2021).
UChicago Arts
UChicago Arts encompasses the University’s robust cultural scene where scholars, students, artists, and audiences converge, explore, and create. UChicago Arts maintains an ambitious suite of initiatives and programs to enhance the cultural landscape at the University of Chicago and on Chicago’s South Side, including Arts + Public Life and its flagship project, the Arts Incubator, the Arts, Science & Culture Initiative, the Richard and Mary L. Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. Joining academic departments and programs in the Division of the Humanities and the College, as well as professional organizations including the Court Theatre, Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, Smart Museum of Art, Renaissance Society, and University of Chicago Presents, and more than 60 student arts organizations, UChicago Arts is forging an integrative model for practice, presentation, and scholarship.
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