Arts Incubator

After sitting vacant for more than 20 years, the historic two-story terracotta building on the southeast corner of Garfield Boulevard and Prairie Avenue served as the first and only dedicated building for Arts + Public Life (APL) operations and programming since its opening in 2013 through the opening of APL’s Green Line Performing Arts Center in 2018. Built in 1908, the Arts Incubator building once housed a Walgreens, a dentist’s office, an optometrist's office, Bronzeville Drugs, and Pauline’s Beauty Shop.

The University of Chicago acquired the property in July 2008, and appointed APL’s inaugural director Theaster Gates to spearhead the redevelopment of the Washington Park property as a creative facility that will engage local artists, students, and residents, creating a nexus for cultural and community engagement.

The 10,000 square feet mixed-use arts facility now acts as a center for emerging and established artists with a gallery, artist studios, flex space, woodworking shop, and Rain Garden.

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Arts Incubator connects with community (UChicago News)

Washington Park Arts Incubator (UChicago Architecture")

An Arts Incubator Opens to Revive a Dead Corner in Washington Park (Chicago Magazine)