Open Studio Project

Specialties

Open Studio Project, a non-​profit arts organization located in Evanston, Illinois, serves the entire Chicagoland area and far beyond. Beginning as an intention to make art and be of service to the community, OSP is now a thriving center for classes, workshops, trainings, and exhibits that serve over 1500 people each year. We offer classes for hundreds of at– risk youth, hold a dozen unique exhibits, provide six weekend-​long training sessions and half dozen introductory sessions each year– serving many for a reduced fee or no cost at all.

History

Established in 1991.

The Open Studio Project began in 1991 with an intention: to make art and to be of service. Three Chicago area art therapists — Dayna Block, Deborah Gadiel, and Pat Allen — began this enterprise. After many years of experience in clinical settings, these therapists realized that to be truly effective in teaching clients to use art-​making for personal transformation, they themselves would need to engage in and model their own creative process alongside their clients. Over the next 9 years, a unique art and writing process was developed and refined in an art studio in Chicago.