|
Latest news from the Oak Park Art League ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
|
Greetings OPAL Community!
Welcome to all of our new members who have joined in the last month and those who are getting the monthly newsletter for the first time.
As the season changes and 2025 comes to a close, we celebrate this time of year with our Fall 3 class session and workshops, a final extended exhibition “Art for Social Change: Food for Thought” tied to a food related fundraiser and programming and our 2026 Exhibition schedule is out! It’s the season of giving and we all are asked to give to help those in need.
Giving Tuesday will be here soon! Look for our special letter and social media coming later in November. If you'd like to give early, click here to donate your end-of-the-year gift now.
Thank you for supporting creative expression and community at OPAL!
|
|
Check out our latest news, upcoming shows, events, and classes below.
OPAL is a community treasure! Your membership, class sign-ups, art and shop buys, donations, and support keep OPAL going. Join us and share our events with your friends.
Sincerely,
Bryan Northup Grayson
Executive Director
|
|
Community Fridge Project & Oak Park Art League unite art and action this holiday season
This Nov-Dec, join us in tackling food insecurity through creativity and community. Our partnership unites artists, neighbors, and changemakers to make a real impact during the holiday season.
”A GIFT FOR YOU,
ME & THE TREE”
A Holiday Crafting Fundraiser
Saturday Dec. 6, 10:30 - noon
$35. per person - Limited seats, ALL AGES WELCOME! |
|
|
An Artist Reception is planned for Sunday Nov. 2, 2-4pm
OPAL is hosting three artists for Terrain Biennial; Margot McMahon, Bethany Cordero and Pia Cruzalegui, with works in our courtyard exhibition space and residency room - October 1 - November 15, 2025. |
|
|
|
|
OPAL’s artist residency program began in May 2024 and is once again open for proposals through November 1, 2025, midnight.
Visit Artist Residency page for more details, past resident projects and a portal to submit a proposal. |
|
|
A weekend-long holiday market pop-up at the Oak Park Art League and will feature local makers selling their creations in
our gallery
Saturday Dec 13
from 10am - 4pm &
Sunday Dec 14 from 1-4pm SUBMISSION DEADLINE November 23, 2025 |
|
|
|
|
This is where you will find all the opportunities we come across or that come in especially to be shared with the OPAL artist community. |
|
|
|
Each newsletter will highlight a volunteer from OPAL’s Board of Directors and their efforts to support the organization. The board is expanding and planning for 2026 and beyond. To help OPAL’s mission, we are creating committees, each led by a board member. We are looking for volunteers to join committees like Building & Grounds, Education, Marketing & Membership, Fundraising and more. If you would like to help OPAL, contact us to learn more about serving on a committee.
|
|
|
Colleen is OPAL’s newest board member and we are thrilled to have her enthusiasm for helping with organizational strategy and volunteer coordination.
Colleen believes in the power of art to bring communities together and give individuals a space to fully express themselves. |
|
|
|
|
|
Our final Session of 2025 is online and open for registration!
Check out the classes we are offering below, some new and exciting offerings! Don’t delay! We do have a minimum enrollment requirement for each class so waiting to sign up means the class may not run. |
|
|
Fall 3 - BEGINNING TO INTERMEDIATE DRAWING
with Jesse Howard Tuesday, 10am - 12pm
Fall 3 - Portrait & Figures in Watercolor
with Tony Armendariz Tuesday, 1-3pm Fall 3 - EXPLORING OIL PAINTING
with Julie Sulzen Tuesday, 6:30 - 8:30pm Fall 3 - PASTEL PAINTING
with Mike Barett Kolasinski Wednesday, 1pm-3pm Fall 3 - Weaving Form: Sculpture with Wire, Textiles, Paper, and Drawing with Bethany Cordero Wednesday, 4pm - 6pm
Fall 3 - BEGINNING TO ADVANCED DRAWING
with Jesse Howard Wednesday, 7pm - 9pm
Fall 3 - Relief Printing NEW!
with Alexandra Blom Thursday, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Fall 3 - The Art of Line NEW!
with Jan Zhou Thursday, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Fall 3 - Working With Mixed Media - Experiment, Play & Create
with Jackie Lakely Friday, 10am - 12pm
Fall 3 - Working With Mixed Media - Experiment, Play & Create
with Jackie Lakely Friday, 1pm - 3pm
|
W O R K S H O P SRelief Printing with Alexandra Blom
Saturday, November 15th, 12pm - 4pm
Explore linoleum block printmaking by carving and printing your own designs. This workshop covers relief printing from start to finish with demonstrations, instruction, and hands-on exercises focused on tools, materials, and techniques. Participants will complete a self-guided print by hand or press, gaining a foundation for further exploration at home or future OPAL sessions. Kintsugi with Mami Takahashi
Saturday, November 22nd, 10am - 1pm
Explore Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold, in this 3-hour beginner-friendly workshop. Learn modern methods using food-safe adhesive, epoxy putty, and gold finish. Celebrate imperfection and transformation by highlighting each crack as part of the object's unique story. Collaging with Recycled Materials with Karen Sugay
Saturday, November 29th, 10am - 4pm
Participants will create a nature-themed owl collage using reclaimed wallpapers, fabrics, and buttons. In the morning, they'll sketch a composition, choose a color palette, select materials, and start the background. The afternoon focuses on crafting the owl using provided patterns, assembling the piece, and sharing with the group.
|
Family stARTs Dec 9 and 23rd
Escape to the studio with the family for free art making experiences!
We have a couple sessions left in 2025!
We’ve switched to Sundays 2-4pm for our December Family stARTs. |
|
|
|
|
There is still time to see the current exhibition, on view through Nov 2
|
|
|
We never could’ve guessed a year ago when we published our 2025 calls, how topical this theme would be, considering everything that’s going on in the U.S. now.
We’d love to exhibit a feast of food themed art for our Art for Social Change exhibition. OPAL is partnering with the Community Fridge Project and collecting food during the run of the show as well as hosting a fundraiser for stocking fridges in the Oak Park community for those in need.
Bring your art this weekend to be included in the show.
From the still lives of the Renaissance and Dutch Golden age to the soft sculptures of Claus Oldenburg, or the lush impasto of Wayne Theibaud, food is everywhere in art! Food is sustenance, it brings us together around a table, it can bring joy or anxiety, it can be factory-farmed or farm-to-table.
This open call exhibit asks; what are your best or strongest memories about food, or eating in community? What are your feelings about food and how can they be conveyed in an artwork to continue the long tradition of food as subject? All media welcome.
Exhibition Entry Form
Limit of 2 submissions per artist
Submission fee:
Art Member - 1st work - $25., 2nd work $10.
Non Member - 1st work - $45., 2nd work $20.
Important Dates
Drop off work: Nov 1 & 2
Exhibition dates: Nov 7 - Dec 20
Opening reception: Saturday Nov 8, 1-4pm |
|
|
The Oak Park Art League is once again offering members a chance to display their work outside our main gallery, in local businesses we have partnered with to provide more exposure for artists. Charles Simone @ Prairie Title |
|
|
|
Current Micro Show Lynn Harris Micro Quilts |
|
|
|
|
The themed exhibition calls for art have been announced! Check out what will be coming to the Carriage House Gallery in 2026. |
|
|
|
In a world overwhelmed by troubling news, OPAL remains a vital ‘third space’—a refuge where you can immerse yourself in art-making, take a meaningful break from reality to benefit your wellness, and connect with a supportive community.
As funding for arts and nonprofits continues to decline, your membership and support is more crucial than ever.
Join us in safeguarding this historic, creative sanctuary—renew your membership today and help ensure OPAL thrives for everyone who needs it. Thank you!
|
|
Oak Park Art League Founded in 1921, OPAL is one of the longest, continually-running nonprofit arts organizations in Illinois, fulfilling its mission by offering high-quality art education, lectures, artist demonstrations, critiques, and monthly exhibitions in our historic gallery. Our Mission The Oak Park Art League's mission is to be a welcoming center of artistic inquiry, creative expression and art appreciation in Oak Park and the surrounding communities. Board of Directors
President: David Baker
Vice President: Mia Garcia Hills
Secretary: Maria Gedroc
Treasurer: Shira Slack
Directors:
Margot McMahon Ginger Brent Barbara McClure
Dave Palomares Colleen Campbell Staff
Bryan Northup Grayson, Executive Director
Michael Cuadrado Gonzalez, Programming Coordinator
|
|
GALLERY HOURS Thursday & Friday 1-5 pm
Saturday 10 am-4 pm
Sunday 1-4pm
Monday -Wednesday Closed or by appointment
|
|
Land Acknowledgement
Each exhibition, program and class associated with the Oak Park Art League (OPAL) takes place on the traditional homelands of the Council of Three Fires - the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa -
as well as the Menominee, Miami, and Ho-Chunk Nations.
OPAL recognizes that the region we now call Chicago and Oak Park was the traditional homeland of many Indigenous nations,
and remains home to diverse Native people today. The land we walk was, and remains Native land.
|
Thank you to our generous sponsors
Oak Park Art League is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Village of Oak Park, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts.
|
|
|
|
