Check out this clip from: Beanie the Spider meets a REAL Art Gallery Director, Bryan Northup of the Oak Park Art League. Part of the Beanie the Spider & Friends Talk Time interview series. See the whole video and more on YouTube.

Sunday June 2

Stop by our booth at the 50th Day in Our Village. Help put a face on OPAL, volunteer to help out at our booth at the 50th DIOV!

May 22-24, online sale
May 25th, 9-12pm in-person shop
OPAL is hosting a Spring Studio Sale of gently used art-making supplies and materials, artwork, and odds and ends, estate sale style. Donate your items for the online sale which will be hosted at www.estatesales.net
Come to the in-person sale at OPAL (courtyard) to shop what’s left.

May 18th from 5pm to 7pm
Join OPAL in the gallery with Dr. Tiffany Brunson, one of several authors in the new anthology Centering Our Voices: The Brilliance, Persistence, and Significance of Black Women Educators, as she speaks about her contributions to the anthology and her work as a lifelong educator in Chicago!

Sunday May 5th, 10am - noon
OPAL is partnering with The Registry Of Figure Models And Artists to host a Paired Figure Model Workshop. Spaces will be limited for artists, so register ASAP. This is going to be fun!  Don’t miss it!

More to come in May! Saturdays 10am - noon
May 11 - Figure Drawing for Kids with Phyllis Frick
May 18 - Grafitti Lettering with Joshua Valdovinos

All materials are supplied and free of charge. No advanced registration required. Just stop in! This drop-in event takes place between 10am-12pm on selected Saturdays.

Discover new OPAL designs on swag you can wear and use to spread the word about the Oak Park Art League and help raise funds for our beloved organization. Find original artworks too!

WE SEE YOU: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2024

SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MAY 4

Jurors: Pia Cruzalegui & Mia Garcia Hills

During this election year, the Oak Park Art League will host a national juried exhibition that aims to spotlight the values of the broader Oak Park community that celebrates inclusion, diversity and equity, during this time in our nation’s history when these very ideals are blatantly under attack.

This exhibition acknowledges that each artist’s journey is different and aims to include and celebrate contemporary expressions of artists from diverse backgrounds, identities and communities, understanding that these terms encompass a rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and perspectives.

SATURDAY JUNE 8, 2024
Enjoy live music from the Woodstreet Bloodhounds, delectable bites, beverages and desserts along with raffle and silent auction packages and some surprises too. Join us in toasting the future of OPAL! If you can’t make the party, you can make a donation towards future art programs, exhibitions, and the care of our historic building.

Ring! Ring!

Check your messages here and see where you can engage at OPAL and make it an even more vibrant art community!

Domestic Ruminations
Solo micro art exhibit of sculptural pyrographic work by Daniela Wenzel.

Check out what is on exhibit in the micro gallery as well as calls for mini art for the newest exhibit space in the Carriage House Gallery.

Sundays 10am - 1pm

This is the traditional OPAL Sunday figure session for drawing from a live model. These are 3-hour, non-instructional figure drawing sessions from 10am - 1pm. Work on your figure-drawing skills at your own self-directed pace!

Share what you have been up to since starting February 18th when the project started by using #100dayprojectopal on social media. Our next check-in date TBA

May 19 - How to write a Haibun poem

Write a haibun (or two or three if you’re so moved). A haibun is a piece of prose that “typically describes a setting, scene, or moment in an objective manner,” followed by a haiku.

Third Sundays in the gallery, writer's bring prose or poetry, approx 1,000 words to share and receive feedback from other writers. Free to attend.

OPAL offers multiple opportunities for artists to get friendly feedback from fellow artists.
Exhibitor’s Critique, 11am - 1pm the Saturday following the Exhibit Reception
Open Critique, 6-8pm on the last Thursday of the month

OPAL is very excited to welcome our new Executive Director, Bryan Northup (Grayson). Please read Bryan’s letter, and welcome him in his new role.

Being a member of OPAL is a wonderful way to be part of a vibrant and supportive community of artists, art enthusiasts, and creative thinkers. As a member of OPAL, you have access to a wide range of art classes, workshops, exhibitions, and events that can help you develop your skills and deepen your appreciation for art.

Small in stature, but bigger than life in attitude and impact, Bobbie Raymond left a legacy that lives on in Oak Park and beyond. Now she will forever be remembered with a bronze bust, permanently displayed on a stone pedestal in the courtyard at the Oak Park Art League (OPAL), 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park.

“A year of dance, music, poetry and visual arts.”