Upcoming Events, Press & News Blog
Newsletters
IN THE PRESS
Oak Park Art League and West Cook YMCA Collaborate on New Mural March 23, 2026
Oak Park Art League presents new group exhibit ‘UnderConstruction’, Wednesday Journal, January 11, 2025
Review: Abandoned Spaces Come to Life at the Oak Park Art League, May 12, 2022
Review: Exploring the Relationship Between Art and Music at the Oak Park Art League - Third Coast Review, August 7, 2021
News: Oak Park Art League receives pandemic relief grant from Landmarks Illinois, 2020
Review: The Dynamics of Quantum Physics Through Abstract Art at the Oak Park Art League Third Coast Review, March 12, 2020
Review: The Oak Park Art League’s New Exhibit Is All About Entanglements Pioneer Press, UPDATED: February 25, 2020
‘The power of art’: Oak Park exhibit shares journeys of breast cancer survivors, UPDATED: May 8, 2019
Gallery After Dark
In 2026 we are creating a new series where our creative community can meet, make, connect and share with fellow artists, in the gallery after dark, Thursday evenings, 6-8pm. Check out what’s coming up!
BEING HUMAN: Figure & Portrait Exhibit
Show runs Feb 13 - Mar 8, 2026
In an age of digital connection and physical distance, how do we capture and portray what makes us most human? What does it mean to be human in this moment and how can art portray this?Through figure and portrait, artists have long explored the complexity of human experience. Our vulnerabilities, connections, contradictions, and resilience all captured in a gesture, in a face.
OPAL @ 105 - Community Survey
Please take a moment to give feedback about their experience at the Oak Park Art League. The information you provide will help OPAL strategize for the future, secure more funding for programming and guide the board and staff in the best way to serve our community and help shape our vision for the future of this organization.
Take our OPAL community survey
Celebrating Art & Words in 2026
A Year of Poetry Commemorating 105 Years of Oak Park Art League
In honor of Oak Park Art League's 105th anniversary, we're dedicating 2026 to the art of poetry. Join us for a year-long celebration that bridges visual and literary arts through readings, workshops, and creative collaboration.
Revolutions/Resolutions
Show runs Jan 9, 2026 – Feb 8, 2026
Art has always been a compass for navigating uncertainty. Help us map the territory between renewal and resolution. As we complete another revolution around the sun, we find ourselves at the threshold of new beginnings while carrying the weight of unfinished business.
HOLIDAY BAZAAR Pop-Up
A weekend-long holiday market Pop-up at the Oak Park Art League and will feature local makers selling their creations in our gallery on
Saturday Dec 13 from 10am - 4pm and Sunday Dec 14 from 1-4pm.
Of The Moment Photography Contest
The Jury selected finalists for the “Of the Moment” Photo contest, hosted by the Oak Park Area Arts Council and the Oak Park Art League, will be on display for two weeks at the main branch of the Oak Park Public Library. Visit the library between January 15th and January 29th and VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES. With three different categories to vote for, your vote will determine who walks away with the cash prizes. Voting is free and open to the public!!
ART For Social Change: FOOD for THOUGHT
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.
Art for Social Change: Food for Thought
OPAL’s Last exhibition of 2025 is an OPEN CALL for food themed artworks in all media!
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.
2026 Exhibition Schedule
The themed exhibition calls for art have been announced! Check out what will be coming to the Carriage House Gallery in 2026.
OPAL Corner Shop
Come shop in person in a new gift shop tucked in the corner of the Carriage House Gallery and filled with original handmade art and objects created locally. 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.
Fall of Freedom Poetry Reading
Join us for an afternoon filled with powerful words and emotional expressions through poetry in response to escalating authoritarian threats and censorship in our nation. Free and open to the public.
Terrain Biennial 2025
Artist Reception & Talk - Sunday November 2, 2-4pm
Terrain Biennial is here and OPAL is hosting two artists, Bethany Cordero and Pia Cruzalegui, with works in our courtyard exhibition space - October 1 - November 15, 2025
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: Abstract Alternatives to Depicting Our World
Juror: Sheri Rush
Oct 10 - Nov 2nd
ONLINE EXHIBIT CATALOG
HOUSE of OPAL
Thank you for joining us to celebrate HOUSE of OPAL! We had a great time and met our fundraising goal with help from attendees and sponsors and donations from the community.
Take a look at some of the moments from the runway and beyond.
FASHION: Fall Artist Member Exhibition
During OPAL’s Fall Fundraiser HOUSE of OPAL, the work by Oak Park Art League members on the gallery walls will create a rich backdrop of creative expression, epitomizing OPAL’s mission and reflecting our unique artistic community.
Artist In Residence: Betty Kim
Stop by to see Distorted Lens, Betty Kim’s camera obscura installation in our residency space, now through Sept 28.
You also have the chance to take a digital photography class with Betty in our upcoming class session!
Stories from the Soul: Emerging Curator Exhibition
OPAL is honored to host Shanelle Harrison as our artist-in-residence April through June 2025, and back as the curator for OPAl’s August exhibition, Stories from the Soul.
Crochet Coral CLUB
JOIN US!
OPAL invites anyone interested in creating coral-shaped forms out of crocheted plastic to our monthly ‘make something’ meet-ups. Our final maker’s meet-up is June 15!
Instructor Spotlight
Catalina Gongora is an artist and educator from Colombia, South America. Catalina loves teaching and interacting with the community, she is passionate about helping others express their feelings through art.