This spring, Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) opened CAPE Gallery, its new home in Chicago’s artistic Bridgeport neighborhood. The space represents a first of its kind in Chicago – a gallery and arts integration center dedicated to publicly sharing student work and serving as a resource for engaging students, inspiring teachers and artists, and highlighting CAPE’s impact in classrooms across the city.
With its open floor plan, concrete columns, and large windows offering views of Chicago's skyline, the 4,000-square-foot converted industrial space is ideal for showcasing art. CAPE provided floating walls, shelving, and other supplies to further shape the space into a student-focused gallery for arts-integrated learning and collaboration. Additionally, the site includes workspace for CAPE staff.
CAPE hosted over 360 guests at the gallery's grand opening celebration – including students, families, teachers, teaching artists, and friends of the organization – who had the opportunity to discover the new space while engaging in student artwork, live performances, and art-making activities. The gallery's Inaugural Exhibition featured a diverse mix of works and projects from schools in the CAPE network, encompassing CAPE’s programmatic spectrum and exemplifying its community-driven, collaborative spirit. The following week, CAPE Gallery welcomed its first CAPE Class of students, from Ray Graham Training Center High School, to explore the exhibition and engage in collaborative arts learning.
“This is what all this work has been about – making sure students could use the space as their own,” said CAPE Executive Director Amy Rasmussen, who was present at the inaugural class visit. “With this new space,” Rasmussen added, “CAPE is expanding its commitment to students by providing a professional, publicly accessible home for sharing the work that originates in schools and communities, [which] encourages the exchange of ideas across the many diverse communities CAPE already serves.”
Young Audiences Arts for Learning is pleased to share that our next National Conference will be held in Chicago and co-hosted by CAPE, April 3 – 5, 2024. Please save the date and stay tuned to conference.youngaudiences.org for more information.
