Our art exhibitions are collaborative efforts between art educators, artists, writers, and students. Each quarterly exhibition features artwork made by KIPP Chicago students. The work is completed during the school day, mostly in arts classrooms, but also in after school clubs.
Environmental Justice: Rooting for Change is a multimedia exhibition by 6 to 14-year-old artists exploring environmental injustices around the world, from deforestation and contaminated soil to noise pollution and hazardous air quality. The artwork was created by eight KIPP Chicago schools in visual arts, music, dance, and science classes.
Self(ie) Love is an exhibition exploring ideas of identity and self-love, showcasing work created by artists ranging from ages 5 to 13. When children are invited to express their identities through art, they are able to reflect on the many factors that contribute to who they are, ultimately celebrating all parts of themselves. Conversely, when we view someone else’s story through their artwork, we experience more connection, compassion, and empathy.
Food for Thought is a multimedia exhibition created by artists ages 6 to 13 years old. The artworks are explorations of the various roles that food plays in our lives — from sustenance and necessity to celebration, memories, and tradition. While we celebrate many components of food, these works also investigate and illustrate the questions we can ask ourselves about food access, food choice, and food waste.
Find Purpose. Create Progress., created by KIPP Chicago students in grades 1-6, is an exhibition that calls on us to engage, reflect, and participate to make our neighborhood, country, and the world a better place. The students participated in five art workshops at the museum to create this exhibition. Each week of workshops involved a different theme to explore ideas of social justice and activism. Utilizing a variety of materials and skills, students used art as a means for reflection and engagement in conversations around activism and justice.
Craftivism is a form of activism using traditional craft media such as sewing, weaving, macramé, embroidery, and cross stitch. It acknowledges that we can all make a difference and that craft is one way to do something positive. Heart Felt and Sew Kind, created by students in grades 2-8, is a multimedia exploration of utilizing craft as activism.
Activist Soup is a collaborative, multimedia exhibition created by artists ages 6 to 13 years old, celebrating twenty-six living American activists. This multi-generational group of activists has made substantial contributions toward overcoming the societal injustices and oppressive institutions that prevent all of us from living in a truly equitable country.
Springtime on Neptune is an exhibition exploring ideas of Afrofuturism and radical imagination that showcases artwork created by artists ranging from ages 5 to 13. Their artistic expression is an investigation of the constantly shifting definition of Afrofuturism, its effect on contemporary culture, and the conceptual ideas of outer space being utilized to assist in the education of fine art and contemporary social issues.
Just Add Water is an exhibition featuring a series of installation-based artworks made by artists, ages 5-13. These works investigate and illustrate both historic and contemporary conditions around water access and its relationship to systemic inequality. Water is a commodity, a community gathering space, and a basic human right. Water is necessary for survival. It is simultaneously a symptom and a structural component of social equity divisions.
Listening Through the Walls is an examination of neighborhood from children, ages 5-13, about how the housing and urban developments around Chicago shape their lives. The structures and neighborhoods we live in were created by designers with perspectives, inspiration, and often blind spots that can lead to larger human rights issues.
During the Spring of 2017 the Children’s Museum of Art and Social Justice worked with 5th and 7th graders from the south and west sides of Chicago to examine early indigo practices and learn from visiting contemporary artists who use the dye in their own work. Students examined current dye practices and the environmental effects of clothing manufacturing before diving into the actual indigo dye process and several fiber art techniques such as shibori and weaving.
This exhibition asked young scholars to explore and question ideas of space, borders, and boundaries by learning about two contemporary artists Tintin Wulia and Mark Bradford. Both
of these artists re-examine and critique our understandings of maps and border politics.
Expressions of Peace is an exhibit that allows students the opportunity to explore ideas of peace as they relate to the trauma, violence, and oppression that is an unfortunate reality for many people in our city. What does peace look like in a neighborhood that sees regular gun violence? What does inner peace feel like after experiencing trauma? What can we do to address the incessant violence in our everyday visual culture; from the news to social media to video games?
Admission is free for all ages. Donations are gladly accepted.
Monday – Friday | 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday | By appointment only
Every second Friday of the month
6:00 to 10:00 PM
2007 S. Halsted, Chicago, Illinois 60608
Located in the Pilsen Neighborhood on the southern border of the historic Chicago Arts District.
A one-hour tour includes a conversation around each art exhibit, a short video, and an activist button-making activity. We are a small, one-room museum inside the KIPP Chicago regional office, so we can only accommodate groups of 25 people or fewer. Students in grades K-12 are welcome! Email info@kippchicago.org to schedule a tour.