Category: Urban Gateways Artists

First and foremost, during this time of great uncertainty, we hope you and your loved ones are well. With schools and community spaces closed due to the spread of COVID-19 in Chicago, we are saddened that we are unable to share the arts with young people at a time when they likely need inspiration the most. …

A Chicago Teaching Artist since 1980, Bill Eller retired just last month (February 2020). We couldn’t let him go without a reflection on his long and impactful career!

Get the inside scoop on the power of Touring Performance programs via Jeremy Schaefer, long-time Touring Artist and now Urban Gateways’ Performance Programs Coordinator.

Read about a multi-year, multidisciplinary artist residency at Mays Elementary in Englewood, where artist Zahra Baker and teacher Sharon Mason have worked alongside students to amplify young people’s voices.

Get to know the creative process and the final artworks of CoCre8 2019, a cohort of students, teachers, artists, and arts administrators who spent three Saturdays over the spring as well as a week-long intensive in June looking at, talking about, and making art.

Read about teaching artist Sonja Henderson’s work promoting self care and mental health through creative workshops.

We’re excited to announce that our touring performance roster is gaining six awesome new additions just in time for the 2017-18 season and school year – read on to get to know these new shows!

We talked with teaching artist Josh Guy about his experiences at UCAN, where youth who have experienced trauma participate in his weekly percussion workshops.

“What I am interested in is detail, making it clear that [my students’] communities are worthy of documentation and uplift.” Literary teaching artist Roger Bonair-Agard discusses his teaching and writing philosophies on the blog today.

The Gala is tomorrow – March 10, 2017 – and our award winners are here to tell you how they got involved with Urban Gateways and how arts education can impact our students and communities.