Creative
Placemaking

ARTSiE, an Evanston-based nonprofit committed to empowering families through equity in arts programming, will partner with the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center. This project will connect students who are struggling in school and/or at home with the arts to improve their learning outcomes. It will also support the creation of the center’s first public mural, which will celebrate cultural diversity, environmental stewardship, and intergenerational collaboration. 

Community workshops will allow families and community members to participate in the creation of the mural. The mural project will also include a pen pal project between the Foster Senior Club, which meets at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, and children participating in Oakton Elementary School’s African Centered Curriculum.

In response to needs documented in a 2024 economic recovery plan it helped create, the Berwyn Development Corporation (BDC) will turn a vacant property into the Berwyn Arts Plaza: An Artist’s Third Space.

The BDC will transform the property, located at 6209 Roosevelt Road, in Berwyn, into a pocket park and event space for live performances, artistic workshops and other community events. Several local businesses and institutions are interested in joining the project, including the Berwyn Public Art Initiative, which will design the plaza and plans to host workshops, classes and mural installations.

“Creative placemaking projects like The Brookfield Shops represent a meaningful opportunity to transform an underutilized public space into a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient art-inclusive gathering place for small business development and community connection.”

– Brian Sharenow, President, Brookfield Chamber of Commerce

Cornerstone Community Development Corporation will lead a mural project on the public-facing wall of its headquarters in Ford Heights.

The mural will depict themes of resilience, growth, and shared heritage, embodying the organization’s commitment to community transformation through beauty and creative expression. It will be complemented by thoughtfully designed landscaping and public-art installations, creating an inviting community space that honors local identity.

The Homewood Science Center, in partnership with the Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network, will transform its indoor and outdoor spaces into interactive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning environments.

This transformation will integrate movement, storytelling, and problem solving, as well as promote mathematical reasoning, spatial awareness, and scientific inquiry. A formal evaluation, completed in collaboration with Purdue University, will measure the new spaces’ impact on parent-child interactions, STEAM literacy, and community engagement.

Just Roots’ project will take place at It Takes A Village Farm, a three-acre greenspace that uses organic and regenerative practices to grow over 40 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs, all of which are distributed to residents within a 5-mile radius.

Contributing to the farm’s commitment to host arts and culture events, this project will feature a collaboration of local artists, designers, and community groups who will construct murals, a community gathering space, and ADA-compliant walkways at the site.

The Open Studio Project will replace a deteriorated mural on the facade of a public building at 727 Main St. in Evanston with a larger mural that reflects the community’s values and collective identity.

Open Studio will engage artists and community members, including students, and host workshops and forums to capture what elements the mural should convey about the community.

As part of the Harvey Community Arts Initiative, Restoration Ministries will lead the creation of two murals that will serve as symbols of resilience, history, and hope for the community.

One mural will be constructed indoors, at a building that is home to the Sullivan Arts Center and Harvey Boxing Club, and another will be built outdoors, on the exterior of a building that currently features a deteriorated mural and serves as a backdrop to a greenspace in downtown Harvey.

The Riverdale Park District will lead the creation of ArtSPARK Community Garden, a hub for individuals of all ages to enjoy immersive experiences in gardening and art. The garden will feature ADA-compliant raised beds, pollinator gardens, and an outdoor gallery with ADA-compliant paths and seating.

The gallery will showcase local artists and include wooden walls for community-created murals. There will also be chalk-art areas, as well as two modular sheds for storing gardening and art supplies. Additionally, an art pavilion will provide a dedicated space for art instruction and workshops.

The SD89 Education Foundation, which supports Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89, will help transform the beloved “1100 Building” in Maywood into a hub for food, fellowship, and economic opportunity.

The redevelopment will feature a commercial kitchen, an outdoor dining space, and a community garden inspired by BUILD Chicago, a gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization working on the West Side of Chicago. Local entrepreneurs and families will benefit from the new space.

SGA Youth and Family Services will support Summit Together Creative Placemaking, an initiative designed to foster a sense of belonging through gardening and fine art. This eight-month initiative will incorporate community input and begin with revitalizing gardens at the local public library and the local park district.

Senior citizens will design and plant the gardens, and middle school-aged students will work with an artist to create garden ornaments, stepping stones, and decorative planters. Additionally, teens will work with a professional artist to design a public mural that explores themes of civic engagement and identity while fostering community pride.

The Southland Development Authority will support the development of the Hazel Crest Creative Arts Center, located in a former strip mall and now part of Hazel Crest’s new arts district. The first phase of development included facade updates and interior demolition. The Cook County Arts Creative Placemaking grant will support the second phase of construction.

This phase will focus on renovating the arts center’s interior creative “maker spaces” to include indoor units for dance, ceramics, painting, and other activities. This will be paired with an outdoor plaza featuring walkways and a lawn space to host community events such as concerts and farmers’ markets.