Arts of Life


Arts of Life, based in Chicago, is a 501 nonprofit organization that provides studio space, supplies, professional development support, and exhibition opportunities to artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the time of its founding in 2000, Arts of Life was the first program in Chicago to provide employment in the arts for adults with developmental disabilities. It has two studio and gallery locations that are each 6,000 square feet, as well as one . The Chicago studio is located at 2010 West Carroll Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois, the North Shore studio is located at 1963 Johns Drive in Glenview, Illinois, and the satellite studio is located at 6400 South Kimbark in the Southside of Chicago, Illinois. The studio's artists work in various media, including painting, drawing, fibers, sculpture, music, and performance. As of 2025, the studio supports and provides services for over 80 artists.

About

As a progressive art studio, Arts of Life is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they seek to build and sustain careers in the arts. As an organization, Arts of Life focuses on inspiring artistic expression, helping artists build community, and promoting self-respect. It was co-founded by Denise Fisher, the manager of a residential program for people with disabilities, and Veronica "Ronnie" Cuculich, a resident in the program, as an alternative to limited job roles offered in sheltered workshops. Arts of Life artists and staff engage in collective decision-making on various aspects of the program including programming and the hiring of staff. Volunteers and staff facilitate the artists and offer instruction in art techniques and professional development. The studio also assists artists in exhibiting and marketing their work.

Circle Contemporary

The affiliated gallery space for both studios, Circle Contemporary, was founded in 2017. It is the only Chicago gallery dedicated to exhibiting the work of artists both with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Exhibitions are co-curated by guest curators from the wider arts community and curators from Arts of Life.

Exhibitions and collaborations

Works by artists from Arts of Life have been featured in galleries, museums, art fairs, businesses, and government offices around the city of Chicago, the United States, and the globe. Some of these platforms include EXPO Chicago, Chicago Design Museum, Art on the MART, Outsider Art Fair New York, Art Fair Tokyo, Heaven Gallery, LVL3, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Andrew Edlin Gallery, The Chicago Cultural Center, and the Chicago city clerk's office.
  • Arts of Life presented their 25th Anniversary Book and works by Arts of Life artists including Marcus Imani Kennedy at the Outsider Art Fair New York from February 27 - March 7. They also hosted a screening at Soho House New York of their documentary, Life and Where I'm At, which portrays the life and work of Arts of Life founding artist Veronica Cuculich.
  • Work by Arts of Life artists was projected onto the Merchandise Mart building in downtown Chicago as part of the "Art on the MART" video art display between August - September 2025 and November - December 2020.
  • In March 2023, artwork by two Arts of Life artists, Ariée and Raina Carter, was exhibited with Sho + 1 gallery at Art Fair Tokyo, the largest art fair in Japan and the oldest in Asia.
  • Since 2022, Arts of Life has exhibited artworks at EXPO Chicago, the city’s largest art fair.
  • Arts of Life exhibited at two fairs during Art Basel Miami 2022. Arts of Life was among 146 galleries participating in the fair organized by The New Art Dealers Alliance, the definitive non-profit organization dedicated to the cultivation, support, and advancement of new voices in contemporary art.
  • In 2020, Arts of Life artists contributed sculpture designs to Ducks on the Mag Mile, a public art project in conjunction with the annual fundraising event for Special Olympics Illinois.
  • In 2020, a collaboration between Arts of Life artist David Krueger and another Chicago artist, Ben Marcus, was released as Love Man: Forever and Ever Again by the publisher Perfectly Acceptable.
  • The 2017 exhibition at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, A is for Artist, curated by Scott Hunter, challenged "the idea of using the label 'outsider art' when describing artists who not only lack academic training in art, but who also suffer from neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disabilities."

    Studio Bands

The Arts of Life Band is a collaboration that features performers with and without disabilities. The band has released albums containing original songs and was included on a compilation album of music by bands with members who have disabilities, Wild Things, released by British punk group Heavy Load in 2009. Similarly, artists at the North Shore studio and musicians without disabilities perform together as the band Van Go Go.

Funding

Arts of Life receives funding from the state of Illinois, individual donors, grants, and foundations. The organization has partnerships with sponsoring businesses, professional artists, service providers, and brands, including the MacArthur Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, the Arts and Business Council of Chicago, the Chicago Community Trust, and the West Town Chamber of Commerce. It also holds a variety of group shows and benefits.