STARRY NIGHT: A MIDSUMMER MIXER, JULY 24,
AT REVOLUTION BREWERY

Tickets on Sale Now for the Celestial-Themed Benefit

Proceeds Support The Arts of Life, a Nonprofit that Provides Studio Resources and Vocational Opportunities for Adult Artists with Disabilities

Hosted by the Arts of Life’s Associate Board, Starry Night: A Midsummer Mixer, will bring cosmic energy and local art to Revolution Brewery, July 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Debuting at a new venue, the annual summer benefit raises funds for The Arts of Life, the first program in Chicago to provide meaningful vocational opportunities in the arts for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 2000, the Arts of Life’s two studios in West Town, Chicago and Glenview serve as alternative day programs and creative epicenters for 60+ artists.

Tickets for Starry Night are on sale now for $50, which includes a signed, limited edition risograph print from “Love Man & Other Tales,” a collaborative comic made by volunteer Ben Marcus and Arts of Life artist Dave Krueger. Love man follows a big-hearted, alien-human on his search for companionship. The evening will also include a silent auction, featuring Chicago Cubs tickets, a sensory deprivation experience, and a variety of gift cards.

In addition to the artwork and auction, Starry Night guests will enjoy appetizers from Revolution’s eclectic menu, along with wine and the renowned brewery’s beer. Attendees can dance to Ziggy Stardust and Rocket Man and find out what is in the stars with a Tarot card reading. Fotio will capture the stellar evening’s guests (and maybe a few aliens) in a galactic photo booth.

Can’t attend? Tell your friends or make a donation to the Arts of Life in any amount here.

About The Arts of Life
An estimated one-fifth of our country’s population is disabled, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics only 17.9 percent of these persons were employed in 2016. Career and vocational resources for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities remain limited—particularly in Illinois.

Most day programs for disabled adults don’t allow for a choice in the work they do, or provide professional development opportunities that allow them to master new skills. The founders of Arts of Life recognized this severe lack of opportunity for the disabled community, and, in January of 2000, they began to construct an alternative model.

Unlike other programs for the disabled, Arts of Life defies singular categorization. Our studio is not an employment program, nor is it an art school or therapy program. Rather, Arts of Life is a creative and collaborative day program. We are an outsider artist incubator that encapsulates an artist collective and a working gallery. Above all, it is a community made of equals who push each other to become the very best version of themselves.
Our artists come from a wide range of backgrounds. They’re invited not based on portfolios of work, but by their drive to create and work as proactive members of the Arts of Life community. We are committed to crafting a space where each artist feels genuine respect, trust, and, most importantly, that they feel their voice is welcome and heard. Our studio environment promotes equal ownership for each member which naturally encourages artists to develop a sense of their own independence.

Arts of Life currently serves more than 60 artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities at two studio locations. Our North Shore studio is located in the Chicago suburb of Glenview and our Chicago studio is located in the West Town neighborhood. Each studio has unique exhibition spaces with year-round programming featuring guest curators and artists. Our studio artists and their work have been featured in prestigious venues throughout the world, including Carl Hammer Gallery, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, INTUIT Center for Outside Art, and Museum of Everything in London.

Funded partly by the Department of Human Services, Arts of Life is proudly supported by The Coleman Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Illinois Arts Council, and depends on fundraising efforts such as this to sustain its program.

Find out more about The Arts of Life’s artists and exhibition at https:/ /artsoflife.org

Official Website

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Tags: arts of life, Chicago, Revolution Brewing, STARRY NIGHT: A MIDSUMMER MIXER, West Town