Visiting Artist Workshops at Chicago Children's Museum

The mission of Chicago Children’s Museum is to improve children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect.
Chicago Children's Museum welcomes applications from local artists of all disciplines.

Chicago Children’s Museum’s Position on the Arts
Chicago Children’s Museum (CCM) believes that all children have a right to creative self-expression and access to the arts. CCM is dedicated to being a leading arts provider and, to that end, seeks to expose teachers, parents, and caregivers to the vital role the arts play in children’s healthy emotional, social, physical, and cognitive development.
CCM provides access to a wide range of art forms, including drama, dance, music, and the literary and visual arts. Art explorations are thoughtfully designed to be playful, child-centered experiences that foster self-expression, creativity, imagination, and meaning making. They include opportunities to create and view art and performances, participate in sensory-based material explorations, and investigate a variety of authentic art tools, techniques, and processes in a dedicated studio space. Visitors are invited to experience the arts with artists and performers from diverse backgrounds and celebrate multiple perspectives.
Through these hands-on experiences, CCM hopes to plant seeds of understanding and appreciation for this dynamic means of learning, self-expression, and communication. Arts programs are designed to promote children’s natural interests and aid them in making connections to each other and the world around them. Dynamic, often “messy” process-based explorations that surprise and delight, along with opportunities for safe risk-taking and “whole body” engagement, are offered museum-wide. We provide a supportive environment for positive adult-child experiences, with opportunities for participants to explore individually, collaboratively, or side-by-side with family, friends, or new acquaintances.
Artworks, especially those made by children, are valued cultural artifacts that are included as images in print materials, integrated into exhibits, and displayed museum-wide and beyond. CCM respects the many cultural approaches to art and is committed to broadening the traditional definition of the term, by offering opportunities for artistic expression to diverse audiences encompassing a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and abilities.

About the Visiting Artists Program

Kraft Artabounds Studio Visiting Artists Workshops
Throughout the year, CCM hosts, on average, ten Visiting Artists Workshops (VAW), featuring artists from various cultural and artistic backgrounds.  VAW provide a chance for workshop participants to interact with an artist, learn about the artist’s medium and/or culture, and participate in an art activity facilitated by the visiting artist.
In hosting a range of artists, VAW represent to visitors the shifting definition of and varying roles of artists in their communities. Visiting artists reflect differing perspectives on what it means to be an artist—be it activist, entrepreneur, entertainer, and/or educator.
Participants have a chance to interact with and directly question an artist’s work or culture in an open, relaxed atmosphere. While engaging in an artistic medium similar to the visiting artist’s, participants can experience the artist’s creative process, whether illustrating a book for a client, creating a symbol of cultural pride, or making a beautiful image to call one’s own.
At CCM, Visiting Artists Workshops present open-ended experiences that can accommodate a variety of ages and artistic abilities. Workshops are geared to children ages four and up, along with their caregivers and families. However, adults and younger siblings are always welcome and encouraged to participate in the art activity. Workshops are 30 to 45 minutes long, serve up to 25-30 people, and are typically offered on a Thursday evening and the following Saturday and Sunday afternoon, for a total of 8-10 workshops. Museum visitors obtain a free pass (with museum admission) an hour before each workshop begins. Because there is no pre-registration, the class make-up always changes. For examples of workshop descriptions, please visit www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org.

Kraft Artabounds Studio Facilities
The Kraft Artabounds Studio has a range of equipment for printmaking, papermaking, and a wide variety of materials for drawing, painting and sculpture. The studio works with artists to obtain specific materials for their workshops. In the past visiting artists have led printing, painting, sculpting, clay, fiber, cultural crafts, and papermaking workshops. The studio has also hosted such performing arts workshops as steel drumming and recycled-instrument creation, performing an original play, and stop-motion animation. Other media, including collaborative projects, are also welcome.

Visiting Artist Responsibilities:
The visiting artist works with the museum’s lead art educator to create a workshop that can accommodate the variety of participants who visit the museum. The artist is responsible for preparing the workshop and bringing materials as agreed on in the planning process. Typical Saturday and Sunday workshops are at 1, 2, 3 and 4pm. Thursday evening workshops are at 5:30 and 6:30. While facilitating workshops, the visiting artist is supported by one of the museum’s arts educators.

Stipend
There is a modest stipend attached to all Visiting Artists Programs, which varies according to the program. A typical stipend for three days (10 workshops) is $450 and includes a one-hour meeting at the museum and any preparation conducted by the artist. On workshop days, parking passes are provided by the museum. Travel expenses are not covered by the museum. Supplies will be purchased by the museum unless otherwise agreed upon in planning.
Demonstrated Competencies

• A bachelor’s degree in art education, fine arts, or comparable art experience.
• Demonstrated experience with children, parents, and families from diverse backgrounds preferred.
• The ability to work in team-oriented environment and act without supervision.
• Strong communication skills.
• Reliability.
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor in a variety of situations and interact with the public.
• Ability to work with children and families in an open-ended atmosphere.
• Able to represent the museum’s position on the arts.

Application
Artists interested in participating in the Visiting Artists Program should submit the following:

• Resume, including your work as an artist and any work with children and families.

• A cover letter, including your approach to working with children and families in your artistic medium.

• Example of your artwork (links to websites are welcome).

• A sample plan of an activity you have planned or facilitated for children ages four and up and their families.

Please submit applications to:
Kim Koin, Manager of Arts Studio and Programs
Chicago Children’s Museum
700 East Grand Ave. Suite 127
Chicago, IL 60611
kimk@chicagochildrensmuseum.org

Artists who submit an application are not guaranteed acceptance into the Visiting Artists Program. The museum will keep your application on file and will contact you for further information as needed. We are now looking at applications for Winter 2013 and on.

Chicago Children’s Museum is an equal opportunity employer.