About Our Programs
SkyART’s program design hinges on three pillar programs: SkyWAY for ages 7 to 13, Project 3rd Space (P3S) for teens ages 14 to 24, and Project Impact, which provides free art therapy to youth ages 7 to 24. As can be seen in our program design and philosophy Venn diagram, SkyART’s pillar programs overlap to create secondary program areas such as Just-Us, our program for youth involved in the juvenile justice system; A is for Art, our program for pre-K aged children and parents, and our Schools and Community programs. At the center of everything is Family Table, SkyARTs food, garden and healthy meal program, because children cannot be expected to be creative if they are hungry.
The SkyWAY program blurs the lines of formal art education and focuses on art-making as an inherently educational experience. It is rooted in collaboration and experimentation as key tools of art-making, education, and critical thinking. Guided by a collaborative cohort of Teaching Artists, participants are immersed in a world of imaginative possibilities, invited to explore a broad variety of creative forms and activities. P3S is a year-long program for high school-aged young adults who are serious about art and see it as a pathway into their future. It is meant to be both a crucial bridge between high school, meaningful post-secondary educational and career opportunities, as well as an encouraging environment for self-discovery, communication, and collaboration.
Project Impact was created during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to the pervasive mental health crisis born from months of isolation, financial hardship and loss. It is led by licensed therapists or master’s level interns in open-studio style art sessions with small groups or one-on-one. Project Impact sessions are held virtually online, in-person at SkyART, or at a partner organization location. SkyART works with art therapists and art therapy interns from UChicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice to provide healing creativity to communities of young people who have been impacted by adversity during their childhood. Current community partners include Brainerd Park Apartments, a housing complex for families who have experienced homelessness; the Saura Center, a group home alternative for youth involved in the juvenile justice system; Family Rescue, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, the Ada S. Mckinley emergency foster shelter, and local schools.
The Family Table program reflects one of SkyART’s core values, Totality, a commitment we made to nourish the whole child. This Program includes providing SkyART participants with home-cooked meals, teaching them how to make nutritious snacks in our Kitchen Studio, and showing them how to sow seeds and harvest organic food from our four city lot Artist Garden.
School Programs take place in our network of partner schools on Chicago’s South and West Sides, including Classroom Residencies, After-School classes, Art Therapy groups and Parent/Teacher Workshops. School partnerships are led by SkyART Teaching Artists or licensed therapists and managed by a SkyART Program Manager who works with the school liaison to ensure ongoing communication and collaboration. Youth participants are able to use art as a means to express their ideas and develop their art-making, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. Community Programs take place at facilities that are coordinated by partnering community organizations and range from one-day workshops to multi-week art programs, all maintaining the same high-quality instruction and content that define our Studio and School Programs. All school and community programs are delivered under our SkyWAY, Project 3rd Space and Project Impact models.
Text 708.414.0732 for more info!