Supporting Illinois' Arts Sector

Arts of Life advances the creative arts community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership. The organization is driven by four core values: inspiring artistic expression, building community, promoting self-respect, and developing independence.

Arts of Life artists work at studio locations in Chicago’s West Town and South Side neighborhoods and Glenview, with a fourth studio in Highland Park coming this fall. The studios offer a robust range of supports and services, including facilitation from professional fine art staff, career management, photo documentation and archival storage, high-quality art materials, and access to project-based or career-focused groups.

Additionally, Arts of Life advocates for the exhibition and sale of artists of all abilities through its Circle Contemporary Gallery. They are proud to have showcased the work of 107 Illinois-based artists in 2026 alone. These exhibitions are augmented by external opportunities in prestigious venues, including the Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Design Museum, EXPO Chicago, The Outsider Art Fair in NYC, NADA and Untitled Art Fairs in Miami, Art Fair Tokyo, and Art Collaboration Kyoto.

Executive Director Denise Fisher shared, "Arts of Life’s programming would not be possible without the ongoing support of the Illinois Arts Council. We are proud to nurture the creative practices of emerging artists and offer robust professional career support for experienced artists. Marvin Young exemplifies what is possible at Arts of Life. After a lifetime of making intensely observant drawings of the world around him, his work has finally gotten the spotlight it deserves at Circle Contemporary, Western Exhibitions, EXPO Chicago, and now Intuit Art Museum."

Impressions of a City: Drawings by Marvin Young is open to the public at Intuit Art Museum through August 23.

Fern Logan has been a renowned photographer since she emerged in the early 1970s. Her work has been exhibited widely, including the groundbreaking Reflections in Black exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum and at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Her photography is included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian and the Harlem State Office Building. A recipient of numerous awards and grants, Logan is Professor Emerita of Cinema & Photography at Southern Illinois University. Her book, The Artist Portrait Series, features portraits of prominent Black artists and has been celebrated for its contribution to documenting African American artists.

Funded by an IAC Creative Projects Grant, Fern Logan is currently building on her previous Artist Portrait Series in a new collection featuring full-color portraits of several prominent Illinois artists of color, including Antonio Martinez, Najjar Musawwir, and Tonika Johnson, among others. Logan is currently traveling between Chicago and Southern Illinois to complete the series, which she plans to expand beyond Illinois in the future.

"My creative journey is my lived experience as a Black woman in Western society," Logan shares. Her exhibition, Generations, will open on Labor Day weekend (and run through September) at Artspace Southern Illinois in Carbondale. This exhibition highlights the work of mature artists alongside those they have mentored and inspired, providing a platform for intergenerational dialogue and creative exchange.