Art in the Square
- October 2008There's a wise question that asks, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" Would you be more adventurous and change your life? Or would you try something you've always wanted to do but haven't been able to muster the courage? If exploring your creative side is the answer, Lincoln Square is home to four walls where failure isn't possible. But finding your inner artist certainly is, regardless of whether you think you have talent. Art in the Square is a safe place to experience art. People of all ages go there to learn to draw and paint. Yet they often come away learning not only those skills, but also something within themselves they never knew existed.
It's all the result of the vision of Pam Vujovich, a life-long artist who drove past an empty storefront in February of 2006 as she was taking her daughters to a music lesson at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Instead of the former cell phone store, she immediately envisioned a small art school where she could teach children to draw and paint. "Knowing how great the neighborhood is, I was surprised the space was vacant," Pam recalls. "My husband grew up a few blocks away and we lived here about 15 years ago, so I knew the neighborhood well. When I walked in the space, I could just visualize exactly what I wanted to do. It was so perfect and just meant to be." Pam signed a lease that month and opened Art in the Square by March 2006.
Soon after she built the studio, the artists began to arrive. "My plan was always to teach art to kids, but the adults just kept on coming," says Pam. Right now, she teaches a mixture of ages from three to 70+, although a majority of her students are children. Pam has made Art in the Square a celebration of creativity that welcomes all. It's a bright spot that's always filled with rotating student work featuring subjects ranging from flowers, to landscapes, animals, abstract images, and patterns. Quotes from famous artists are painted on the walls for inspiration, such as this one from Vincent Van Gogh: "I dream my painting and then paint my dreams." Van Gogh. "I chose to put up quotes that inspired me, but that everyone of all ages could understand," explains Pam. There's also a color wheel painted on the back wall teaching students about complementary hues. Hundreds of sources of inspiration sit on shelves around the studio for students to use in their work, including books, magazines, and three-dimensional objects such as wax fruit, bottles, silk flowers, and more.
One of the fun surprises at Art in the Square is its lockers. Every new student is assigned a locker and can decorate its door to his or her taste. When the class ends, the locker is painted over and the cycle begins again. Another unexpected feature is that all students can sell their work through the studio and keep 100% of the profit. "We try to give everyone a chance to show their work in the front window display," explains Pam. Kids sell their work along with adults, and a pastel drawing of a bunny by a six-year-old is just as likely to sell as an adult's painting of the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Art in the Square offers classes designed for both adults and children. While adult classes run three hours long, kids' classes run two hours. Both types of classes are relaxed. "While they're working, the kids can always take a break," explains Pam. "We encourage them to bring in a snack. We always have music going. It's a fun atmosphere to work in." Kids are welcome to start regular classes at five years old. As for the younger ones, Pam offers a class for three- and four-year-olds to come in and paint for an hour, a timeline that's a bit easier on this age group.
Students can enroll anytime—there's never a set start date. Classes include six consecutive weeks of training. Typically, students choose to attend a class either once or twice per week, as they prefer. If you miss a class, Pam will allow you to make it up another time. Two evening and two morning classes are available each week. Artists also have the option to come in for open studio time if they're looking for a comfortable place to work.
Pam teaches classes with the help of instructor Amy Couey. Students learn charcoal, drawing, and painting skills. Both Pam and Amy teach real art skills. "There's no tracing allowed here," Pam explains. "I'm here to teach you how to draw." She starts most beginning students out in charcoal. "Everyone has the chance to choose their medium and their subject," says Pam. "I really love working with charcoal and oils. Most adults work in charcoal and oils, while the kids tend to work with pastels and acrylic paints." People can draw from an object, a photo, from memory, or from their imaginations. "When a class starts, we take the time to get set up to work," says Pam. "We see where we need to pick up from the previous class." Pam stops around at each student to offer help and encouragement. Then she floats around the room for the rest of the lesson, moving from person to person as they need help.
Sundays are reserved for Art in the Square birthday parties. Groups of five to 15 can celebrate with friends and create a piece of art to take home. "All you have to do is decide on a medium and we'll have everything set up for your group," explains Pam. "The kids choose a picture, I'll draw it, and they paint it. Parents can bring in food and cake, and music to play. There's time to open up presents. And we take a big group photo of everyone at the end." When you visit the studio, you can see photos of past party fun on the wall beside the front door.
Art has always played a role in Pam's life. Her talent may have been passed down through the family. "My grandmother was an artist," says Pam. "She painted all these beautiful flowers. I still have several of her pieces in my house." As a child, she was always drawing at home, so her parents sent her to art lessons with a teacher—the same person she's been working with for the past 30 years. During that time, not only has she learned how to draw and paint, she also learned how to teach others. "I've sat in on my teacher's classes specifically to observe how she teaches her students," says Pam. She greatly admires artist Georgia O'Keeffe, and took her family on a pilgrimage to New Mexico to see the museum there. Pam seems to have handed down her talent to her three daughters, triplets, who all started art lessons at six years old. Now accomplished artists, her daughters help out in the studio and sell their work there. "The rule is that half of what they make on each painting has to be put away in their savings," explains Pam. Her daughters' specialties at the moment are colorful paintings of dogs. The girls will do portraits of your pet if you bring in a picture. "We can't keep the dog pictures in here," says Pam. "People just go crazy for them."
Pam is a person who clearly enjoys what she does. One of the most rewarding things for her is watching her students learn and bloom. "I have a student who is in her 60s who wanted to try drawing with charcoal," recalls Pam. "She's only finished her second painting, and she's doing such a good job. She tells me that she finds drawing so relaxing. I love that." Pam has another star student named Tony Davis who is paraplegic and paints with his mouth. "He paints these gorgeous roses," says Pam. "He's working with the Mouth and Foot Organization right now. He sends in his paintings and they judge his work. He's incredible. He's hoping to make the organization's calendar next year. Tony has told me that he learned to really see color for the first time with my help—that he never saw color before the way I taught him to." Pam especially likes watching the effect that art has on some of her students. "One of the most rewarding things is watching the kids who finish a painting ask if they can put it up in the window, or watching them show their parents what they did in class," recalls Pam. "I see students of all ages look at their work, and say, 'I can't believe I did this.' It's amazing to see how learning art can boost self-confidence." Every day at Art in the Square is a new opportunity to express yourself, as Pam has done by opening her studio. "This does not feel like a job," says Pam. "I feel lucky that I love what I'm doing. Not very many people are able to do exactly what they're passionate about."
Art in the Square
2314 West Leland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.271.4176
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