Since its inception in 2017, Artists in Public Schools has impacted thousands of CPS students in 97 schools across 67 neighborhoods partnering with 95 local artists!​

We continue to build on our original mission: to provide expansive art experiences for CPS students and professional artists across the city of Chicago and share their inspiring stories widely through exhibitions at local community spaces, virtual and in-person gallery shows, and internationally renowned art fairs. 

Artists in Public Schools (AiPS) was founded by photographer Suzette Bross in 2017 with the mission to integrate Chicago-based professional artists into the Chicago Public School (CPS) system, the nation’s fourth largest school district, serving over 325,000 students.

Over the course of an AiPS residency, students engage with artists working in multiple disciplines, explore their creative potential, and collaborate on meaningful art projects that often result in inspiring stories of their schools and communities. AiPS often shares these “stories” through publicly-accessible exhibitions across the city.

Artists in Public Schools, formerly CPS Lives NFP, acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council, Corporations, Foundations, and generous individual donors.