Artists in Public Schools 2026 Annual Gala

Art Means Something

October 22, 2026 | Arts Club of Chicago – 201 E Ontario St. | 6:00 – 10:00 pm

–> 65,000 Chicago students still can’t access a real arts education.

Artists in Public Schools is changing that—one paid residency, one school community, and one student-led project at a time. Help us bring professional artists to the 335 schools still waiting.

Join us for the 2026 Gala! Sponsorships, tickets, auction bids, and donations directly fund our artist residencies, student workshops, public art installations, highlight the accomplishments of our talented residency artists, and much more.

Gala guests will enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, inspiring remarks by artist Dorian Sylvain and others.

Special musical performance by Guitars Over Guns led by our 2026 honoree Andre ‘Add-2’ Daniels!

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Honoree and Special Guest

2026 Honoree

Andre “Add-2” Daniels
Recording artist, professor, President of the Chicago Grammy Chapter & Regional Director of Guitars Over Guns

Andre and young artists from Guitars and Guns recently joined Chicago native Pearl Jam legend Eddie Vedder to co-write and perform the original song Better Believe for the Grand Opening of the Obama Presidential Center.

2026 Featured Speaker

Dorian Sylvain
Muralist, Education, Curator & Public Arts Organizer. Former Artist-In Residence, Artists in Public Schools

As a painter, Dorian’s color and texture explore ornamentation, pattern, and design as identifiers of cultural foundations. Core to her practice is collaborating with children and communities to elevate neighborhood aesthetics and shared understanding.

 

 

We thank our generous 2026 Gala sponsors (as of September 1, 2026):

  • Doug & Jacqueline Amacher
  • Dolenc Riker Charitable Foundation
  • Steven Florsheim & Jennifer Friedes
  • Harriett Lifshitz & Ted Keim
  • The Charles Moore Family
  • Riverspan Partners
  • Ropes & Gray, LLP
  • Douglas & Yumi Ross
  • PM Woan Family Fund
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Artists in Public Schools creates artist residencies in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), providing expansive art making experiences for students, educators, and professional Chicago-based artists. Working together with a collaborative, community-focused mindset, we celebrate and widely share the unique stories of CPS students and schools through art and creativity. When the arts and aesthetics are integrated into education, work, and life, we strengthen our capacity to learn. Creating something is at the core of learning.