News & Publications

Students + families,

In response to the possible CTU teachers strike and in solidarity with young people and their families, Marwen is opening its doors from 8:30 am to 5 pm each day of the strike to young people in our neighborhood as well as to Marwen students and their siblings in grades 2-12.

Marwen will provide free artmaking workshops, access to computers, movies, and other activities in our studios and gallery during the strike.

In partnership with Eats on Sedgwick restaurant member B.Good as well as the Greater Chicago Food Depository, snacks and lunch will be provided during the strike. Young people with dietary restrictions are encouraged to bring their own lunch and snacks.

All young people who are not currently enrolled in Marwen programming will need to have a signed parent or guardian permission form to participate. Forms will be available at the front desk.

Marwen after-school programming for our Fall Term will proceed as scheduled throughout the duration of the strike.

For additional resources related to the CTU teachers strike, please visit: https://cps.edu/contingencyplan/

Questions can be directed to Aurora Toshiko King, Marwen’s Director of Education, at aking@marwen.org.

In community,
Marwen staff

MARWEN’S ART FAIR 2019 CELEBRATES

CREATIVE CHICAGO YOUTH WITH AN ART AUCTION OF

FRESH WORK BY STUDENTS & CHICAGO ARTISTS

Featured student work at Art Fair 2019

(Chicago, IL – October 2, 2019) Marwen announces Art Fair 2019, its 13th Annual exhibition and art auction. The event will be held on Friday, November 1, 2019, from 7-10 pm at Marwen, 833 N. Orleans Street in Chicago. Individual tickets to Art Fair are $40 in advance ($50 at the door) and include an open bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres. Tickets are on sale now at marwen.org/event/art-fair-2019. Group ticket sales are also available online.

Art Fair, which attracts nearly 400 guests each year, features three floors of artwork by Marwen students, teaching artists, alumni, and staff — all for sale through a silent auction. The exhibition includes photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, illustration, graphic design, fibers, and more. Guests will have the opportunity to use their phones to bid on artwork through a silent auction. Proceeds from each sale are divided equally, benefiting both the artist and Marwen's free programs. See photos from last year’s event at https://marwen.org/past-events/marwen-art-fair-2018.

“Art Fair is a culmination of work from all of our artist communities,” said Akilah Halley, Executive Director and alumna of Marwen​. “It’s the only time of year when we showcase original work by Chicago artists from across the city. There’s a wonderful variety of artforms represented, delicious food, and a building brimming with guests who share a love for creative expression. It’s a joyful event that helps us continue our work to provide a supportive space for creativity, skill building, and experimentation for Chicago’s young people.”

Art Fair 2019 is generously sponsored by the following individuals and companies: Accend, Kevin and Jane Berg, Better, Blick, Amy and Andy Bluhm, Cutter Studios, Executive Construction Foundation, ESD, Gary Lee Partners, Gensler, Havas, Katherine K. Scott Jimenez & James Jimenez, Robert Buchsbaum and Elyse Klein, Knoll, Limelight, Luum Textiles, Lee and Sharon Oberlander, Isa & Adam Pressman, Deborah & Stephen Quazzo, Tom Shapiro and Madeleine Grynsztejn, Skender Foundation, Stone Source, Whitehouse + Carbon

Photography and video are welcome during the event. You can find Marwen on Twitter and Instagram

@marwenarts and Facebook @marwenchicago. We also have high resolution images of student artwork

available upon request. Please contact Kennon Reinard at kreinard@marwen.org or 312.374.2941 with requests.

ABOUT MARWEN

Since 1987, Marwen has educated and inspired young people from Chicago’s under-resourced communities and schools through the visual arts. Marwen provides free visual art courses, college planning, and career development programs to 6-12th graders from across the city. For more information visit marwen.org

MARWEN ANNOUNCES AURORA TOSHIKO KING

AS DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

“I believe that art and creative expression are fundamental to our humanity and essential for our collective liberation.” -- Aurora Toshiko King

(Chicago, IL – April 1, 2019) Marwen is excited to announce that Aurora Toshiko King has been named Director of Education as of April 1. In her role, Aurora will work closely with leadership to set a strategic vision across all program areas: studio programs; teaching artist professional development opportunities; college, career and alumni initiatives; and student and family engagement efforts. She will shape vision for education at Marwen, centered around youth development.

“Marwen helps young people shape pathways to thrive as individuals and creative contributors to our collective community,” said Executive Director Akilah Halley. “We’re excited to welcome Aurora and learn from her experience in creative youth development methodologies rooted in social justice. She fully embodies Marwen’s values of creativity, empathy, agency, reciprocity, inclusion, collaboration, and reflection. We’re energized by how we can evolve with her leadership.”

“I have had the opportunity to collaborate with the most incredible young people, teaching artists, staff, families, and partners through my work,” said Aurora. “I look forward to learning from and forming relationships with the team at Marwen as well as artists and educators across Chicago. I have been inspired by artists, community arts organizations, and arts education work in Chicago for years and am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from the brilliance and complexity of this incredible city.”

Aurora Toshiko King’s experience includes working as an educator and administrator in Oakland and San Francisco public schools. She was most recently the Director of Programs at Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, California, where she worked to develop social-justice-focused creative youth development programs. Born and raised in the tomato belt of Northern California, she worked in close collaboration with educators, teaching artists, and administrators in Bay Area public schools and community based organizations to bring creative expression into the education system in ways that were sustainable, equitable, and culturally responsive.

Prior to Destiny, Aurora worked as the Program Manager at Performing Arts Workshop in San Francisco where she deepened the organization’s work in the neighborhood by collaborating with educators and administrators to create culturally responsive programs. She also supports state, local, and national efforts to advance equity in the arts and is an active participant in the Creative Youth Development National Partnership. She has worked closely with leaders at the National Guild for Community Arts Education to highlight the importance of using a social justice framework for creative youth development. Aurora is also a mother, an artist, and an advocate. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

ABOUT MARWEN

Since 1987, Marwen has educated and inspired young people from Chicago’s under-resourced communities and schools through the visual arts. Now, in its 31st year and having served more than 10,000 students, Marwen continues to provide free art courses, college planning, and career development programs to 6-12th graders who have come from 55 of Chicago’s 57 zip codes. For more information visit marwen.org

"Marwen has done so much for me. Honestly, without Marwen, I probably wouldn't be going to college, and I wouldn't feel like I could take art as a career. I probably would've been stuck not knowing what to do."