Creating community through art since 1921

Founded in 1921, the Oak Park Art League (OPAL) is one of the longest, continually running non-profit arts organizations in Illinois.
The Oak Park Art League's mission is to be a welcoming center of artistic inquiry, creative expression and art appreciation in Oak Park and the surrounding communities.
Through the offering of dynamic public arts programming and exhibitions, our goal is to engage the beginner to professional artist in creative practices allowing for the refinement of their creative voice.

Upcoming Events

Featured
Artist Talk 2-4 pm
Mar 22
Artist Talk 2-4 pm
Reading with Local Authors 1-3pm
Mar 23
Reading with Local Authors 1-3pm
OPEN Critique 6-8pm
Mar 27
OPEN Critique 6-8pm

OPAL NEWS

Featured
Spotlight
Spotlight

Welcome Michael Cuadrado to OPAL staff as Programming Coordinator!

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ARTIST Talks
ARTIST Talks

PLANET POSITIVE PRINTING FOR ARTISTS
with Print Innovation Lab
MARCH 22, 2-4 pm

RSVP HERE

OPAL is thrilled to have Master Printer Juan Carlos Hernandez of Print Innovation Lab address our incredible community with a talk about Earth friendly art prints for artists.

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Reading with Local Authors
Reading with Local Authors

The Oak Park Art League is pleased to create space for authors to share their work at literary readings and open mic events throughout the year.
Our next reading is Sunday March 23, 1-3pm featuring four writers reading selections from their books and followed by an open mic opportunity for anyone in attendance.
Our featured writers are Margot McMahon, Sandra Wilcoxon, April Nauman, Maureen Connolly

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Spring STUDIO SALE
Spring STUDIO SALE

April 2-4, online sale
April 5th, 9-11 am in-person shop
Donate your items for the online sale which will be hosted at www.estatesales.net. The Spring Studio Sale will include gently used art-making supplies and materials, artwork, and odds and ends, estate sale style.
Come to the in-person sale at OPAL to shop what’s left.

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POSE! Juried Figure & Portrait Exhibit
POSE! Juried Figure & Portrait Exhibit

OPAL’s Annual Figure and Portrait exhibition, POSE! showcases a diverse spectrum of work based on the human form yet pushing the boundaries of how we depict ourselves and the bodies we inhabit.

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Special Figure Drawing Event
Special Figure Drawing Event

There is a special figure drawing opportunity coming up! Register for your spot!

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SPRING classes in the Studio!
SPRING classes in the Studio!

Our 5-week studio sessions run year-round, back-to-back. Those in the know make sure they sign up for a class to get lots of personal attention from our award-winning professional artist instructors.

SPRING 1 & 2 sessions are live on our site and you can sign up now to make sure you get your spot.

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Collector’s Circle
Collector’s Circle

Quarterly meet-up for art enthusiasts, “art curious” and new collectors, and artists too.

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Crochet Coral CLUB
Crochet Coral CLUB

JOIN US!
OPAL invites anyone interested in creating coral-shaped forms out of crocheted plastic to our monthly ‘make something’ meet-ups.

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Instructor Spotlight
Instructor Spotlight

Michael Cuadrado Gonzalez is one of our newest instructors at OPAL! Read more about his practice and his class in this months Instructor Spotlight.

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ARTISTS of OPAL Cookbook
ARTISTS of OPAL Cookbook

OPAL is publishing its first ARTISTS of OPAL Cookbook, planned to be released in November 2025, just in time for the holidays and aligned with our Food for Thought exhibition. We’re launching this call for recipes now and the deadline to submit will be in late summer 2025.

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AKG Micro Gallery
AKG Micro Gallery

SOUVENIRS

Nancy Wisti Grayson

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Take a Class In the Studio

Featured
S1 - BEGINNING TO INTERMEDIATE DRAWING
Mar 18
S1 - BEGINNING TO INTERMEDIATE DRAWING
S1 - WATERCOLOR BASICS
Mar 19
S1 - WATERCOLOR BASICS
S1 - PASTEL PAINTING
Mar 19
S1 - PASTEL PAINTING
S1 - BEGINNING TO ADVANCED DRAWING
Mar 19
S1 - BEGINNING TO ADVANCED DRAWING
S1 - EXPLORING OIL PAINTING
Mar 20
S1 - EXPLORING OIL PAINTING
S1 - EXPLORING OIL PAINTING
Mar 20
S1 - EXPLORING OIL PAINTING
S1 - Basic Acrylic Painting
Mar 21
S1 - Basic Acrylic Painting
S1 - Experimental Painting: Color, Form, and Meaning
Mar 21
S1 - Experimental Painting: Color, Form, and Meaning
SUNDAY Figure Drawing Non-Instructional with Model
Mar 23
SUNDAY Figure Drawing Non-Instructional with Model
THURSDAY Figure Drawing Non-Instructional with Model
Mar 27
THURSDAY Figure Drawing Non-Instructional with Model
SUNDAY Figure Drawing Non-Instructional with Model
Mar 30
SUNDAY Figure Drawing Non-Instructional with Model
ROFFMA Multi Model Session
Apr 7
ROFFMA Multi Model Session

Carriage House Gallery

 

Thank you to our generous Sponsors

Oak Park Art League is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Village of Oak Park, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts.