JOIN US!
Starting in January 2025, OPAL invites anyone interested in creating coral-shaped forms out of crocheted plastic to our monthly ‘make something’ meet-ups.

Come shop in person in a new gift shop tucked in the corner of the Carriage House Gallery and filled with original handmade art and objects created locally. Discover new OPAL designs on swag you can wear and use to spread the word about the Oak Park Art League and help raise funds for our beloved organization.

Our next critique is for artists exhibiting work in our first exhibit of 2025, UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Join us January 16, 6-8pm in the gallery. It’s free to attend, but please let us know you are coming. We will discuss only works included in the exhibition. To get the most out of this critique and to respect all artists, please arrive at the beginning and participate so everyone gets some valuable feedback.

Sundays 10am - 1pm & Thursdays 9am - noon

There are now two figure sessions per week for drawing from a live model. These are 3-hour, non-instructional figure drawing sessions. Work on your figure-drawing skills at your own self-directed pace!

Sketches by Christopher Heron

OPAL is starting off 2025 with a new community connection and a wonderful partnership with Kribi CoffeeAir Rostery. When you stop by OPAL during our weekend hours (1-4pm) to check out the gallery and see what art awaits, you can grab a free cup of Kribi’s amazing air-roasted coffee.

Painting by Ana Vitek

Jess Howard has been teaching drawing at OPAL for 15 years this January! And we’re all the better for it!

If you’ve been curious about OPAL’s founder Carl R. Krafft and details of his life as an artist, I encourage you to check out the webspace and buy a copy of the book.

OPAL’s Annual Figure and Portrait exhibition is juried this year!

POSE! Is open for submissions!
SUBMISSION DEADLINE is Feb 16, 2025

This juried national call seeks to showcase a diverse spectrum of work based on the human form yet pushing the boundaries of how we depict ourselves and the bodies we inhabit.

FAMILY TIES

Kelley Clink

Happy New Year! OPAL’s first exhibition of 2025 is Under Construction.
This is an open call for recent artwork inspired by new beginnings with a special emphasis on works in progress. Show your process and share something that may feel risky and unfinished.

Please note ~ Opening reception:
Saturday, January 11, 1pm - 4pm

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.

In 2025 we are launching our sessions with more time to sign up, but don’t delay, spots are still limited by our space. Winter 1 & 2 sessions are live on our site and you can sign up now to make sure you get your spot.

Ring! Ring!

Check our messages here and see where you can engage at OPAL and make it an even more vibrant art community! As a not-for-profit, OPAL relies on volunteers to help with programming.

Perhaps you’ve been waiting to see what is planned for the Carriage House Gallery in the coming year? Wait no longer. OPAL has a newly formed Exhibition Committee that has labored over the coming line-up and we hope this selection of calls will give plenty of prompts for art-making and opportunities to share your artwork with the community.

Please consider donating to the Oak Park Art League this giving season. Our Annual Appeal runs through the end of 2024

You can feel good supporting local art and creatives with a tax-deductible gift to OPAL.
We made it easy to donate online, or you can mail a check, or visit our historic gallery and say hello while you drop off your year-end donation to OPAL. Thank you!

OPAL is honored to host multi-media sculptor and Oak Parker, Bethany Cordero as our artist-in-residence through December 2024. You can seen her sculpture exhibit in the gallery through the end of 2024.

This year our Annual Fall Artist Member Exhibition, closes out the year by going small in a big way!

Please note ~ Opening reception:
Saturday, November 30th, 1pm - 4pm

Here is the latest lineup of workshops scheduled at OPAL. Check out the details and sign up early as these are one-time offerings.

As a way to raise funds for more seating and gallery improvements, OPAL is starting an adoption opportunity for our brand-new chairs. For $25. you can adopt a chair and add your name and website link to the back of your chair!

Juror: Richard Laurent

Cartooning and animation are powerful modes for speaking truth to power, when protest is captioned in a word bubble and dry humor delivers the punch. In honor of Oak Park artist and prolific political cartoonist Keith J. Taylor, this juried national exhibition comes at a fraught time, an election year, and invites artists working in all forms of cartooning and animation to submit works that speak to this moment in human history.

The Oak Park Art League (OPAL) and By Discovery, After School Art Enrichment Program, co-host an evening of
art-making designed for adults to raise funds for art programming at St. Angela School in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.