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.

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.

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!

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. Find original artworks too!

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.

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!

We are happy to announce that our state grant-funded building renovation will commence in the next week with the tear-off and replacement of our 40-year-old roof. Classes will continue as scheduled but this is your heads-up that work is being done on OPAL. Stay tuned for updates here as the project progresses. 

The Oak Park Art League is a unique space suitable for hosting a variety of events, from birthday, showers, meetings, photo shoots and more. We are now renting OPAL for outside events through Peerspace.

Check out our listing and plan your next event in a beautiful, historic location.

Join us for the artist reception, held Friday, September 20th, 2024, 7-9pm

Study Group Quilt Show

Shop handmade wares, art and more at our Harvest Market Pop-up Saturday October 19, 10am - 6pm.

FEATURED MAKERS

Jill Kramer Chimerapress Studios, Natalie Birholtz Jewelry and Art, Sam Donahue Photography, Isaac Streiff Desmond & Isaac's Little Guys, Jacqueline Lakely JM Lakely Original Artwork, Robyn Leah, My Eye on the World, little press, guacamollie art and accessories, Weldon Artpothecary, Alexander Stockdale & Jessica Fransen, Ted Sowinski Studio Pottery, Coffee from Grow The Earth

Saturday October 19, 10am - 9pm

Wander our courtyard Garden of Ghosts curated with otherworldy sculpture, shop the Pop-up Harvest Maker’s Market, come for kid’s crafts and costume parade at our ‘Witching Hour’, get spooked up in the Haunted Hayloft  plus some surprise guests throughout the day. Don’t forget to get your tickets for a first look ‘Ghost Stories’ Reception