What is the Open Studio Process?
Over the next few weeks, Open Studio Project is hosting a series of workshops, inviting community members to engage in our unique art-making process to generate ideas for the new mural on Main Street.
Read more about our process below and sign up for an upcoming workshop in March or April. We’d love to have you!
The Transformative Power of Art
At Open Studio Project, our mission is to bring the transformative power of art directly to individuals for personal growth, social emotional learning, and community well being.
We do this in a number of ways – through classes and camps, youth programming, facilitator training, art therapy, mural making, and more. While each of these programs has their own unique flavor, they all have one thing in common – they’re built on the Open Studio Process.
Open Studio’s History
In 1991, Open Studio Project was founded by three art therapists and exhibiting artists – Dayna Block, Deborah Gadiel, and Pat Allen. Their intention? To make art and be of service.
These three artists recognized that personal creative practice was essential to helping their therapy clients make progress. So, they incorporated as a non-profit, rented a space in Wicker Park (a neighborhood in Chicago), and began developing the “Open Studio Process.”
Over the next six years, they refined this process, creating a unique tool for life-healing art created in group settings.
Today, the Open Studio process is the foundation for all of our programming. It’s designed to offer maximum freedom of expression in a safe, creative environment. The process takes place in a group setting with materials that are easy to use so that anyone can participate, regardless of how much art making experience someone has.
What is the Open Studio Process?
The process consists of four steps that combine:
mindfulness practices
journaling
open-ended art making
reflective writing
and group sharing
At the heart of the process is a value for process over product, mutual respect and creativity, listening to understand, and a judgement-free space to make art without fear that your work will be commented on.
Step 1: Set An Intention
The first step in the Open Studio Process is to set an intention.
We start with a few minutes of free writing then set intentions using positive, action-oriented language.
The purpose of intention setting is to reflect on whatever is in the forefront of your mind at the moment, and committing to a goal or action in response. Hear more about intention setting from our executive director, Rob Lentz.
Step 2: Make Art Without Limits
After setting an intention, we jump right into art making. This is a time of uncensored expression, creating artwork from a place of intuition and creative impulse, using any and all tools or materials that intrigue you or catch your attention.
Facilitators make art alongside workshop participants and are there to answer questions or help out if someone feels stuck.
Step 3: Witness and Reflect
After making art, we sit with the artwork we’ve created and simply witness it – being present and observing the artwork, while writing anything that comes to mind. This can be a dialogue between yourself and the art, a stream-of-consciousness journaling, or even a poem.
Step 4: Share and Listen
After making our artwork, we have a time of sharing and listening. We view each other’s artwork and have the option of sharing some, all, or none of your writing. This part of the process is done without commenting or judging each other’s work. This is a time for you to hear your words reflected back to you in the presence of others.
The Process and the Mural
The Open Studio process exists brings individuals together to make art and share reflections in a safe creative space, free of judgement or critique.
Over the next few months, we’re inviting community members into the studio to experience the Open Studio process and help generate ideas for the new mural we’re installing on Main Street.
We’re excited to use the process in this new way. Later on, community members will also have the chance to contribute physically to the creation of a mosaic/mixed media installation on the mural as well.
For updates and workshop dates, subscribe to our email list in the boxes below! We hope to see you in the studio soon!