Plan Your Visit

We are a nonprofit visual arts organization founded in 1939 dedicated to advancing the quality, equity, and engagement with contemporary visual art in Chicago through education, exhibitions, residency, and events.

We have education programs that offer over 400 studio art classes year round for all ages in our Oakman Clinton School, provide arts education outreach to Chicago area schools, and professional development programs for mid-career and emerging artists. Our 6 galleries showcase groundbreaking Chicago based artists and exciting established national and international artists year round while providing space for community events and conversation. Our Residency program provides space for artists from Chicago and around the globe to experiment and develop new work.

If you are taking public transit, you can hop on the CTA #6 Jackson Park Express bus to East Hyde Park Boulevard and Cornell Avenue, then walk half a block north to 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Alternately, you can take the #15 Jeffrey or #28 Stony Island bus (#2 Hyde Park Express during Rush Hour) to East Hyde Park Boulevard and Lake Park Avenue, then walk one block east and half a block north to 5020 S. Cornell Ave. For detailed maps and schedules, visit the CTA’s website at www.transitchicago.com.

The Art Center’s lot offers limited parking on a first-come, first-served basis. The only lot controlled by the Art Center is directly north of the building. Parking in any other lot may result in towing, and the Art Center is not responsible for cars parked in any other lot. Paid parking (cash only) is available at Harper Court (garage access off of S. Lake Park Ave.). To get to the Harper Court parking garage from the Art Center, drive north on S. Cornell Ave. toward E. 50th Place, turn right onto E. 50th Place, turn right onto S. East End Ave., turn right onto E. Hyde Park Blvd., and turn left onto S. Lake Park Ave. See map with directions here.

We are proud to be free and open to the public seven days a week!

You can find information about job and internship opportunities here.

Hosting an event for 50 or fewer people? We offer our community conference room, Muller Meeting Room, to the public for events. To reserve a date and time and learn about rates and restrictions, download this rental agreement form  (PDF), fill it out completely, and return it along with your deposit according to the instructions on the form. Please give us a call at 773.324.5520 to check date availability.

Unfortunately, we’re unable to rent out our entire building for a private party or event, since our galleries are often filled with delicate artwork. We also do not rent out for exhibitions, showcases or other events that display art.

If you’re interested in hosting a birthday party (adult or children) at the Art Center, we’re delighted to accommodate up to fifteen people and provide fun, hands-on art making activities to keep ages 4 and up happy and busy!

Download our birthday party reservation form (PDF) for more information about rates and restrictions.

If you have any questions or special requests, please contact our Finance and Operations Manager, Eileen Truong, at etruong@hydeparkart.org

In many cases, the artwork on view in exhibitions is available for purchase. There is a price list of artwork for sale on the right-hand side of the front desk in the reception area.

The Art Center welcomes submissions of artists’ work and curatorial proposals for group exhibitions. Submissions are reviewed by the Exhibitions Committee, which consists of artists and art professionals, as well as the Art Center’s Director of Exhibitions and Executive Director quarterly.

Each year, the Art Center unveils 20 exhibitions, presenting at least one of each of the following:

• a solo show of an ambitious new project by an emerging Chicago artist,
• a new project undertaken by one of our resident artists
• an exhibition from an emerging Chicago curator whose work transgresses or questions traditional curatorial conventions
• work curated by a Chicago artist experimenting with curating as a means of informing their artwork but NOT including their own work in their curated show
• new work that is conceptually distinctive or unique in use of materials by Chicago artists who are in an experimental stage of their practice
• an exhibition showcasing work by the Art Center’s own teaching artist faculty exploring a new concept, and/or by established artists who have discovered new techniques in our studio art classes
• work by established, midcareer Chicago artists on the verge of breaking through to the next level of their careers
• group shows highlighting new artists who have come up through our Education programs, like The Center Program and Art Shop; and
• submissions that fulfill one of the above criteria.

Please keep in mind that the Art Center plans its exhibitions program three seasons in advance. Click here to submit your proposal.

Please submit by June 1 for Summer Review; November 15th for Fall Review; for Winter Review; for Spring Review. Due to a high volume of submissions and limited staff, all proposals must be submitted online. Incomplete proposals or proposals for work that falls outside our stated focus areas will not be considered.

Unfortunately, we are not art appraisers. Commercial galleries tend to set the prices of contemporary artworks, so your best bet is to do a web search to discover which Chicago galleries sell work like yours, and to approach them directly about appraising your artwork.

We do not sell art supplies, but many of our classes include all supplies needed.

We accept donations of art supplies on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the School & Studio Coordinator if you would like to arrange a donation as we will not accept anything that has not been approved beforehand.

With the goal of making our programs accessible, Hyde Park Art Center offers a limited amount of financial aid for Youth and Adult Programs and Classes.

Hyde Park Art Center offers need-based financial aid to qualified students and families. Financial aid is limited and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Early submission is highly encouraged.

Full Tuition Awards: HPAC offers 3 full tuition awards each term (does not apply to Creativity Camps).
o To be considered for a full tuition award, applications must be submitted by the early registration deadline (see Course catalog for date).
o Award decisions will be based on 1) financial need and 2) thoughtfulness of responses.
o Recipients have 1 week from the award date to register; otherwise, the award is forfeited. Applicants who have forfeited their award are not eligible for aid until the following term.
o Recipients must not miss more than 2 classes for a 10 week course or 1 class for a 5 week course. Failure to attend will result in ineligibility for financial aid for 4 terms.
o Applicants may receive only 1 full tuition award per year.
o Applicants not chosen for a full tuition award may be eligible for a half tuition award.

Half-tuition awards: A limited number of half-tuition awards will be available each term, including Creativity Camps.
o Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, as funds allow.
o Award is applicable only to the courses/programs listed on the application for that quarter. A new application must be submitted for additional courses.
o Award decisions will be based on financial need.
o Recipients have 1 week from the award date to register; otherwise, the award is forfeited. Applicants who have forfeited their award may not apply again until the following term.
o Students who wish to renew aid must reapply each term.

To apply, complete the form below in full. Alternatively, forms can be returned to Eileen Truong, Finance & Operations Manager, at the front desk or by e-mail at etruong@hydeparkart. Applications must be received by the early registration deadline to be considered for a full-tuition award. Each student requesting aid must submit a separate form. Financial aid recipients must reapply each session for continued assistance and must complete the entire 10-week session to be eligible for future awards.

For more information about art courses, financial aid, and registration discounts please contact our Finance & Operations Manager, Eileen Truong at etruong@hydeparkart.org or 773-324-5520 x1016.

We focus on visual arts, and as such, we do not offer music classes, and it is rare that we present musical or other performing arts programming. It does happen on occasion when one of our exhibiting, visiting, or resident artists works across disciplines and is interested in presenting work or collaborating with another artist who works in sound or music.

The D’Angelo Library is always open to the public and MMR is open for public use when no meetings or events are taking place. 

We do not have a public printer. If you need to print something, we recommend Blackstone Library at 49th & Blackstone.

Unfortunately, while we do not have public wifi, Bridgeport Coffee next door offers wifi.