Communities of Creativity: Project Onward 🇺🇸

Artists and staff of Project Onward

In the heart of Chicago, Project Onward stands as a thriving example of how creativity can foster belonging, purpose, and professional opportunity for artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health conditions. Founded in 2004, the organization has become a nationally recognized studio and gallery space that supports more than 50 artists.

Project Onward provides not only materials and mentorship but also access to audiences - through exhibitions, public programs, and an onsite store - where artists’ work is presented with the dignity and seriousness it deserves. The artists here are not defined by their diagnoses but by the strength of their practices, which range from drawing and painting to performance, portraiture, and design.

A core element of Project Onward is its commitment to professional development. Artists receive direct opportunities to sell their work, build relationships with collectors, and establish reputations within Chicago’s vibrant art scene and beyond. Their visibility and recognition make a powerful statement: art created in supported studios is an essential part of contemporary culture.

As with so many supported studios, the energy of Project Onward comes from the interplay of individual voices and collective community. Each artist is empowered to develop a practice that reflects their own view of the world, while the studio as a whole affirms that these voices belong within the larger arts ecosystem.

👉 Learn more and explore the artists’ work at projectonward.org