Students, teachers and parents from the Chicago High School for the Arts (Chi Arts/Shy Arts) urged the Board of Education to commit sustained funding, keep the 8 a.m.–5 p.m. conservatory schedule and retain faculty as CPS transitions the program into district management; the CEO said the district is pausing to finalize a fiscally sustainable model and will complete resource alignment in 30 days.

Teachers, parents and union leaders urged the Chicago Board of Education to protect arts conservatory schools moving to district management, to guarantee jobs and continuous health coverage for teaching artists, and to hold charter operators financially accountable.

Multiple Chi Arts teachers, parents and teaching artists told the Chicago Board of Education that philanthropy cannot sustain the school’s conservatory model and demanded written guarantees on staffing, health coverage and program continuity as CPS takes over management.

Shows like this remind us that art can and should be worthy in and of itself.

Built on the traditional homeland of the Sauk, Fox, and Potawatomi peoples, Chicago is a city of immigrants. Just 13 years after the city was incorporated in 1837, more than half of its residents were born overseas, having flocked to the region from across Europe and Asia

Expanding the reach of Chicago's arts and entertainment community

How long has it been since you have been to a circus? Over the last decades, what we once knew has changed.

The Walder Foundation's Platform Awards directly support local artists with $200,000 over three years. Here's how the program came together, and how it reflects this funder's goal to punch above its weight.

The Walder Foundation's Platform Awards directly support local artists with $200,000 over three years. Here's how the program came together, part of this funder's goal to punch above its weight.