Hyde Park Art Center

This place is magic. The art galleries are free and changed frequently. I haven’t tried too much in the café, but the vanilla late and various chocolate/​cheese cake/​scone offerings are good.
The really fabulous thing is the ceramics class I’m taking. It *is* a little pricey, but on par with other studios in the city. The instructor Harvy is great, patient, knowledgable. A little cohort of regulars are there on any given afternoon and usually will happily help newbies. And you have open access to the studio whenever the art center is open, which isn’t universal.

And the Beast is being dismantled this weekend. The finale was terrific – especially the music and musicians. Thank you HPAC and I look forward to the next installation, wherever it may be. I’ve gotten over the demise of the Red Flag Salon, so I guess I can handle the demise of the Beast. As long as John Preus keeps making stuff, which I think is inevitable, in a good way.

This place is a wonderful community center and should definitely be on your list of things to do if you are in the neighborhood. Some of the exhibits aren’t always the most interesting, but since it’s free, you really can’t complain.

I really like the idea of this place and their mission, and the staff I’ve encountered all seem very nice. This review is for the last class that I took there, which left me underwhelmed.
Though the teacher was friendly, there was pretty much no structure and no instruction. I felt like he did little (if any) preparation for the class, and spent most his time during class plugging his own artwork and exhibitions. If I wanted any critique from him about my work I had to walk over to him and ask him for his opinion on improvements. You would think there would be more attention to the student given the small class size. Not surprisingly, attendance rate was spotty.
In short, I was paying for the price of a class, but getting use of a studio with background noise from a gay hipster.
I really hope this was just an isolated incident, but experience reflected poorly on the art center in my mind as I felt they should have screened their staff more carefully.

Every time I’ve been here, I’ve been glad because I learned a lot and had fun. Definitely give it your time, and you will get out of it what you put into it. Thumbs up for being community and visitor-​oriented.

I specifically chose to stay in the Hyde Park district while in Chicago because of this Arts Center. I stumbled across it by chance a few years ago by staying at the nearby Ramada because I worked at a Milwaukee Ramada and got a great deal. It turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I have ever made.
It is free, which is an amazing thing for Chicago. There is a decent amount of exhibits and gallery spaces and the art that was being shown is amazing. It also serves as a co-​op, which is a great feature. There is a plant recycle and seed share program on the upper level as well. I know that they do classes as well, which is great for the local community.

There are some very nice pieces in the «Ground Floor» show of work by recent Chicago MFAs. Not necessarily a destination show, but definitely glad I stopped by given how close by I live. Looking forward to checking out «Cocktails & Clay» some time.

Been taking classes here for over a year and a half. Love this place. If you want to take a beginning class in ceramics, I suggest Hardy. Hardy is very focused on technique and precision. He will teach you how to throw and do it well. He does not do demonstrations, but works with beginners and offers advice to more advanced students (as they desire it). David Trost is a GREAT person to take a class with, once you start wanting inspiration. This guy is totally genius and inspiring as hell. You will get more excited about pottery then you have ever been about anything else. Another amazing teacher is Mary. Mary is a fantastic potter and sometimes teaches tile making. TAKE HER! She’s great as a teacher and person!

Ok, so my husband and I went on a date here «Cocktails & Clay» which is every 2^nd Friday from 8pm til 12am. We parked in their lot as street parking is difficult in Hyde Park. There is a suggested donation but I suggest paying whatever you can afford, the receptionist is totally ok with it! We participated in a «Sip & Sculpt 45-​minute sessions with others and it was led by a teacher. Unfortunately we had to recycle our materials. In the main lobby there was a DJ spinning records and an area to dance if you felt so inclined. We also had a chance to explore the exhibitions and galleries. I was really impressed with the cash bar which at first glance looked like just a table with a few beers bottles but actually offered other drinks as well. We had a great time on a budget, in our neighborhood and for that I give it 5 plus stars!

This place is definitely unexpected– it’s in a residential neighborhood, a bit off the beaten path.
I’ve not been to any of the organized events yet– I wandered in a while ago while taking a little walk through the neighborhood on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. They had a couple of really interesting exhibits up and the place was pretty empty, but it still felt really lively because of the openness and light in the building. Admission is free, but they do have donation boxes (and come on, $ 5 is a small price to pay to support local art!)
They have a number of really interesting classes for reasonable prices and I know they do a «Cocktails and Clay» event which I’d like to check out sooner than later. Overall, it’s definitely worth ducking into if you’re in the neighborhood– support this worthy cause!
(Also of note: Istria Café has a location here, and that gelato is killer. Perfect way to cap off the afternoon).

Since 1939 HPAC has been supporting artist, curating memorable exhibitions and bringing the love of art to the community. Numerous contemporary art exhibitions including those of the «Hairy Who?» and Chicago Imagists (artists of the late 1960s and early 1970s who chose to stay in Chicago to create art.)
In April of 2006, this esteemed arts organization moved into a newly transformed 2-​story brick warehouse. The facility incorporates the mission to «stimulate and sustain visual art in Chicago» into the new building. Every surface can be used for gallery space; there are community classrooms and other rooms for artists to gather.
The most notable feature of the building is a video wall outside that artists use as a sort of high-​tech canvas that can be seen by folks passing by. A sight I often take in when going through Hyde Park.
The art shown there tends to be very cerebral, probably due to the University of Chicago academics and students who live in the neighborhood. Regardless, the shows always make me see the world in a different way, which is the point of art.

HPAC is amazing, interesting, and innovative space. As an art teacher in the city, I am thrilled to have access to a space that is always inviting and well designed. I find it completely comparable to other contemporary museums and art spots in the city, and if you haven’t been already, you should go visit it!

discovered the place because my friend had her photography show there, was surprised find such a gem in chicago
checked out their exhibits and studio space here, the work is interesting and inspiring
i’ll definitely check out the cocktails and clay some time!

Cocktails and Clay is a great event.

I didn’t know this place existed until my fiancé mentioned it and it was part of a volunteer thank you for one of her groups. But I was very excited when I learned it was in Hyde Park.
It didn’t take too long to get there from the Northside and parking was a breeze. We walked in and they had a special area for us before the actual festivities began. Then we went to the back room to do the clay business.
That was more than too much fun! We were paired within our own group, but then we got to hang out with others. We were handed an assignment, a glob of clay each, and we went to work. Everyone was really friendly, the staff was really attentive and not overbearing.
Overall, it was a GREAT experience. After the clay fun, we explored the very eclectic two floors of exhibition space, which included installations from children and local artists. Definitely want to go again.

A few weeks ago, at the first peek of nice weather, a pal convinced me it would be an excellent idea to ride from my house all the way to HPAC. Replace excellent with completely retarded and she was right.
Completely winded and sweating like a pig, I was relieved to spend an hour or so wandering through the cool, quiet spaces looking at the art. Some of it we loved, some, not so much. My favorite was the work tucked in the stairwell like a little secret. I’ve always loved little hidden treasures. Sweet Secrets and Keypers, anyone? Ok, maybe I’m alone with my weird 80’s toys.
I look forward to coming back, but maybe on a less windy day or after I’ve been back on the bike for a while.
The ride home was way worse. By the time I got in my door my ass hurt too bad to sit down. The things former art students do to feel like they’re making use of their degrees…

I was pretty psyched to attend «Cocktails and Clay» with a couple lady friends but was disappointed by a few things. We did arrive shortly after it started and left by 10, so maybe it gets going later?
Anyway, the concept is awesome but needs some fine-​tuning. For one thing, the clay project we did was a little confusing and they split up the room into teams so no one spoke to anyone besides the people they came with. Our team made our own fun, but it could have been more mingle-​friendly. Also, I wasn’t drinking and my only option for a bevo was a room-​temperature RC.
I hope this event works out the kinks because it does seem like a great idea. It may have some identity issues though — maybe they should decide whether to be an after-​work activity or a late-​night spot.

day 61 in chicago
where else can you go to look at art, play with clay, and drink alcohol?
I made this. don’t ask me what it is. it was supposed to be the two towers…

Alcohol and sculpting? Obviously the two go hand-​in-​hand! I can’t believe I’d never thought of this brilliant combination before. Hyde Park Art Center hosts «Cocktails and Clay» every 2^nd Friday of the month — what a fantastic idea! We went for Girls’ Night recently, and had a grand time. Drinks are cheap and strong, everyone is friendly, and the clay classes are really fun — even if you don’t think you’re artistic at all. (One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t actually get to fire & keep your piece, although they are thinking of instituting this in the future.)
For $ 15 cover and $ 4 drinks, it makes for an awesome Friday night. And the atmosphere is perfect for meeting people and making new friends. I’ll definitely be back for Cocktails & Clay, or to take one of their many superb sounding classes!
Edited 2÷5÷08: I am now taking a ceramics class here with my boyfriend and I LOVE IT. Love the teacher, love everything about it. The 5-​star review remains!

The new building for the recently relocated Hyde Park Art Center was designed by local architect Douglas Garofalo. Its east wall along Cornell features the largest exterior digital façade, so experimental artists like Inigo Manglano-​Ovalle can get a crack at doing their artistic thing with the building, which used to be a printing plant. HPAC recently hosted a 36-​hour «Creative Move», a free grand opening festival which introduced visitors to works by local artists along with a variety of dances, presentations, and lectures.