Inside Out Art Studio

My 8 and 5.5 year old just finished a camp session at the studio. My 8 year old left very upset … Why? Because it was over. They loved every minute and want to recreate more of the crafts at home. We look forward to returning for more camp days on CPS days off. Thank you Jeff et al.

The Inside Out Art Studio is not quite what you may expect. Master artist and mask maker Jeff Semmerling is incredibly talented and shares this talent with many. He brings in kids for parties and they learn how to make masks. He brings in individuals with special needs and delights them with his artistry. Jeff makes masks and puppets for Chicago theater and beyond… and his creations are always a big hit in Naw’lins during Mardi Gras. I was honored to wear one of his creations during the Mystick Krewe of Laffs Bash at the Chicago Cultural Center and I had numerous invitations from folks who wanted to take their selfie with me! The Inside Out Art Studio is a wonderful place to explore the mysteries of art and self. A mask… especially a mask of Jeff’s creation can make you a totally new person or help you discover just who you really are. It’s fun… be there.

This place is awesome. The owners are wonderful with the kids and very talented. My kids both attended the 4-​hour ‘camp’ days during this winter break. They were the youngest kids there and were still totally engaged. My goal was for them to have art class, not for me to have 4 hours alone, and I’m so glad I sent them because this is a legit studio. The kids worked in almost every medium possible over the course of 4 days and had multiple impressive projects to bring home every day. They learned about famous artists, they made elaborate sketches on subjects given each day, suncatchers, 3D art using scissors, glue, paint, drawing tools, they made paper mache/​clay animals, 3D trees adorned with hand-​drawn wildlife, holiday trees using curled paper as the color for a textured effect, and of course masks. My child who shows no interest in art at school loved this class and begged to go back every day. Their time was much better spent here than at a sports camp.
Thanks to Jeff and Donna — support this local business! I’m so glad I did!

We had a wonderful birthday experience for our 4 year old son at the Inside Out Studio. After some warm up art activities, we got right down to mask masking and kids had a blast (the parents, too)! This isn’t your typical, rent a room party. The owner Jeff Semmerling is a master mask maker and is there to help the kids along the whole way. For younger kids, parental help was essential for tracing and cutting, but older kids could mostly create their masterpieces all on their own. They each left with a beautiful mask of their own making and it was wonderful to see them all flying around the mask shop in their personalized bird masks. Jeff even made a special dragon mask for my son because he loves dragons so much but was a little young to piece together the more complicated project. Highly recommend this for a birthday party for kids of any age, especially if you are looking for something a little different.