WASHINGTON PARK — Years after breaking ground, one of the most highly anticipated community spaces on the South Side is set to open next month.
The Arts Lawn, 337 E. Garfield Blvd., will be the newest addition to the Garfield Boulevard corridor and the Arts Block when it makes its debut Oct. 7. Both concepts were developed through University of Chicago’s Arts + Public Life initiative.
The space will serve as a “vibrant” hub that will help further the university’s mission to foster cultural enrichment, connection and economic vibrancy in Washington Park, organizers said.
“The Arts Lawn is a testament to our commitment to supporting the cultural fabric of Washington Park,” said Adrienne Brown, who serves as director of the Arts + Public Life initiative. “We’re excited to open this multi-use green space, offering a platform for many forms of artistic expression and engagement and we hope the Arts Lawn will serve as an economic catalyst in the neighborhood while fostering a sense of unity and creativity among its visitors.
The lawn will complement the other Arts + Public Life spaces, including the Arts Incubator, the Green Line Performing Arts Center and the L1 Retail Store, which was launched in 2021. Other privately-owned dining and event spaces like Retreat at Currency Exchange Café and Miyagi Records are also on the block.
Plans for the lawn have been in the works since 2014. The university spent the next few years getting input from neighbors on what they’d want to see and enjoy, Brown said. Work began during the pandemic, with officials tapping Black-owned firm BOWA Construction for the build out.
“It’s actually been quite a long process to get here, but we’ve have taken our time to make sure that we’re getting things right and that we were really thinking about the best use of this space. We wanted to be intentional and careful and in all aspects, thinking about the use, the management of the space, and making sure it’s open and accessible,” Brown said.
The nearly 1-acre venue holds performance space, outdoor seating and a great lawn, along with a pavilion and planter seating — which was built with help from youth participating in Arts + Public Life’s Design Apprenticeship Program.
The Arts Lawn will be open 9 a.m.-9 p.m., April 1 – Oct. 3, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Nov. 1 – March 31. The space will be monitored by around-the-clock security, Brown said.
Neighbors and visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of outdoor arts programs, including film screenings, live theater and music performances, wellness, youth education initiatives and arts marketplaces, Brown said.
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Visitors attending the grand opening can expect to see performances by Kuumba Lynx and the King High School Marching Band while enjoying food trucks, family-friendly activities and a photo booth. The event will conclude with the world premiere of a short film by D-Composed, projected on the exterior screen wall of the adjacent Green Line Performing Arts Center.
Guests will be invited to #SupportingSouthSideArtists at Vends + Vibes, an annual arts marketplace featuring more than 20 South Side entrepreneurs offering products like handmade goods and art.
Visitors also will also be able to check out the L1 Retail Store next door to the lawn, where they’ll be able to shop for items from L1 Creative Business Accelerator fellows Samantha Jo of Samantha Jo’s Balm Yard, Jamica Harper of Red Elephant Candle Co., Keyon Huggins of Hyde & Park Co. and Legacy Fellow Peter Gaona of Reformed School.
Brown told Block Club that the university hopes the Arts Lawn will become a cultural destination similar to Millennium Park, adding that the Arts + Public Life team consulted the group behind that project to get an idea of best practices.
“We’re looking at the first year as a something of a pilot year where we’ll work with some of our most regular partners to bring things we already do inside, outside. So that’ll be the focus of this coming year,” Brown said. “And as we kind of get that under our belt, you know, we’re always taking meetings with community members and partners and artists who want to program in our space and build partnerships.”
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