Ingenuity

🎨 As Ingenuity approaches the end of our fiscal year, we're celebrating 15 years of advancing arts education across Chicago.

For 15 years, we've partnered with schools, arts organizations, and communities to expand access to the arts for Chicago students. Together, we've made meaningful progress—but there is still more work to do. Our latest State of the Arts report found that more than 65,000 CPS students still lack consistent access to high-quality arts education.

🚨Before June 30, we invite you to make a gift to help create more opportunities for students to learn, create, and thrive through the arts.

Thank you for being part of this work.

🔗 Donate today: https://ingenuity.givecloud.co/give

Invest in Arts Education Today! Invest in Arts Education Today!

🎨 As Chicago continues its transition to a fully elected school board, arts education advocates have an important opportunity to help shape the future of arts education across CPS.

Whether you're an educator, arts partner, parent, or community member, understanding arts education in your district can help support equitable access to creative learning opportunities for all young people.

Discover tools and data to better understand arts education in your district:

🗳️ Chicago Elections Address Lookup
📊 State of the Arts Dashboard
📄 CPS District Reports
📚 Arts Education Key Facts & Figures

🔗 Explore the resources: https://tinyurl.com/WhyArtsMatter

Thank you to our sponsors, supporters, and partners who joined us for Tapestry 2026! We are proud to share that we raised a total of $502,820, supporting our mission to ensure that every student, in every grade, in every Chicago Public School, has access to a quality arts education. We could not reach this milestone without the generosity of our community. Thank you!

Save the date! Tapestry returns May 13, 2027 at the Four Seasons!

Congratulations to:
🩰 The Joffrey Ballet
🏆 Zach Lazar
🎨 Multicultural Arts High School
📸 Photos by Kyle Flubacker

Big news for arts education in Chicago! 🎉

Ingenuity is proud to announce the renewal of the Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund through a renewed $1.1 million investment supporting Chicago Public Schools students over the next three years.

Since 2021, this partnership has helped provide:
🎨 234 arts education grants
🏫 Support for 117 CPS schools
🌟 Access to arts learning for 82,000+ students

From music and dance to theater and visual arts, this continued investment helps expand creative opportunities for young people across Chicago.

We’re grateful to Lollapalooza for their continued commitment to arts education and Chicago students.

Read the full announcement at https://tinyurl.com/lolla-arts-fund

Thank you to our sponsors, supporters, and partners who joined us for Tapestry 2026! Last night, we celebrated the incredible leaders and community that prioritize arts education, hosted by journalist and advocate Sean Lewis WGN. With nearly 250 attendees, we affirmed our support of joyful creativity and a future where every CPS student has access to a quality arts education.

Plus, we announced a powerful reinvestment from Lollapalooza/ C3 Presents supporting arts education in schools across the entire city.

🚨 But wait! There’s still time to make an impact before final numbers. Donate to the Creative Schools Fund and become eligible to win a trip to Hapuna Beach, Hawaii, generously donated by Sean Lewis. Gifts of $250 or higher will be eligible for one entry.
Support the Creative Schools Fund: https://ingenuity.givecloud.co/tapestry-2026-ask

Congratulations to:
🩰 The Joffrey Ballet
🏆 Zach Lazar
🎨 Multicultural Arts High School
📸 Photos by Kyle Flubacker

We’re already thinking about the next school year and how strong partnerships take shape before it begins.

Arts organizations and teaching artists—join Ingenuity for Learning Institute #2: Summer Planning for Strong School Partnerships in the 2026–27 School Year

📅 Wednesday, May 13 | ⏰ 2:00–5:00 PM
📍 Puerto Rican Arts Alliance

Plan your summer outreach to Chicago Public Schools, hear from school leaders, preview the Creative Schools Fund, and connect with peers across the city. 🤝

If you’re an arts partner looking to build stronger school partnerships, this is a space to think ahead and leave with a clear path forward.

🎟️ RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/LearningInstitute2

Today we’re celebrating an incredible milestone: 10 years at Ingenuity with our amazing Operations Manager, Tash Fouch! 🎉

For the past decade, Tash has been a steady force behind the scenes, helping keep our organization running smoothly and ensuring our team has what we need to advance equity in arts education across Chicago. Her dedication, problem-solving, and commitment have made a lasting impact on our staff, our partners, and the communities we serve.

Tash’s work may often happen behind the scenes, but its impact is felt in every part of our mission. We are deeply grateful for her leadership, care, and ten years of excellence.

Please join us in congratulating Tash on this remarkable anniversary and thanking her for all she has done and continues to do for Ingenuity! 💙

Ingenuity is proud to share our 13th annual State of the Arts (SOTA) Report for the 2024–25 school year, offering a districtwide snapshot of arts education across Chicago Public Schools. 🎨

This year’s data highlights both steady progress and important shifts across the city:

✅ 100% of CPS schools (645 out of 645) submitted arts education data, marking a historic milestone for citywide participation
📈 Continued growth in schools rated “Excelling” in the arts over time
⚖️ Ongoing disparities in access across student populations and communities
📉 Notable declines in arts partnerships across several key areas

SOTA extends beyond the report:
🧰 Toolkit with ready-to-use visuals and talking points
📊 Interactive dashboard to explore data by school, network, and community

This report is a resource for reflection, planning, and action. The data points to where progress is happening and where greater investment and coordination are needed.

🔗 Explore the report: https://tinyurl.com/SOTARelease24-25

2024-25 State of the Arts - Ingenuity Through collaborative partnerships and data-driven advocacy, we work to ensure every Chicago Public School student has access to high-quality arts education.