Paintings decorate the fence at Urban Art Retreat|Paintings decorate the fence at Urban Art Retreat.
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Jul 6 2015

Studio and Safe Space: CHIRP Radio at the Urban Art Retreat

Note: This article was posted prior to the Trust's current strategy.

Take a look at Our Work to learn more about what the Trust is focused on today.

Where We Are Now

Nestled between the Metra and the CTA’s Pink Line, a few blocks from Douglas Park, is a typical Chicago three-flat, which is home to the Urban Art Retreat. Started in Portland, Oregon three decades ago by artists and activists, the project came to Chicago in 1991. One hundred percent volunteer-run, the Urban Art Retreat provides a safe haven where kids can take painting classes and domestic violence survivors can spend the night.

[pullquote]A haven of safety and inspiration-step inside Chicago’s Urban Art Retreat and listen with @CHIRPRadio[/pullquote]

On this episode of “Volunteer: Stories of Philanthropy,” reporter Christopher Johnson headed to North Lawndale for the day to speak to some of the volunteers behind the retreat house—people like Dianna Long, the executive director of Urban Art Retreat, who opened up about her own hardscrabble childhood experiences and how they have had a profound impact on her work and the mission of the Retreat.

Visit CHIRP radio to hear the piece, or listen right here:

 

Volunteer: Stories of Philanthropy is a production of CHIRP Radio. To hear a podcast of this story online and explore other episodes, visit chirpradio.org.

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