Art in Motion: Made in Austin 2025

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Art in Motion: Made in Austin was designed to celebrate creativity as a civic force that brings neighbors together, uplifts young voices, and makes visible the pride already alive in the community.

Throughout November, The Children’s Gallery Chicago will host a series of free, youth-led art workshops at trusted neighborhood spaces including Austin Town Hall Park and the Austin Branch Library. These gatherings will welcome more than 150 children, teens, and families to paint, sculpt, and dream together, while local teaching artists and an Honoree Artist/Community Organizer help guide the process.

Our 8–10 Youth Leaders, each receiving a stipend for their participation, will co-facilitate every workshop, helping to design and lead three permanent public art pieces — one for Austin Town Hall, one for the North Austin Branch Library, and one for a local school site. These pieces will embody what belonging, joy, and beauty look like in Austin, shaped by the community’s own words, colors, and imaginations.

This project is more than a mural. It’s an act of visibility, care, and a way to transform public space into shared space, to turn creativity into a bridge between generations.

• Bring community together through artmaking and collective creativity.
   
• Transform public spaces into joyful, visible expressions of neighborhood pride.
   
• Develop youth leadership by training 8–10 local teens to serve as co-facilitators and artists.
   
• Celebrate Austin’s identity through public art and storytelling that reflect its strength, history, and hope.

By the time we gather for the Winter Market & Mural Celebration in late November, Austin will hold not just new artwork, but new memories, new friendships, and new reasons to feel proud of the neighborhood we all call home.

The Winter Market & Mural Celebration will be the culmination of the Art in Motion: Made in Austin initiative: a day where art, music, food, and civic joy come together in one vibrant community gathering. Beneath warmly lit tents near Austin Town Hall, neighbors, youth, and families will help complete the community mural, explore creative stations, and visit resource and vendor tables hosted by local organizations and small businesses. 

This event is made possible through collaboration. We’re leaning on the heart of Austin (our community-based organizations, small businesses, schools, and local leaders) to help us make this day unforgettable. Whether through a resource table, in-kind donation, sponsorship, or volunteer support, every partner plays a role in making creativity accessible to all. As we continue to fundraise and build support, our goal is to ensure this celebration becomes more than a one-time event. We envision an annual Austin tradition — a seasonal homecoming that celebrates local talent, youth leadership, and neighborhood pride. A moment that reminds us all that even in the chill of November, creativity keeps this community warm.