Marwen

Founded in 1987, Marwen's mission is to inspire young people to nurture their growth and build their futures through art and community. Marwen provides free, after-school, and weekend programs for middle- and high-school aged youth, emerging artists, and alumni. Core programming includes visual arts courses and workshops, college and career counseling, and professional development and program evaluation support for its teaching artists. Historically, all Marwen programs had taken place at the Marwen Arts Campus, an eight-studio, three-gallery facility located in Chicago's River North neighborhood. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marwen now also offers an array of online and remote programming. This award provides general operating support to Marwen as part of the Foundation's Culture, Equity, and the Arts program.

Founded in 1987, Marwen's mission is to educate and inspire underserved young people through the visual arts. Core programming includes visual arts courses and workshops, college and career counseling for current students and alumni, and professional development and program evaluation support for its teaching artists. All Marwen programs take place at the Marwen Arts Campus, an eight-studio, three-gallery facility located in Chicago's River North neighborhood. Marwen strives to increase its student enrollment while sustaining and growing its current operations and leveraging the opportunities that its Arts Campus affords the organization and the city of Chicago, overall. This award provides renewed general operating support to Marwen as its program offerings and organizational capacity continue to evolve and expand.

Marwen is an arts education organization created to educate and inspire under-served youth through the visual arts. For the past 25 years it has provided free, rigorous arts programming for Chicago students in grades 6-12 who would not otherwise have access to art education. Marwen serves more than 2,000 students each year through visual arts courses, college application support, and career programs that help them guide their own creative process, cultivate their voice, and plan for the future. Marwen’s long-term goal is not to produce professional artists, but to help its students become creative, productive, and civically active adults.

In support of general operations (over two years).

To expand youth arts programming and to strengthen institutional capacity (over three years).