Art Encounter is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, inspiring, and connecting people of all ages and backgrounds through interactive encounters with visual art. Our broad range of programs foster community, creativity, and a greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us. 

What’s NeW:
PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Recent Honors & Awards for Art Encounter
Art Encounter is thrilled to have our Executive Director, Lea Pinsky, and our Co-founder and Artistic Director, Joanna Pinsky, included in Newcity Magazine’s 2026 Visual Vanguard Art 50 list, featured in this year’s group of distinguished Advocates and Supporters. In addition, Art Encounter has recently received the Evanston Chamber of Commerce's competitive annual MashUp award, and the Evanston Legacy Business Alliance will be honoring Art Encounter this October as an Evanston Legacy Business, recognizing our long-standing commitment to community service. You can read more about all of these recognitions as well as a number of recent grants in our fall newsletter. 

Membership + Fall Programs
With a full season of exciting public programs ahead, now is the perfect time to become a member! Receive discounts on our monthly Artist Critique Group, our behind-the-scenes Downtown Evanston Mural Tour, and a variety of special Saturday programs. Members also have access to Expanding Visions, free Lunchtime Art Chats, and more! View a pdf of our fall program calendar here.

What’s NeW:
COMMUNITY OUTREACH

School is Back in Session
Our signature 10 week in-school program, ARTiculations, is back in Chicago Public Schools this fall. A grant from the Illinois Arts Council will be funding the program in two of our schools, and an additonal grant from the Albert and Anne Mansfield Foundation has allowed us to add a new school to our roster!

Senior Program Expansion
Engaging, interactive art experiences for older adults living in housing communities have long been a core part of our outreach initiatives. This year, we’ve embarked on a new partnership with Embrace Living Communities, a regional non-profit that provides affordable housing communities for seniors, to bring our Art and Connection program to residents of their West Garfield Park and Lincoln Park locations.

What’s NeW:
Murals

Fun and Games: Children’s Culture
This summer, artist Jeff Zimmermann designed and painted a very fun mural with us that was created in partnership with the Evanston History Center honoring and uplifting the many innovations and inventions that have come out of Evanston related to children’s play and culture. Each of the items pictured in the mural was created by someone who lived or worked in Evanston, from Tinker Toys and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer to the ice cream sundae! You can learn more about the images included in the mural here.

Big Season of New Murals in 2026
In addition to Fun and Games by Jeff Zimmermann, check out Shawn Bullen’s recently-completed block-long A Walk Along the Lake mural, which takes viewers on a lakefront journey from Evanston to Indiana. Another new graffiti mural reunites four outstanding street artists who painted prolifically in Evanston 25 years ago. And two more business district murals are coming soon to Downtown Evanston and the Main Dempster Mile! Follow us on instagram + facebook for more updates.