Hand Drawn Circle

Hand Drawn Circle: Arts of Life Studio Past and Present brings together work by former and current artists who utilize the Arts of Life studio. The exhibition’s title is a nod to one of the key formal components of founding artist Veronica Cuculich’s body of work, which she referred to as ​“babydolls”: a simplified figure with an often-enlarged circular head that Cuculich returned to throughout her practice. These ​“babydolls” were often drawn with mandala-like linear elements and stripes of color, visually paralleling many types of religious devotional iconography. The works presented in Hand Drawn Circle comprise a range of approaches to the sacred act of representing thoughts in form.

One of the most universal symbols, a circle has no beginning or end and embodies ideas of inclusivity and unity—ideas paralleled by Arts of Life core values. Founded in 2000 by Cuculich, two co-directors and nine individuals with developmental disabilities, Arts of Life is a nonprofit with a vision to create a working, person-centric artistic community while providing a work environment of equality in Chicago.

Arts of Life continues to advance the creative arts community by providing more than 60 artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities with a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership.