Oak Park Arts District

My parents were artists so I’ve always been a supporter of those who are inspired to follow their passion to create beauty. I have been watching this district emerge for several years and applaud the community’s effort to establish a small (3 – 4 block area) but charming destination for local artists to display their work. Maybe a dozen shops to date.
Housed in a series of pre-​war period buildings, these small sole proprietor shops offer a fun browse and interesting, reasonably priced paintings, jewelry and other stuff. A few cafes and a restaurant or two are along the strip as well.
Just off 290 at Austin, I stop by when I can if I’m heading west or doing something in the Oak Park area.

I love the arts district. Cute apts, great galleries and a handful of great cafes and eateries. Make sure to stop in trattoria 225 for «the goat» and the buzz café for a slice of apricot blueberry pie if they’ve got it. I still need to check out all the galleries, but the shops and galleries are all a part of the ambience that makes this little part of oak park unique!

The Oak Park Arts District is about four blocks of galleries with two cafés (Eastgate and Buzz). There are tall sculptures marking each end of it on Harrison Street and tri-​colored crosswalks throughout.
I like the street festivals in the summer where you are awarded with granola bars and Whole Foods bags arriving on a bicycle. In fact, it’s at one of these festivals that I learned that one of the galleries has free expression art sessions. I went to one once. It was free, but my expression didn’t seem free [form] enough for the facilitator. Eh.
Oh! As an aside, there’s a gallery called Expressions where my parents had their art for a while. They had to volunteer to work in the shop in exchange for having their artwork there. Nothing ever sold.
The festival was also where I got some neat earrings made out of recycled counter laminate and bike chains. They were kinda spendy, but they’re some of my favorite jewelry so I guess it’s worth it.
The only thing that’s missing from the Oak Park Arts District is an art museum of some sort. Without a museum (or maybe an art school), I see it as just another way for people who make art to sell it.