Voice of the City, an arts alliance building community through making art and teaching art.
   
  Building Community
 In every program Voice of the City implements, building community is a central focus. The alliance works to build community in the fragmented artistic community of Chicago by providing on-going avenues of dialogue and collaborative opportunities to artists of varied disciplines.

Voice of the City also serves the local community of Logan Square. Through partnerships with other neighborhood organizations, like Nazareth United Church of Christ and Logan Square Neighborhood Association, the alliance brings arts education and arts experiences to the Logan Square community.
  In building community Voice of the City seeks to:
 
•
Explore, develop, support, and produce inter-disciplinary visual arts & performance;
 
•
 Provide quality fine arts education in Art, Dance, Theatre, Music, & Photo/Film to the Logan Square community;
 
•
 Open up existing facilities in Logan Square to the visual and performing arts;
 
•
 Exhibit, display, and/or sell artwork, bringing ideas and stories back into the community.
 
 
Making Art
Voice of the City's longest running production is Vaudeville Underground, a Logan Square variety show, that runs two days monthly from June to December. Other one-time productions are presented, like the up-coming, Circle in the Square: New Works in Dance Theatre, a collaborative venture occurring in March 2007.

  In making art, Voice of the City:
 
•
Supports and challenges artists to produce excellent, innovative and inter-disciplinary work;
 
•
 Encourages dialogue and activities that build collaboration across artistic disciplines;
 
•
 Provides professional, paid opportunities for artists to make and teach art;
 
•
 Develops audience within the Logan Square community;
 
•
 Provides affordable making art space through residencies and rentals;
 
•
 Exhibits art work of children, adults, and professional artists;
 
•
 Fosters individual and collective pride by prominently displaying artwork in the community.
 
 
Teaching Art
Voice of the City's longest running teaching program in its 8th year is Fine Arts for Kids of Logan Square. This program connects artists and children, allowing each to help the other discover more about the fine arts.

  In teaching art, Voice of the City:
 
•
Provides quality fine arts education to Logan Square residents through partnerships regardless of their ability to pay;
 
•
 Allows the arts to enhance the "I am" experience of each child;
 
•
 Introduces the arts as a vehicle to tell an individual or communityís story;
 
•
 Fosters creativity and imagination as a window of possibility;
 
•
 Exposes participants to professional art in action;
 
•
 Connects artists with their creative center through teaching (and learning from) children;
 
•
 Provides professional, paid opportunities for artists to make and teach art.