little art center on the prairie

This weekend, my old + dear friend (and bridesmaid!) Cheri kidnapped me, and we headed out to Fine Line, a nonprofit creative arts center located in the Chicago suburbs.  She'd given her boyfriend a day-long metal smith class for his birthday, and was shocked that I'd never been there, so we decided to pay it a visit.

Located on a restored farm on several acres of breathtaking land, the oasis-like center opened it's doors in 1979 with a mission to teach weaving, knitting and painting to locals hoping to explore their creative spirits. Eventually it outgrew its original location, relocated to its current one, and now teaches over 200 classes a year to students from all over the midwest. It is one of only a few regional art centers in the United States.

We made an adventure out of exploring the grounds and various buildings. The center has all sorts of classrooms for different media, a supply and art shop, and a beautiful gallery.  Artists from all over the world come here to teach (on a mostly volunteer basis - which is amazingly cool). 

It was really wonderful to see a place so full of creativity and vision outside of the city; I almost felt like I was on an art retreat. We had such a fun day in all of our art-nerd glory, and now I'm hoping to take a workshop out there sometime this summer.  I'm not sure what, but I'm thinking something unique that I've never tried. 

Have you ever been to a little art center on the prairie, or a creative retreat away from the city?

Happy Monday! 

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