After School Matters

Description

The roots of After School Matters can be traced back to an abandoned city block in the heart of downtown Chicago. Fifteen years ago, amid the magnificence of State Street, across the street from the palatial Marshall Field's, stood one lonely city block, known simply as Block 37. In 1990, Mayor Richard M. Daley asked all city departments to offer ideas about how best to use Block 37. Chicago's First Lady, Maggie Daley, and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Lois Weisberg, had a brilliant idea. They had long been interested in developing an arts-related job-training program for Chicago's teens. Under Maggie Daley's direction, the once vacant block was converted into an outdoor art studio for Chicago high school students. Here they could learn a vast array of artistic genres taught by skilled professionals from Chicago's own neighborhoods and communities. In honor of the original Block 37, the exciting, new project was named gallery37. By the fall of 2000, the overwhelming success of Gallery 37 with Chicago's young adults prompted the expansion of the job-training program beyond the arts, creating sports37, tech37, and words37. Together these innovative programs formed After School Matters. After School Matters expanded its programs to hundreds of schools, libraries, and parks throughout the city, including the state-of-the-art downtown Center for the Arts, located at 66 East Randolph Street. By partnering with the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, the...

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