Creative Vida

07/09/2026

SO excited for today's workshop! Huge thanks to for the opportunity to make art on the beautful floating gardens along the Wild Mile 🌿

Participants will learn about the Wild Mile’s “living laboratories” and the plants that help to create its healthy ecosystem. Using these plants, we will experiment with the playful organic art of gelli prints using grasses, leaves, blossoms, and other items collected along the Wild Mile.

07/02/2026

Arts, agriculture, & ecology… oh my!
Working in Chicago Park District's T.R.A.C.E. (Teens Reimagining Art, Community, and Environment) program, our teens created art projects using problem-based learning.
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which complex real-world problems (such as industrial pollution or monoculture) are used as the vehicle to promote learning of concepts and principles as opposed to direct presentation of facts and concepts, promoting the development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills. Our teens learned about food deserts, environmental racism, monoculture, and created functional artwork as a response to address the issues they researched. They repurposed pallets and water bottles to create vertical gardens, and used the tops of the water bottles to create plastic, decorative flowers.

09/12/2025

TODAY! Join me at Forest Park Public Library at 4pm and create your own Huichol-inspired artwork!! FREE!!! (for youth in grades 5-7)
Register here 👉https://tinyurl.com/3phr9jbp

09/09/2025

THANK YOU to everyone who purchased their ticket! We can't wait to create together! See ya'll on Sunday🎨✨️🇲🇽

09/09/2025

Yesterday marked the birth of one of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century, Jacob Lawrence, who was born on September 7, 1917. Lawrence is known for his vibrant figurative paintings focused on Black Americans’ experiences, daily life in Harlem, and events from U.S. history. He once said that his works “express my life and experience. I paint the things I know about and the things I have experienced.”

ARTnews looked back on the artist’s pioneering career and some of his most acclaimed artworks.

Visit the key milestones in Lawrence’s life: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/jacob-lawrence-who-is-he-famous-works-1234574622/

09/08/2025

Huichol Yarn Painting on Friday, September 12 at 4 pm.

Creative Vida invites you to come and learn about the amazing art of the Huichol! In this workshop we will learn about the origins of the beautiful art form created by the Huichol, an indigenous people of Mexico. We will then create some of our own colorful yarn paintings! FREE! Designed for Grades 5-7.
Sign up: https://tinyurl.com/3phr9jbp

Huichol Yarn Painting on Friday, September 12 at 4 pm.

Come and learn about the amazing art of the Huichol with Fannie Medina of Creative Vida! In this workshop we will learn about the origins of the beautiful art form created by the Huichol, an indigenous people of Mexico. We will then create some of our own colorful yarn paintings! Designed for Grades 5-7.

Sign up: https://tinyurl.com/3phr9jbp

09/18/2023

Last week we had the honor of leading a printmaking workshop at ¡VIVA! WEST AURORA as SD129 celebrated the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month!

The event at Greenman Elementary was filled with cultural richness, family fun, and community spirit. Participants learned about Aztec symbols and motifs, and created their own Aztec/Mayan print.

A huge THANK YOU to WEPA libros for inviting us to collaborate for this event! And congrats to West Aurora School District 129 for hosting a successful event. Thank you for having us!

09/18/2023

This summer, we had our very first Meditation and Mandala paint party in our beautiful forest preserves. We began with a brief meditation using a version of the Buddha board (painting with water that allows you to create temporary artwork), followed by the creation of beautiful, unique mandalas. Participants left feeling more centered, grounded, and peaceful.
Thanks to Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Trust for Public Land for funding this event through their Connecting People to Nature Challenge!

09/18/2023

Celebrating a birthday by painting a beautiful sunset landscape with her closest buddies🤩🥳🎨

09/15/2023

What's the best way to spend a happy birthday? With a PAINT PARTY, of course... in your own home! Don't stress out looking for games and activities for your child's bday bash. Contact Creative Vida and we'll bring the creative entertainment to YOU!