About Illinois Creates

The act of creating can be a powerful thing. Our creative mind allows us to make something where there was once nothing, to think in analytical and critical ways, to express our deepest emotions, and to believe in different possibilities. It’s the essence of symphonies, plays, paintings, song, and dance—but these are not simply a collection of notes or a splash of paint on canvas. The arts define us as a community, as cultures, as individuals, and give us tools to grow.

Research has shown that children involved in the arts thrive and perform better in school and are more motivated to continue in school. And research suggests that when students are exposed to arts education, their math and reading skills improve and they score higher on standardized tests.

Illinois Creates, a statewide initiative led by the Illinois Arts Alliance and the Chicago Community Trust’s Arts Education Task Force, is advocating for greater inclusion of the arts in education. The Illinois Arts Alliance, the Chicago Community Trust and our growing statewide coalition believe:

All Illinois children deserve a quality, comprehensive education that provides a solid foundation for success. This must include the arts as part of the core curriculum. Arts instruction, like other core subjects, must be standards-based, sequential, equitable and sustainable.

Explore the Illinois Creates web site, and gain access to research, advocacy tips, ways to get involved, and more!

Support for the Illinois Creates initiative has been generously provided by The Chicago Community Trust, the Woods Fund of Chicago, Fay Hartog Levin and the estate of Joseph Hartog, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Kraft Foods, Edelman, Columbia College Chicago and the CNA Foundation.

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Illinois Arts Alliance/Foundation
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