37 Advanced Mission
How do we envision and plan for a future where our vocation and the tools we will use do not yet exist? How can we navigate new dilemmas and ethical decisions when there is no history to set a precedent? How can we maintain a sense of self, focus and direction in a world that moves so quickly?

Art provides a means for navigating our complex contemporary existence. Rooted in passion, intuition and commitment, complemented by discipline, intellectual inquiry and craftsmanship, art is a profound medium through which to communicate. As our students encountered and mastered new concepts, materials, and techniques they also responded to issues of identity, existence, and change. Through art our students are able to study, then picture and formulate major truths of self and place.

The Advanced Arts Education Program provides high school juniors/seniors who show exceptional talent and interest in the arts rigorous instruction and career guidance in an inspiring setting, the Gallery 37 Center for the Arts. To supplement classroom learning, students also benefit from master classes, field trips, public art exhibitions, and a showcase of their visual, performing, and culinary arts. Representatives from top colleges actively recruit graduates of the program. Each course is taught by a collaborative team consisting of a Chicago Public Schools teacher paired with a professional artist from our partner organizations. In the past five years, over 900 juniors/seniors from 40 schools have taken classes in Fine Arts, Culinary, Arts and Technology and Performance Arts.