FINALLY…
Illustration by Grant Nickson, 2026.
It’s been a long, cold winter, but spring is finally here. We’ve been busy cooking up new ideas and new learning opportunities for the ABH community. We’re excited to welcome you back to 4207 W Irving Park Rd.
In December, construction on our roof and facade was put on pause for the winter and is scheduled to be completed during the first half of May. As we’ve mentioned before, this work was funded, in part, by a Community Development Grant from the City of Chicago. Additional work inside the building will continue later this spring.
On December 13th, we welcomed scores of new and old friends and supporters at our Open House. Thank you for visiting! We also launched a successful year-end fundraising campaign. Thank you to everyone who donated. Your support allows us to continue to offer unique programming and gets us closer to building studios, classrooms, a library, a bookshop, and more.
We would like to formally welcome our intern, Grant Nickson, to the ABH team. Grant is currently studying for a BFA in Art from DePaul University, and has created some new images for this email and our upcoming classes and workshops. You can see some of his past illustration work on his Instagram page here.
Speaking of classes and workshops, we are pleased to announce a new roster, starting in May and continuing throughout the rest of the year. Kicking things off will be Introduction to Bookbinding with Mardy Sears, which you can register for now! We’ll add information and registration links for other classes and workshops soon.
Illustration by Grant Nickson, 2026.
Save the Dates!
Our 2026 calendar is filling up. Keep an eye out for more information and links to register for the workshops, classes, and events listed below. We’ll also be announcing additional classes in the coming weeks. Please note, upcoming workshops with Ken Gerleve (see below) will be available individually or as a six-week class.
Sketchbook Exploration with Regin Igloria
June 6 and June 13
Japanese Stab Binding with Regin Igloria
July 26
Recycled and Repurposed with Regin Igloria
July 29 - and/or - August 5
Reduction Linoleum Prints with Hannah Batsel
August 12 - September 9
Paper Models with Tom Greensfelder
August 22
Papercuts with Ken Gerleve
September 5 and 12
Tunnel Books & Toy Theaters with Ken Gerleve
September 19 and 26
The Red Count and the Cranach Press Hamlet with Tom Greensfelder
September 20
Diary Comics with Marnie Galloway
September 27
Carousel Books with Ken Gerleve
October 3 and 10
Mask Making with Erin Cramer
October 18 and 25
Pulp Painting with Don Widmer
November 7
Print with Amos Kennedy
November 14 - or - 15