Community Day for Building Together (June)

Ellie Mejia
Jun 28
1 min read

A group of about 10 attendees hold up pool noodles and smile at the camera on a sunny day. They're standing on a bright green part of our pavement Chicago mural, and the Overton building is behind them. — Group shot! Photo: Joe Ignatius

We hosted our second Community Day of 2025 on the bright, hot afternoon of Saturday, June 28th. This month, we were joined by Marya Spont-Lemus and Andrés Lemus-Spont of ¡Anímate! Studio, an arts collaborative that "guide[s] participants in re-imagining and re-making existing objects and structures through open-ended, play-based experimentation in public space."

About six attendees (half adults, half children) skate and play on the plaza. A couple fly kites. There are small pool noodle sculptures around. — Attendees testing out their new kites and obstacle course. Photo: Joe Ignatius

Marya and Andrés led attendees in a "Squiggle Build" workshop. Participants used pool noodles to transform our already-vibrant plaza into an even more colorful, playful landscape, and even created a temporary obstacle course for skaters to zip through.

A young attendee picks up one of many colorful pool noodle "squiggles" scattered across the lawn at Overton. In the foreground, a sandwich sign reads "Anímate Studio is a Chicago-based arts collaborative led by Andrés Spont-Lemus and Marya Spont-Lemus. True to our name, our projects embody our shared values of community, mentorship, possibility, and oppenness to experimentation, as well as encourage movement toward action. Learn more at animatestudio.org or on Instagram: @aniimate_studio" — Squiggles scattered throughout the lawn. Photo: Joe Ignatius

Participants focused on their crafts. Photo: Joe Ignatius

Some more fun: Urban Explorers of Chicago shared kites for young (and young at heart) attendees to color in, and DJ Stain spun for us to keep the mood up all afternoon. A big thanks to everyone who came!

DJ Stain looks at the camera. He is wearing a baseball cap, a black tank top, and black shorts. — DJ Stain on the turntable. Photo: Joe Ignatius

Couldn't make it this time? We'll have Community Days and more free programming every month through November. Follow us on Instagram @creativegrounds_chicago or sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

The Overton Exchange POP is brought to you by the City of Chicago’s Public Outdoor Plaza (POP!) program, designed to create strategic community gathering spaces that serve as destination points for residents and neighborhood visitors.