Community Day for Slowing Down (October)

Ellie Mejia
Oct 17, 2025
1 min read

Just like that, it's a wrap again! We held our last Community Day of the season on Saturday, October 18th. It was a quiet afternoon — a good environment for reflecting on the care, effort, and fun the plaza saw this year.

To close 2025 out, we invited Annabell Renn of Converge Architecture as our featured guest. Converge is a Chicago-based firm that aims to create spaces communities can define and make their own, much like our work here at Overton.

Renn led us through her workshop"Art Therapy for Overloaded Minds." Equipped with small canvases, paint, and brushes, attendees were encouraged to slow down and focus on creating, giving them an opportunity to breathe and be present together. Jenny Guzman, our Creative Nature series organizer, lent some of her own supplies so participants could stay in a meditative, creative state a little longer.

Meanwhile, some of our younger neighbors were excited to check out TrapDecks’s finger skateboards and miniature skate park. Others chatted with representatives of Strong Towns, a nonprofit advocating for liveable, resilient development.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who showed up this season. Any presence, big or small, shapes what Overton is and could be. We hope to see you again soon — you can see what's coming up next by singing up for our newsletter or following us on Instagram.

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.