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CHICAGO— This weekend, Navy Pier will host a free Winter Workshop Series where guests can create their own holiday decor, enjoy live holiday music, watch a live art show and learn to paint from professionals. The sessions are presented by Somos Artes and are open to guests of all ages. The workshop takes place in the Cultural Corner at Navy Pier.
Free Workshops:
Guests can create a felt snow globe on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 1 pm – 3 pm. Multimedia artist Samo Oroot will guide attendees in creating large snow globes out of felt that they can cut, glue and decorate a favorite holiday scene. The designs include cutouts of snowmen, snowflakes and even the Chicago skyline.
The home garland workshop will take place Saturday, Dec. 10 from 4 pm – 6 pm. Families can create beautiful holiday snowflakes for home decor with Ris Events. Once done, the snowflakes will be strung through with yarn and ready to be placed as decorations.
The free Sip & Paint class with multimedia Chicago Street artist Ali Six, a mentee of J.C. Rivera, will take place on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 7 pm – 9 pm. Six will guide guests in sip and paint where they will create memorable holiday keepsake pieces while enjoying traditional holiday beverages. Adults 21+ can purchase alcoholic beverages from Tiny Tavern.
Free Entertainment:
Artist and Illustrator Reno Msad will do a live digital art show for guests on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 2 pm – 5 pm. Msad is originally from New York and currently lives in Chicago. He’s grown in popularity through creating personal artwork in the city of Chicago that explores pop surrealism with the healing of one’s inner child. Guests are encouraged to interact and ask questions as he creates a holiday-themed digital art character with Procreate on his iPad. This art piece will be displayed on a monitor for guests to see how an artist goes about creating digital pieces.
There will also be live Holiday music by Chicago-based country music singer and guitarist Isabella Maria Reyes from 6 pm – 9 pm. Local community organization New Era Young Lords will be collecting donations towards purchasing winter gear for migrant families in Chicago while providing free coloring sheets for guests on Saturday, December 10 from 1 pm – 8 pm. Guests are welcome to partake in coloring while relaxing in the heart of the food court.
Holiday Artisan Market:
Guests can shop from 30 local brands in the Holiday Artisan Market curated by Lolita’s Bodega throughout the Family Pavilion Friday & Saturday, December 9 – 10 from noon – 8 pm. The market continues Sunday, December 11 from 12 pm – 7 pm.
Note: All artists and dates are subject to change.
About Navy Pier
Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is the most visited destination in the Midwest, stretching more than six city blocks and welcoming nearly 9 million annual guests. Originally opened in 1916 as a shipping and recreation facility, this Chicago landmark showcases over 50 acres of parks, restaurants, attractions, retail shops, sightseeing and dining cruise boats, exposition facilities, and more. The Pier celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016 with the unveiling of the Centennial Wheel, Polk Bros Park, and Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion. Today, Navy Pier continues to usher in its second century with ongoing redevelopment efforts including the 223-room Sable hotel, the all-transient Navy Pier Marina, and thrilling new attractions such as Flyover Chicago. The Pier is proud to present free programming designed to inspire and engage communities across the city and globe, including the #1 Fireworks display in the nation. For more information, visit NavyPier.org.