Art Makers Outpost School Break Camps & No School Day Programs
Art Makers Outpost, 609 South Boulevard, Evanston, IL 60202
About
Art Makers Outpost School Break Camps & No School Day Programs offers young artists time to create inspired art and projects using recycled materials and traditional art materials. Participants work with painting and sculpture techniques, sculpture building, clay, wood working, printmaking, fabric arts, jewelry making, wearable art, and free form making and creating.
• Ages: 6–14 years old
• Schedule: Programs run on 2025/26 D65 No School Days, Half Days, and Single Holiday Programming from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm, with Winter Break Camp and Spring Break Camp sessions in the mornings.
• Price: $50.00 per artist for 2-hour no school day, half day, and single holiday sessions; Winter Break Camp $255.00 for 4 days; Spring Break Camp $315.00 for 5 days
The program schedule includes 2025/26 D65 No School Days, Half Days, and Single Holiday Programming from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm. The 2026 Winter Break Camp runs December 29–January 2 (no camp January 1) from 9:30 am–12:00 pm, and the 2026 Spring Break Camp runs Monday–Friday, March 30–April 3, from 9:30 am–12:00 pm. Each 2-hour session is described as free form making and creating.
Evanston Art Makers Outpost (AMO) describes itself as a sustainable art-focused maker space that combines the freedom to create with reusing and repurposing materials. Its mission statement notes a focus on reimagining waste and nature’s treasures, teaching techniques and crafts through demonstration and facilitation, and breathing new life into objects often considered junk or trash. The mission also states a commitment to community, inclusivity, anti-racism, diversity, equity, and a sense of belonging for all participants.
The leadership and facilitation team includes Founder, Owner & Creative Director, Resident Artist, and Art Facilitator Director Valerie Kahan; Assistant Creative Director and Senior Event Liaison Delaunay Krauter; Senior Art Facilitators Emma Kochak and Frida Benitez; Teen Art Facilitator Harper Nowlin; Resident Studio Artists Margaret Leininger and Sally Brandl; and Director of Development, Senior Art Facilitator, and Resident Artist Iden Nowlin. According to the provided staff credentials, Valerie Kahan is a seasoned 20-year veteran real estate broker with @Properties, Emma Kochak has a background in fashion design and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in Chicago, and Iden Nowlin joined Art Makers Outpost after a 20-year teaching career in Special Education.
Program materials are described as sustainable, with 75% or more of the materials used in classes, camps, and workshops collected from community members and local businesses and otherwise destined for landfills or the ocean. The organization notes partnerships with local businesses for the Outpost After Dark Concert Series, field trips for local schools, camps, and organizations, and corporate team building experiences. It also states that it offers space for local groups to meet and provides no barrier scholarships for all youth programs, with limited partial scholarships available on a first-come, first-served basis. A waiver signed by a legal guardian is required for all participants, and any child without a signed waiver is unable to participate.
Last updated January 8, 2026.
• Ages: 6–14 years old
• Schedule: Programs run on 2025/26 D65 No School Days, Half Days, and Single Holiday Programming from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm, with Winter Break Camp and Spring Break Camp sessions in the mornings.
• Price: $50.00 per artist for 2-hour no school day, half day, and single holiday sessions; Winter Break Camp $255.00 for 4 days; Spring Break Camp $315.00 for 5 days
The program schedule includes 2025/26 D65 No School Days, Half Days, and Single Holiday Programming from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm. The 2026 Winter Break Camp runs December 29–January 2 (no camp January 1) from 9:30 am–12:00 pm, and the 2026 Spring Break Camp runs Monday–Friday, March 30–April 3, from 9:30 am–12:00 pm. Each 2-hour session is described as free form making and creating.
Evanston Art Makers Outpost (AMO) describes itself as a sustainable art-focused maker space that combines the freedom to create with reusing and repurposing materials. Its mission statement notes a focus on reimagining waste and nature’s treasures, teaching techniques and crafts through demonstration and facilitation, and breathing new life into objects often considered junk or trash. The mission also states a commitment to community, inclusivity, anti-racism, diversity, equity, and a sense of belonging for all participants.
The leadership and facilitation team includes Founder, Owner & Creative Director, Resident Artist, and Art Facilitator Director Valerie Kahan; Assistant Creative Director and Senior Event Liaison Delaunay Krauter; Senior Art Facilitators Emma Kochak and Frida Benitez; Teen Art Facilitator Harper Nowlin; Resident Studio Artists Margaret Leininger and Sally Brandl; and Director of Development, Senior Art Facilitator, and Resident Artist Iden Nowlin. According to the provided staff credentials, Valerie Kahan is a seasoned 20-year veteran real estate broker with @Properties, Emma Kochak has a background in fashion design and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in Chicago, and Iden Nowlin joined Art Makers Outpost after a 20-year teaching career in Special Education.
Program materials are described as sustainable, with 75% or more of the materials used in classes, camps, and workshops collected from community members and local businesses and otherwise destined for landfills or the ocean. The organization notes partnerships with local businesses for the Outpost After Dark Concert Series, field trips for local schools, camps, and organizations, and corporate team building experiences. It also states that it offers space for local groups to meet and provides no barrier scholarships for all youth programs, with limited partial scholarships available on a first-come, first-served basis. A waiver signed by a legal guardian is required for all participants, and any child without a signed waiver is unable to participate.
Last updated January 8, 2026.
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