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We at the fire arts center of chicago know that it is not always easy to find time to donate and help out your favorite charities. That is why we are constantly looking for ways to make it easier for you to help out whenever you can and wherever you are. We have previously added a link to allow anyone to donate to us using PayPal’s secure online credit card form. But we weren’t about to stop there.

Now you can also help us out every time you search for something online by using a new friendly search engine called GoodSearch.

Using it is as simple as Yahoo or Google, but now your searches provide the fire arts center with a little extra income each year. Simply go to GoodSearch.com and in the box below where it says “Who Do You GoodSearch For?” enter “Fire Arts Center” and click “Verify.” It will then display that information in your browser every time to come to GoodSearch. Anytime you need to search for information online, go to GoodSearch and use their search engine instead. Your clicks will help raise money for us for supplies, tools, and more.

So please feel free to go check them out. We understand that you have your own way of searching online, but why not stop by and see what you think. And let us know what you think of it.

Yes, you heard right. The fire arts center of chicago is moving again. We are, as always, on the lookout for locations that best fit our requirements and the needs of our students. And we were able to find a space that better fills those needs and also provides room for growth. It is simply a better space for us all around.
Our new address is:

1907 N Mendell Street
Chicago, IL 60622
(click to view map)

We are still moving equipment and artwork over, little by little, so if you are unsure of where to meet please contact us to verify at 773.329.9908. Our classes are still meeting while we move things over so current students will be able to keep up their work in the meantime.

As always the decision to move is difficult, but we know we can better utilize this new space to continue offering some of the most unique art classes in the city of Chicago. We look forward to greeting you all at the new fire arts center of chicago.

Just a note to everyone that just received emails from the fire arts center of chicago about our new address: We have set up the updates page to allow us to alert you when new messages are posted. Many of you have signed up at open houses or given your email to us for more information about the fire arts center. This message board is our best method for keeping you updated on recent changes and other news.

We will never give out your email or other contact information willingly…under extreme duress maybe…but never willingly.

If for any reason you do not want to receive these emails, or if someone’s “w” looked more like a “u” and you are getting this email message by mistake, please use the link in this email to unsubscribe. If you have problems unsubscribing please feel free to contact me for help: Webmaster.

Thanks for your interest in the fire arts center of chicago.

The fire arts center of chicago is continuing the upgrading of our website. The newest addition: an events calendar. The great makers of WebCalendar have made some great software available for those interested in learning it. After spending another exciting weekend reading code I was able to get it up to our standards.

With this calendar we will be able to keep an up-to-date events list so you can plan ahead for our exciting activities. You will be able to view all of the events posted or you can limit them by category (”Gallery Exhibits,” “Media Coverage,” “Open Houses,” etc). I am still working to get it cleaned up and will be adding events as they become available. We are still planning events for the spring, but you will see April is starting to shape up already.

See you at the studio…

Well the gallery walls have been repainted, so to speak. Okay so I am talking about the digital gallery for the fire arts center of chicago, but regardless it got a much needed facelift. As promised I spent time cleaning up the online fire arts gallery so be sure to go visit: fire arts center of chicago gallery. Of course the gallery has plenty of new pictures from the various members and instructors. Some of our newest images include those of Bryce de Reynier’s series entitled Small Heavy Objects. In the artist’s own words:

While design is commonly preoccupied with Utility, and art with Meaning, my work attempts to create only Beauty without these common burdens. I work to make my artwork non-representational; it is not abstract because I don’t wish for it to be an abstraction of any specific object, being or emotion.

We also have some great pics from one of our newest instructors, Jon Gruber, who will be teaching a class on armor forging. Be sure to check out his incredible creations.

And if you are reading this on our site, you can also plainly see that the updates/blog page has been cleaned up a bit as well. So there you have it.

Of course all this is fine and good, but what about the actual studio and classes, you ask? Very good question. We are still going strong. If you are interested in visiting us please stop by the fire arts center studio and say hi. The classes are on-going so if you are at all curious about what the classes entail, please come check them out. We’d love to show you around. Until then…

Well, we’ve done it. The webmaster boarded himself up for the weekend and actually got some software up on the site. I have uploaded and styled the new Gallery Page. I am still adding pictures and information to it, but you can go check it out so far! I’m very excited about it and want to recommend Coppermine to anyone interested in setting up a gallery on your own page. It was easy (after a minor hosting mishap).

And of course you are reading using the other new software, WordPress. Wordpress is a great weblog program that was even easier to set up than the gallery software (again, it isn’t Coppermine’s fault that I had some hosting glitches to work out first…so maybe they are equally simple). With WordPress we will be able to keep a more up-to-date message board for those of you interested in Fire Arts events and more. Some of the items we hope to keep you appraised on: class changes, up-coming events (bronze pours, open houses, free class offerings, etc.), new equipment for students, up-coming gallery shows featuring Fire Arts artists, website additions/changes (new links, new member galleries, new pictures in general, etc.), and any other exciting news we want to share.

Be patient while I (the humble webmaster) fumble through this new software and work out the kinks. Until I am more comfortable with the programs I will be leaving a lot of the features off (sign-ins and comments fields mainly), but I may decide to turn them on if it will help out on the site more.

Hope you enjoy the new toys. If you want to offer any feedback on the site please go to the “About this Site” page and read about how to contact the webmaster there. Enjoy!

Welcome to the new fire arts center of chicago homepage. We did some redecorating for those of you visiting us online. Hope you like it. Much of what has been done is some simple shifting of the existing information. We did add a few simple new features though and there are more to come:

• New Classes: We have some new class offerings on the way for the upcoming season. The Fire Arts Center has begun to offer classes in basic armor forging which is sure to be a popular one. Be sure to sign up fast to reserve a space in it. We also plan to add some classes for kids in the very near future so be sure to watch our updates page for more information.
• Galleries: We are working to develop a more up-to-date gallery of our members’ works and plan to add some new pictures to the various member’s galleries. As the images will show, the range of works made at the fire arts center of chicago is broad: from metal furniture design to lost-wax bronze and armor forging to figure drawing. All of our members are offered a chance to have their works displayed on the fire arts website so consider signing up for membership to get your own gallery going.
• Updates: We are working on adding a more frequent updates page to our site. You will be able to check this page for frequent updates on projects, equipment purchases or needs, upcoming events, changes or additions to the website, and more. It will act as the fire arts center’s weblog and will be updated regularly with helpful news and events.
• Maps: We added some links to give you a clear image of where we are located in Chicago. Both Google Maps and the CTA maps are linked under the Home>Location page so you can plan your visit to the studio soon. Stop by and see the types of equipment we have including bronze and iron furnaces, metal forges, welding equipment, and more. We would love to show you around.
• Links: This new page will give us the chance to highlight a few websites that the members have discovered and that we think would be helpful to artists working with metal fabrication, bronze or iron casting, figure sculpture or drawing, as well as a number of interesting Chicago art links. Check this section often for interesting additions as we discover them or to offer us ideas for sites you think should be added.
• Contact Us: While this page did exist prior to this version, we did add some new functionality to it by adding a form to fill out to contact us. Fill out the form and submit it and we will respond to give you more information about whichever topic you are interested in. So whether you want to forge iron, cast a sculpture bust in bronze, carve stone, or sculpt the figure in clay drop us a line.

Of course we still have many of the items from the previous website including the long list of classes offered by the fire arts center of chicago. Also the events link will continue to highlight upcoming open houses, bronze and iron pours, and other activities planned by the fire arts center.

Thanks for visiting the new site for the fire arts center of chicago. Look around and send us any feedback you have for the site. We look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you at the studio.

Until then…