Lillstreet Art Center Lights Up Ravenswood's Fall Season — and a Local Pizzeria Just Won Chicago's Top Prize
By Socialhood News · Ravenswood ·
Two of Ravenswood's most beloved creative institutions are in the spotlight this week, and together they offer a vivid reminder of why this North Side neighborhood has long punched above its weight in arts, culture, and food.
Lillstreet Art Center, the art school, gallery, and working studio space nestled in the Ravenswood neighborhood, is in the middle of its most active fall programming stretch in recent memory. The center drew back-to-back media attention at the start of October, landing on both WGN-TV (October 1) and in a second WGN9 spotlight (October 8) — a rare double feature that speaks to how much is happening inside the building right now. Kasey Grealis, an artist and teacher of printmaking and textiles at Lillstreet, joined WGN anchor Amy Rutledge on October 1 to walk viewers through the center's fall happenings, describing Lillstreet as offering "a creative retreat from the noisy world around us." That framing captures exactly what Lillstreet has built over decades: a low-barrier entry point into serious artmaking, open to beginners and working professionals alike.
The October 8 WGN9 coverage spotlighted a separate but connected Lillstreet initiative: Visibility Arts, a program described as empowering artists and inspiring community, with a focus on people with disabilities. The programming is connected to Search 360, an Illinois-based nonprofit that works to give people with disabilities meaningful opportunities to live, learn, and grow within their communities. For Ravenswood residents who have long associated Lillstreet with ceramics wheels and open studios, the Visibility Arts work represents a meaningful expansion of the center's community mission — one that puts access and inclusion at the center of creative practice.
Lillstreet's main campus sits on Ravenswood Avenue, making it a short walk or bike ride from the Brown Line's Damen stop. The center offers classes and workshops on a rolling basis throughout fall and winter, with open studio sessions that allow neighbors to drop in, work on a project, or pick up a new medium without a long-term commitment. For anyone looking to get into the building this week or next, the GRCC's community calendar at ravenswoodchicago.org lists Lillstreet's upcoming programming alongside events from across the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Ravenswood's restaurant community has its own reason to celebrate this week. Spacca Napoli, the Ravenswood pizzeria owned by Jonathan Goldsmith, was named the best pizza in Chicago at the recent Banchet Awards — one of the most prestigious food honors in the city. The Banchet Awards recognize excellence across Chicago's restaurant community, and a best pizza nod from that panel carries serious weight. Spacca Napoli has long been a neighborhood anchor and a destination for pizza enthusiasts from across the city, and the Banchet recognition confirms what Ravenswood regulars have known for years: the pies coming out of Goldsmith's kitchen belong in any serious conversation about Chicago's best.
Rounding out the week, the neighborhood's community calendar has no shortage of reasons to get out. The Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce's event listings show a community yard sale and the return of Lincoln Scared RavenswooOOooOOd scheduled for October 25 — the neighborhood's own Halloween-themed community gathering with a name that only Ravenswood could pull off. And looking ahead to Thanksgiving weekend, the Chicago Artisan Market returns to Artifact Events at 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave. on November 28–29, 2026, bringing more than 200 Chicago and Midwest artisans together across the venue's North and South Buildings. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, with general admission priced at $8 in advance or $10 at the door, and a group rate of four tickets for $20 purchased online.
From Lillstreet's studio floors to Spacca Napoli's wood-fired ovens, Ravenswood keeps delivering on the creative and culinary identity that makes it one of Chicago's most genuinely distinct neighborhoods. Follow the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce at ravenswoodchicago.org for the full community calendar, and if you haven't been inside Lillstreet lately, fall is exactly the right time to change that.
Sources:
1. https://www.lincolnsquare.org/news
2. https://chicago.suntimes.com/ravenswood
3. https://ravenswoodchicago.org/category/community-news/
4. https://stylechicago.com/chicago-artisan-market-ravenswood/
5. https://business.ravenswoodchicago.org/events