English
¡anímate!
¡Anímate! Studio is a Chicago-based arts collaborative led by Andrés Lemus-Spont and Marya Spont-Lemus.
True to our name*, our projects embody our shared values of community, mentorship, possibility, and openness to experimentation, as well as encourage movement toward action.
Image: Youth cut up and re-create toys with the FrankenToyMobile. Photo by Becca Waterloo.
Image: Adults paint their own messages over re-painted political signs.
Image: A group of youth bang on the Drum Bike.
In our workshops, we guide participants in re-imagining and re-making existing objects and structures through open-ended, play-based experimentation in public space. This approach to creative re-framing is a hands-on exercise in critical pedagogy, prompting questions around values reflected in objects, the surrounding world, and one’s self.
Our first ¡Anímate! project was The FrankenToyMobile (2015-2019). Recent projects include “Finding Depths: Reflecting, Reframing, Responding on the River” (2023), “Unearthing Layers, Connecting Stories: Reflections on Environmental Justice in Everyday Life” (2023-present), Creative Build workshops using 2x4s, pool noodles, and random objects (2021-present), and more. We are proud to be founding members of the Mobilize Creative Collaborative.
Squiggle Build is our newest offering in the Creative Build series. This drop-in, all-ages workshop invites participants to play, dream, and collaborate to transform familiar materials into imaginative landscapes using pool noodles. Together we can build new spaces and imagine new possibilities.
In 2025, join us at:
Lyric Opera (April 26)
Soluna Wellness Center (June 21)
Creative Grounds @ Anthony Overton (June 28)
subVersion Summer Camp (July 17)
Sandbox Symphony X (August 9)
National Public Housing Museum (August 10, September 14)
Watershed: Ways of Knowing the Chicago River (August 23)
Math On-A-Stick (August 30-31)
EAC Arts Village at Englewood Music Festival (September 13)
* “¡Anímate!” means “go for it!” in Spanish, among other things, while “animate” in English means “to bring something to life.” We like both meanings.
© ¡Anímate! Studio, 2025. All rights reserved.