Frequently Asked Questions
What is the parking situation?
We do not have onsite parking. However, we are located on Granville Avenue, which has both plenty of metered and unmetered parking. You can find unmetered parking on the side streets closest to CMS, as well as the area of Granville Ave that is West of Broadway.
Where do I start?
The Chicago Mosaic School offers a 3-hour Mosaic Basics Workshop available for purchase through Groupon (https://www.groupon.com/deals/the-chicago-mosaic-school-8) which is the perfect way to get a taste of the Mosaic art form!
If you’re interested in a more extensive course, we recommend Mosaic I. This signature 6-week class is geared toward beginners and primarily self-taught students who want to learn about basic techniques, tools and materials in mosaic art.
Out of town? Mosaic I is also offered as an Intensive Weekend Workshop!
I have some mosaic experience, should I start with Mosaic I?
The Chicago Mosaic School has classes and workshops that are unlike any other that you may have taken. We are the only school of its type outside of Europe, and all of our instructors are professionally trained, and are practicing exhibiting artists.
Have you worked with smalti before? If not, we would definitely recommend Mosaic I, as the second half of the class is focused around a project using smalti glass, and cutting it with the hammer and hardie.
If you are worried that you will not be challenged in our Mosaic I course, please feel free to send an email to info@chicagomosaicschool.org with a description of your mosaic instruction, as well as a few images of your work. We will have one of our instructors get back to you within a week with their recommendation!
No dates on your website work with my schedule. How do I take a class or workshop?
If you would like to take a class or workshop at a time that’s not listed, we would be happy to set up a private lesson (excluding Visiting Artist Workshops). I am going to ask you to send the inquiry via email, and an administrator will get back to you as soon as possible with more information.
What are your upcoming classes?
You can find all of our upcoming classes online at chicagomosaicschool.org. If you are looking for regularly scheduled classes, they run in either six or eight week sessions, so if you’re not quite ready to enroll in one session, there’s always another! You can see the full calendar of classes, workshops, visiting artist seminars, and online classes on our website chicagomosaicschool.org/calendar-view (or under “Classes & Workshops > Calendar”).
What’s your return/refund policy?
Full refunds (100%) will only be granted 28 days or more before the start date of the course.
Partial refunds will be granted as follows: can be found on our website chicagomosaicschool.org/refund-policy (or under “Contact Us > Refund Policy”).
If a CMS class is rescheduled due to a class or workshop being under enrolled, students will get a 100% refund.
Which airport is the best to fly into for out-of-town students? How to get to CMS from that airport?
Both Midway and O’Hare are very doable to get to CMS, however O’Hare is nearly 10 miles closer. A ride sharing app is usually the easiest way to get from one to the other, but if you fly into O’Hare, you will take the Blue Line and transfer to the Red Line. While with Midway, you will get on the Orange Line and eventually transfer to the Red Line. CMS is right off the Granville Red Line stop.
I’m interested in signing up for this class/workshop but will have to miss a day. How can I make that up?
Each student is given a makeup pass that can be used to come in during our open studio hours:
Thursdays: 10a-4p
Sundays: 11a-5p
If you think you’ll need more than one day to complete your project, open studio passes are available for purchase at the front desk ($30 OR 3 for $100)
*If you have any other questions, please email info@chicagomosaicschool.org