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Chicago · Venue

Elastic Arts

Elastic Arts is a small-capacity Chicago performance room and gallery; the organization publishes no numeric room figure. Its defining feature is a 16-speaker multichannel system,

Upcoming shows
14
Address
3429 West Diversey Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647
Phone
(773) 772-3616
Next show
Thu, 8 Oct 2026
Official siteDirections
Elastic Arts in Chicago

About Elastic Arts

Elastic Arts is a small-capacity Chicago performance room and gallery; the organization publishes no numeric room figure. Its defining feature is sonic: the monthly CLEAT listening series uses 16 omnidirectional Hemisphere speakers to place the audience inside multichannel work. The calendar reaches across improvised music, electronic sound, dance, film, readings, and exhibitions, making this a close-attention room for bills that blur concert and performance-art formats.

A collective’s route to the stage

Elastic began in 1998, when a group of friends, including Northwestern University students, shared rehearsal, recording, and performance space in Pilsen. In March 2002, the collective moved into 3030, a converted Humboldt Park church, and incorporated as a nonprofit. That first dedicated home also launched the Improvised Music Series in April 2002. Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis curated the weekly series from 2002 through 2023, building a program of over 900 concerts by local and visiting improvisers and sound artists. Its offshoots included the 3030 Festival of Improvised Music from 2003 to 2005 and the Umbrella Music Festival from 2006 to 2015. By spring 2006, Elastic had shifted to a sound-and-vision gallery on Milwaukee Avenue; WBEZ documented its Thursday-night improvisation series in Logan Square the following year.

The listening room now

Booking runs through artist-curated series, with Elastic describing regular programs led by curators from its own creative network. Expect improvised jazz, electro-acoustic composition, experimental electronics, hip-hop-adjacent work, dance, and visual art alongside indie-minded concerts. The flexible gallery setting favors concentrated audiences over club spectacle, while CLEAT’s 16-speaker array gives spatial-audio performances a physical, immersive focus. Doors generally open an hour before events, fitting a venue whose schedule also serves workshops, residencies, screenings, and exhibitions.

Sources

  1. About — Elastic Arts Foundation — Elastic Arts Foundation
  2. Improvised Music Series — Elastic Arts Foundation — Elastic Arts Foundation
  3. Percussionist Zerang Embraces Improv — WBEZ Chicago
  4. Elastic Arts — Chicago Takes 10
  5. CLEAT Listening and Performance Series — Elastic Arts Foundation — Elastic Arts Foundation

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