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). We are excited to be founding members of the Mobilize Creative Collaborative (2016-present).
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.
* “¡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.