The Festival provides students in grades PreK - 12th with exhibition and performance opportunities, workshops, masterclasses, and academic and professional collaboration opportunities.
Partnering with The Chicago Cultural Center and the Design Museum of Chicago, RE•VER•BER•ATE serves as a testament to what can happen when our students, teachers, and arts professionals of Chicago come together to create a truly unique event for our most eager learners and performers.
What Does RE•VER•BER•ATE Offer?
RE·VER·BER·ATE brings together students, teachers and professional artists from across Chicago to create a singular event focused on artistic expression.
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Arts Fair
RE•VER•BER•ATE student participants learn about opportunities and programs throughout the city. Past participants of the arts fair include: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Uniting Voices Chicago, Marwen, After School Matters, Chicago School of Musical Arts, Urban Gateways, Music Institute, Experimental Station, and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art.
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Exhibitions
RE•VER•BER•ATE hosts the All-City Visual Arts (ACVA) Elementary, High School, and Senior Portfolio exhibitions.
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Masterclasses
RE•VER•BER•ATE offers specialized masterclasses where students work with and receive feedback from professional artists in their field of study. Past masterclass instructors include: Chicago School of Musical Arts, Music Will, and Judy Hanson of Uniting Voices.
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Performances
RE•VER•BER•ATE features student performances including large and small instrumental, choral, theater and dance ensembles.
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Workshops
RE•VER•BER•ATE features workshops for students led by professional artists. Workshops include: jewelry making, song writing, shadow puppets, improv, audition prep, painting, hip hop, video game music, and devising theatre.
RE•VER•BER•ATE 2025 Timeline
RE•VER•BER•ATE Festival Dates - April 22-25, 2025
Performing Arts
Performing Arts Application Opens
October 1, 2024
Performing Arts Application Closes
January 10, 2025
Performing Arts Acceptances Released
January 22, 2025
Visual Arts (ACVA)
ACVA Application Opens
October 28, 2024
ACVA Application Closes
March 13, 2025
ACVA Acceptances Released
March 21, 2025
How to Participate in RE•VER•BER•ATE
Selection Process for RE•VER•BER•ATE
RE•VER•BER•ATE seeks to offer a platform to as many student artists as possible over the course of the festival days. When curating the festival, the RE•VER•BER•ATE team works in collaboration with additional partners to purposefully ensure an acceptance list that fully represents the breadth and depth of the arts across Chicago Public Schools. This includes artistic discipline, experience level, geography, cultural diversity, and instrumentation. We strongly encourage submissions that represent the lived experiences of students and educators across Chicago.
The selection process involves the expertise of the Department of Arts Education, the Arts Teacher Leadership Team, and the Arts Student Voice Committee (ASVC).
The Arts Teacher Leadership Team is a group of committed fine & performing arts educators who support the work of Student Programs through collaborating on specific initiatives, including the RE•VER•BER•ATE Festival and All-City Visual Arts exhibitions.
The Arts Student Voice Committee (ASVC) is a diverse group of CPS high school students who work with the Department of Arts Education (DAE) team to discuss, create, and execute strategies for improving arts education in Chicago Public Schools.
