Our Story

After School Matters is modeled after our flagship arts programs offered through gallery37. The inspiration for gallery37 came in 1991 when Chicago’s First Lady Maggie Daley and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg collaborated to develop an arts-related jobs-training program for the city’s teenagers.

“As a mother of two teenagers at the time, I didn’t see any cultural outlets for them. Lois and I were brainstorming ways to change this for our city’s young people,” Maggie said. Around the same time, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley tasked all city commissioners to submit ideas for a piece of undeveloped commercial real estate in downtown Chicago. This prominent parcel, at the core of the city’s business district, was designated “Block 37” in the official zoning books. Thus, in the summer of 1991, the arts-based apprenticeship program was formed on Block 37 and its name was coined gallery37.

Under the large white tents on Block 37 that first summer, teens learned art from the professional artists to whom they were apprenticed. gallery37 was both popular and successful with teens. The gallery37 arts programs gave teens a chance to learn from caring adults who were experts in their field. Moreover, teens reported that gallery37 helped them express themselves through their chosen art form, made them better communicators and introduced them to new career opportunities.

In 2000, with important funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the successful gallery37 apprenticeship formula was expanded to include other content areas including sports and technology. Public partners from the schools, parks, libraries and the city came together to offer resources, facilities, and expertise to develop a new entity, After School Matters, the umbrella organization that would eventually encompass gallery37, science37, sports37, tech37, and words37 and reach deep into neighborhoods within the city.

After School Matters has grown from serving 260 teens in 1991, to offering more than 25,000 opportunities in 715 programs across 57 campus sites in 2009-2010.