Our Story
2019
The Digs began as a project between cofounders Fawn and Zoe during their third-year Professional Practice course at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While their education emphasized conceptual thinking, they recognized a clear logistical need: accessible, community-driven studio space.
Inspired by the energy of SAIC’s ceramics community—and shaped by their Midwestern backgrounds and experience in DIY music scenes—they envisioned a space built on collective making: do-it-yourself, but alongside others.
The project took form when Fawn was awarded the Wingate-Lamar Fellowship through the Center for Craft. Rather than using the grant for travel, the cofounders chose to invest in building a community ceramics studio—establishing The Digs as a nonprofit from the outset.
2020 - 2021
Building the Foundation
What began as an idea quickly became a shared commitment—late nights spent brainstorming, co-working, and slowly shaping a vision into something real.
As first-time founders, Fawn and Zoe dove into the business side of a dream: writing bylaws, defining a mission, structuring the organization, and learning the ins and outs of compliance. Along the way, they began building systems from scratch—developing workflows, dividing responsibilities, and learning how trust operates not just socially, but structurally within a growing organization.
Listen to our founder Fawn talk about this on the Potters Cast
From the beginning, the goal was clear: to build a studio so artists could focus on making. This meant building out the foundations for facilities, programming, and events—creating a space that could hold both the logistical and creative needs of a community.
The search for a home led them across the city, touring multiple locations in hopes of finding a storefront. Instead, they landed in a third-floor loft in an industrial pocket of West Town—a space that would become the first iteration of The Digs.
Much of the early studio was built through resourcefulness and care—scavenging materials, sourcing equipment through Facebook Marketplace, and constructing what they could by hand. The process was defined by experimentation, adaptation, and a willingness to learn through trial and error.
Did you know? ♫
In 2021, The Digs began hosting livestreamed music sets during the pandemic, which later grew into small in-person performances. The DIY interests of the founders inspired early programming
2022
Expansion I
After building a waitlist from the first year, the opportunity to grow came when the unit next door opened up. The studio expanded into the adjacent space, effectively doubling our facilities from 2,000 s/ft to 4,000 s/ft. This shift enabled the Residency program to better support working artists, allowing residents to move into a dedicated area — opening up more room for classes, workshops, and the broader community to gather. It marked the first step in scaling the studio in response to the overwhelming support from our community.
2023
30 Under 30 — 2023
Cofounders Fawn and Zoe were recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 and attended the national conference—an exciting moment of recognition for the project and its early growth.
Expansion II
As demand continued to grow, The Digs underwent its largest buildout yet. Construction connected three units into one cohesive studio, alongside major upgrades to shared facilities. Today, the Digs currently operates on more than 6,000 s/ft of continuous studio space.
As we’ve grown to over 100 members, the expansion significantly increased capacity—supporting a larger Pay to Clay program and more resident artists. The new residency studio filled quickly, reinforcing what had been building over time: a sustained need for space that could hold both independent artist practices and a community of folks learning at every level.
2024
Chicago Ceramics Crawl
Shortly after the first expansion, Founders Zoe and Fawn partnered up with local artist and teacher Laura Williams to organize an annual event to connect all the thriving ceramics studios in the city.
2025 - present
As our membership has grown, so has our ability to support the artists who make this community what it is. We've expanded our team to include even more talented studio staff, technicians, monitors, instructors, and collaborators—creating more paid opportunities for working artists throughout Chicago.
We've also continued to invest in programming that supports artists beyond the wheel. Through initiatives like Chicago Critique Group, professional development workshops, social events, and specialty ceramics classes, we're committed to helping artists build sustainable, connected creative lives.
Every improvement we've made has been shaped by the needs, generosity, and enthusiasm of our members. We're incredibly grateful for this community and excited to keep growing together.
***if we go with this, we should change ‘2024-present’ blurb to “In 2024,…”a at the beginning of the paragraph to avoid repetitive phrasing.
The Digs thrives due to it’s community members and collaborators, endless thank yous to our friends, member artists, and students!
Your donation directly supports resources such as:
Facilities maintenance and upgrades
Professional Development Opportunities
Sliding Scale Programming
Free Ceramics Programming to Other Local Orgs
Please Consider Donating!
the digs is a 501(c)(3) and your donation is tax deductible!
Other ways to support?
Spread the word, consider us for your corporation’s annual donation, and
sign up for a workshop, class, or day pass!
