26. Kaleidoscope School of Art
It’s one of those places I’ve driven past a million times on Main Street, always curious to know what colorful characters I might find inside. This week I decided it was time to stop wondering, so I stopped the car at Barrington’s Kaleidoscope School of Art.
A collection of quirky objects and art decorate the entrance to the school, just East of the Octagon house. I stepped up to the door and tried knocking first. When there was no answer, I peeked my head inside and saw easels, color and artwork everywhere as a teacher helped two adult students sketch.
I slipped by the lesson in progress, past art-covered walls and into a room where a painter was quietly creating. Eventually, I found an office and a guy at a desk. Randy Funk told me the art school is his family’s business and his mom’s masterpiece.
Jill Funk and her husband opened Kaleidoscope School of Art 24 years ago. Jill studied sculpture at the Cleveland Institute of Art before settling and raising her family here in Barrington. Jill says she loves having her business here. She calls Barrington a very “artistic community” and says her school is all about inspiring creativity.
She was inspiring a lot of laughs when I reached the school’s downstairs studio where a group of ladies was working with clay. They summed up the Kaleidoscope experience by saying, “We work out our problems here and create art at the same time. It’s the cheapest therapy money can buy in Barrington.” Well sit me down and sign me up!
The school offers oil painting, watercolor, drawing, mosaic, sculpting, pottery, papier mache and portraiture classes, just to name a few. They even have a class called “Make Your Own Postage” where you learn how to design your own U.S. postal stamps. Registration for the summer classes just opened at Kaleidoscope. You’ll find the full class list and prices on their website at KaleidoscopeSchoolofArt.com. There are workshops for children, teens and adults as well as Minicamps on their class menu. Those are art-intensive week-long workshops and they’re very popular for the summer. You’ll find Kaleidoscope on Facebook and can view photos of student art by clicking HERE or you can always reach them by phone at 847-381-4840.
Kaleidoscope School of Art
Barrington, IL 60010
Parking is in the rear on Grant Street
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Hello, is there a website that we can visit to view Jill Funk’s sculptures? I purchased a sculpture several years ago of a mother and daughter named “Heart to Heart”. It is signed Harris.Lamp Jill Funk and the information on the bottom of the piece is “Endeavors”, No. AC 0346, Harris Marcus. I’ve searched online to try and locate it, but have been unsuccessful. Any ideas where I might be able to find one? I love this piece and wanted to purchase one to give to my daughter since she just moved out of state…wanted her to have a piece of home with her:) Thank you!
Hi Monica,
Thanks for your comment! I will check into this for you and will reply here. Have a great weekend, Liz
Hello to whom it may concern…we have this sculpture in our home and would be willing to possibly sell it.
jef9233@comcast.net
I think I have the same statue, I was looking at the value of this sculpture. Would love to know where to research. Thanks
I have the same statue and do not know the value. There is a chip on the edge.
I, too, have the same statue; I would love to know its value as well. It is a very meaningful piece. Mine has 1990 Harris Industries and Harris Marcus on the bottom but no price. I have tried to research Harris Marcus and Harris Industries without luck.