Collage on Tap: An Afternoon with Lauren Foit

On Sunday, May 17, director Chad Rispalje, producer Jon Hearon, and cinematographer Jon Cole filmed Chicago-based mixed-media artist Lauren Foit for Art on Tap. A Loyola University graduate, Lauren’s work centers on making art feel accessible, communal, and fun. Through her platform, Lauren Took an Art Class, she shares her creative process, approachable how-to tutorials, and hosts in-person events ranging from immersive art experiences to hands-on workshops.

We were fortunate to film Lauren before and during one of her quarterly collage pop-ups at Solemn Oath. She spoke about her passion for supporting people who might not think of themselves as artists but are clearly creative at heart. As she put it, “When they come to one of my events or even just have conversations with me, it's really encouraging and inspiring and then I get to see some of their work and I don't know, it's just kind of like we can gas each other up a little bit and so it's expansive and motivating!” Lauren and this event will appear in a future episode of Art on Tap.

By 2 p.m., the collage event had taken over much of Solemn Oath’s warm, welcoming space. For $20, Lauren provided everything participants needed to get started—stacks of images, papers, and embellishments for crafting collage bookmarks, cards, and jewelry. She spent the afternoon in motion, drifting from table to table, offering ideas, sharing tips, and cheering people on as they discovered what they could make with their own hands.

We were fortunate to grab a few minutes with general manager Michael Cunningham. Cool, calm and collected in the midst of a very busy afternoon, Mike told us, 'What I love is watching the interactions around the bar, over at the pool table, how many people are never met each other who maybe I know, but like they've never met and you suddenly see a connection made. Now they're going to meet every Friday and play pool together or they're like, 'Oh, hey, I was looking for somebody to play the euchre tournament and now I want to come and play with you. You seem like a cool person.'"

For more on Lauren and her upcoming projects, visit her profiles on Instagram and TikTok.