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The SOFT SHOP is a collaborative art project organized by Rebecca Grady, Ilana Percher, Aay Preston-Myint and Charles Vinz. The Soft Shop took its first form as part of the annual Art Shanty Projects exhibition on Medicine Lake, MN in early 2007. The Art Shanty Projects feature a collection of re-purposed ice-fishing shanties which play host to a range of artists, participants and spectators. Past activities have included knitting, karaoke, meditation, storytelling, art exhibits, horror films, tap dancing, games, and science demonstrations.

The Soft Shop's second installment was in Chicago at Version '07. Version is a yearly convergence of artists from around the country and the globe featuring four weeks of performances, screenings, interventions, and indoor and outdoor exhibitions.

After Version, the Soft Shop was in need of semi-permanent adoption, and the fine folks at Reversible Eye stepped up to offer a home for the shanty behind their gallery in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.

The Soft Shop houses a collaborative soft sculpture created by shanty artists, visitors, friends [of friends], and family. The interior is to evolve over the course of each installation. Through various workshops and open studio hours, the embellishment will cover the walls, floor, and ceiling of the shanty. The comforting, many-textured room makes an ideal setting for community learning and gathering. As the different textures and materials are layered and collaged together, it gets cosier and cosier, reflecting the different styles and stories of its contributors.

The Shop's success lies in engaging the public in a creative exchange. We call on our visitors to participate in the creative process and join us in creating and altering the installation. While visitors will bring their own skills and ideas, we will provide workshops and materials. Anything made in the shanty will be used to embellish the interior. We will also encourage friends and artists all over the country to submit additions to the interior sculpture.

The heptagonal design of the Soft Shop approximates that of the circular yurts of Central Asia. We chose the yurt as our inspiration because of its long history as a temporary movable structure capable of handling harsh climates. Yurts are built by many hands and often used for communal gatherings. The handmade felt walls of the yurt and the textiles hung within are not only beautiful, but provide insulation. The many-sided, panoramic space of our shanty will be perfect for appreciating the soft, quilt-like collaborative sculpture that will cover the inside walls. Yurts traditionally have a skylight; ours is decorated with furs and brightly colored plastic. It will let light in, and insulate the opening. The entryway is filled with an inflatable structure that functions as an airlock. The inflatable will create an interactive and entertaining transitional space into the shanty in addition to providing uninterrupted insulation of the entryway. We also wanted to incorporate an inflatable element in our structure because of the prominence of inflatables in visionary nomadic architecture.

Our goal for construction was to build the Shop out of as much reclaimed material as is possible. The supports, insulation and cladding are made from emergency blankets, insulated containers, glass samples, foam, vinyl banners, scrap wood and plexiglas. Our sources range between art schools, physics labs, local contractors, dumpsters, fellow artists, construction sites, surplus outlets, and detritus from the Chicago Marathon. The structure was built in Chicago, taken apart, and then transported to Minnesota. The seven roof sections, six wall panels, skylight and door were then reassembled at Medicine Lake. A renewable energy source was a priority as well, so the shanty's power is obtained from a solar panel connected to a deep cycle battery.

is artist and educator and has a BFA in Ceramics and Sculpture from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She is skilled at light construction and carpentry, bookmaking, hand and machine sewing, and collecting stories. Rebecca has worked as an art educator for the past four years working in all mediums with students of all ages. She currently teaches a comic book class at Roberto Clemente High School in Chicago. Her work can be found at rubaccaquon.com.

is an artist and organizer, and former applications engineer with a BA in Physics (minor: Studio Art) from Oberlin College. Her skills include printmaking and needlecrafts such as sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, and embroidering. Collaborative work can be found on both the Chicago Tapes Project and Ladyshark websites.

is an artist and educator with a BFA in Fiber and Material Studies from SAIC. He has a broad base of fabrication techniques including light construction, textile design, inflatable sculpture, hand and machine sewing, and needlecraft. Aay currently makes costumes for Redmoon Theater and teaches printmaking at Phoenix Military Academy in Chicago, and has worked with students aged preschool to adult over the past four years in a variety of mediums. His work can be found at illcutyou.com.

is an architect with a B.Arch from the Illinois Institute of Technology. With a working knowledge of construction techniques and experience in design/build situations, he has built a handful of shanty-like structures in various collaborative contexts. He also pursues the advancement of participatory and inclusive design practice.