Join Me and other Artists at MadMade Print Fair (November 14) in Chicago!
I wanted to share an update with you: I recently blogged about applying to be in the MadMade Print Fair. You can see the art work I entered here. I learned that I was accepted! I and other artists living with mental health conditions and/or psychiatric disabilities will be at the show. You can purchase prints and other art work. Visitors are encouraged to explore and purchase artwork from printmakers, illustrators, designers, and zine makers who use a variety of media (scroll below to learn more). This event is free to the public. There are many talented artists there; too often, people with mental illness are stigmatized in the media and depicted as violent. Or, alternately, when discussing art, mental illness is sometimes romanticized. The MadMade Print Fair presents an alternative to all of that. Below, in the pink banner I made, you can see an image of me superimposed onto one of my paintings called “Sedaris’s Flower.” You can see the sample of 7 drawings and paintings I entered HERE to get a feel for my work.
What is MadMade Print Fair About?
I’m quoting directly from Spudnik Press’s website because they described the fair so eloquently and this is my first time participating:
“Join us for MadMade, a one-day event uplifting the creative work of artists living with psychiatric disabilities and mental health challenges. This community-centered fair brings together artists, organizers, and visitors to celebrate art that resists stigma, builds connection, and honors lived experience.
MadMade is more than a print fair — it’s a gathering built on inclusion, care, and cultural empowerment. Visitors are invited to explore and purchase artwork from printmakers, illustrators, designers, and zine makers working across screenprinting, linocut, risograph, etching, digital processes, and more.
This mad-positive, disability-affirming event centers the artists themselves rather than diagnoses or treatments. MadMade offers a counter-narrative to both clinical and romanticized depictions of mental illness, instead highlighting real people making real work — art that is beautiful, messy, joyful, angry, and thoughtful — work that sparks conversation and fosters community.”
Featured Artists
Participants: al mccarthy, Anna Strzepek, Atlas Power, Auden Granger, Avery Respond-Ability, Calvin Nguyen, Center for Mad Culture, Chana Goldbloom, CripZineOlogies & Friends, Crossing Raindrops, Cuatro Huevos, Dia+Hongyu, Dylan Sturdy, Emily Paige, Georgia, Jenine Ampudia, Jessica Gimeno aka Fashionably ill ®, Joobz, Katie L. O’Neill, Las Flores Silvestres, Lily (Basil) MacLachlan, Luluka Brown-Spielman, Mad Moves, Marsey Rusk, Melanie Diaz, melipatas, Mike Freiheit, Millstone, mimisdreamies, Musu Bangura, Nicholas Waguespack, Nova Polaris, One Handed Press, Our Friend Kin, puppywuppy, Reclaym, ROZA PRESS, Saju Makes, Sinelith, Sky Zhang, Tyler Stephens
Venue, Date, Time
November 14, 2026 from 12-4:30PM (Saturday)
Access Living, Chicago: 115 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60654
Free to the public
MadMade is more than a print fair — it’s a gathering built on inclusion, care, and cultural empowerment. Visitors are invited to explore and purchase artwork from printmakers, illustrators, designers, and zine makers working across screenprinting, linocut, risograph, etching, digital processes, and more.
Samples of My Art Work
Thank you to Dylan Sturdy, Spudnik Press, Center for Mad Culture, and Access Living!
Again, I am quoting from Spudnik Press’s website below:
“Dylan Sturdy is a proudly neurodivergent artist specializing in printmaking and wheel-thrown ceramics. With deep personal experience of mental illness and professional experience as a mental health counselor, she creates academically informed artwork that supports those struggling with mental illness, educates the public about psychiatric conditions, and works to destigmatize and reframe how society understands mental health. Dylan is uniquely qualified to lead this fair and unite its participants.
Access Living is a national leader in disability rights and advocacy. It combats stereotypes, protects civil rights, and drives social change, ensuring that people with disabilities can live independently and with dignity.
Spudnik Press is a community-based printmaking studio committed to accessibility, equity, anti-racism, and creative collaboration. It offers professional equipment, education, and an inclusive space welcoming artists from all backgrounds.
The Center for Mad Culture challenges traditional medical models of mental health, offering new ways to understand the human experience of madness. They host exhibitions, readings, workshops, and maintain a mad/disability research library, fostering cultural conversations around mental difference.”
Please Share the Event!
If you cannot attend, I encourage you to share this blog post on social media (see the floating social media icons on this article that allow you to instantly share on Facebook, x FKA Twitter, Pinterest, email) or with people you know who might be interested. Also, I recently joined BlueSky, Threads, and am on Instagram.
My Video on Art and Mental Health (Part 1)
Subscribe to my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@JessicaLynnGimeno/videos. When you are on my YouTube page, hit “Subscribe” (it’s right next to the circular picture of me with black hair on a green background) so you don’t miss future videos including Part 2 of Art and Mental Health!
