ABOUT
Inspiring Creativity | Creating Collective Joy | Connecting Communities with Care
"Art is not meant to be perfect; it is meant to be alive, engaging, and shared. At People Around Us Workshops, we activate the power of collective creativity to grow skills, discover creative voices, and build meaningful human connections. Through sustainable, hands-on art experiences, we come together to celebrate the beauty of our diverse communities, spark imagination, and create meaning together that lasts beyond the moment."_Leila Ghasempor
"As a social poet and community educator, I see my workshops as a form of living social practice / social sculpture, where creativity becomes a tool for connection, care, and collective imagination."_Leila Ghasempor
Leila Ghasempor is an interdisciplinary artist, sustainable maker, and community educator dedicated to cultivating vibrant spaces where art is experienced as a joyful, collective energy. Her educational work focuses on inspiring creativity through fun, engaging, and hands-on workshops that foster love, hope, peace, and sustainability through shared artistic practice. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a BFA in Sculpture, and a Minor in Art History. For Leila, art is creativity in motion rooted in connection, accessibility, and shared experience. It is not about perfection, but about being alive and creating meanings together.
As the Workshop Chair at FabMo, she helps communities reduce textile waste and discover environmental awareness through upcycling workshops. She is deeply committed to making creativity accessible to everyone. In her programs, children, adults, seniors, and individuals with special needs come together to create side by side, discovering joy, meaning, and community through making.
She also runs People Around Us, a multimedia platform dedicated to sharing the journeys of local independent creators and fostering community exchange. Her mission is discovering artists, sharing their stories and amplifying their voices.
