SketchPad is an intentional, collaborative, and innovative Jewish coworking space – the only such designated space in Chicago – bringing together a wide variety of diverse Jewish communal organizations and professionals. Our mission is to maximize the impact of our member organizations by fostering collaboration, innovation, and resource-sharing in a supportive and joyful environment. We do that by offering professional development and learning opportunities, socially and environmentally conscious workspace practices, and a community culture that supports the interplay between Jewish tradition and innovative coworking. Our space is intentionally designed with a mix of private offices, multiple sized conference rooms, and lots of open work spaces, to enable serendipitous interactions among members as well as shared spaces to encourage conversations and collaborations.
What is one interesting fact about your space?
In November 2021, we moved from 3,500 sq ft into a brand new home with 10,000 sq ft of opportunity. As part of the décor, we collaborated with one of our member tenants to identify a local Jewish artist who created a beautiful and vibrant new mural, based on our values, which is visible from many of the offices and hot desks. Oh, and did I mention we have a vault? (A prior tenant was either a banking or accounting firm, or so we’ve been told.) We hope to turn it into a podcast studio at some point!
What are your favorite resources that you would recommend to others?
My favorite resource is our community. As a collaborative coworking space, we’re lucky to have a really diverse group of people working for a variety of mission driven organizations. They all have different interests, skill sets, and goals – and are all committed to seeing this community succeed. They pitch in when and where they can – they’ve helped create social and educational programs, professional development “skill shares,” and more – and come with the attitude of collaboration and openness to helping build the most supportive, inclusive, and inspiring workplace possible. And, there are so many amazing networking and professional development groups with accessible resources (NCN is a *great!* example).
Center Name: SketchPad
Center Member Type: Center in Operation
Location: Chicago, IL
Center Website: https://www.sketchpadchicago.org/
Connect on Social Media: Facebook
