Jyl Bonaguro
Jyl Bonaguro is a self-taught sculptor and playwright in Chicago, specializing in hand-carving Italian marble, who can teach you to intertwine narrative forms and help audiences connect through your work.
About Jyl Bonaguro
Jyl Bonaguro, Artist … Sculptor … Playwright... is a self taught sculptor and playwright in Chicago, specializing in carving Italian marble by hand. Often working spontaneously, Jyl Bonaguro has a modern approach to the ancient art of stone carving that diverges from the formal academic approach. Raw stone is revealed in select areas, leaving sections untouched and natural, reminiscent of fragments excavated by archaeologists.
Jyl Bonaguro find similarities working in mediums as divergent as sculpting and playwriting because both mediums are treated as interactive, narrative forms. Sculptures like her marble wings series tells a story through composition of form and style in much the same way a play like Swan Soong tells a story through composition of words and style. Both forms require audience participation and interaction to help complete the stories and connect us with each other.
Jyl Bonaguro’s works have been featured in publications like CS Modern Luxury Interiors, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader and Sheridan Road and are in private art collections throughout the United States. Select sculpture exhibitions include: SOFA Chicago, Scope Miami, Aqua Art Miami, “Nature in Motion” Lincoln Park Zoo IL, “Voices and Visions” at the Highland Park Art Center IL and “Intertwined” at the Korean Cultural Center IL. She is the Vice President of Chicago Sculpture International and currently lives and works in Chicago, IL. Her latest carving project is the Modern Athena Sculpture.
School location
Jyl Bonaguro
Hermosa, Northwest Side4200 W Diversey Ave 17A
Near N Tripp Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60639
Directions & arrival details
The workshop is located in studio 17A for Jyl Bonaguro in the Workshop 4200 building. Please enter via the main entrance on Tripp Ave thru the double glass doors.
Parking is free in the lot or on Diversey & Tripp Avenues.
Parking is free in the lot or on Diversey & Tripp Avenues.
Reviews of Jyl Bonaguro
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Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
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Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
I gifted this sculpture workshop to my fiancé for his birthday. This helped beat the winter blues and a perfect date-style activity. The studio is gorgeous, the teacher made everything feel accessible, and we left with finished pieces we’re actually proud of. Bonus points for being active and getting the blood flowing. Would absolutely recommend. -
Coffee & Carving Soap Sculptures Workshop
Super fun class! Jyl is so welcoming and patient. She explains everything clearly and makes the experience enjoyable for beginners. -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
An awesome opportunity to do a start-to-finish project in a single day, as a total beginner. Jyl was very generous in helping to learn tools and techniques, and also in sharing information and stories about her work and her involvement in the art scene. -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
Very fun and educational workshop! Jyl did a great job of providing technical direction while allowing us to explore our creativity. It was really cool that we were able to finish a sculpture and take it home in one day! -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
The pacing of the class was easy to follow. Jyl was kind and knowledgeable. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to hit the alabaster a bit harder. -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
My dream is to be a stone sculptor. This course make my dream real! I need to practice more but Jyl is the best teacher mentor you can find! She is a specialist in marble sculpture using the same techniques used by the greatest sculptors in history. Yes, with the same technique that Michelangelo used. I am very grateful to Jyl and I recommend with all certainty to anyone who finds something beautiful in marble sculptures and wants to try or anyone who loves art and wants to try a new art, this is for you! -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
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Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
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Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
My second time taking this class. Its a unique and fun experience that you don't find a chance to do often. Especially when being able to work closely with the instructor. -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
This course was absolutely phenomenal! The instructor and course are accessible and welcoming to students at all skill levels, from someone with absolutely zero experience in any arts (like myself) to some of my classmates who were talented illustrators and promising beginner/intermediate stone carvers. Jyl is very friendly and knowledgeable and eager to introduce pupils to stone carving. I loved working in her studio and seeing all the wonders she's made and previewing her works that are in-progress. After 6.5 hours, our class had taken rough blocks of stone and turned them into our visions; some complex and some very simple (like mine). But they were ours. I highly recommend this class to everyone! -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
Jyl is a real pro. Master carver, great teacher. Well-designed introduction to stone carving. -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
A great class and juyl gave us plenty if personalized attention. Would highly recommend. -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
I recommend this class at every level. The artist-teacher is excellent at managing students of different skills and making sure we're all safe and having fun. She is a brilliant thinker (who will explain how stonecarving is a uniquely reductive art, where you take something away instead of adding to), but is also so chill and welcoming to all kinds of students from all kinds of backgrounds. The stonecarving craft itself is a meditative experience, especially once you can wrap your mind around the fact that you're creating something new out of a natural material which is thousands of years old. But it's always creative, always active, always fun. The teacher's knowledge and artistry is everywhere, and the more you absorb the more you'll love the craft and the class. Look on the walls and floor and tables of her studio, ask her questions, and most of all, Listen to her stories. There is so much information, integrated in her life's work! In that one day I felt like I walked away with a month of stonecarving education. This is also the kind of class which will give more everytime you take it. I fully intend to take it again when I have the funds, and if I am ever wealthy somehow, I will go broke hiring Jyl to make beautiful things in marble. -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
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Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
The stone carving workshop with Jyl Bonaguro was excellent and made for an amazing day! The class is thoughtfully designed, guiding you through the use of various chisels and tools, and how to apply each step from initial shaping to final polishing. Jyl’s pre-class advice to consider an abstract design was very helpful, as it allowed me to experience the full process and focus on the fundamentals. I arrived with a clear idea, and after sketching, Jyl confirmed it was ideal for the timeline. I was thrilled with the outcome and left with a beautiful, highly polished sculpture that closely matched my vision. Whether you have an arts background or are just curious, this class is very approachable. The day flew by in a flow state, but Jyl kept us on track to ensure everyone completed their pieces. Each participant created a unique, beautiful sculpture, and it was clear everyone enjoyed themselves. I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in learning the basics of stone carving or simply looking for a rewarding, hands-on experience. Five stars! -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
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Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
Jyl hosted an amazing class! It was intimate, well-paced, and great for absolute beginners. I walked away proud of what I accomplished and genuinely surprised with my results. She’s clearly an excellent instructor and knows the craft inside and out. So much fun! -
Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
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Stone Carving Sculptures Workshop
