We are now selling our TSG 'City of Big Dreams' Themed Long Sleeves! Our super soft long sleeve tee will bring back the nostalgia of our iconic annual arts celebration that brings together the City to inspire us to dream! Grab this limited edition long sleeve today!
Each TSG Quote Tee is inspired by our students' meaning of 'the simple good'. Every year, we select their messages to put on a limited series release of tees. These tees represent the communities we serve and are selected through a vote to amplify the voices of our youth and support TSG programs bringing art directly to them.
TSG QUOTE TEE: CREATIVITY
“My ‘Simple Good’ is my creativity and I am inspired by my friends. I plan to improve my community and change the world by sharing art and music. This is important to me because creativity and art is a huge part of life.”
Each TSG Quote Tee is inspired by our students' meaning of 'the simple good'. Every year, we select their messages to put on a limited series release of tees. These tees represent the communities we serve and are selected through a vote to amplify the voices of our youth and support TSG programs bringing art directly to them.
TSG QUOTE TEE: HOPE & PEACE
“The ‘simple good’ I see in my community is hope and peace because it helps people stay positive. My simple good is learning more and having more knowledge. I think this is important because it helps people get to know each other. I plan on using these simple goods to improve my community and change the world by having a peaceful world, all colors mix!”
Each TSG Quote Tee is inspired by our students' meaning of 'the simple good'. Every year, we select their messages to put on a limited series release of tees. These tees represent the communities we serve and are selected through a vote to amplify the voices of our youth and support TSG programs bringing art directly to them.
TSG QUOTE TEE: LOVE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU LOVE OTHERS
“My ‘simple good’ is love yourself before you love others because I want to tell others to put themselves first. It’s important to love people who have been there for you and support you when you need them. This is important to me because I think it’s important to trust yourself and know that you are never alone when you are by yourself.”
Our latest TSG Lapel Pins just hit the streets to help us continue to spread the message of #thesimplegood while supporting TSG Youth Art Programming. Just like our TSG Bead Bracelets, each pin is meant to be passed on to someone who has shown you the meaning of the simple good in your life.
Grab a TSG Bracelet and help spread positive vibes by passing one onto someone who has shown you an act of 'the simple good' in your life.
Each bracelet is made of lava stone beads (provides energies of strength & courage) and has a beautifully engraved silver pendant. Each bracelet sold helps support TSG Youth Art Programming focused on mindfulness and social emotional learning.
TSG Social Emotional Learning Based Art Activity Book
Regular price
$20.00
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With the drastic inequities in mental health and education access in Chicago,there is a pressing demand for our SEL Art Activity Bookand we have receivedover 3000 requestsfrom our partner schools across the city.Your book purchase sponsors one book for a TSG student in need. Full of reflective activities, meditations, and beautiful coloring pages, this book is suited to kids (and adults!) of all ages, andwe encourage you to pick up additional copies for you and your loved ones.
To increase your impact and get even more books into the hands of the students who need them most, please consider donating here.
More Information on the TSG Art Activity Book below:
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic hit our communities, it has exacerbated inequities that have always existed in Chicago. As schools began shutting down and curriculum quickly shifted online, unequal access to internet and technology became a drastic problem, leaving over one-third of students with no access to education or mental health support in low-income communities.
In addition, the pandemic has intensified the mental health crisis which will affect generations to come. In response to this crisis, TSG developed our first Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Based Art Activity Book to support the well-being and mental health of our youth without internet access.
The TSG Art Activity Book synthesizes TSG's SEL-Based Art Curriculum into a printed Art Activity & Coloring Book focused on developing a student's understanding of what the 'simple good' means to them through influences of artists from all around the world. The students will take a journey of identifying positivity in their lives and their communities, developing an understanding of how they can use their 'simple goods' to change the world. The book will feature pages from incredible artists from all over the globe including Alice Pasquini (Italy), Oak Oak (France), Stinkfish (Colombia), Ivan Vazquez (Chicago), Richard Colman (San Francisco) and more!
For all Chicago Bulls fans, here is your perfect holiday gift! The Simple Good's Bulls Bundle includes:
1Limited EditionTSG x Chicago Bulls x Kayla Mahaffey Shirts (unisex or v-neck style)
1 TSG SEL-based Art Activity Book featuring the art of23 Chicago Artists(in Chicago fashion - Go Bulls!)
#Passthesimplegood to a loved one or to your household with this Bulls-inspired gear!
*Please note that v-neck shirts run a size small; please order a size up!
Dark Gray Color Unisex Lightweight T-Shirt
MORE ABOUT THE BUNDLE
Limited edition TSG x Chicago Bulls x Kayla Mahaffey:Artwork for the limited editionTSG x Chicago Bulls x Kayla Mahaffey shirt is designed byNationally renown Chicago-based Artist, Kayla Mahaffey.Kayla's design has a fiery vigor to it, to represent the determination it takes to play the game of basketball. Herartworks illustrate a transitional period of overcoming hardships and finding new life pathways. Her design for this t-shirt borrows from that idea, by keeping 'simple good' themes like imagination, determination, growth and resilience alive.
TSG SEL-Based Art Activity Book: The Simple Good Art Activity Book synthesizes our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mindfulness-based curriculum into a printed art activity coloring book! Our art activity book is packed with mindfulness meditations, thought-provoking journal prompts and captivating coloring pages created by some of Chicago's most notable artists. Each page challenges readers to grow in self-awareness, mindfulness, and to understand their meaning of 'the simple good'. Just like our students in the classroom, readers will take a journey in identifying positivity in their lives and their communities, developing an understanding of how they can use their 'simple goods' to change the world.
***All proceeds go towards TSG Social Emotional Learning based Youth Art Residency Programs to empower and embolden the possibility of our youth to become positive activists to change our world.
Ever since his studies of Sociology and human behavior, White has been inspired by the ways in which one can capture truth visually. He loves the challenge of taking the consumer beyond just seeing the art - he believes they should feel it. His voice is profound and thoughts are intellectual, providing a path to follow for young people of the next generation. His confidence and commitment to his craft is inspiring as he embraces his function in society to document the history of connected experiences through art.
As a young boy, the thought of mastering various artistic practices fascinated him but he never truly immersed himself in visual art. White grew up in an athletic home - with both of his parents being collegiate athletes, it made sense he would aim to excel in that arena as well. His talent and commitment to athletics took him to the Chicagoland area where he took the football field for Northwestern University as a defensive back. In his Junior season, that came to a sudden end due to a medical retirement. The door to achieve in athletics closing is what allowed White embark on his creative journey in fine arts. The former Texas football recruit was brought to Chicago to be “Reborn” an artist.
The impressive creations to which he gives life on the canvas are symbolic of true empowerment, often centered around his heritage as a young African American male. In White’s world of painting, there are elements and experiences that relate to everyone such as one of his favorite concepts, there being “beauty in the struggle.” However, as he’s evolved as an artist, White has found unique ways to not only empower those who are subjects of his work, but also spark immediate thought and emotion through visual storytelling. White’s paintings live in both small and large scales depending on which audiences he aims to reach. With both gallery wrapped executions and murals, he engages his consumers at different touch points so he can connect with both the contemporary and street art community. The versatility is what many of White’s followers find the most fascinating.
To leave a lasting impression on his viewers, he uses bold primary hues that typically contrast the human subject. The palette strokes of either oils or acrylics provides a unique balance to his creations, allowing the artist to take a traditional fine painting approach and enhance it by introducing textures and abstract elements of typography to the canvas. White finds his inspiration on the energy of human experiences through the lens in which he sees the world. His love for consumer insights and understanding the depths of his subjects allows the work to embody a truth to create a cultural experience. The art exists for White’s mental wellness and happiness on his evolving journey. He aims to spread love and knowledge rooted in empathy and empowerment of the people.
“My simple good is change, because change can be good and you can learn from it in a positive way. My simple good was inspired by the changes that I have been through that have made me a better person and friend. I depicted my simple good in my work by taking a photo of a little girl, who will eventually change into a grown woman. I plan on using the meaning of my simple good to inspire my community to make changes even if they are scared, and showing them that change can be good. This is important to me because change is necessary for growth, and for life.”
TSG X Kayla Mahaffey X Chicago Bulls LIMITED EDITION SHORT-SLEEVE T-SHIRT
Regular price
$65.00
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Our Limited Edition TSG x Kayla Mahaffey x Chicago Bulls collab t-shirt was created for our 8th Annual Hunt for Good Fundraiser to supportTSG Mindfulness-based Youth Art Programs.
Artwork by Nationally renown Chicago-based Artist, Kayla Mahaffey. Kayla's design has a fiery vigor to it, to represent the determination it takes to play the game of basketball. Herartworks illustrate a transitional period of overcoming hardships and finding new life pathways. Her design for this t-shirt borrows from that idea, by keeping 'simple good' themes like imagination, determination, growth and resilience alive.
All proceeds go towards TSG Social Emotional Learning based Youth Art Residency Programs to empower and embolden the possibility of our youth to become positive activists to change our world.
*Please note that v-necks run a size small; please order a size up!
TSG X LEFTY OUT THERE X CHICAGO BULLS UNISEX TEE — ADD TO CART NOW TO GET 45% OFF AT CHECKOUT!
Regular price
$55.00
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Limited Time: 45% Off This Exclusive Collab – Discount Automatically Applied at Checkout!
Support The Simple Good and Get an Exclusive Lefty x Chicago Bulls Tee
Make a difference for Chicago’s youth with your $100 donation to The Simple Good—and receive a limited-edition Lefty x Chicago Bulls t-shirt as a thank you!
Your donation directly supports our mission to bring arts access and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs to students across Chicago. With CPS budget cuts threatening these critical resources, your contribution helps create safe spaces where young people can grow, build resilience, and discover their “simple good.”
Your $100 Donation Includes:
An exclusive Lefty x Chicago Bulls collab t-shirt.
Direct support for programs empowering students through the arts.
A lasting impact on the lives of Chicago’s youth.
Supplies are limited—don’t miss your chance to make an impact and get this one-of-a-kind tee as a token of our gratitude.
Together, we can keep arts education alive in Chicago.
Unisex Lightweight T-Shirt | Tee Color: White | Material: Cotton
Celebrate Chicago’s spirit of resilience, unity, and artistry with this limited-edition Liz Flores x Chicago Bulls x The Simple Good t-shirt.
This exclusive collaboration brings together The Simple Good, the Chicago Bulls, and Chicago-based artist Liz Flores, whose work is rooted in storytelling, womanhood, and community. Her bold, abstract style captures the power of creativity and connection — the same values that drive our mission.
Every purchase directly supports The Simple Good’s programs, bringing arts access and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to students across Chicago. With CPS budget cuts threatening these vital opportunities, your purchase helps keep arts education alive and creates safe spaces for youth to grow, build resilience, and discover their “simple good.”
Supplies are limited — don’t miss your chance to make an impact and get this one-of-a-kind tee while it lasts.
Together, we can keep arts education alive in Chicago.
Phero is a Cultural Architect based in Chicago specializing in exclusive experiences, unique product, and original content. His goal is to impact a brand’s messaging, target audience, perception, and consumer loyalty. Dedicated to fusing artistry and culture with an emphasis on diversity.
“My simple goodis nature, peace, and joy because feeling peaceful makes me calm, relaxed, and happy. My simple goodwas inspired by nature and laughter of my friends. I depicted this in my work by taking a photograph of flowers in a garden. I plan on using my meaning of the simple goodto improve my community and change the world by spreading joy and peace. This is important to me because it makes me calm and gives me joy.”
— Alex L., 6th Grade Little Village
400gsm Heavyweight Organic Cotton with brushed interior
100% organic cotton body and recycled poly ribbing comprising 20% of the garment
Reverse flatlock stitching to reduce bulk and increase durability
4" wide, double folded, flat-knit side ribbing for added flexibility
Adjustable drawstring hood with front kanga pocket
Tear away neck labels for customization
Standard Fit
Pre-shrunk and treated to ensure minimal shrinkage
TSG x Priya Shah: The Simple Good of Chicago Hoodie
Regular price
$65.00
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Priya Shah is an artist, world traveler, model, speaker and the Founder & Executive Director of The Simple Good. Her Artwork is inspired by poetry, acts of humanity and her family's heritage in East Africa & India to bridge understanding and dialogue on the inherent universal connection we all share as humans.
The Simple Good means just that – noticing the simple, good things that surround each of us, everyday and motivate us to be the best versions of ourselves. Show your support for The Simple Good and quietly encourage everyone you see to find the simple good in their lives by wearing this tee. Positivity is contagious – make it go viral!
Olusola "Shala." Akintunde is an Nigerian American contemporary artist, producer and pioneer in the medium of Solar Art; a discipline that seamlessly merges art and solar technology. He is primarily lauded for the creation of the poignant portrait series, Shala’s Seven Spoon and his groundbreaking solar murals and sculptures; particularly Shala’s Bronzeville Solar Pyramid.
www.byshala.com
“My simple good is embracing my melanin because it’s really hard be a darkskinned woman in society nowadays. My simple good was inspired by seeing women on social media trying to change themselves. I depicted my simple good in my artwork by drawing beautiful black queens who know that their melanin is popping no matter what shape or size they are. I plan on using my meaning of the simple good to improve my community and change the world by bringing women together.So many women bring each other down on social media. We need to start empowering and appreciating each other.”
—Nia L., 12th Grade,East Side
4.2-ounce, 50/25/25 poly/combed ring spun cotton/rayon
We're so excited to announce our limited edition @thesimplegood x @vietfive T-shirt Drop! Designed by Tuan Huynh - Founder of @ChicagoPeace and Owner of @VietFive - this T-shirt is inspired by Logan M., a Hyde Park student from The Simple Good’s Youth Art Program.
Painting depicts me zooming around to various shops and thrift stores on my motorcycle hunting for various trinkets/trading cards/blind boxes that give me a sudden release of serotonin knowing I’m adding a new addition to my collection all while enjoying a cup of coffee to keep me running. I find a lot of joy in a good cup of coffee on my day off and going on an adventure around the city not knowing what I’m going to find.
Born in the Philippines and based in Chicago for over 13 years, Timothy Jimenez is an artist whose work defies traditional paths and embraces raw, unfiltered imagination. With no formal training or art school background, Jimenez began drawing and painting from a young age, guided purely by instinct and passion.His creative journey has taken many forms—screen printing, graphic design, and illustrations for independent clothing brands—but the throughline is clear: a deep fascination with the macabre and the fantastical. Horror motifs, medieval weaponry, and the animated creatures of his childhood—particularly Pokémon—fuel his bold visual universe. The result is a body of work that blends nostalgia with menace, innocence with edge, all rooted in the mind of a self-taught visionary.
Nelson lets their fascination in Chicago architecture guide them through each dot in this intricately stippled drawing of windows. The meticulous shading and small details are meant to make the viewer feel the piece come alive.
Pen on Mixed Media Paper // 7x10”
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Teresa Nelson’s love for art was solidified when they did their first stickand poke on their twin bed in their childhood home in Albany Park,Chicago.
Now 6 years later at age 21, their art has expanded from quickdoodles to their signature intricate stippling style on paper and theirhand poked tattoos.
Specializing in pen and ink, Teresa also has a deeplove for exploring new mediums, resulting in an interest in watercolor,acrylic, and collaging. They find tattooing to be a very meditative andsatisfying practice.
“Even the smallest pen size isn’t as slight as a poke inthe skin. You can make it so realistic.”
Its title Endless Imagination. This painting is a combination of realism, surrealism, with alittle bit of street artinfluence. At the center is a young child, smiling with pure joy, seatedat an easel and painting. The child holds a palette full of vibrant colors and applies paint toa glowing canvas. The glowing canvas is just part of her idea coming to life. Above, a lightbulb illuminates the upper right part of the painting,symbolizing a “bright idea” or creativespark. The background stems from her brush as a swirling cosmic cloud, galaxy-likeexpanse, rich with purples, pinks, oranges, and blacks, suggesting the vastness ofimagination. In this painting I was really trying to capture the ideathat creativity/imagination is limitless, universal and can take you anywhere in life.
‘ENDLESS IMAGINATION, 2025 Acrylic Paint, Heavy Duty Modeling Paste on Canvas// 48” x 48”
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Jason Hayth is a multi-disciplinary visual artist based out of Chicago whose work reflects identity, culture, and the unseen stories of underrepresented communities. Hayth’s work consists of both traditional acrylic on canvas, sneaker art, wood working, and digital paintings in photoshop. A bi-racial Black and White artist, Jason’s journey has never fit neatly into any box—something he once saw as a curse but now embraces as a unique perspective that fuels his creativity.
Referencing Girl with Ball by Roy Lichtenstein, this is a painting about a painting that is no longer there. Created during lockdown when we weren't allowed outside, it recalls the beach of 2020... something that existed in memory alone.
‘FUN AT THE BEACH’, 2020 Spray paint, acrylic, hand cut wood panel / 33”x48”
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Stephen Eric Lee (E.LEE) is an artist and muralist based inCentral Illinois. His work probes the very foundations of how we experience art: its emotional pull, its power to confer status, and the curious ways we assign value to it. Through a signature trompe l’oeil technique, he breathes life into flat surfaces—inviting viewers into paradoxes of presence and absence, where the invisible becomes visible, and humor undercuts expectation.
E.LEE creates immersive installations and public murals that spark conversation and delight. Simplification and the viewer’s point of view are his guiding principles: each piece designed to subvert what we think we know, then gently reveal something unexpected.
E.LEE earned his BFA from Millikin University in 2002 and has exhibited in Chicago, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Paris and Brisbane. His murals adorn walls across the United States and around the world—from London, Bristol and Amsterdam to Barcelona, Nagoya and Osaka—each one a playful meditation on space, light and the stories just beneath the surface.
This painting centers on a ceramic vessel inspired by the forms and symbolism of traditional South Korean ceramics, which have long held both practical function and spiritual significance.
Heo reimagines this vessel as a metaphor for the emotional weight that can be carried through the rhythms of daily life. Though weathered and seemingly on the verge of collapse, it continues to stand, quietly resilient in its fragility. The imagery depicted on the vase reflects the internal struggles that often go unnoticed, inviting viewers to consider what it means to acknowledge one’s limits and still endure. Blending cultural reference with autobiography, TheDeepest Breath becomes both collective and intimate, speaking to the tension between breaking and holding on, between inherited histories and the ongoing challenges of our present.
‘HANG ON’, 2025 Oil stick, crayon and acrylic on canvas // 30” x 40” $5,500
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David Heo’s practice unfolds at the intersection of contemporary aesthetics and personalmythology, constructing a visual language that merges graphic precision with painterly restraint.His compositions -- flat yet dynamic, stylized yet intimate -- mediate between the immediacy ofprint culture and the tactile nuance of hand-drawn forms. Figures emerge from fragmentedspaces, caught in a liminal tension between assertion and erasure, presence and myth, evokingthe transience of memory and the constructed nature of cultural identity.Navigating a lexicon that bridges traditional Korean iconography with the ephemeral textures ofcontemporary urban life, Heo examines themes of nostalgia, dislocation, and desire. Hisengagement with opacity and transparency, surface and depth, recalls Matisse’s chromaticclarity while positioning itself within a more introspective negotiation of selfhood. At its core, hiswork grapples with the fluid boundaries of identity, informed by the symbolic depth of Korean art,the analytical framework of Jungian psychology, and the broader tensions of Eastern andWestern heritages.
"Land of the Lost" is a lucid dream of a feral landscape that represents the mind while in deep sleep, the open range of the subconscious and its vast opportunities for thought and ideas that help unlock doors of an individual's personal evolution. The surreal depictions of people and objects are a representation of the capability of the human mind to utilize imagery to form icons that take the place of people and places that aren't necessarily presented in real life.
Acrylic, Aerosol on Canvas 38” x 72”//$6,000
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CzrPrz is an urban contemporary artist working in sculptural fabrication, large-scale aerosol murals, and all manners of design. Born and raised in working class Chicago, Prz’s20-year creative career has spanned America all the way to Europe. Across their multifaceted media, Prz’s artworks tell stories in the folklorico tradition instilled by his Latino-Caribbean upbringing.
