Studio

ChiLab Studio is a Chicago-based project development and fabrication studio working across art, design, architecture, and public space.

Founded in 2013, ChiLab Studio was built around a collaborative approach to making, bringing together art, design, engineering, and fabrication under one roof. The studio works with artists, designers, architects, and institutions to develop and realize ambitious projects, particularly those that demand close attention to material, process, detail, and execution.

Our work ranges from fine art and public commissions to custom furniture, architectural elements, cast glass, metalwork, specialty finishes, prototypes, and one-of-a-kind objects. Some projects arrive as drawings ready to build. Others begin as an idea, a material question, or a problem that still needs to be worked through. In either case, we become part of the project team, helping develop the work from concept through engineering, prototyping, fabrication, finishing, and installation.

ChiLab maintains an active fabrication studio in Chicago and works with a broader network of craftspeople, engineers, foundries, manufacturers, and specialty fabricators. This allows us to move comfortably between the handmade and the industrial, selecting the right process and expertise for each project while maintaining close control over quality and intent.

Collaboration remains central to the studio. We take on commissions individually and build teams around the particular needs of the work rather than asking projects to fit a predetermined production model.

ChiLab Studio is owned and directed by Ben Stagl and Ally Reza. Ben founded the studio and leads its design development, fabrication, and project direction. He holds an MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA in Sculpture from Oregon State University, and teaches in SAIC's Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects program. Ally is partner, co-owner, and co-director of ChiLab, and leads the studio's mold making and glass practices. Her expertise spans complex mold development and casting processes, from lead crystal and kiln-formed glass to large-format architectural applications.