BULLETIN
Affordable Housing Opportunity
Richard J. Daley Library, 3400 S. Halsted St. Thursday, October 20, 2:30pm–4:30pm. Call to register. (312) 666-3430. eriehouse.org
This Thursday, Erie Neighborhood House, a nonprofit aimed at helping Chicago’s Latino community, will be hosting an affordable housing information session in Bridgeport. If added enticement is needed, there will be a free raffle. (Christian Belanger)
The Displacement of Environmental Justice
Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave., Sullivan Room. Wednesday, October 19, 4pm–5:30pm. Free. Register here. (312) 341-3670. roosevelt.edu
Kimberly Wasserman-Nieto, executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, will be sharing her experience in environmental organizing at this talk put on by Roosevelt University’s human rights project. Despite all of her political work, Wasserman-Nieto says her biggest accomplishment is “raising three community organizers aged 18, 11, and 8.” (Christian Belanger)
A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation with Natalie Moore
UIC Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted St., Room 329. Tuesday, October 25, 6pm–7:30pm. Free. Register online. (312) 355-5922. sji.uic.edu
The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum joins UIC’s Social Justice Initiative for a talk by WBEZ reporter and South Side maven Natalie Moore. In her book The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation, Moore examines the separation of Chicago residents and “the policies that keep it that way.” (Christopher Good)
Foundations of Restorative Justice
The New Teacher Center, 310 S. Peoria St., Suite 510. Wednesday, October 26, 8:30am–noon. $75–$85. Register here. (773) 312-3898. umojacorporation.org
Are you an educator, community leader, or concerned citizen interested in learning about restorative justice? Look no further than the Umoja Student Development Corporation’s workshop on the Foundations of Restorative Justice, where you can take part in discussions and activities that will leave you feeling, well, restored. (Anne Li)
City Colleges of Chicago Open Houses
Harold Washington College, 30 E. Lake St.; Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave.; Kennedy-King College, 6301 S. Halsted St.; Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd.; Olive-Harvey College, 10001 S. Woodlawn Ave.; Daley College, 7500 S. Pulaski Rd.; and Wright College, 4300 N. Narragansett Ave. Thursday, October 27, 1pm–7pm. Free. Register here. (312) 553-2500. ccc.edu
The gateway to college beckons as all of the City Colleges of Chicago open their doors to welcome new applicants. The open houses will feature information on how to transfer to four-year universities, navigating financial aid, and career opportunities after graduation. (Anne Li)
Panel Discussion on Human Trafficking
Lindblom Park, 6054 S. Damen Ave. Saturday, October 29, 10am–1pm. Free. (773) 567-1805.
Voices of West Englewood invites parents and students to this panel, presented by The Chicago Alliance on Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. The group aims to raise awareness of how these issues affect local communities, and engage the audience in “dynamic discussion.” (Hafsa Razi)
VISUAL ARTS
Michiko Itatani: Hi-Point Contact
Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St. Opening reception Friday, October 21, 7pm–10pm. Exhibition runs October 17 to December 30, 10am–5pm; closed Sundays. Free. (7731) 523-0200. zhoubartcenter.com
This event’s press release asks its own questions: “What is Michiko Itatani?” “Where is Michiko Itatani?” “When is Michiko Itatani?” We’re short on answers, but what we can tell you is that the Japanese-American artist doesn’t paint so much as build worlds. As the release portends: “hyperchromatic macrocosms, atoms arranged in a particular form…” (Christopher Good)
Kate Perryman: Catch as Catch Can
The Learning Machine, 3145 S. Morgan St. Opening reception Saturday, October 22, 7pm–10pm. learningmachine.chi@gmail.com
There’s no catch here: just the latest exhibition by Chicago multimedia artist Kate Perryman, a meditation on color and space “initially inspired by 19th century animal trap illustrations.” Starting with these steel-sprung instruments, Perryman pivots to the abstract: the concept of trap and of lure. (Christopher Good)
Timothy Morton on Dark Ecology
UofC Kent Hall, 1020 E. 58th St., Room 107. Sunday, October 23, 2pm. Free. (773) 702-8670. renaissancesociety.org
For environmental writer and Rice University professor Timothy Morton, developing ecological awareness is like travelling along a Möbius strip. In his Renaissance Society lecture, related to the Ren’s ongoing exhibition Urth, Morton will demonstrate how this bizarre journey takes our understanding of the world from the “melancholy and negativity of coexistence” toward “something playful, anarchic, and comedic.” (Juan Caicedo)
what the body knows
Stony Island Art Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. October 28–29, 6:30pm doors; 7:30pm performance. Free, registration required. (312) 857-5561
Renowned artist Barak adé Soleil will perform What the Body Knows, a nuanced suite of intimate dances he choreographed to a score by Sadie Woods to explore the intersection of race and disability, and diverse bodies. New York-based dance artist Jerron Herman also performs at Theaster Gates’s bank-turned-museum. (Joseph S. Pete)
Every link is a separation
Slow, 2153 W. 21st St. Opening reception Saturday, October 29, 6pm–9pm. Through November 26, 2016. Free. (773) 645-8803. paul-is-slow.info
A beaded curtain. Words. The backyard preserved in childhood memory. Each is used as the starting point from which artists Noël Morical, Fidencio Martinez, and Valentina Zamfirescu explore the inherent link between separation and connection, and the ambiguous nature of boundaries. (Michelle Yang)
11th Annual Folk Art Festival
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Friday, October 14, 10am–8pm; Saturday–Thursday, October 15–20, 10am–4pm; Friday, October 21, 10am–8pm; Saturday and Sunday, October 22–23, 10am–4pm. Free. (312) 758-1503. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
Artists from all corners of Mexico come to the NMMA to occupy its own corners for a weeklong celebration of their folk traditions and artistic craft. A range of materials and techniques are featured, from Talavera pottery from Puebla to foot-pedal loom weaving from Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. (Corinne Butta)
MUSIC
Mr. Russia
Pinwheel Records, 1722 W. 18th St. Wednesday, October 19, 6pm–9:30pm. Free. All ages. (312) 888-9629. pinwheelrecords.com
Mr. Russia is a Chicago duo that plays furious, melodic garage rock, “100% guitar-free from cradle to grave.” Drummer Josh Vicari and singer/bassist Ivan Russia, known for their raucous live shows, will bring their aggressive, minimalist sound and catchy punk hooks to an in-store concert at Pilsen’s Pinwheel Records. (Joseph S. Pete)
Red Bull Sound Select Presents: A Quest for Love Tour
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, October 20, doors 8pm, show 9pm. First come first serve. $3 with RSVP, $10 day of show. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
Mick Jenkins’ s Quest for Love tour will be stopping at Thalia Hall before heading to Europe. For their Chicago date, Jenkins and Smino will be joined by Kweku Collins. Jenkins dropped his very first (and very woke) album The Healing Component on September 23rd. (Kylie Zane)
Progtoberfest II
Reggies, 2105 S. State St. October 21–23. Friday 6pm, Saturday 1pm, Sunday 11am. $75. 21+. (312) 949-0121. reggieslive.com
Highlights of this three day prog-stravaganza are the reunited jazz fusion project Brand X and prog supergroup The Security Project, whose members count Warr guitarist Trey Gunn, formerly of King Crimson, and Jerry Marotta, who toured with Peter Gabriel for ten years. (Kylie Zane)
Sonic Avenues, Brain Bagz, Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band Punks
2040. Saturday, October 22. 7pm-1am. $8. Message Bert Bertrand on Facebook for the address, or ask your local punk.
Join Montreal pop-punkers Sonic Avenues (who just dropped a new album Disconnector in August), Salt Lake City pysch-noise outfit Brain Bagz, and country-punk riffers Nato Coles for a long night of punk rock in all its forms. There’s a load of local support, too. (Kylie Zane)
The Coop Op Presents: The Nightshow
The Cooperation Operation, 11339 S. Saint Lawrence Ave. Saturday, October 22, doors 6pm, show 7pm–1am. $7 suggested donation. cooperationoperation.org
Pullman’s nonprofit Cooperation Operation—or Coop Op, as the cool kids call it—is home to a community garden and various social services. Now, they’re hosting an evening full of talent: poetry, artwork, and sounds ranging from the buoyant pop of Daymaker to the high-strung, lo-fi blues-punk of Attaboi. (Christopher Good)
Carlos Johnson
Buddy Guy’s Legends, 700 S. Wabash Ave. Friday, October 21, 9pm. $20. 21+. (312) 427-1190. buddyguy.com
Native Chicagoan Carlos Johnson headlines at the iconic Buddy Guy’s Legends to deliver some hard hitting classic blues, paired sweetly with local veterans of the scene, Sonic Soul. Johnson and Soul are a must see for fans hoping to taste some Chicago blues. (Daniel Betancourt)
STAGE & SCREEN
Walk All Night: A Drum Beat Journey
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. Wednesday, October 19 at 8:15pm. $6 for members, $11 for non-members. (312) 846-2800. siskelfilmcenter.org
Gaps in time, space, and culture are bridged when four teenaged South Side bucket drummers take a crowd-funded trip to Senegal under the guidance of social worker and Eritrean refugee Elilta Tewelde. The filmmakers will lead an audience discussion after the screening. (Emma Boczek)
Pills, Pills, Pills: A “Moment in the Life” Game Night & Talk Back
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Wednesday, October 19, 6:30pm–8pm. Free. (773) 324-5520. hydeparkart.org
Most board games revolve around escapism, fantasy, and play. Adrienne Ciskey’s Bitter Pills, on the other hand, does precisely the opposite, putting its players in the shoes of someone afflicted with chronic illness. By exploring medication and the better living that’s supposed to follow from it, roleplaying Pills makes for a jagged little evening. (Christopher Good)
African American Film Pioneers: The Flying Ace
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Saturday, October 22, 7pm. Free. (773) 702-8596. filmstudiescenter.uchicago.edu
The Flying Ace returns from the 1920s, but with a new music score written by composer and music director Renée Baker. Featuring an all-black cast, the silent aviation drama unfolds with drama, mystery, and the live accompaniment of Baker’s Chicago Modern Orchestra Project. (Michelle Yang)
An Evening of Horror & Suspense in the Old-Time Radio Tradition
Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Saturday, October 22, 8pm. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org
For the seventh year running, the Hyde Park Community Players are hosting a spooky old-time radio show, complete with live sound effects and the voice of perennial favorite HPCP radio announcer Chris Skyles. As usual, it’s hosted in a church, but this year’s show promises to be devilishly scary. (Emma Boczek)
Get Spooky!
Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. Sunday, October 23, 2pm. Free. (773) 445-3838. beverlyartcenter.org
Join the Beverly Art Center for some spooky Halloween fun! In addition to its haunted and not-so-haunted house, the BAC offers activities for those more inclined to friendly frights. From arts and crafts to dance lessons to a photo with Frankenstein’s bride, there will surely be something for everyone in the family to enjoy. (Michelle Yang)
The Colored Museum
eta creative arts, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Through Sunday, October 23. Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 3pm. $35; $25 seniors; $15 students. (773) 752-3955. etacreativearts.org
In eleven “exhibits,” George C. Wolfe’s satirical play, staged by Pulse Theatre Company, examines stereotypes and identity in the black experience from a “celebrity slave-ship” to an imagined dinner party where “Aunt Jemima and Angela Davis was in the kitchen sharing a plate of greens and just goin’ off about South Africa.” (Adam Thorp)