BULLETIN
The Racial Gap in Maternal Morbidity/Mortality: Why Reproductive Justice Matters
Billings Hospital, 860 E. 59th St, room P-117. Wednesday, October 5, noon–1:30pm. Free. (773) 702-1453. macleanethics.uchicago.edu
In a 2015 article for Dissent magazine, Dorothy Roberts contended that “true reproductive freedom requires a living wage, universal health care, and the abolition of prisons.” Now, the influential University of Pennsylvania professor is headed to the UofC to discuss the relation between race and reproductive justice. (Christopher Good)
Build a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign in Five Steps
Community Programs Accelerator, 5225 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Wednesday, October 5, 12:30pm–2pm. Free. Register at bit.ly/2dllp57. (773) 702-8803. communityprograms.uchicago.edu
Looking for some capital for your first ever start-up? Getting frustrated by Kickstarter and Indiegogo? UofC’s Community Programs Accelerator offers just what you need. Join their workshop for strategies on crowdfunding. In the past, only thirty-eight percent of crowdfunders have succeeded—you could help enlarge that number. (Yunnan Wen)
Respect and Protect: Indigenous Perspectives on Environmental Justice.
Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave., Sullivan Room. Wednesday, October 5, 4pm–5:30pm. Free. Register at bit.ly/2dlmlGK. (312) 341-3670. roosevelt.edu/loundy
Having worked for decades on native issues and the preservation of more than nineteen hundred acres of forests, professor Joseph Standing Bear Schranz will give the opening speech of the Distinguished Environmental Organizer Series. (Yunhan Wen)
Community Organizing Series: Facilitation & Popular Education
Chicago Freedom School, 719 S. State St. Wednesday, October 5, 6pm–9pm. Free for youth (under age 18); adults pay on sliding scale: $15–$35. Register at bit.ly/2dAp9g3. Dinner provided. (312) 435-1201. chicagofreedomschool.org
For almost a decade, the Chicago Freedom School has encouraged and enabled young people to “use their unique experiences and power to create a just world.” At this workshop, the issue of schooling itself will be reconsidered as a foundation for activism. (Christopher Good)
Resolved: State Voter ID Laws are Unconstitutional
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Wednesday, October 5, 6pm–8pm. Free. Register at bit.ly/2do4qhh. (215) 409-6715. chicagoculturalcenter.org
Throughout the twentieth century, legislation and judicial decisions dismantled rules designed to prevent voting by minorities. The last decade has seen the reintroduction of many barriers to the franchise, in the form of voter ID laws. At this event, representatives of liberal and conservative legal thought will consider the constitutionality of this shift. (Adam Thorp)
What is the Latino Vote?
UofC Quadrangle Club, 1155 E. 57th St. Thursday, October 6, 6pm–7:30pm. Free. Register online. (773) 834-4671. politics.uchicago.edu
Mainstream conversation about the “Latino vote” is wide but not deep—America’s changing demographics are widely understood to be important, but pundits rarely allow the complex reality of different religions, races, and national origins to complicate the picture. This panel of politicos, including ex-mayoral candidate Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, will try to answer the titular question. (Adam Thorp)
NAACP Southside ACT-SO Kick-Off
Bessie Coleman Library, 731 E. 63rd St. Saturday, October 8, 9am–12pm. Free. RSVP at bit.ly/2do4hun. (773) 429-9820. naacpcss.org
The NAACP’s South Side chapter starts off the new year with a meetup for black high school students interested in competing in this academic and cultural achievement program. Whether you’re a veteran of ACT-SO (the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) or a newcomer, you’ll be able to learn about applying to the yearlong program, and participating in the national competition. (Hafsa Razi)
Down, Out, and Under Arrest
Seminary Co-op, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, October 12, 6pm–7:30pm. Free. RSVP at bit.ly/2cLqjZV. (773) 752-4381. semcoop.com
As part of the Urban Readers Series, sociology professor and author Forrest Stuart will present his newest book, Down, Out, and Under Arrest: Policing and Everyday Life in Skid Row. In the book, Stuart examines the ways our cities police poverty, with a focus on the judicial system in Los Angeles. (Hafsa Razi)
VISUAL ARTS
Ours is Not the Only Planet Earth Has Been
Ballroom Projects, 3012 S. Archer Ave., #3. Opening reception Saturday, October 8, 7pm–10pm. Open by appointment through October 29. Free. ballroomprojects.tumblr.com
The subject of Ballroom Projects’ newest retrospective is not a collective, but a corporation. Enter: Earthbound Moon, a six-person 501(c)(3) with the express intent of terraforming the Earth. Admittedly, it’s slow going—but they’ve got plenty of time to create before the heat death of the universe. (Christopher Good)
The Red Art: Propaganda Posters from the Cultural Revolution
Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S. Morgan St. and The Research House for Asian Art, 3217 S. Morgan St. Opening reception at Co-Prosperity Sphere on Friday, October 14, 6pm–9pm. Through October 30. Free. (312) 361-3208. researchhouseforasianart.org
Workers of the world, unite: the Co-Prosperity Sphere and Research House for Asian Art have joined forces to curate a collection of little-seen posters from China’s Cultural Revolution. Zhang Pingjie, one of the artists responsible for the agitprop, will be in attendance at the opening reception. (Christopher Good)
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 week-long 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)
FRUIT
Produce Model Gallery, 1007 W. 19th St., Ste. 1. Exhibition through October 22. Saturdays, 11am—6pm or by appointment. Free. produce-model.com
As a sticky Chicago summer came to an end, Produce Model Gallery installed their inaugural exhibition, <i>FRUIT</i>. The exhibition explores the poison and the pleasure of stimulation and consumption—it’ll be sure to leave a sweet aftertaste. (Corinne Butta)
#30 Día de los Muertos: Journey of the Soul
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Through December 11. Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm. Free. (312) 758-1503. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
The number 30 marks both the number of years this annual exhibition has returned to Chicago, and the number of days in a month—and a month is just about how much time is left to see this exhibition celebrating the history, traditions, and roots of the Day of the Dead before the November 1 holiday is upon us. (Corinne Butta)
MUSIC
The Dojo Presents: Communion
Refuge Chicago, 416 S. Clark St. Thursday, October 6. Doors 8pm, show 9pm. $5. 21+. thedojochi.com
The Dojo and Chicago-based singer/songwriter/producer Rhea the Second will be presenting at a curated music release series featuring Chill Evans, Gem Tree, Rhea the Second, and DJ Skoli. Attendees and apprentices alike can enjoy a night of creativity, collaboration, and community. (Rachel Kim)
Rhye
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, October 13. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. $30 standing room, $36 seats. 17+. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
Elusive LA R&B duo Rhye, composed of Canadian singer Milosh and Danish instrumentalist Robin Hannibal, come to Thalia Hall to bring the soft, downtempo stylings from their 2013 album, Woman. Having been largely quiet since their debut and hints of a second album nowhere to be heard, many surprises, as well as emotions, are sure to be in store. (Efrain Dorado)
In The Wurkz: Pop-Up Listening Session
Battlegroundz, 1716 E. 87th St. Sunday, October 9. Doors 9pm, show 10:30pm. $5.
Local footwork dance legends The Era have had a phenomenal year, with features in yours truly, the Reader, The Fader and even Vice’s dance music vertical Thump. Now they’re going through with the soft release of their first mixtape project: check it out here at hallowed footwork arena Battlegroundz. (Austin Brown)
Africa Hi-Fi FELAbration
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Saturday, October 8. 9pm. $10 online, $15 in person. 21+. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Coming off the successful revamp of Africa Hi-Fi at their August 31 Silver Room reunion show, Sonia Hassan and Ron Trent continue to build up the return of the long-dormant Afropop party series. New York house legend Timmy Regisford headlines, with Trent, Duane Powell, and local West African dance group Ayodele Drum and Dance opening. (Austin Brown)
STAGE AND SCREEN
Tonight at 8:30: Two One-Act Plays by Noel Coward
Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Friday, October 7, 8pm. $5. (773) 493-6451. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org
On the eve of the Hyde Park Community Players’ 2016–2017 season, attend this staged reading, directed by Christopher Skyles, of selected work by Noel Coward. Delight in the cheekiness of the Brit’s notorious wit, and gather thoughts to share with the actors themselves once the curtain’s drawn. (Neal Jochmann)
The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers
Logan Center for the Arts (2nd floor screening room), 915 E. 60th St. Friday, October 7, 7pm. Free. (773) 702-8670. renaissancesociety.org
Ben Rivers’s latest film takes its lengthy title from Paul Bowles’s 1945 short story, “A Distant Episode.” Set, in multiple languages, in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, the film is a meditation on Orientalism that will challenge you cerebrally (on a Friday night). (Isabelle Lim)
Indigo Nation
Chicago Art Department, 1932 S. Halsted St. Friday, October 7, 6pm–10pm and Saturday, October 8, 3pm–8pm. Free. (312) 725-4223. chicagoartdepartment.org
This weekend is all about celebrating those blue jeans. Put on by the fashion blog Runway Addicts and arts brand AMFM, this two-day festivity will have something for everyone, or at least every denim-lover: denim art installations, a photo booth, “live sewing,” live music, “denimology” workshops, and a denim swap where you can pick up some new (for someone else, old) threads. (Isabelle Lim)
Alternative Histories of Labor: Finally Got the News
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Sunday, October 9, 7pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. southsideprojections.org
With the Chicago Teachers Union poised to strike, South Side Projections’ newest selection is particularly timely: a documentary about the Detroit-based League of Revolutionary Black Workers and its struggle to organize the automotive industry. The screening will be followed by a discussion with panelists Annie Sullivan and Mike Siviwe Elliott. (Christopher Good)
Steve Everett: Out of the Frame
High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary, 2233 S. Throop St. Wednesday, October 5–Sunday, October 9. Wednesday, 5pm–8pm; Thursday, 3pm–6:30pm; Friday–Sunday, 2pm–6pm. Free. highconceptlaboratories.org
One of the books that merited Natasha Trethewey’s 2012 Poet Laureate position, Bellocq’s Ophelia reimagined the life of a prostitute photographed by E.J. Bellocq. As part of this year’s Ear Taxi Festival, UIC professor Steve Everett reimagines Trethewey’s poems as an interactive audio/video installation: another approach to inviting the audience into 1912 New Orleans. (Julia Aizuss)
The Great Flood
Blanc Gallery, 4445 S. King Drive. Wednesday, October 12, 7pm. Free. southsideprojections.org
Our country’s very own diluvian disaster takes center stage in this screening of Bill Morrison’s 2013 experimental film about the 1927 Mississippi River Flood, one of the driving forces behind the Great Migration. The New York Times called the film “visual poetry”; here it’s paired with the surrounding visuals of David Geary’s exhibition on Chicago migration. (Julia Aizuss)
Drive-In Happening
University of Chicago Campus North Parking Garage, 5525 S. Ellis Ave. Friday, October 14, 6pm. Free. (773) 702-2787. arts.uchicago.edu
To celebrate the return of Wolf Vostell’s 1970 artwork “Concrete Traffic” to Chicago, the Fluxus mainstay artist’s films will be projected upon the walls of a parking garage. Even if you’re unimpressed by car culture (or Cadillacs encased in cement), the German food and Vostell-inspired brews should stave off gridlock. (Christopher Good)
Man in the Ring
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Through October 16, 8pm. $38; discounts available for students, seniors, and groups. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org
The true story of legendary boxer Emile Griffith, brought to life through the writing of Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright Michael Cristofer and the direction of Charles Newell, is a story about fighting, both for boxing titles and the ability to define oneself. (CJ Fraley)
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)