BULLETIN
Minority Small Business Breakfast Roundtable
Sunshine Enterprises, 503 E. 61st St. Thursday, December 8, 8am–9:30am. Free. RSVP required. (773) 904-9800. sunshineenterprises.com
If you’re a minority small business owner or self-employed entrepreneur, this is the breakfast roundtable session for you. Discuss views on issues affecting minority entrepreneurs, tax policies, and the impact of the state’s budget impasse on small business growth. Breakfast and coffee will, of course, be provided. Contact Geri Aglipay at gaglipay@smallbusinessmajority.org with questions. (Margaret Tazioli)
Property Owner Workshop
Erie Neighborhood House, 1347 W. Erie St. Thursday, December 8, 5:30pm. (312) 666-3430. eriehouse.org
Come learn more about being a better landlord, and how to work with the CHA at this event, cohosted with The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Clinic. There will be information about various housing resources, the Housing Choice Voucher program, and Erie Neighborhood House’s Buen HOGAR program. (Scott K. Olehnik)
Hyde Park Holly-Day
53rd St. in Hyde Park. Saturday, December 10, 10am–8pm. Free. downtownhydeparkchicago.com
Visit Harper Court in Hyde Park for a day of family-fun holiday festivities. There will be pictures with Santa, ice carving demonstrations, caroling with the alderman, and cartoon characters wandering around the local businesses. Participating businesses will also be offering special sales. Be sure to check out the website for specific details. (Margaret Tazioli)
Coloring and Cocoa
Imagination Children’s Academy, 1144 W. Madison St. Saturday, December 17, 11am–noon. $10. Family friendly. bit.ly/coloringcocoa
Color your heart out next Saturday morning in an event for the whole family. Art Heart Kidz will supply the markers and coloring pages, as well as hot cocoa and cookies; just bring your creativity and holiday spirit. Each family will receive a swag bag with their paid ticket. (Emily Lipstein)
Facilitating Collaborative Groups
The New Teacher Center, 310 Peoria St., Ste. 510. Tuesday, December 20, 8:30am–noon. Free for core partners, $75 early bird, $85 general admission. Buy tickets online by December 17. (773) 312-3898. umojacorporation.org
This workshop explores ways to create collaborative classrooms and student groups that facilitate effective teamwork and learning. Teachers and youth group leaders can learn to foster spaces dedicated to collaboration and interactive experiences. (Scott K. Olehnik)
Fashion Sewing and Design Camp
Cayenne Couture Atelier, 1665 E. 79th St. Monday, December 26–Friday, December 30. Sessions run 9am–11:30am and 12:30pm–3pm daily. $125 for one session, $225 for both sessions. Ages 9-16. Lunch and all supplies are included. Register online.
School may be out for winter break, but learning doesn’t need to be put on pause. Campers at the five-day Fashion Sewing and Design camp will learn how to hand-stitch, sketch, and machine-stitch from a professional fashion designer. Spend these five days wisely, and you might just head back to school in January sporting your own wearable artwork. (Emily Lipstein)
VISUAL ARTS
Prints of Unusual Size
Hoofprint Workshop, 2433 S. Oakley Ave. Opening Friday, December 9, 6pm–10pm. Through Sunday December 11 by appointment. Free. (773) 896-4326. hoofprintchicago.com
Hoofprint Workshop hosts its second Prints of Unusual Size event, a follow-up to the woodcut challenge hosted last year. The work displayed this time around will feature a multitude of rich hues and techniques including woodcut, screen print, monotype, and mezzotint. Come by and enjoy the beautiful work and a glass of mulled cider. (Bridget Newsham)
Nothing Up My Sleeve
Digital Art Demo Space, 2515 S. Archer Ave. Saturday, December 10, 8pm–11pm. $7-10 donation. (312) 451-2962. dadschicago.com
Join six new media artists for a night of tricks and illusions using digital media. Emcee Lyra Hill hosts the night, packed with performances by Marcos Barnes, Sarah Squirm, and more. (Corinne Butta)
Artform: Discussion/Exhibit/Party
Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey Ave., #208. Saturday, December 10, 9pm–5am. $10 advance tickets; $15 at the door with RSVP to artformchicago@gmail.com. (773) 772-3616. elasticarts.org
Is partying an art? Join panelists Tiphanie Spencer, Robert Williams, Jerome Derradji, and more as they discuss this question and the history of nightlife over the last forty years. Then Jerome Derradji and Ron Trent will DJ into the night. Cash bar. (Corinne Butta)
Holiday Party and Art Sale
Elephant Room Gallery at C.C.’s Art Garage, 2727 S. Mary St. Sunday, December 11, 3pm–7pm. Free. (312) 361-0281. elephantroomgallery.com
Elephant Room is hosting a holiday party and an art sale at their new Bridgeport location. Featuring one hundred works of art from over thirty emerging artists in their BIG Small Works exhibit (each piece is under 30×30), the party will include a potluck, drinks, a raffle, and music courtesy DJ Hegemony. BIG Small Works will be open until January 7. (Margaret Tazioli)
North of Dixie: Civil Rights Photography Beyond the South
DuSable Museum, Ames Auditorium, 740 E. 56th Pl. Thursday, January 12, 6:30pm–8:30pm. $8 members, $10 non-members. (773) 947-0600. dusablemuseum.org
To explore the civil rights movement beyond the well-known photographs from Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, author and historian Mark Speltz has collected images of everyday activists who led campaigns to protest racial discrimination north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Speltz will be highlighting images from Chicago and other cities. RSVP online. (Margaret Tazioli)
MUSIC
Trapo
Reggies Rock Club, 2105 S. State St. Thursday, December 8, 6:30pm. $13 online, $15 day of show. All ages. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
Trapo’s not from Chicago: that’s the confession in his biggest track to date, “Chicago,” a swirling, moody hip-house confection that’s drawn a lot of attention since its release this summer. But he has enough rapping chops that he doesn’t really need to be; besides, he’s got plenty of local backup for this upcoming Reggies show—Supa Bwe opens, off a similarly hot set of releases from 2016. (Austin Brown)
Billy Branch
Promontory Chicago, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Friday, December 9, 7pm doors, 8pm show. $12 standing room, $19 seats, $30 table. All ages. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
A former Weekly interviewee and Grammy-nominated blues expert, Billy Branch has made a name off both his international touring and his work in the modern Chicago blues scene, as well as his blues education work. Check his set at Promontory this Friday. (Austin Brown)
Lampo Performance with Charles Curtis
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., 9th floor. Friday, December 9, 8pm. Free with registration online. (773) 702-0200. arts.uchicago.edu
The acclaimed solo cellist performs a set of specially written pieces by La Monte Young, Alvin Lucier, Eliane Radigue, and more this Friday at the UofC’s Logan Center—and even better, it’s a part of the ongoing “Concrete Happenings” series that’s been puncturing the UofC’s art sphere for the past quarter. (Austin Brown)
Frieda Lee
Room 43, 1043 43rd St. Sunday, December 11. First set 7:30pm, second set 9:30pm. $10 adults, $5 college students and children. Children must be accompanied by an adult. (773) 285-2222. hydeparkjazzsociety.com
The ever-enthralling Frieda Lee brings her astounding pipes to Room 43 this Sunday, as her reputation as a “reluctant legend” (according to the Tribune) only continues to grow. (Austin Brown)
Tropical Diaspora with DJ GaRinchA
Punch House Chicago, 1227 W. 18th St. Wednesday, December 14, 9pm. Free. 21+. (312) 526-3851. punchhousechicago.com
Tropical Diaspora are from Berlin, but their record selections are anything but the usual fare from the techno hub of Europe. Rather, they’re dedicated to the musical traditions of the African diaspora, citing in their bio “Rare Afro-Brazilian, Latin and American Grooves,” which they’ll be spinning all night in Pilsen. (Austin Brown)
Twin Peaks
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Friday, December 16. 7:30pm doors, 8:30pm show. $22. Limited door tickets only. All ages. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
One of Chicago’s breakout rock acts of the last few years, Twin Peaks is returning to perform in the Windy City after a long year of touring and recording. Expect a wealth of attitude, riffage, and even—is that a little bit of honky-tonk twang? (Austin Brown)
STAGE & SCREEN
Raising Bertie
Kartemquin Films. Friday, December 9, 5pm–Friday, December 16. Free. (773) 472-4366. kartemquin.com
Although you can in fact stream every Kartemquin film for free this month with the coupon code KTQ50, we wouldn’t want this week’s intended free film to get lost in the mix—Raising Bertie, the last of the already-released films streaming online in honor of the organization’s fiftieth anniversary, traces the coming-of-age of three African American boys in rural North Carolina as a window into the need for educational reform. (Julia Aizuss)
JSmiles Comedy Slam
The Revival, 1160 E. 55th St. Friday, December 9, 7:30pm. $10, $5 for students. the-revival.com
Be prepared to do a little more than smile with Montgomery, Alabama native, southern belle-comic JSmiles as she debuts at The Revival in Hyde Park. Expect some comedy that could aptly be called “woke,” with a lineup also featuring fellow Southern native Jonathan Giles. (Jonathan Hogeback)
The QiQi-Underground Tea Party
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Friday, December 9, 8pm–10pm. $15–$50. Tickets available at kiaralanier.com. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Tea parties. Afrobeat music. Experimental soliloquy. Art installations. Neo-Futurist theatre. Dance. In 2016, we’ve learned, anything can happen, and so can all these, under the auspices of just one two-hour event. This night, the “site-specific tea party” takes the theme: “There’s never a moment when you’re not practicing something.” (Julia Aizuss)
Muntu Winter Concerts
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Friday, December 9–Sunday, December 11. $10, $8 for kids. (773) 241-6080. muntu.com
The South Side-based Muntu Dance Theatre opens their three nights at the Logan Center with a student matinee on Friday, followed by a reception dinner and concert Saturday, and ending with a Sunday matinee. The concert series Manifest, in collaboration with Nunufatima Dance Company, blends African styles of dance and music in a culmination of Muntu’s forty-year dedication to the art. (Jonathan Hogeback)
A Study in Rhyme and Song: Then There Were None
High Concept Labs, 2233 S. Throop St. Sunday, December 11, 3pm–4pm. $10 general admission, $5 for students and seniors, free for kids under 12. (312) 850-0555. highconceptlaboratories.org
Local DJ Sadie Woods spent this fall as a HCL Sponsored Artist, and she couldn’t have picked a better time to wrap up her sound installation performance: identity politics, progress, the possibility of a post-race nation, and social justice hashtags are just a few of the piping hot topics her work will be exploring through the musical lens of children’s music. (Julia Aizuss)
Until, Until, Until with Edgar Arceneaux
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Sunday, December 11, 4pm–6pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
What was once a play about an unfortunately edited television broadcast of a Broadway legend’s live performance in homage to vaudeville now comes to Black Cinema House as a short film. Having passed through so many iterations of media to get here, you’d be remiss in not stopping by to view this work, about the trials of artistic misunderstanding. (Julia Aizuss)
A Kwanzaa Celebration
DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. Tuesday, December 27. Noon–2:30pm. Free. (773) 947-0600. dusablemuseum.org
Enjoy holiday festivities and performances, featuring Najwa Dance Corps and singer and performer Maggie Brown, at the DuSable on the second day of Kwanzaa—the day of Self-Determination. Don’t be late for the drum call by the Thunder Sky Drummers promptly at noon. (Jonathan Hogeback)
Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. Tuesday, January 3, 7pm. Free. (773) 947-0600. southsideprojections.org
South Side Projections and the DuSable are teaming up to honor the work of Zora Neale Hurston in the DuSable’s bimonthly film series by and about African-American women. With new insights from scholars and Hurston herself about her prolific and complex work, the 2008 film also kickstart’s Court Theatre’s “Harlem in Hyde Park” celebration of the Harlem Renaissance. (Jonathan Hogeback)
The Lady’s Not for Burning
University Church, 5655 S. University Ave. Friday, December 9–Sunday, December 11. Tickets $12.75, $15 at the door. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org
Hyde Park Community Players will celebrate the holidays in characteristically idiosyncratic fashion by staging a play about a witch trial in a fifteenth-century English town. Critics have praised the playwright’s “insistence on the wonder of human life” and called the play a “poetic fantasy.” (Jake Bittle)
RE/NIGHT/LIVE/MARE: Parts 2, 3, & 4
ACRE TV. Part 2: Tuesday, December 6–Monday, December 12; Part 3: Tuesday, December 13–Monday, December 19; Part 4: Tuesday, December 20–Saturday, December 31. acretv.org
ACRE TV’s latest project might now be a little too timely: this diverse four-part multitude of twice-airing video art first and foremost “re-considers your nightmares.” To wrap up the series’ end in December, you can catch the daydreams, fantasies, and horrors reworked in second airings of Part 2 (NIGHT), Part 3 (LIVE), and Part 4 (MARE). (Julia Aizuss)
Electra
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Through Sunday, December 11. $58, discounts available for seniors, faculty, and students. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org
What can you expect from family drama? In the case of the third and final chapter of Court’s Greek Cycle, a story in which “even justice can bring destruction.” In Sophocles’ play, Nicholas Rudall’s translation, and under Seret Scott’s direction, Electra and her brother Orestes scheme to avenge their father Agamemnon’s murder. (Daniel Mays)
In De’ Beginnin’
eta Creative Arts, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Through Saturday, December 24. $40, discounts for students and seniors. (773) 752-3955. etacreativearts.org
Oscar Brown Jr.’s funky musical, based on the Book of Genesis, is eta Creative Arts’ holiday entertainment offering for families. Brown was a multitalented artist, civil rights activist, and humanitarian; his daughter Maggie Brown will take on musical direction for this production, which eta calls a “tribute” to one of “Chicago’s greatest artists.” (Joseph S. Pete)