BULLETIN
Pumpkin Carving with MAKE! Chicago
MAKE! Chicago, 1048 W. 37th St. Friday, October 28, 6pm–9pm; Saturday, October 29, 11am–2pm and 2pm–5pm. $25 for one adult and child. Register online before October 27. (312) 925-2627. make-chicago.com
Jack up your jack-o-lantern skills with a pumpkin carving class at MAKE! Chicago. The Bridgeport woodworking shop transforms into a gourd-gouging studio, complete with saws, carving knives, and power tools primed for all the pumpkin purposes you can conceive. (Sara Cohen)
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)
Black Girls CODE Chicago Chapter Presents: Build a Webpage in a Day!
Blue Cross Blue Shield, 300 E. Randolph St. Saturday, October 29, 10am–4pm. Registration opens 9am. $35 plus fees. Limited scholarships available. Waitlist available online. Intended for girls ages 7–17. blackgirlscode.com
Black Girls CODE, an organization dedicated to empowering girls of color through technological education, is hosting a one-day website-making workshop in Chicago. Daughters of the digital age can learn the basics of coding and web structure through engaging and entertaining activities. (Rachel Kim)
PERRO Halloween Walk
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Saturday, October 29, noon–2pm. $10 for students, $15 general admission. Register online. (312) 854-9247. pilsenperro.org
The Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization is a grassroots group of Pilsen residents that has dedicated itself to environmental justice issues in Pilsen since 2004. Join PERRO’s Halloween tour to learn about activism in Pilsen while exploring the neighborhood’s numerous cultural offerings. (Lorraine Lu)
Día de Los Muertos: Festival Para Niños
La Catrina Cafe, 1011 W. 18th St. Sunday, October 30, 11am–2pm. $5 for the first child, $1 for additional siblings until October 29. $6 for first child, $2 for additional siblings at door. Register online. (708) 912-2062.
Chicago Latina Moms present their second annual Día de Los Muertos Festival for Children. Families can have their faces painted, visit an altar for deceased loved ones, watch a presentation to learn the significance of the holiday, and participate in a number of additional activities. (Rachel Kim)
VISUAL ARTS
Dear Sludge, Cruel Sludge
4th Ward Project Space, 5338 S. Kimbark Ave. Opening reception Sunday, October 30, 4pm–7pm; on view through Sunday, November 27. Saturdays 1pm–5pm or by appointment. Free. (773) 203-2991. 4wps.org
As you muck through the dregs of October, plan to come out to 4th Ward Project Space for Ellis von Sternberg’s latest exhibition. The Connecticut-based artist molds wads of polyurethane into plastic-y sculptures, both shiny and shining a light on our culture’s affection for oil. (Corinne Butta)
Dumping Trump
Elephant Room Gallery at C.C.’s Art Garage, 2727 S. Mary St. Opening Thursday, November 3, 5pm–9pm. (312) 361-0281.
Gallerist Kimberly Atwood and artist Keelan McMorrow have organized a one-night exhibition to “Dump Trump”—conceptual works, Election Day wearables, and a Trump piñata included. Proceeds from the event will go towards scholarships for undocumented students in the Chicago area. (Corinne Butta)
Hecho en CaSa
National Museum of Mexican Art, Rubin & Paula Torres Gallery, 1852 W. 19th St.. Opening reception Friday, October 28, 6pm–8pm. Through May 7, 2017. Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm. Free. (312) 738-1503. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
Francisco Toledo has spent the past fifteen years of his career not only as an individual artist, sculptor, and painter, but also as someone who builds capacity for others, helping found a multitude of artistic institutions in Mexico. This year, the work he brings to the National Museum of Mexican Art highlights one of those institutions, the Centro de Artes San Agustín. (Hafsa Razi)
(Re)Public and Mary King’s War Stories
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. (Re)Public through January 15, 2017; War Stories through January 22, 2017. Opening reception Sunday, October 30, 3pm–5pm.. Monday–Thursday, 9am–8pm; Friday–Saturday, 9am–5pm; Sunday, noon–5pm. Free. (773) 324-5520. hydeparkart.org
The Hyde Park Art Center presents its two newest exhibits: (Re)Public is the work of a group of Irish artists in various mediums, reflecting on society, the environment, and politics in Ireland and on Chicago’s South Side; War Stories is a series of drawings, paintings, and collages on the toll of wars, both historic and modern. (Hafsa Razi)
MUSIC
Esperanza Spalding
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, October 27. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. $37 standing room. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
If you’ve heard her spellbinding, ecstatic jazz-pop album Emily’s D+Evolution, released this March, you know you can’t miss this chance to jam with one of pop’s finest contemporary composers. Feel the “Unconditional Love” of Spalding’s bass as she and her band play the new album in its entirety. (Neal Jochmann)
MDC, Wartorn, and More
Reggies Rock Club, 2105 S. State St. Sunday, October 30. Doors 6pm. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. 17+. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
The music is hard rock; the politics, hard left. MDC currently stands for “Millions of Dead Cops,” (the meaning updates with each album release), and Wartorn plays “pissed-off socio-political crustpunk/hardcore.” Don’t care for politics? Chicago’s Johnny Automatic may have just the punk-pop for you. (Neal Jochmann)
Derrick Carter
Punch House, 1227 W. 18th St. Wednesday, October 26. 9pm. Free. 21+. (312) 526-3851. punchhousechicago.com
Derrick Carter has been instrumental in the Chicago house scene ever since helping spearhead its second wave in the mid-nineties. Now he’s pushing yet another venture with a residency at Pilsen’s Punch House. “A lil belated birthday party for this special man,” reads a description for the event on Facebook—with Carter’s reputation, we’ll see how “lil” it is. (Austin Brown)
An Afternoon with PWR BTTM
The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, 5733 S. University Ave. Wednesday, October 26. 4pm-6pm. Free. All ages. (773) 702-9936. arts.uchicago.edu
The duo responsible for last year’s explosive, queer-as-all-get-out Ugly Cherries and, frankly, a dope Twitter account, are swinging by the UofC before their sold-out show for a discussion at the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality. Roll through for an intimate event with the most glitter-glazed punk duo currently touring the States. (Austin Brown)
Halloween Cover Show
2040. Friday, October 28, 7pm–11pm. $5 at the door, or pay what you can. bit.ly/2faku9t (message for address on day of show)
At DIY space 2040 on Friday, the musicians won’t just be donning Halloween costumes—they’ll also be channeling the spirit of other bands: Poison Idea, Buzzcocks, Rudimentary Peni, Pixies, and even ABBA plan to make appearances, among others. All proceeds will go to the Chicago Community Bond Fund, which pays bond for individuals charged with crimes in Cook County who cannot afford to pay themselves. (Olivia Stovicek)
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)