Bulletin
LGBTQ+ Justice in Faith-Based Communities
Grace Episcopal Church, 637 S. Dearborn St. Friday, July 8, 8:30am–noon. $20 suggested donation. Email maryellen@8thdaycenter.org to register. (312) 641-5151. 8thdaycenter.org
How can individual Catholic congregations produce an inclusive environment for queer people despite the church’s conservative and sometimes hostile hierarchy? Eighth Day Center, a Catholic group oriented towards social justice, will consider the issue together with a panel of speakers. (Adam Thorp)
Illinois DCFS Town Hall
Kennedy-King College, 740 W. 63rd St., room U-131. Tuesday, July 12, 2pm–4:30pm. Email antwan.turpeau@illinois.gov to register. (217) 524-2029. illinois.gov/dcfs
The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services has laid out plans for a major transformation, including reforms to the agency’s culture designed to prevent mistreatment of wards of the state. Come to this town hall to learn about and discuss the many changes. (Christian Belanger)
Presentations on the Politics of Black History
Institute of Politics, 5707 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, July 13, 4pm–6pm. Free. (773) 702-2388. bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium is a leading institution in the examination of Chicago’s black history. At this event, three of the Consortium’s fellows will present their research on mid-century art, intentional integration in Chicago’s suburbs, and Cook County Jail. (Adam Thorp)
How to Effectively Mentor a Student
Henry Legler Library, 115 S. Pulaski Rd. Thursday, July 14, 1pm–4pm. Check-in begins 12:30pm. Free. (312) 516-5559.
Examine and discuss the newly revised fourth edition of Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring at this session hosted by the Illinois Mentoring Partnership. The materials will focus on six key elements of effective youth mentorship programs. (Anne Li)
Soulful Chicago Book Fair
61st St. from Cottage Grove Ave. to King Dr. Saturday, July 16, 10am–8pm. Free. (646) 359-6605. soulfulchicagobookfair.com
Celebrate black literature and the authors who write it at this outdoor book festival. Each block along 61st Street will host a different genre of literature, and new authors will be recognized for their work. (Joshua Maymir)
Book Release: Chicago Is Not Broke
Alhambra Palace Restaurant, 1240 W. Randolph St. Saturday, July 16, 6:30pm–9pm. $30 (includes free book). (312) 857-6485. civiclab.us
Chicago politicians often warn that the city is in a fiscal crisis—a crisis that, a cynic might note, tends to require urgent adoption of the policies they favored regardless. Chicago Is Not Broke suggests that this crisis is more than a little concocted and looks for new ways the city can find money. (Adam Thorp)
Little Scribe
Oriental Institute Museum, 1155 E. 58th St. Tuesday, July 19, 10:30am–12:30pm. Free. Registration recommended. (773) 702-9507. oi.uchicago.edu
Bring your little scholars to learn about when writing was young. Children ages five to eight will participate in a story about how the alphabet came into being, and children ages nine to twelve will explore how a writing system changes over time. (Anne Li)
Stage & Screen
The Cursed Ones
Studio Movie Grill Chatham, 210 W. 87th St. Thursday, July 7, 7pm. $6. (773) 322-1450. blackworldcinema.net
In this 2015 Ghanaian film, a journalist, a pastor, a village, and a young girl find their way through a devastated community and dark realities of belief and rhetoric. The screening will be followed by a discussion. (CJ Fraley)
Staged Reading: The Poetry of Marilyn Cavicchia
Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Friday, July 8, 8pm. $5. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org
Hyde Park Players’s monthly staged readings can provide a venue not just for classic works of literature, but also for the work of Hyde Park writers. This set of poems, in the voices of different speakers traveling down an Ohio highway, will be directed by their author. (Adam Thorp)
Gordon Parks in Cinema: Early Films
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Sunday, July 10, 4pm–6pm. Free. (312) 857- 5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Gordon Parks, the director of the blaxploitation hit Shaft, also produced a series of shorter films. This screening will show three of his films especially concerned with establishing a sense of place (Diary of a Harlem Family; Flavio; World of Piri Thomas). Kamilah Rashied, of the Art Institute, will lead a discussion after the screening. (Adam Thorp)
Holá Cuba: ¡Salud!
Pop Up Just Art Gallery, 729 W. Maxwell St. Wednesday, July 13, 6pm. Free. RSVP at bit. ly/29r5EK9
Part of the UIC Social Justice Initiative’s summer film series on Cuba, this installment focuses, as its title might suggest, on health: although Cuba is a relatively poor country, it manages to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world. (Tanya Murphy)
The Sea: Tales of Lapham
High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary, 2233 S. Throop St. Wednesday, July 13, 7:30pm–9pm. $15. (312) 850-0555. highconceptlaboratories.org
This workshop performance is a must-see for anyone with an affinity for marine matters, music, and manuscripts. Through an orchestral cycle performed with Opera Cabal, the “half band, half book club” Oracle Hysterical will guide its audience through rough waters in the stories of Homer, Shakespeare, and the Bible, with a “musical descent” down to the ocean floor as a finale. Sirens and squalls await. (Emeline Posner)
Kartemquin Shorts Program
Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St. Thursday, July 14, 7pm. $5. (773) 702-8574. docfilms. uchicago.edu
Stand up, march your way over to UofC’s Doc Films, and occupy a seat: this program features four short films that focus on the South Side’s history of activism. From doctors’ strikes to student occupations, you’ll be taken through Chicago’s streets and historic buildings and back to the sixties and seventies in celebration of the city’s rich past of grassroots organizing. (Corinne Butta)
Music Motion
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Friday, July 15, 8pm–10pm. Free. (312) 857- 5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Drop by the Black Cinema House on a Friday evening to catch the premiere of six musical film works by Chicago-based musicians Koku Gonza, Cam Be, Coultrain, and Sam Trump––and stick around to hear each perform live. (Emeline Posner)
Visual Arts
DISCO Art Exhibit
Pilsen Outpost, 1958 W. 21st St. Through July 31. Wednesday–Friday, 10am–8pm; Saturday, 10am–7pm; Sunday, 10am–5pm. Free. (773) 492-2412. pilsenoutpost.com
Ricardo “Naco” Gonzalez is a Chicago-based painter, cartoonist, and muralist. However, in this exhibit, his work is painted not on canvas or walls, but on vinyl records. The choice of medium, and of subject— Gonzalez’s portraits honor both contemporary local musicians and virtuosos of years gone by—intertwines music and visual art to stunning effect. (Olivia Stovicek)
Jeff Kolar: Wind Chimes
Antena, 1755 S. Laflin St. Through Friday, July 29. Free. antenapilsen.com
Hanging from the trees on the 1700 block of South Laflin, copper wind chimes and custom electronics will produce sound artist Jeff Kolar’s newest composition, powered by Chicago’s wind. If you didn’t join Antena for the opening, visit this outdoor installation at any time until the end of its run. (Carrie Smith)
LEXICON Artist Talks and Demos
Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St., 2nd floor. Opening Wednesday, July 6, 6pm–8pm. Through July 9. Monday–Saturday, 10am– 5pm. Free. (773) 523-0200. bit.ly/29i5rYi
Etch your heart out with artist Lisa Goesling, and while you work, watch painter Angie Redmond do the same. Goesling’s take-home etching class, brought to Zhou B in conjunction with the ongoing exhibition LEXICON, is sure to carve a space for artistic practice in your Wednesday night. Be sure to BYO X-Acto knife. (Corinne Butta)
Play and Response
Digital Art Demo Space, 2515 S. Archer Ave., Ste. 2. Friday, July 8, 7pm. Free. (312) 451- 2962. dadschicago.com
This is not your dad’s D.A.D.S. (short for digital art demo space). Come prepared to enter the strange visual and auditory landscapes created by five auteurs of the interactive art world, where Ultra Street Fighter 4 will become a musical instrument. (Lewis Page)
1% Privilege in a Time of Global Inequality
Uri-Eichen Gallery, 2101 S. Halsted St. Friday, July 8, 6pm–10pm. Open by appointment through Friday, August 5. Free. (312) 852- 7717. uri-eichen.com
An exploration of world inequality by dozens of artists, this exhibition aspires to provide perspective and context, with written commentary by Nobel-Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and National Book Critics Circle Award-winning writer Geoff Dyer. The show is the third in a five-month series at Uri-Eichen examining income inequality. The opening reception will also feature a discussion with Chicago Fight for $15 at 7pm. (Carrie Smith)
Annual Arts and Crafts Festival
The DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Pl. Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10. Free. (773) 947-0600. dusablemuseum.org
The DuSable Museum’s forty-second annual Arts and Crafts Festival encourages participants to commemorate African American history and culture through an artistic lens. With free admission, dozens of handmade productions, and accompanying entertainment, plan to spend a weekend at this engaging event. (Sara Cohen)
Eternal Return Performances
The Archer Beach Haus, 3012 S. Archer Ave. Wednesday, July 13, 7pm. $10 suggested donation. facebook.com/archerbeachhaus
Sure, Friday the thirteenth might make you quake just a little, but there’s more to the number than that—enough to power a six-month series of performance art investigating its mysterious pull. This month’s theme, “eternal return,” might not clear up the mystery, but all the more reason to return to the last installment in August. (Julia Aizuss)
Music
Luna
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, July 7, doors 7:30pm, show 8:30pm. $20. 17+. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
After playing their farewell show in February 2005, New York-based quartet Luna is coming to Chicago on the US-leg of their reunion tour. Previously described by Rolling Stone as “the best band you’ve never heard of,” Luna will transport listeners back to the indie rock scene of the nineties with their emotive guitar, soft-spoken lyrics, and dreamy vibes. (Emily Lipstein)
KING at Promontory
Promontory Chicago, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Friday, July 8, doors 7pm, show 8pm. $35–75. 21+. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
At a benefit for the Betty Shabazz International Charter School, one of a few South Side schools that has recently been recommended for shuttering by CPS, the twin-sisters-plus-one dream-soul trio KING (their “sound is relatable yet not simply defined”) will do a show in support of their first EP, The Story. They’ll demonstrate their roots in the Twin Cities and Los Angeles, plus their variety of musical influences. (Jake Bittle)
Vino Louden at Buddy Guy’s Legends
Buddy Guy’s Legends, 700 S. Wabash Ave. Sunday, July 10, 9:30pm. $10. 21+ (312) 427–1190. buddyguy.com
Calvin “Vino” Louden is a Mississippi-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist who’s played supporting guitar for the likes of Bobby Rush and done a number of rounds on Chicago’s blues circuit. He regularly flies to Mexico and Argentina for shows (follow his Twitter @SmoothVino for frequent updates), so catch him while he’s in town for a solo show on Buddy Guy’s home turf in the South Loop. (Jake Bittle)
The Executives and the Young Masters
Fred Andersen Dog Park, 1629 S. Wabash Ave. Saturday, July 9, 4pm. Free. (312) 834-3390. facebook.com/aacmchicago
Veterans of the Chicago jazz scene take up their instruments with young talents in this ensemble performance in the South Loop. Presented by the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and Birdhouse, Inc., musicians including Ernest Dawkins, Taalib din Ziyad, and Alexis Lombre will bring some cool jazz to a hot summer afternoon. This is the first in a three-part summer pop up series from the AACM. (Emily Lipstein)
Erzulie
Reggies, 2105 S. State St. Friday, July 8, 7:30pm. $7. 21+. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive. com
Erzulie, a Chicago-born and -bred outfit blending metalcore, indie rock and an effort to accurately portray African spirituality, will be bringing their pounding sound to Reggies this Friday. GoldGrrl, Crosafix, MoonStar and Ty all contribute to a show that promises to rock your socks off. (CJ Fraley)
Donovan Mixon Hybrid Project Chicago
Mo Better Jazz, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, July 15. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. Free. (773) 741- 6254. jazzologyexperience.com
Jazz guitarist Donovan Mixon is bringing a history of performance that’s taken him around the world, as well as talented bandmates Willie Pickens, James Perkins, Cory Biggerstaff, and Jeremy Cunningham, to the Jazzology Experience. (CJ Fraley)
Disco: Music, Culture, and Community
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Friday, July 15, 5:30pm–7:30pm. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Join the Rebuild Foundation for a discussion of photographer Bill Bernstein’s latest book, Disco, a look into New York City’s seventies disco scene. Bernstein will also participate in a panel on the history of and connections between disco and dance clubs in New York and Chicago, with special reference to late, great Chicago house DJ Frankie Knuckles. (Christian Belanger)
Silver Room Sound System Block Party
Main stage at 53rd Street and Harper Avenue; other stages at Harper Court, 5235 S. Harper Ct. and The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Saturday, July 16, noon–10pm. Free. silverroomblockparty.com
The Silver Room, a Hyde Park-based boutique store, will be hosting its thirteenth annual block party in mid-June. This year’s incarnation, “Freedom Love Joy Peace,” will include performances by everyone from house DJ Ron Trent to the Hyde Park School of Dance. There’ll be an after-party at The Promontory. (Christian Belanger)