Bulletin
Community Resource and Job Fair
Fosco Park, 1312 S. Racine Ave. Wednesday, November 18, 10am–2pm. Dress in interview attire and bring photo ID, social security card and hard copy of résumé.
(773) 277-4700.
If you’re looking for employment, this Wednesday’s resource and job fair could be an excellent opportunity. State Rep. Arthur Turner will be in attendance, along with community leaders and workplace recruiters. Bring a résumé and dress sharp! (Christopher Good)
Report Back from Black & Pink
Grace Place, 637 S. Dearborn St. Wednesday, November 18, 6pm–8pm. Free.
blackandpink.org
Join Black and Pink’s Chicago chapter to hear about the fight against the prison-industrial complex and its impact on incarcerated LGBTQ people. There will be discussion of the recent 10 Year Anniversary gathering and its main points of interest. (Anne Li)
National Black Wall Street Chicago
National Black Wall Street Chicago, 4655 S. King Dr., Ste 203. Thursday, November 19, 1pm–3pm. $20 donation. RSVP at yvonnesspear@gmail.com or (773) 268-6900.
nationalblackwallstreetchicago.org
Have a power lunch with people who are dedicated to creating jobs, wealth and sustainability for black businesses and individuals. The event is part of the on-going Consumer Education and Consumer Action Project, inspired by Dr. King’s Grassroots Economic agenda. (Yunhan Wen)
#SayHerName: Demand Officer Dante Servin be Fired
Chicago Police Headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan Ave. Thursday, November 19, 7pm–8:30pm.
At CPD headquarters during the monthly Police Board Hearing, protesters will demand justice for the death of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd—shot in March 2012 by police officer Dante Servin—and show that Black Lives Matter. (Ada Alozie)
The Sixth Anniversary of Chicago Community of Workers Rights
Polish Highlander Hall, 4808 S. Archer Ave. Friday, November 20, 6pm–11pm. $30 for one person, $300 for a table of ten. (773) 656-0881.
Join CCWR to celebrate its six years of defending workers. The event will also honor the Street Vendors Justice Coalition, the organization that just won permission for street vendors to sell food beside fruit and desserts without being fined. (Yunhan Wen)
Teachers for Social Justice Curriculum Fair
Kenwood Academy, 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. Saturday, November 21, 10am–4pm. $5-$10 suggested donation. teachersforjustice.org
Examine and discuss the aims of education at the 14th Annual TSJ Curriculum Fair, where teachers will exhibit their curriculums. There will be book fairs and panel discussions on topics ranging from racism to environmental justice. (Anne Li)
A Play-In For Tamir Rice
Hales Franciscan High School, 4930 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Monday, November 23, 5pm-8pm.
On the one-year anniversary of twelve-year-old Tamir Rice’s death—he was fatally shot in a city park by a Cleveland police officer—Hales Franciscan will host a day of play, organized by Project Nia, at which children ages twelve and up can play games and create art. (Christian Belanger)
Visual Arts
Art+Architecture: Activation
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Thursday, November 19, 5pm–6:30pm. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.squarespace.com
Join visiting artist Lyndon Barrois Jr. at this month’s Stony Island Arts Bank Art+Architecture workshop to discuss the transformation of commonplace items into art. The group will consider the roles of agency, economy, transformation, and verticality in the creative process. (Sonia Schlesinger)
Let Us Celebrate While Youth Lingers and Ideas Flow, Archives 1915-2015
Gray Center Lab, Midway Studios, 929 E. 60th St. Opening reception Friday, November 20, 6pm–9pm. Through December 20. Tuesday–Friday, 10am–5pm; Saturday–Sunday, 12pm–5pm. Additional exhibitions at various locations. Free. (773) 702-8670. renaissancesociety.org
Even after 100 years, the Renaissance Society is running at full steam, and the sterling lineup for the centennial festivities is a testament to that fact. Peruse the archives, catch a performance by Chicago art punks Negative Scanner, and celebrate—while youth lingers and ideas flow, that is. (Christopher Good)
So-called Utopias
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Opening reception Friday, November 20, 6pm. Open through January 10. (773) 702-2787. arts.uchicago.edu
Aptly named, this international exhibit, featuring works by Sammy Baloji, LaToya Ruby Frazier, and Sreshta Rit Premnath, will deconstruct expansionist and capitalist ideals by exploring the built environment through different media. (Kanisha Williams)
Ten Chicago Women/Fifteen Years
Bridgeport Art GalleryGallery, 1200 W. 35th St., 4th floor. Opening reception Friday, November 20, 7–10pm. Open through Thursday, December 31. (773) 247-3000. bridgeportart.com
Starting fifteen years ago, ten female Chicago-based artists began meeting to critique, encourage each other, and use group shows to increase exposure in an art world dominated by men. Founded by Linda Sorkin Eisenberg and Elyn Koentopp-Vanek, the ten are once again showing their work together, with styles that range from figurative to abstract. (Clyde Schwab)
Grabadolandia
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Sunday, November 22, 12pm–5pm. Free admission and parking. (312) 738-1503. institutograficodechicago.org
Hot off the press: the third annual Grabadolandia print festival will showcase local designers and artists who transcend the paper on which they print their work. Stop by for a great time, complete with live music and live printing. (Christopher Good)
Distant Ancestors
Southside Hub of Production (SHoP), 1448 E. 57th St. Sunday, November 22, 4pm–10pm. $3 suggested donation. southsidehub.com
SHoP partners with Stableheed, a Detroit-based performance collective, to present “Distant Ancestors.” This exhibit will use portraiture, artifacts, and live drawings of visitors to explore the relationship between us, in the present, and our ancestors, a the likenesses between us in spirit, as well as other features that we may not think to explore. (Kanisha Williams)
Stage & Screen
Drop In Film Screening
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Tuesday, November 17, 4pm–6pm. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.squarespace.com
Black Cinema House, part of the larger nonprofit Rebuild Foundation, has an expansive black film collection, ranging from video documentation of African culture to documentaries based on the South Side. Stop by to see which films they pull out of the archive this week for a free screening. (Sara Cohen)
Suite Habana
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Tuesday, November 17, 6pm–8pm. Free. RSVP required. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.squarespace.com
In a film series exploring the relationship between architecture and the African Diaspora, Black Cinema House presents Suite Habana. In keeping with this month’s theme of “Everyday Design,” this film traces the daily footsteps of thirteen Havana residents in a lyrical homage to an oft-misunderstood city. (Darren Wan)
Grown Folks Stories
The Silver Room, 1506 E. 53rd St. Thursday, November 19, 8pm–10pm. Suggested contribution of $5. (773) 947-0024. thesilverroom.com
Chicago native Cara Brigandi hosts monthly sessions in Hyde Park dedicated to supporting nonprofessional storytellers in a judgment-free environment—no scripts, no rehearsing. Drop your name in a jar, and, if you’re lucky, share your best anecdote in five minutes. Avid listeners welcome. (Darren Wan)
Twisted Oyster Experimental Film Festival
Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St. Opens Friday, November 20; screenings begin at 7:30pm. (773) 523-0200. zhoubartcenter.com
Although oysters—or shellfish of any other variety—are unlikely to be present, the inaugural Twisted Oyster Experimental Film Festival will nonetheless push boundaries with its skillfully curated selection of avant-garde short films by artists from Chicago to Mumbai. All the fun of oysters, sans the mercury poisoning. (Christopher Good)
James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Friday, November 20, 7pm. Free. RSVP requested. (312) 857-5561. southsideprojections.org
Archival footage of one of America’s finest essayists springs to life in the newly remastered James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket. The 1989 film offers both private and public glimpses of the late writer, as well as intimate commentary from his friends. Karen Thorsen, the documentary’s director, welcomes your questions in a “Conversation with Jimmy” following the screening. (Morley Musick)
Nelson Algren: The End Is Nothing, The Road Is All
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Friday, November 20, 7pm. Free. (773) 702-8596. filmstudiescenter.uchicago.edu
Get to know Chicago’s gravel-voiced advocate and under-appreciated and unofficial poet laureate, Nelson Algren, in the newly released Nelson Algren: The End Is Nothing, The Road Is All. Co-director Mark Blottner will discuss the film afterward with its narrator, musician/artist/Algren historian Warren Leming. (Morley Musick)
In the Game
Archer Heights Library, 5055 S. Archer Ave. Saturday, November 21, 2–4pm. (312) 747-9241. kartemquin.com
The latest work of filmmaker Maria Finitzo, this documentary follows the four-year journey of a girls’ high school soccer team in Brighton Park as they struggle to succeed with limited resources. As part of CPL’s One Book, One Chicago program, Archer Heights is the latest library to screen the film. (Sara Cohen)
After the Revolution
ACRE TV. November 10–30. Free. acretv.org.
Architecture might bring to mind houses and skyscrapers, but it actually belongs as much to collared shirts and commas as it does to buildings—at least according to architect Xavier Wrona. Follow this architectural revolution through his television series After the Revolution, which ACRE TV will stream online, one episode a day. (Jena Yang)
Repairing a Nation
eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. Chicago Ave. November 13–January 3. Friday and Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 3pm. $35, discounts available for seniors and students. (773) 752-3955. etacreativearts.org
In 1921, riots leveled the “Black Wall Street” neighborhood of Greenwood, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the most successful black communities in America. Nikkole Salter’s play Repairing a Nation uses one family’s complex relationship with the riots as a window into themes of race, reparations, and family. (Christopher Good)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
University Church, 5655 S. University Ave. November 20–21. Fridays, 8pm; Saturdays, 3pm and 8pm. $12 in advance, $15 at door. (773) 363-8142.
hydeparkcommunityplayers.org
Enjoy an evening of audience interaction and lighthearted theater as the Hyde Park Community Players perform this Tony Award-winning musical about six bizarre students competing for a spelling bee championship. Come thirty minutes early, and you could be an audience participant in the show. (Ada Alozie)
Agamemnon
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Through December 6. $38, discounts available for seniors, faculty, and students. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org
In the mood for tragedy? Renowned scholar Nicholas Rudall’s world premiere translation of Aeschylus’s Agamemnon brings back Sandra Marquez and Mark Montgomery from last year’s Iphigenia in Aulis as Clytemnestra and Agamemnon for Court’s “groundbreaking” second installment of the Greek Cycle. The gods invite our witness. (Rurik Baumrin)
Music
Young Dro
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Wednesday, November 18, doors 10pm. $20. 21+. (312) 753-5700. theshrinechicago.com
The Shrine and Urban Fetes present Young Dro, an Atlanta-based rapper signed to T.I.’s record label, Grand Hustle Records. Dro’s music, particularly his recent release “Ugh,” not only celebrates bass, trills and bars, but also the thriving and diverse hip-hop culture in his hometown. (Jonathan Poilpre)
The Dandy Warhols
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, November 19. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. $25 standing room, $35 seats. All ages. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
If you’re feeling “Bohemian,” come check out a band at the source of enough cultural references to impress your friends, especially if you claim to have listened to them before their music was on Buffy. Party like it’s both 1999 and 2009. (CJ Fraley)
D’Erania
Mo Better Jazz, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, November 20, 7pm. (773) 741-6254. mobetterjazz.us
Combat the crisp weather that is settling in with the warm sounds of D’Erania. The critically acclaimed and international jazz performer will share her enriching, 70s R&B-inspired jazz pieces at Mo Better Jazz this weekend. (Kanisha Williams)
Bobby Rush and Super Chikan
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Saturday, November 21, doors 7pm, show 8pm. $20-$36. (313) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Blues musicians Bobby Rush, winner of the Blue’s Music Awards Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year, and Super Chikan will be sharing their songs and the stories behind them this Saturday. Listening to Rush’s award winning album Raw and Chikan’s Blues Come Home to Roost will take you through a journey with two of the most colorful characters in blues history. (Margaret Mary Glazier)
Miracle on Thirty-Funk Street
Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. Sunday, November 29, 3pm. $28 general admission, $20 students. cgmc.org
The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus will perform the music of Pearl Bailey, James Brown, and Donny Hathaway, infusing holiday classics with a “funky twist” in the first show of their season. The show will feature the entire chorus of 150 singers, dancers, and a six-piece band, led by director Jimmy Morehead. (Clyde Schwab)
KRS-One
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Sunday, November 29, doors 10pm. $22.50 early bird, $32.50 general admission. 21+. (312) 753-5700. theshrinechicago.com
As one of the most politically active and critically acclaimed MCs of the 1990s, KRS-One blazed the trail for socially conscious rap with landmark albums such as Criminal Minded and Return of the Boom Bap. Now, he’s touring the nation, and stopping in Chicago along the way. The self-proclaimed “Most Respected Name in Hip Hop Kulture” has plenty left to say. (Christopher Good)
Ryan Leslie at the Shrine
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Saturday, December 5, 2015, doors open at 9pm. $32.50. 18+. theshrinechicago.com
Producer Ryan Leslie’s resume is impressive—coming from Seattle and graduating from Harvard at nineteen, he’s written and produced tracks for Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and New Edition and broke out in 2006 with Cassie’s hit “Me&U.” The crooning R&B and hip-hop artist will warm up Chicago on December 5 at the Shrine. (Clyde Schwab)