Bulletin
Discussion with Donna More
Institute of Politics, 5707 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, January 27, noon–1pm. Free. Register for the event at eventbrite.com. (773) 834-4671. politics.uchicago.edu
The significance of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, currently held by embattled incumbent Anita Alvarez, has become much greater after the turmoil surrounding Alvarez’s handling of the Laquan McDonald case. Come see Donna More, a candidate for the position, discuss her platform for improving Chicago’s criminal justice system. (Ada Alozie)
After the American Century
The Seminary Co-op Bookstore, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, January 27, 6pm. semcoop.com
Learn how Egyptian cyberpunk and Iranian versions of Shrek contribute to what Brian T. Edwards describes as an accelerated cultural exchange in the Middle East. He and UofC English associate professor Deborah Nelson discuss his new book, After the American Century: The Ends of U.S. Culture in the Middle East. (Christine Schmidt)
Chicago Real Estate 2016
Bronze Lounge, 4455 S. King Dr. Thursday, January 28, 5:30pm–9:30pm. $20 in advance, $25 at the door. chicagorealtist.com
For seventy-five years the Dearborn Realtist Board has advocated for equal housing access for all Chicagoans. At their Thursday event, subtitled “Action*Execution*Solutions,” the brokers, agents, and investors behind the scenes will exchange real estate contacts and strategies. Newcomers welcome. (Neal Jochmann)
Twelfth Ward IPO Endorsement
Centro Cultural Zacatecano, 4145 S. Kedzie Ave. Saturday, January 30, 2:30pm–5pm.
This Southwest Chicago political organization will weigh presentations by several Chicagoland politicians—including Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Kim Foxx and former mayoral candidate Chuy Garcia on behalf of Bernie Sanders—before voting on who to endorse in March’s elections. (Adam Thorp)
State of Affairs: Washington Park Community
Gorham United Methodist Church, 5600 S. Indiana Ave. Saturday, January 30, noon–2pm. thewashingtonparkcc.org
If the Obama Presidential Library lands in Washington Park, its impact will be felt in the neighborhood that shares the park’s name. This town hall will discuss that developing situation and longer-standing community concerns. (Adam Thorp)
State of African-American Same Gender Loving Black LGBTQ Chicago Address
Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St. Sunday, January 31, 2pm–4pm. (773) 340-3751.
In a networking event hosted by the Coalition for Justice and Respect, African-American LGBTQ attendees will attempt to bridge the gap between the community’s needs and their resources. Several speakers, including public and elected officials, will be addressing politics, faith, health, equality, and marriage. (Zoe Makoul)
“Making #BlackLivesMatter” Closing Reception
In These Times, 2040 N. Milwaukee Ave. Sunday, January 31, 2:30pm–4:30pm. Not wheelchair accessible, food and drink to share encouraged.
Visit the newsroom of this government watchdog publication to see the final day of the “Making #Black Lives Matter: Demonizing and Distorting Blackness through Racist Postcards and Imagery” exhibit. Stay for a panel discussion featuring leaders from key organizations in the movement for black lives, including BYP 100, We Charge Genocide, Assata’s Daughters, and FLY. (Christine Schmidt)
Visual Arts
Southern Roots
Renaissance Court, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. January 28 through March 31. Monday–Thursday, 9am–7pm; Friday–Saturday, 9am–6pm; Sunday, 10am–6pm. Free. sandrabridges.com
The spotlight is on Chicago-raised artist Sandra Bridges at the Chicago Cultural Center. Inspired by her love of her heritage, Bridges’ solo show “Southern Roots,” examines the historical relevance and influence of African-American ancestry on modern society. (Bilal Othman)
Kitchen Sink Presents: A Pop Up Museum
Cornell Florist, 1645 E. 55th St. Friday, January 29. 7pm–11pm. Free.
Most days after Cornell Florist closes, the flowers spend a long night by themselves. This Friday, come join the lonely flowers for a free cup of tea or Mindy’s hot chocolate and a one-night-only museum of art centered around mental health. (Lewis Page)
57th Street Flea Market
SHoP, 1448 E. 57th St. Saturday, January 30, 9am–4pm. facebook.com/SouthsideHub
Run by local arts-based cooperative, SHoP, the 57th Street Flea Market will be making its second-ever appearance next weekend. A place to find local antiques, collectibles, and original artwork, 57th Street Flea Market exhibits the richness of Hyde Park’s cultural history. (Sam Royall)
Give + Get Good PR at the Silver Room
The Silver Room, 1506 E. 53rd St. Saturday, January 30, 1pm. Free. Sign up on eventbrite.com. tinyurl.com/j6tc6lo
This installment in a series of quarterly how-to workshops presented by Internet maven @DigitalSheila will show you how to get exposure for your product, business, or concept both in print and online. Come prepared with a brief description of the product you want to boost. (Jake Bittle)
Bridging Generations: “Strong Men Getting Stronger”
South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave. Saturday, January 30 2pm–5pm. Through April 9. Wednesday–Friday, 2pm–5pm; Saturday, 9am–5pm; Sunday, 1pm–5 pm. Free. (773) 373-1026. sscartcenter.org
Three Men. Different Generations. All artists. Join the South Side Community Art Center for its first exhibit of 2016, “Bridging Generations,” a display of the works of Keith Conner, Oscar Lester, B. Ra-El Ali, three artists from different and unique backgrounds. (Bilal Othman)
Present Standard
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Opening reception Saturday, January 30, 2pm–4pm. Through April 24. Open Monday–Thursday, 9am–7pm; Friday–Saturday, 9am–6pm; Sunday, 10am–6pm. Free. (312) 744-6630. chicagoculturalcenter.org
Curators Edra Soto and Josué Pellot join forces to introduce a dialogue around language itself: twenty-five contemporary, US-based Latino artists play with the double meanings of both “present” and “standard.” Exhibition accompanied by Pablo Helguera’s traveling Spanish-language bookstore. (Corinne Butta)
Residual Lives at HPAC
Hyde Park Arts Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave., Gallery 5. January 31 through April 24. Mon–Thurs, 9am–8pm; Fri–Sat, 9am–5pm; Sun, noon–5pm. (773) 324-5520. hydeparkart.org
This diverse exhibition—sculptures, collages, photographs, and video installations will all be on display—seeks to explore the effects of mass incarceration on individual lives and society as a whole. These works will complement those by incarcerated artists that make up the center’s other ongoing show, “Weight of Rage.” (Jake Bittle)
Music
Stalley
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Thursday, January 28, 9pm. $15-$20. 17+. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Right now, Ohio is known for football, Cudi, and Kasich, but with bearded MC (and Maybach Music signee) Stalley on the top of his game, the state might soon have another claim to fame. Stalley’s touring in support of his 2015 “Laughing Introvert” mixtape, but introvert or not, he’s sure to have the Promontory booming. (Christopher Good)
The Poetory
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Monday, February 1, doors 7pm, show 8pm. $5. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Spend an evening enjoying food and poetic performances at The Poetory, where spoken word artists and poets from across the city come together to weave vivid stories and messages. Breaking all possible boundaries, the poets make the audience a partner rather than an observer in an original, intimate experience. (Kezie Nwachukwu)
So Pretty
Reggies, 2105 S. State St. Wednesday, February 3, 8pm. $5. 21+. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
Looking to be saved? So Pretty will be screeching sweet salvation over even sweeter guitar melodies at Reggies, turning the venue into a church of DIY punk. Take a listen to their album Savior Girl to learn the hymns just in time for service. (Kanisha Williams)
Avery*Sunshine
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Thursday, February 4, doors 7pm, show 8pm. $20-$40. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Avery*Sunshine prides herself on creating a true, human-to-human connection with her audience. Her upcoming performance at The Promontory is the perfect opportunity to ditch the winter wind howling in your ears in exchange for an intimate listening experience of her warm and soulful music. (Alexandra Epstein)
The Renaldo Domino Experience
Reggies Music Joint, 2105 S. State St. Thursday, February 4, 8pm. $10. 21+ (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
Indefatigable tenor Renaldo Domino has spent a lifetime crooning soul and R&B, and his six-piece Experience band has been helping him fill rooms since 2008. Opening for Domino are the Get Up With The Get Downs, whose punk-funk covers have included Domino’s songs in the past. (Neal Jochmann)
Bruce Henry
The Quarry, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, February 5, 7pm–11:30pm. (773) 741-6254. mobetterjazzchicago.us
Local Chicago vocalist Bruce Henry will drop by Mo Better Jazz; experience a performance by “A Man of Great Musical Imagination” as he takes the audience on an elastic journey with a vocal range few can match. (Bilal Othman)
Konshens and Trina
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Friday, February 5, doors 10pm. $30. 21+. (312) 753-5700. theshrinechicago.com
Dancehall/reggae artist Konshens is on tour and coming to Chicago. The well-known rapper Trina, whose sixth album is set to drop this year, will be performing as well. Fans can look forward to a mix of riddims and raw verses, including the classic “Look Back at Me.” (Jennifer Hwang)
Pete Rock & Rich Medina
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Friday, February 12, doors 10pm. $30 standing room. 21+. (312) 753-5700. theshrinechicago.com
Hip-hop legends and DJ innovators Pete Rock and Rich Medina team up again to take listeners on a ride down musical memory lane. With over fifty years of experience between them and skilled ears for mingling music old and new, hip-hop will be displayed in its highest form. (Kezie Nwachukwu)
Stage & Screen
Music for String Percussion Electronics
High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary, 2233 S. Throop St. Friday, January 29, 4pm–10pm. $10. (312) 850-0555. highconceptlaboratories.org.
An evening of sensory euphoria, this production begins with three hours of Doug Farrand’s composition, exploring the media of light and video with curator Ryan Packard’s percussion and electronics. At 8pm, six musicians will come together to perform a set of five evocative songs composed by Farrand, Packard, and Jessie Downs. (Sara Cohen)
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Friday, January 29, 7pm–9:30pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Black Cinema House’s pitch for this 2015 documentary history of the Black Panthers links the radicals of the sixties and seventies with the contemporary demands of the Black Lives Matter movement. A panel after the screening, presented with activist organization BYP100, will flesh out the connections. (Adam Thorp)
As Above So Below
Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S. Morgan St. Friday, January 29, 7pm–10pm. $7–$10. (773) 655-6769. coprosperity.org
Although we are still months away from this year’s Chicago Underground Film Festival, this weekend the organization behind the festival will showcase five independent, locally-made favorites from last year’s festivities. The screening will be followed by a moderated discussion with the short films’ directors. (Sam Royall)
What the Fuck Are These Red Squares
Kartemquin Films. January 29–February 4. Free. (773) 472-4366. watch.kartemquin.com
To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, Chicago documentary studio Kartemquin is offering free, week-long online streams of its classic pictures. In this 1970 doc, students of the Vietnam War era organize at SAIC to consider how they can provide, within their capitalist industry, the art demanded by a world at war. (Neal Jochmann)
Carlos Bunga featuring the Black Monks of Mississippi
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Wednesday, January 27, 5pm–8pm. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Why visit an art installation when you can visit its deinstallation instead? With the help of experimental music group the Black Monks of Mississippi, Portuguese artist Carlo Bunga will turn the removal of his exhibition “Under the Skin” into a performance—a fitting move for an artist concerned with the process and passage of time. (Julia Aizuss)
Satchmo at the Waldorf
Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis Ave. Through February 14. $38, discounts available for seniors, faculty, and students. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org
Satchmo at the Waldorf, which is getting its Midwest premiere at the Court Theatre, is a single-actor play that deals with the emotions, legacy, friendships, and fate of Louis Armstrong, set after his last show in 1971. As the highlight of Chicago’s Louis Armstrong Festival, this jazzy journey is not one to miss. (Margaret Mary Glazier)