Bulletin
In This Moment: Liberation and Struggle After Prison Reform
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Wednesday, February 24, 6pm–8pm. (773) 324-3520. hydeparkart.org
Join a dialogue about ongoing prison and policing reform and visit “Weight of Rage,” an exhibition at HPAC that aims to address the same issues. It features works by men who took a class at Stateville Correctional Center taught by community organization Prison + Neighborhood Art Project. Workshops and discussions included. (Yunhan Wen)
#FedUpFriday: CPS Students Rally Against Budget Cuts
James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St. Friday, February 26, 4:30pm. Free.
CPS schools have been suffering after a series of recent policy decisions, from school closures to staff layoffs. Recently, Governor Bruce Rauner implemented new budget cuts; some students have decided it’s time to rally and fight back. (Yunhan Wen)
2016 Bronzeville Youth 360 Summit
Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies at Northeastern Illinois University, 700 E. Oakwood Blvd. Saturday, February 27, 9am–2pm. Free for youth. Tickets at eventbrite.com.
The second annual Bronzeville Youth 360 Summit has just about everything worth waking up early on a Saturday for: workshops, scholarship opportunities, free food, and the promise of a “VERY special guest from a VERY popular TV show” (possibly Empire). Don’t miss out. (Christopher Good)
Chicago Education Expo
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 733 W. Madison St. Saturday, February 27, 9am–12:30pm. Free. (312) 504-0094. chicagoeducationexpo.com
Looking for some new options for your Pre-K through eighth grader? Check out presentations from over fifty schools, education organizations, and childcare centers. The expo will also feature a panel discussion with representatives from non-traditional schools as well as guest talks about nutrition and early childhood education. (Hafsa Razi)
Small Business Center on the Road
Kennedy-King College, 740 W. 63rd St., Building U. Saturday, February 27, 10am–2pm. (312) 744-6060. Register at eventbrite.com
The City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection will be hosting an exposition designed to alert small businesses in the city to the resources at their disposal. Attractions for this Saturday include a tax clinic, professional headshots, a legal clinic, and makeovers from Ulta Cosmetics. (Christian Belanger)
African American Read-in
Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St. Sunday, February 28, 1:30pm–4pm. To read, RSVP at kaford23@hotmail.com or (773) 509-5058.
This upcoming Sunday, the National Writers Union will be showcasing short readings by African-American authors; slots to read are still available. Light refreshments will be served. (Christian Belanger)
Police and Capitalism: A Socialist Analysis
57th Street Meeting of Friends, 5615 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, March 2, 7pm. (773) 850-0476. chicagosocialists.org
A wide variety of views are currently being aired about policing in Chicago, but what do the Marxists think? At this meeting, members of the International Socialist Organization will share their understanding of the situation. (Adam Thorp)
Campus Wars: Free Speech vs. Safe Spaces?
Seminary Co-op, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. Thursday, March 3, 6pm. (773) 752-4381. semcoop.com
Supporters of the hard-line position in favor of campus free speech have rallied behind the UofC’s Statement on Principles of Free Expression. Professor Geoffrey Stone, the statement’s author, will consider the issue just south of the campus venue where Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez was prevented from speaking by protesters not three weeks beforehand. (Adam Thorp)
The Pursuit of Happiness: Transgender Equality in 2016
Institute of Politics, 5707 S. Woodlawn Ave. Monday, March 7, 6pm–7:15pm. Free. (773) 834-4671. politics.uchicago.edu
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, will speak at the UofC’s Institute of Politics about the ongoing fight against transphobic prejudice and violence. As a leading activist and authority, Keisling will be sure to lead a vital discussion. (Christopher Good)
Visual Arts
Memory II: An Object Roundtable
Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. Friday, February 26, 1pm. Free. (773) 702-0200. smartmuseum.uchicago.edu
Create memories at this roundtable discussion with UofC faculty and scholars from various disciplines. Think about how artifacts and artwork impact our memories of times past: conversation will be based on objects in the Smart Museum’s collection and the recent “Conversations with the Collection: Memory” exhibit. (Anne Li)
Lay a Ghost
cornerstore, 1903 S. Allport St. #3F. Opening reception Saturday, February 27, 7pm–10pm. Through April 3. Free. cornerstoregallery.biz
Artists J. Michael Ford, Meg Nafziger, and Caleb Yono take over cornerstore’s new space with a show that doesn’t fail to live up to its name: though ghostly in way of description, “Lay a Ghost” features a group of artists whose work is all about corporeality. (Corinne Butta)
Hyde Park Handmade Bazaar
The Promontory, second floor. 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Sunday, February 28, 11am–4pm. hydeparkhandmade.com
Love arts and crafts? Explore a display of clothing, jewelry, sculptures, and more, all handmade by local artists, at Hyde Park Handmade. Buy your favorites to bring home, and check out the farmer’s market for fresh produce while you’re there! (Anne Li)
Paper Protest Workshop with Ellen Gradman
Uri-Eichen Gallery, 2101 S. Halsted St. Sunday, February 28, 1pm–4pm. Free. (312) 852-7717. uri-eichen.com
Ellen Gradman, artist and activist, is leading an afternoon of instruction in revolutionary making. All the materials necessary to create your own, personal, possibly radical, Paper Protest will be provided. All “artivists” welcome! RSVP to everychicago@gmail.com. (Corinne Butta)
Leslie Baum: MOUNTAIN and sea
4th Ward Project Space, 5338 S. Kimbark Ave. Opening reception Sunday, February 28, 4pm–7pm. Through April 2. Saturday, 2pm–6pm. Free. (733) 203-2991. 4wps.org
Painter and multimedia artist Leslie Baum hopes to transform the 4th Ward Project Space into a “meditation space,” one awash with color and anchored by equilateral triangles. With panoramic canvasses and a Helen Frankenthaler-inspired name, it’s ambitious—but then again, so is all great art. (Christopher Good)
Music
Goodbye, The Shrine
The Shrine, 2109 S. State St.
The Shrine, a historic Chicago club that, for readers of this calendar, will need absolutely no introduction, has closed its doors permanently after a double shooting early in the morning this past Saturday. The club had originally planned to close after Busta Rhymes’s show on February 28 in order to clear space for a planned South Loop apartment and hotel development, but has canceled that and its other remaining shows. The Shrine appears in at least thirty-one of the forty calendars in the Weekly’s online archives. The venue and its music will be missed. (Jake Bittle)
Lynn Hilton
The Quarry, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, February 26, 7pm–11:30pm. (773) 741-6254. mobetterjazzchicago.us
Internationally renowned vocalist Lynn Hilton will drop by Mo Better Jazz later this month. Having performed around the world, she returns to her native city of Chicago to share her multifaceted abilities. (Bilal Othman)
The Dojo presents Mykele’s Mixed-Bag
The Dojo. Friday, February 26. Gallery opens 8:30pm, music at 9:30pm. $5 suggested donation. (312) 631-8139 (call for address on day of show). facebook.com/thedojochi
This combination gallery showcase and concert will celebrate the birthday of Mykele Deville, one of the founders of the Dojo, a DIY space previously profiled in the Weekly. As with all of the Dojo’s events, this one intends to create a safe, loving space above all, and as the event description warns, “no fuckery will be tolerated.” (Jake Bittle)
HIP HOP IN HYDE PARK: Chicago vs. New York
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Friday, February 26, 9pm. $10 before midnight, $20 after. 21+. (312) 801-1200. promontorychicago.com
PHLI LIFE presents DJ Jay ILLA (Chicago) versus DJ MUSTAFA (New York) as well as DJ LR for a night of retro hip-hop and neo-soul as well as the promise of good food on site in this First and Second City face-off. (Mira Jaworski)
ESSO
Reggies, 2105 S. State St. Sunday, February 28, 8pm. 21+. $7 at door. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
The Chicago musicians known as ESSO—El Sonido Sonic Octopus, that is—distill funk and afro-pop into a potent blend of breakbeat drumming, kaleidoscopic horns, and Stevie Wonder-esque clavinet. Nod your head, dance along, and make sure to catch the hook-laden opening jams from Karikatura and The Limbos. (Christopher Good)
Fantasty
Wesley Kimler Studio, 2046 W. Carroll Ave. Saturday, March 12, 9pm. Free with RSVP. 18+. do312.com/fantasty
VAM Studio celebrates its one-year birthday with a huge exhibition, featuring live performances and visual art from the city’s coolest underground talents. Prepare for 3D video, performances by Glass Lux, Daryn Alexus, Owen Bones, DJ Taye, Sirr Tmo, and more, and possibly live animals. (Zoe Makoul)
Stage & Screen
The Gifted and My Africa Is
Studio Movie Grill Chatham 14, 210 W. 87th St. Thursday, February 25, 7pm. $6. blackworldcinema.net
The end to BWC’s Black Future Month celebration kicks off with the 1993 sci-fi thriller, The Gift. The night continues with My Africa Is, a film profiling three unique stories of innovation coming out of Nairobi. Stay until the end to be present for a live Skype interview with The Gift director, Audrey King Lewis. (Bilal Othman)
Gozamos presents Gózalo: The 5 Elements of Hip Hop Party
Cultura in Pilsen, 1900 S. Carpenter St. Friday, February 26. 8pm–11:59pm. Suggested $10 donation. culturainpilsen.com
Having just turned six, Gozamos, a nonprofit and volunteer-run magazine, is launching a series of monthly celebrations of culture and community. The first features live graffiti painting, a breakdance performance, and most of all, a focus on hip-hop. All proceeds go to the performance artists and the magazine. (Maddie Anderson)
Frame of Reference: An Evening with Christopher Harris
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Friday, February 26, 7pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. southsideprojections.org
With subject matter ranging from ethnographic daguerreotypes to religious theme park tableaux, Christopher Harris’s uncompromising films have earned him acclaim worldwide. Expect striking imagery and thought-provoking storytelling at this screening and discussion with the artist. (Christopher Good)
Junior League of Chicago Mad Hatters
Bessie Coleman Public Library, 731 E. 63rd St. South Shore Public Library, 2505 E. 73rd St. Saturday, February 27, 11am & 1pm, respectively. Free. jlchicago.org
Drop by your library of choice Saturday and enjoy the performance of a lifetime. In an initiative to promote literacy and a love for literature from a young age, the Mad Hatters engage kids aged three to nine using interactive stories. Laugh, sing, and participate all while wearing fun and silly hats! (Bilal Othman)
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice
The DuSable, 740 E. 56th Pl. Friday, February 26, 7pm. $15. (773) 947-0600. dusablemuseum.org
As the 2016 Olympics come up, the DuSable screens a film reminding us it hasn’t always been a joyful event. Olympic Pride, American Prejudice tells the story of eighteen African-American Olympic athletes in 1936, competing against not only their peers but also against Jim Crow restrictions and the Aryan supremacy of Nazi forces. (Kezie Nwachukwu)
#OscarsStillSoWhite: A Conversation about Hollywood’s Racial Politics
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Sunday, February 28. 4pm–6pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Offended that Michael B. Jordan wasn’t nominated for the Oscar for best actor? Shocked that Idris Elba wasn’t nominated either? Here’s a venue where you can discuss your thoughts regarding racial diversity in the film industry with Chicago directors, actors, and curators. (Maddie Anderson)
Winnie Wright, Age 11
Kartemquin Films, Friday, February 26–Thursday, March 3. Free. (773) 472-4366. kartemquin.com
Enjoy free streaming this week for the 1974 film, Winnie Wright, Age 11 on Kartemquin Films’s website. Gain insight into the unique perspective of Winnie, a young, white, working-class girl in Gage Park as she comes of age in a world rife with racism and economic instability. (Kezie Nwachukwu)
The Set Speaks
Propeller Fund Studios, 4th floor of Mana Contemporary at 2233 S. Throop St. February 8 – March 31. Open Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday, 12pm-5pm. Free. (312) 850-0555. acretv.org
For ACRE TV’s new programming block, seven groups of artists will take turns broadcasting a nonstop camera feed from their studio. Falling halfway between the schlock of Big Brother and the avant-garde stylings of Hito Steyerl, the exhibition—which will be livestreamed online—promises to deliver everything from #newglobalmatriarchy to soap operas for two months straight. (Christopher Good)
Lines in the Dust
eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. Chicago Ave. February 5 – March 27. Friday and Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 3pm. $30, discounts available for seniors, students, and groups. (773) 752-3955. etacreativearts.org
“Who gets the best education in America?” This is the question asked by Lines in the Dust, playwright Nikkole Salter’s gripping look into education inequity, poverty, and its human cost. Join director Phyllis E. Griffin for the play’s Chicago premiere. (Christopher Good)