Bulletin
Clean Air, Power, and Coal?
Chicago Booth Harper Center, 5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue, room 104. Thursday, April 21, 3:30pm–5pm. Free. (773) 702-0627. epic.uchicago.edu.
Explore the future of clean energy with Richard L. Revesz, co-author of Struggling for Air: Power Plants and the “War on Coal.” Revesz will discuss how “grandfather clauses” have allowed coal plants exemption from the Clean Air Act. (Anne Li)
UChicago Medicine: Community Forum
KLEO Community Family Life Center, 119 E. Garfield Blvd. Thursday, April 21, 5:30pm–7:30pm. Free. Light refreshments and dinner provided. (773) 702-1000. RSVP at uchicagogetcare.org
With a hard-won trauma center now on the way, the UofC is closer than ever to providing fair and accessible healthcare for all—but the conversation is far from over. Make your voice heard and shape the rollout of the proposed “Get CARE” program at this open community forum. (Christopher Good)
The Job Market Revolution
Chicago Innovation Exchange, 1452 E. 53rd St. 2nd floor. Thursday, April 21, 5pm–7pm. Free. (773) 702-2076. meetup.com/tech-jobs-space
The increasing sophistication of robots and artificial intelligence leaves old-fashioned human workers with some questions about their future: for instance, the hopefully comprehensive list of twenty increasingly worried and worrying questions this event’s organizer promises to try to answer. (Adam Thorp)
Demo Night Incubator Session: Chicago Public Schools
Robert R. McCormick Foundation, 205 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 4300. Thursday, April 21, 6pm–8pm. Free. demonight.org
Part of a monthly series on public engagement and building on questions raised last month, this month’s focus will be on examining and exploring ways to improve the approach taken by Chicago Public Schools in engaging its communities. Those affected by budget cuts and school closings are encouraged to attend. (Carrie Smith)
Kathleen Neal Cleaver: CSRPC Annual Public Lecture
International House Assembly Hall, 1414 E. 59th St. Thursday, April 21, 6:30pm–8:30pm. Free. (773) 702-8063. csrpc.uchicago.edu
As one of only a handful of women at the commanding heights of the Black Panther organization, Kathleen Neal Cleaver lived an eventful life, fleeing to Algeria, North Korea and France after her husband participated in an ambush of Oakland police officers. Neal Cleaver, now living a presumably more sedate life as a law school professor, will discuss the role of women in the Black Panther movement. (Adam Thorp)
Conference on Justice and Resolution
Richard J. Daley College Beattie Theatre, 7500 S. Pulaski Rd. Saturday, April 23, 9am–12pm. Free. (708) 208-7477.
Network with local criminal justice organizations at the Re-entry Education and Criminal Justice Summit. Examine problems of recidivism and reentry with other professionals, and consider restorative justice solutions. (Anne Li)
Jackson Park: Earth Day 2016 Parks and Preserves Clean-up
Jackson Park, 6401 S. Stony Island Ave. Saturday, April 23rd, 9am–12pm. Free. (312) 857-2757. fotp.org
Celebrate Earth Day by helping clean Jackson Park. After a few rewarding hours, you can relax: there will be Earth Day celebrations until 2pm at Humboldt Park and everyone is highly encouraged to attend. While most sites will have extra work gloves, to ensure you have a pair, please consider bringing your own. For a full list of clean-up sites in Chicago, and to register, go to earthdaychicago.com. (Camila Cuesta)
R.A.G.E. Open House
Kelly Library, 6151 S. Normal Blvd. Saturday, April 23, 10:30am. (866) 845-1032. englewoodportal.org
If you are a resident of Englewood or are eager to spur change in the community, join the Resident Association of Greater Englewood initiative to join forces with like-minded individuals. Informational sessions at this open house will provide opportunities to join R.A.G.E. and detail the fundamental steps required in order to address current problems. (Gozie Nwachukwu)
Visual Arts
Erik Salgado: Brick Painting
The Egg, Alley next to 2214 S Sawyer Ave. First garage on the left. Opening Friday, April 22, 6pm; through May 6. Free. newchiplace.tumblr.com
Chicago-based interdisciplinary and hip-hop artist Erik Salgado will bring his graffiti inspired artwork to The Egg. This is part of an ongoing series called “virgin bricks” for which Erik searched and found the perfect place to spray paint his ephemeral, but beautiful, modern and post-modern artwork. (Troy Ordonez)
Shared History: SSCAC and SAIC Joint Anniversary Exhibition
South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave. Opening Friday, April 22, 6pm-9pm; exhibition runs Wednesday–Friday noon-5pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm. Through July 2. Free. (773) 373-1026. sscartcenter.org
Celebrate 75 years of America’s first black art museum, the South Side Community Art Center, and 150 years of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. With featured works from many noted artists—including Archibald Motley, Margaret Burroughs, and Ayanah Moor—this exhibition is sure to reflect the rich history and kinship between two of Chicago’s chief art institutions. (Joe Andrews)
The Feeling and Movement of Place
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Saturday, April 23, 1pm–3pm. Free. (312) 738-1503. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
As the world gets smaller, artists find themselves at a new crossroads of cultural belonging and creation. What is to be done? The NMoMA will host a panel on the entanglement of art and place, driven by commentary from artists such as Rozalinda Borcila, Faheem Majeed, Maria Gaspar, Josh Rios, and Erina Duganne. (Christopher Good)
BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer)
Mana Contemporary Chicago, 2233 S. Throop St., 6th floor. Saturday, April 23, 8pm–10pm. Free. (312) 850-0555. manacontemporarychicago.com
Dozens of artists. Dozens of projectors. What do you get when you combine the two? An audiovisual extravaganza of flashing lights, moving images, and illuminated dust motes, all projected upon the walls of the Mana Contemporary. Elsewhere, the projector is used for the humble classroom PowerPoint—but here, it is a canvas. (Christopher Good)
Between the Ticks of the Watch
Renaissance Society, 5811 S. Ellis Ave., 4th floor. Opening Sunday, April 24, 4pm–7pm; exhibition runs Tuesday–Friday 10am–5pm, Saturday–Sunday 12pm–5pm. Through June 26. Free. (773)702-8670. renaissancesociety.org.
What do you know about anything? Instead of spending time puzzling over that question of questions, spend your time with the work of artists including Kevin Beasley, Goutam Ghosh, and Falke Pisano, who embrace doubt as the starting point for all things. (Corinne Butta)
Music
June Yvon
Mo Better Jazz, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, April 22, doors and show 7pm. $10 suggested donation. All ages. (773) 741-6254. mobetterjazzchicago.us
Local Jazz veteran June Yvon will take over the Mo Better Jazz stage this coming Friday. Ms. Yvon has performed all over Chicago alongside collectives like the Rajiv Halim Quartet. Stop by for a night of drinks, fun, and music. (Bilal Othman)
D∆WN
Reggies Rock Club, 2105 S. State St. Friday, April 22. Doors 6:30pm. $15-$20. All ages. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
Experimental R&B singer D∆WN will perform Friday at Reggies Rock Club. Finding early success with Danity Kane and Diddy-Dirty Money, D∆WN’s experience shines through in her ear for offbeat songwriting—publications like the New York Times and FACT Magazine have given her most recent album, 2015’s Blackheart, critical acclaim. (Kezie Nwachukwu)
Lissie
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Friday, April 22. Doors 6:30pm, show 7:30pm. $20 standing room, $26 seats. All ages. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
Pop-rocker Lissie brings her approachable yet arena-ready sound to Pilsen’s Thalia Hall for the second-to-last gig of a US tour promoting her 3rd album, My Wild West. Genre-bending New Jersey singer-songwriter Skrizzly Adams will open. (Neal Jochmann)
Jadakiss
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Thursday, April 28. Doors 8pm, show 8:30pm. $20 GA, $35 VIP, $75 meet-and-greet. 17+. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Steady Roc-a-Fella journeyman MC Jadakiss, possessor of the most distinctively raspy voice this side of DMX, comes to the Promontory next week to showcase his “blunt smoke and liquor treated voice,” as the release for the show reads. Kiss is promoting his upcoming Freddy vs. Jason mixtape with fellow New York City mid-aughts mainstay Fabolous. (Sam Stecklow)
Pacifica Quartet
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Sunday, April 24, 3:00pm. $30 regular, $5 students. All ages. (773) 702-8484. arts.uchicago.edu
Come see Pacifica Quartet perform classical pieces in dedication to others. The program includes “Mozart’s Quartet in G Major,” which was dedicated to Mozart’s close friend and “Shostakovich Quartet No. 11,” intended to honor the second violinist in Beethoven’s Quartet. Be sure to stick around—the show will conclude with “Beethoven’s Quartet in C-Sharp Minor,” a grandiose piece for the Prince Nikolai Golitzin. (Gozie Nwachukwu)
Stage & Screen
The (In)Justice For All Film Festival Opening Screening
Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 W. 95th St. Thursday, April 21, 7pm–9pm. Free. www.injusticeforallff.com
The festival’s third year kicks off with a short program featuring remarks by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, sneak peeks of this year’s nine-day fest, and a screening of Dramatic Escape, a documentary about inmates at Sing Sing Correctional Facility who put on a behind-bars play. (Eleonora Edreva)
Can I Live: Cypher
Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative, 1456 E. 70 St. Thursday, April 21. 7pm–9pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
In partnership with the Can I Live Block Party Chicago, young Chicago hip-hop artists gather to share a beat at Dorchester Collaborative’s shared space to represent the South Side’s music landscape as a hotbed for artistic progression and social change. (Neal Jochmann)
And When I Die I Won’t Stay Dead
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Friday, April 22, 7pm–9:30pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Join the Black Cinema House for a screening of Billy Woodberry’s biopic on the seminal African-American beat poet Bob Kaufman. With its inspired use of archival footage and non-linear storytelling, Woodberry’s film will parallel the poetry of its subject, “Wailing his triumphs of oddly begotten dreams / Inviting the nerveless to feel once more.” (Christopher Good)
The Last Pullman Car
Kartemquin Films. Streaming online from Thursday, April 22–Thursday, April 29. Free. (773) 472-4366. kartemquin.com
As it explores the neighborhood’s transition from industrial expansion to economic peril, The Last Pullman Car weaves unions, railroad magnates, and shipping empires into a gripping requiem for the Rust Belt. The film will be available to stream free online as Kartemquin celebrates its fiftieth anniversary—but only for a limited time, so act fast. (Christopher Good)
Ripe Leeks: lucid dreams
Filmfront, 1740 W. 18th St. Saturday, April 23, 6pm. Free. filmfront.org
Support local artists by coming to Ripe Leeks, a quarterly screening series that solely features works produced by Chicago filmmakers. This quarter’s theme is dreams. Explore the work of Andrew Rosinski, Amanda VanValkenburg, Derek Weber, Kaitlin Martin, Kent Lambert, LJ Frezza, and Lilli Carré all in one fantasy-like evening. (Bilal Othman)
Works-In-Progress: Stephan Moore
High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary Chicago, 2233 S. Throop St. Wednesday, April 27, 7pm-8:30pm. $5 suggested donation. highconceptlaboratories.org
Performance art group a canary torsi is giving an exclusive look at their new interactive installation, Performer Standing with Curtain. The work is still in progress, and audience members will have a chance to provide feedback and help shape the future of the piece. (Eleonora Edreva)
Lit
Bernadette Mayer Reading
Joseph Regenstein Library, 1100 E. 57th St., Room 122. Wednesday, April 20, 6pm–7:30pm. Free. (773) 834-8524. lib.uchicago.edu
Bernadette Mayer is the author of more than two dozen collections of poetry. Part of the influential New York School, her experiments in poetic form (not to mention her innovative multimedia works) have changed the landscape of American art. Ms. Mayer is a national treasure. Do not miss this reading. (Jake Bittle)
The Frunchroom
O’Rourke’s Office, 11064 S. Western Ave. Thursday, April 21, 7:30pm. Free. thefrunchroom.com
Enjoy the power and potential of Chicago stories with The Frunchroom’s quarterly reading series, in which five local writers give their thoughts on the South Side. Come early or stay late to celebrate the start of the series’ second year. (Sarah Claypoole)
Grown Folks Stories
The Silver Room, 1506 E. 53rd St. Thursday, April 21, 8pm–10pm. $5 suggested donation. (773) 947-0024. thesilverroom.com
Grown Folks Stories emphasizes storytelling in its purest form: “no theme, no judging, no poetry, no readings.” Hosted monthly by Cara Brigandi, you’ve got two to five minutes to tell whatever story you’d like. Just put your name in the jar. (Sarah Claypoole)
Every Person is a Philosopher
Seminary Co-op, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. Sunday, April 24, 3pm–5pm. Free. (773) 752-4381. semcoop.com
Educator and activist Hal Adams garners much-deserved critical attention in a new volume of essays. Four of its co-authors—Bill Ayers, Janise Hurtig, Peter Kahn, and Christine Tarkowski—gather to discuss Every Person is a Philosopher: Lessons in Educational Emancipation from the Radical Teaching Life of Hal Adams. (Sarah Claypoole)
Blackstone Public Library Spring Book Sale
Blackstone Public Library, 4904 S. Lake Park Ave. Saturday, April 30, 10am–3pm. (312) 747-0511.
Support your local branch of the public library by attending its annual sale. As the sale only happens once a year, make sure you come then to find both paperback and hardcover books. All proceeds go to the library. (Sarah Claypoole)