Bulletin
Crook County: Book Discussion with Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve
UofC School of Social Service Administration, 969 E. 60th St. Wednesday, May 11, 4:30pm–6:00pm. Free. RSVP required. (773) 702-1250.myssaa.uchicago.edu
After countless hours of firsthand research and investigation, legal scholar and author Nicole Gonzales Van Cleve penned Crook County, a damning account of the banal evils taking place in the largest criminal court in America. Now, Gonzales Van Cleve will discuss her book at the UofC. Not to be missed. (Christopher Good)
Policy Through Poetry
Quinn Chapel AME Church, 2401 S. Wabash Ave. Thursday, May 12, 5:30pm–7:30pm. Free. RSVP online. (773) 245-1621. nphm.org
The National Public Housing Museum and the Poetry Foundation present this showcase of poems written by public housing residents. This reading is a follow-up to After the Plan, the museum’s January program, and will be moderated by Dr. Charlie Barlow. It continues to explore the effects of CHA’s Plan for Transformation. (Anne Li)
Hyde Park Garden Fair
Hyde Park Shopping Center, 55th St. and S. Lake Park Ave. Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14. (773) 955-4455. hydeparkgardenfair.org
From chrysanthemums to carnations, the storied Hyde Park Garden Fair, billed as “Chicago’s oldest community garden sale,” boasts a vast selection of hand-curated plants. Mother’s Day might have been last weekend, but this is the perfect chance to pick up a bouquet for the near and dear. (Christopher Good)
Dimensions in Multicultural Education: Unraveling Privilege
Ancona School, 4770 S. Dorchester Ave. Saturday, May 14, 8:45am–3:30pm. $20-$30. (773) 924-2356. anconaschool.org
Sweet variety! Register by 9am and stay all day for a slew of activities: free coffee, UIC professor David Stovall’s talk on how to walk the equity walk, lunch by Medici, your choice of several exciting “breakout sessions” on diverse topics, and even an afternoon film screening! (Neal Jochmann)
Kenwood Oakland Community Organization Convention
King College Prep Academy, 4445 S. Drexel Blvd. Saturday, May 14, 11am–3pm. Free. (773) 548-7500. kocoonline.org
Mattie Hunter is a veteran caucus whip on the Illinois Senate floor; Veronica Morris-Moore of Fearless Leading by the Youth is on the front lines of social change. Both outstanding voices are scheduled to speak at this event, which is KOCO’s fourth annual. What’s more, lunch is free! (Neal Jochmann)
Conversation with Theresa Mah
Institute of Politics, 5707 S. Woodlawn Ave. Monday, May 16, 6pm – 7:15pm. Free. (773) 834-4671. politics.uchicago.edu.
Engage with local politics in this conversation with Theresa Mah, the Democratic candidate for the 2nd District’s state representative. Mah won an upset victory in the primaries, and with no Republican contenders, she’s on her way to being the district’s first Asian-American representative. (Anne Li)
Adam Grossi: I Can See it Both Ways
Chicago Art Department East, 1932 S. Halsted Ave., #100. Opening reception Friday, May 13, 6pm–10pm. Exhibition through Friday, May20. Free. (312) 725-4223. chicagoartdepartment.org
Adam Grossi can see it both ways. Can you? From tempera smears to Twombly scribbles, the philosopher, yogi, and artist has a scattered artistic vocabulary—but his buckshot methodology belies an impressive focus on loose structures and cool hues. (Christopher Good)
Oscar Magallanes: New American Portrait
Uri-Eichen Gallery, 2101 S. Halsted Ave. Opening May 13, 6pm–10pm. Free. (312) 852-7717. uri-eichen.com
LA-based artist Oscar Magallanes debuts his socially and environmentally focused artwork at the Uri-Eichen Gallery. His work is known for its bold graphics depicting cultural and political iconography. Magallanes’s work will serve as a portrait of America’s relationship with labor. (Troy Ordoñez)
Carlos Rolón/Dzine: I Tell You This Sincerely…
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Panel discussion and opening reception Saturday, May 14, 3:30pm–7pm. Exhibition through July 31, Monday–Thursday, 10am–7pm; Friday–Sunday, 10am–6pm. Free. cityofchicago.org
Join Carlos Rolón, María Elena Ortiz, Enoc Perez, and Edra Soto for a conversation on the role of Latino artists in the contemporary art market. Then (and I mean this sincerely) the party starts with DJ Lugo Rosado, who will mix the selection for the exhibition’s opening. (Corinne Butta)
Conscious Rise
2320 S. Kedzie Ave., 1st floor rear. Saturday, May 14, 6pm–midnight. Free.
Join Las Artelitas in a night of visual art, spoken word, and musical performances aimed at raising the voices of those who find themselves without one. The night will end in a celebration of the thriving Little Village creative community, so “bring your dancing shoes!” (Corinne Butta)
HCL Spring Open House
High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary Chicago, 2233 S. Throop St. Saturday, May 14, 7:30pm–11:30pm. $15 general admission (1 drink ticket); $25 special admission (3 drink tickets); $40 VIP admission (open bar and other perks). highconceptlaboratories.org
The days are getting longer, the nights are getting warmer, and pollen is everywhere. What better way to celebrate than attending High Concept Labs’s biannual open house? With an impressive lineup of artists and a bar stocked by just about every brewery in the area, it’s the perfect springtime kickback. (Christopher Good)
Music
Pile (WHPK Summer Breeze)
Eco, 2042 W. 21st St. Friday, May 13, 8pm. $10 donation. (773) 702-8424. facebook.com/whpk885
This year, WHPK Summer Breeze will be held at top-notch DIY venue Eco in Pilsen. With Bostonian noise-punkers Pile headlining and a whole multitude of local bands supporting, it won’t be hard for the show to live up to the station’s reputation as “the Pride of the South Side.” (Christopher Good)
Hop Along with Speedy Ortiz
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, May 19, doors 7:30pm, show 8:30pm. $16 online, $18 day of show, 17+. (312) 526-3851.thaliahallchicago.com.
While their Twitter bio might describe them simply as “two short people and two tall people,” Philly indie rock foursome Hop Along are sure to bring high energy and emotion to Thalia Hall. As an added bonus, the quartet will be performing alongside Massachusetts’s Speedy Ortiz and their new single, “Death Note,” hopefully making for a show to do more than just hop along to. (Kanisha Williams)
Del The Funky Homosapien
Reggies Rock Club, 2105 S. State St. Thursday, May 12, doors 8pm. $16 online, $20 day of show. 17+. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
You might best know Del The Funky Homosapien as Ice Cube’s cousin, the renowned solo alt-rapper from the mid nineties, the “Mastermind” of one-off lightning-in-a-bottle project Deltron 3030, or that one guy from the Gorillaz’s classic “Clint Eastwood.” All (except for maybe the “Ice Cube’s cousin” thing) are great reasons to swing by Reggies this Thursday. As the title of his tour reminds listeners, Del is still “iller than most.” (Austin Brown)
Nunsense
Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. Thursday, May 12–Sunday, May 15; show 7pm, except 3:30pm matinee on Sunday. $21 members / $23 general admission. (773) 445-3838. beverlyartcenter.org
Here at the South Side Weekly, we’re no strangers to nuns: from flying nuns to radicals like Sor Juana Inés la Cruz, we cover it all. BAC Professional Series’ newest play, however—an irreverent slapstick comedy about food poisoning, Grease, and Hoboken—is nunprecedented. (Christopher Good)
One Man, Two Guvnors
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Thursday, May 12 – Sunday, June 12. Full schedule available online. $38, discounts available for students and seniors. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org
With a comic title and a fondness for fish and chips, Two Guvnors—an adaption of Carlo Goldoni’s classic The Servant of Two Masters, retrofitted for 1963—all but Union hi-Jacks its source material’s hijinks. It’s fast-paced, farcical, and generally ridiculous—in short, quintessentially British. (Christopher Good)
Quartiers Lointains: French-African Films
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Friday, May 13, 7pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Black Cinema House will show four recent, critically acclaimed French-African movies this Friday. Curated by French-Burkinabe cinema journalist Claire Diao and accompanied by one of the film’s directors, take a journey through the complexities of masculinity or the nature of wedding arrangements, all unified by one theme: love. (Kezie Nwachukwu)
Grassroots Chicago
Kartemquin Films. Streaming online Friday, May 13 – Thursday, May 19. Free. (773) 472-4366. watch.kartemquin.com
Anyone interested in community organizing should be sure to watch Grassroots Chicago, which Kartemquin will begin to stream this Friday. The 1991 documentary follows residents in seven Chicago neighborhoods as they organize to create change in their communities. Plus new conversations and additional content from the Kartemquin archives will be included. (Joe Andrews)
Nam June Paik & TV Lab: License to Create
Filmfront, 1740 W. 18th St. Saturday, May 14; doors 6:30pm, screening 7pm. Free. filmfront.org
If you’ve ever watched reality television, you can thank Nam June Paik, the creator of TV Lab: an experimental series that aired on NY public television during the seventies and early eighties, instrumental to the development of modern day TV. Filmfront will host a screening of a documentary about his work, with the filmmaker in attendance. (Bilal Othman)
Migration
eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 3pm between Friday, April 29–Sunday, June 19, 3pm. $35. (773) 752-3955. etacreativearts.org
The history of the great migration can be overwhelming—a confluence of important cultural strains, people, and institutions all loaded with historical import. Migration tries to capture the complicated interactions that brought thousands of African Americans to northern cities through music, dance, and dialogue. (Adam Thorp)
Krystyna Dabrowska Reading
University of Chicago Classics Building, 1010 E. 59th St., room 110. Wednesday, May 11, 6pm–7:30pm. Free, book $20. (773) 752-4381.semcoop.com
Krystyna Dabrowska, renowned poet and recipient of the Wisława Szymborska Prize, joins fellow poet Karen Kovacik and translator Antonia Lloyd-Jones for a discussion of Polish female poetry and the art of poetry translation. The event will be moderated by UofC professor Bożena Shallcross and will offer refreshments and a book signing afterward. (Kezie Nwachukwu)
Fifth Wednesday Journal Reading
Seminary Co-op, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, May 11, 6pm. (773) 752-4381. semcoop.com
Fifth Wednesday Journal, a nonprofit literary magazine, presents this reading by three highly distinguished poets. Haki R. Madhubuti, Hedy Habra, and George Kalamaras will read selections as part of Fifth Wednesday Journal’s mission to promote literature and photography in public spaces. (Anne Li)
Ada Palmer’s First Novel
57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th St. Monday, May 16, 6pm. Free. (773) 684-1300. semcoop.com
Ada Palmer, who teaches Renaissance history at the UofC and also composes Renaissance-inspired a cappella music, will discuss her first novel, Too Like the Lightning, at 57th Street Books. The book, pursuant to Palmer’s longstanding interest in science fiction, fuses Enlightenment philosophy and fantasy into a story about a political revolution in the distant dystopian future. The year, to be exact, is 2454. (Jake Bittle)
Story Club South Side Open Mic
Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219-21 S. Morgan St. May 17, sign-up at 7:30pm, show at 8pm. Free, suggested $10 donation. (773) 837-0145.storyclubchicago.com
The first rule of Story Club is that you don’t talk about Story Club. Just kidding, that would defeat the purpose of a Story Club South Side Open Mic, wouldn’t it? On May 17, the Co-Prosperity Sphere hosts this edition of a Chicago-wide open mic series—bring your stories of secret fight clubs, but remember it’s an all-ages show. (Kanisha Williams)
Grown Folks Stories
Silver Room, 1506 E. 53rd St. Thursday, May 21, 8–10pm. (773) 947-0024. thesilverroom.com
Come listen, come tell. Come to share, and to show. Spend an evening with other storytellers of all stripes, except professional ones, in a casual and unrehearsed setting. Tell us about something funny, something crazy, something heartbreaking, something that happened to you—tell us a story about life. (Anne Li)