Bulletin
“What’s the Future of the Midwest?”
Chicago Innovation Exchange, 1452 E. 53rd St. Wednesday, June 3, 5:30pm-8pm. Free. cie.uchicago.edu.
What made the Twinkie an all-American staple? And the Robie House a landmark? Guests from design firm IDEO will delve into the Midwest’s history of industrial design, attempting to parse what makes the country’s flattest region also one of its most innovative. (Will Cabaniss)
Lecture on the History of Paint
Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave. Wednesday, June 3, 7pm. $10/$8 for members. Reservations by phone requested. (312)326-1480. glessnerhouse.org
What’s more fun than watching paint dry? Learning about its history! Attend the lecture at the Glessner House Museum by painter Mario Guertin on “The History of Paint in America,” and find out about painting in Colonial America and how paint ended up in cans. If you go, the event’s host promises, “You will never look at a paint can the same way again!” (Emily Lipstein)
Black Arts United States: Institutions and Interventions Conference
Mary and Lee Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston, IL. Thursday, June 4, 4pm through Saturday, June 6, 6pm. Free. (847)467-2756. bai.northwestern.edu
Northwestern University’s Black Arts Initiative hosts a conference that investigates the idea of interventions in the black arts and their relationship to institutions. The schedule is packed with panels featuring academics from all over the country, as well as performances. (Mari Cohen)
NeighborWorks Day in Englewood
W. 65th St. and S. Peoria St. Saturday, June 6, 8am-2pm. Free. (773)488-2004. nhschicago.org.
Join members of the Englewood community to cover up and decorate vacant homes. Organized by Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, NeighborWorks Day is also sponsoring projects on June 6 in Auburn Gresham, Roseland, Back of the Yards, and Chicago Lawn. (Will Cabaniss)
Liberation Library Kickoff
Deuce’s and the Diamond Club, 3505 N. Clark St. Wednesday, June 10, 6pm-9pm. $10. liberationlib.com
Liberation Library aims to bring books to young people in prisons around Illinois, working under the premise that access to books is a right rather than a privilege. This inaugural fundraiser will feature a raffle, food, and drink, and will help the Library send out its first book shipment this July. (Maha Ahmed)
Chicago to Greece: Building Social Movements Against Austerity
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, 800 S. Halsted St. Thursday, June 11, 6pm. solidarity4all.gr
In recent years, both Chicago and Greece have faced austerity measures, from mental health clinic and school closings in the former to heavy budget cuts in the latter. Christos Giovanopolous, a member of the Greek grassroots collective Solidarity For All, will speak on how to build international solidarity against austerity. (Christian Belanger)
Marxism and Black Liberation Day School
Grace United Methodist Church, 3325 W. Wrightwood Ave. Saturday, June 13, 10am-5pm. Free. Recommended readings on Facebook event page. chicagosocialists.org
How are Black liberation and worker liberation related? What is Black Marxism? Come for the collective experience of alienation from labor, stay for the enriching history lessons that will (hopefully) answer these questions and more. (Maha Ahmed)
Community Forum on Police Accountability
Teamster Office Building, 300 S. Ashland Ave. Saturday, June 13, 1pm-3pm. (312)939-2750. naarpr.org
Chicago’s Independent Police Review Authority’s first decade is being scrutinized; plenty of people are willing to find it lacking. The Authority has sometimes seemed reluctant to act against purported abuses. Speakers at this forum will propose an all-civilian, all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Council as an alternative. (Adam Thorp)
Urban Farm Open House
Wood Street Urban Farm, 5814 S. Wood St. Saturday, June 13, 11am-3pm. Free. (773)549-1336. growinghomeinc.org.
Food-focused nonprofit Growing Home will take a Saturday to open its organic urban farm to the public. Cooking classes and tours will be offered, refreshments will be available, and fresh produce will most certainly be on hand. (Will Cabaniss)
The Lincolns in Chicago
Second Presbyterian Church, 1936 S. Michigan Ave. Thursday, June 18, guided tours available at 5:30pm, lecture at 6pm. (800)657-0687. 2ndpresbyterianfriends.org
President Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd was one of many prominent Chicagoans to attend Second Presbyterian Church. Attendees of this event will follow in his footsteps and listen to Mark Pohlad, a professor at DePaul University, talk about the Lincolns’ Chicago connections. (Adam Thorp)
CAKE: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo
The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7, 11am-6pm. cakechicago.com
A section of the North Side will teem with graphically-oriented minds during this annual exposition, where Chicago-based artists present their work as part of a national gathering of illustrators and presses. Come empty handed—you’ll want to leave with a stack of books and a newfound love for comics. (Will Cabaniss)
So Fresh Saturdays
Sherwood Park, 5701 S. Shields Ave. Saturday, June 20, 3pm-8pm. (866)845-1032. ragenglewood.org
As part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (RAGE) will be hosting an “edu-tainment” series geared toward the community. Come out for workshops focused on youth, entrepreneurship, hip-hop, and much, much more. (Christian Belanger)
Making Farm to School a Reality
Jane Addams Hull House Museum, 800 S. Halsted St. Monday, June 29, 6pm-8pm. Free
Come to this workshop to learn how to advocate for farm-to-table programs in Illinois, which aim to bring fresh, locally grown food into schools, as well as educational programs about nutrition and agriculture. The goal is to expose kids to healthy food while simultaneously supporting local farms. (Will Cabaniss)
Mass March for CPAC
Federal Plaza, Adams St. and Dearborn St. Saturday, August 29, 12pm. (312)939-2750. naarpr.org.
Intensified public reaction to police abuses have clearly laid out a problem; a solution would be the next step. According to the organizers of this march, that solution is an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council, empowered to monitor the police. (Adam Thorp)
Visual Arts
CAKE: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo
The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7, 11am-6pm. cakechicago.com
A section of the North Side will teem with graphically-oriented minds during this annual exposition, where Chicago-based artists present their work as part of a national gathering of illustrators and presses. Come empty handed—you’ll want to leave with a stack of books and a newfound love for comics. (Mari Cohen)
Freedom, Resistance, and the Journey Towards Equality
DuSable Museum, 740 East 56th Place. Beginning June 11. Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, 12pm-5pm. Prices vary depending on age and resident status. (773)947-0600. dusablemuseum.org.
The DuSable’s new permanent installation will use complex, chronological storytelling to take visitors through the history of the African-American experience. This exhibit will employ a wide variety of objects and archives, from a 15th century “punishment collar,” through a 2007 Obama campaign poster. (Mari Cohen)
Sugar Foot Rain Dance
Arts Incubator, 301 E. Garfield Boulevard. Opening reception Friday, June 12, 6–9 pm. Exhibition June 12 – July 3.(773)702-9724. arts.uchicago.edu/arts-public-life
David Leggett, artist-in-residence at Arts + Public Life, is known for art that addresses issues varying from hip-hop to sexuality, from art history to race. This solo exhibition will display Leggett’s recent works on paper. (Darren Wan)
Reparations: A Walk Through History
Uri-Eichen Gallery, 2101 S. Halsted St. Friday, June 12, 6-10pm. (312)852-7717. uri-eichen.com.
Join photographers Farrad Ali and Michael J. Bracey for an exhibition and discussion of their personal and collective histories. “Reparations” charts their journeys through West Africa, as well as through Chicago, their current home. (Darren Wan)
Opening Reception at Slow
Slow, 2153 W 21st St. Saturday, June 20-July 11. Opening reception June 20, 6pm-9pm. . (773)645-8803. paul-is-slow.info
A new show at Slow gallery features the drawings of Brooklyn-based artist Matthew Lusk. Also featured is the “sexually combative” work of Chicago native Ryan Michael Pfeiffer and collaborator Rebecca Walz. (Clyde Schwab)
New Projects x New Curator
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Tuesday, July 21 – Tuesday, August 4. Monday-Thursday, 9am-8pm; Friday-Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 12pm-5pm. (773)324-5520. hydeparkart.org/exhibitions
This series of exhibitions is curated by participants in the Curatorial Practices course offered by the UofC Graham School in partnership with Hyde Park Art Center. Each show will feature work by contemporary artists from a variety of mediums. (Clyde Schwab)
Deportable Aliens
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. July 24-February 28, 2016. Opening reception Friday, July 24, 6-8pm. Discussion with artist and tour Wednesday, July 29, 6pm. (312)738-1503. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
In “Deportable Aliens,” Mexican artist Rodrigo Lara Zendejas explores the history of the Mexican Repatriation—the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Mexican Americans from the United States after the Great Depression. (Hafsa Razi)
Creatures from the Concrete
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Tuesday, August 4-Sunday, December 13. Monday-Thursday, 9am-8pm; Friday-Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 12pm-5pm. (773)324-5520. hydeparkart.org
Graffiti is moving indoors with this multimedia mural, but its spirit will remain as free and sprawling as ever; the combined work of seven female street artists, the exhibit will focus on social justice issues that loom large in the world outdoors. (Julia Aizuss)
De vuelta
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. August 21-March 13, 2016. Opening reception Friday, August 21, 6pm-8pm. (312)738-1503. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
After a five-decade-long career, Errol Ortiz presents his first solo museum exhibit, De Vuelta. A member of the Chicago Imagists, a group of artists prominent in the 1960s, Ortiz now revisits his work over the years. (Hafsa Razi)
Warm Kitty, Soft Kitty
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Sunday, September 6 through Sunday, December 13. Monday-Thursday, 9am-8pm; Friday-Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 12pm-5pm. (773)324-5520. hydeparkart.org
Never trust a title—there will (probably) be no kittens in this group exhibition curated by UofC arts administrator Camille Morgan, but the photography, performance, video, and sculpture on display will interrogate another important subject: physical touch, as phenomenology, aesthetic, and social practice. (Julia Aizuss)
Music
ADaD LP Release
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave West. Thursday, June 4, doors 9pm. $8 advance, $10 at the door. (312)801-2100. promontorychicago.com
After years as collaborator in such collaborative hip-hop endeavors as Eulorhythmics, MC ADaD is ready to branch out with his own LP, Drifted. Performing with Chicago-based artists NEAK and Psalm One, ADaD will showcase just why he’s one of Chicago’s “most prolific MCs.” (Alex Harrell)
Yvonne Gage
Mo Better Jazz, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, June 5, 7pm. 21+. (773)741-6254. mobetterjazzchicago.us
This four-hour set hosted by South Shore jazz promoters Mo Better will feature Yvonne Gage, a prominent 1980s pop vocalist who has used her pipes to support the likes of R. Kelly and Celine Dion, among numerous other superstars, stars, and almost-stars. Don’t miss this industry veteran when she reappears in her hometown. (Jake Bittle)
Ari Brown
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Friday, June 5, 8pm, 7pm doors. $15. promontorychicago.com
It’s no exaggeration to call Ari Brown one of Chicago’s greatest living saxophonists. His tenor sax can move seamlessly from hard bop, to avant-garde, to jazz standards. A member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Brown will show off his versatility for one night only at the Promontory. (Clyde Schwab)
Songhoy Blues
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Friday, June 5, 8pm, 7pm doors. $12 in advance. Thaliahallchicago.com
Brothers Oumar and Aliou Touré living in Gao on the Niger River grew up obsessed with hip hop and classic rock. The duo formed Songhoy Blues after they were forced to Mali due to growing unrest. The group has since recorded with Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but continues to celebrate the history, beliefs, and traditional music of their displaced people. (Clyde Schwab)
This is Pilsen: Bohemian Past, Latino Present at Thalia Hall
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Wednesday, June 10, 8pm concert, 6:30pm exhibit. $15-$22. (312)526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
Eastern Europe meets Latin America in this celebration of global pathways converging inn Chicago. Pilsen will honor its past and present through a concert and art exhibit featuring music and art from both cultures. The lineup includes Ondřej Havelka and His Melody Makers playing popular songs from Pilsen’s Czech past; the fusion band ¡ESSO! Afrojam Funkbeat; and singer-songwriter Vivian García. (Hafsa Razi)
Lil Herb
Reggies Rock Club, 2105 S. State St. Thursday, June 11, doors 8pm. 18+. $3. (312)949-0120. reggieslive.com
Along with King Louie, Lil Herb (see “Ballin’ Like I’m Kobe”) is the primary inheritor of Chicago’s drill tradition. He’ll be headlining a showcase of Chicago-centric artists curated by Fake Shore Drive. Oh, also, he is nineteen years old. (Jake Bittle)
Lalah Hathaway
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Thursday, June 11, 9:30pm. First fifty tickets $32.50; otherwise $40. 21+. (312)753-5700. theshrinechicago.com
Better known as the First Daughter of Soul, Lalah Hathaway made her first foray into the world of music at the tender age of one, providing background wails for her father Donny Hathaway’s single “The Ghetto.” It would be a shame to limit your experience of the artist who describes herself as “enamoured with colour, space, and the evolution of music” to just her records. (Emeline Posner)
Geto Boys
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, June 18, door 7:30pm. $22 advance, $24-$28 at the door. (312)526-3851.thaliahallchicago.com
Legendary Houston rap group Geto Boys, best known for “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta,” has been around at least as long as most of the Weekly’s staff have been on this earth. That, along with the fact that this is part of their long awaited reunion tour, should be more than enough reason to go to this show. (Sam Stecklow)
Les Nubians
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Friday, June 19, doors 8pm. $28. 21+. (312)753-5681. theshrinechicago.com
Les Nubians are a French duo whose mixture of Afrobeats and hip-hop are described by the group itself as “AfroDance.” The sister act, born and raised in Bordeaux and Chad, were nominated for a Grammy, and have previously collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas, The Roots, and Mos Def. (Christian Belanger)
Bethany Pickens
Mo Better Jazz, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, July 17, 7pm-11:30pm. 21+. (773)741-6254 mobetterjazzchicago.us
This jazz instrumentalist is the daughter of the late, great Willie Pickens, a legend of Chicago jazz. She’s made the rounds of jazz festivals in Chicago and around the country, and also teaches music at schools around Chicago. She’ll be hosted by South Shore’s longtime jazz hub, Mo Better. (Jake Bittle)
Father
Reggies, 2105 S. State St. Saturday, July 18, doors 10pm. $17-$20. (312)949-0120. reggieslive.com
“Please stop making fake Versace.” It’s not the demand itself that places Father against Migos and their brand of ADHD rap, but rather the word “please.” Even in his unbridled hedonism, Father is always polite—his tracks are nervously constrained where his Atlanta contemporaries are sprawling and bombastic. A Reggies must-see. (Austin Brown)
Avery*Sunshine
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West. Thursday, July 23, doors 7pm. $15 standing room, $22 seats. (312)801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Happy and warm like the cosmic orb, Avery*Sunshine’s Joel Osteen-inspired “shining by sharing” music and ministry-operative band hits Chicago during her enduring tour. With her divorce finally in the past, Avery*Sunshine is ready to pour light and love into listeners with sermon-style songs. (Alex Harrell)
SWV
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Friday, August 14, doors 8:30pm. $24 first fifty tickets, $32.50 thereafter. 21+. (312)753-5681. theshrinechicago.com
SWV, purveyors of nineties R&B, have been enjoying a recent renaissance off the back of surprising reality show success. Come to the Shrine this August to wallow in nostalgia as they perform vintage hits like “Weak” and “I’m So Into You,” this time, hopefully, without the oversized camouflage jackets. (Christian Belanger)
Ibeyi
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Wednesday, September 23, doors 7pm. $21 in advance, $24 at the door. (312)526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
The rhythmic and melodic variety that this expert French-Cuban sister duo brings to the table is a mix of Yoruba and R&B culture. On top of that, are the harmonies that at times transcend language—and it helps when you have someone to sing with. (Austin Brown)
Stage and Screen
Annie
Sunken Garden, 4500 N. Virginia Ave. Saturday, June 20, 6:30-10:30pm, movie begins at dusk. (877)387-2251. dusablemuseum.org.
The DuSable Museum is starting its exciting outdoor series Movies in the Park. The first film is the 2014 adaption of the family musical Annie, the story of a foster child from Harlem brought in by a business tycoon. (Amy Harlowe)
Sara Paretsky Book Launch
Seminary Co-op, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. Thursday July 30, 6pm. (773)752-4381. semcoop.com
Come to the launch party for the release of Sara Paretsky’s latest mystery in the V. I. Warshawski series, Brush Back. In this installment, Investigator Warshawski returns to her South Side neighborhood to help a childhood friend while enveloped in a tangle of corrupt politics. (Amy Harlowe)
Everything Must Come to Light
Top Studios Hyde Park, 1448 E. 57th Street. Saturday, July 18, 7pm. southsideprojections.org
The works of the deceased South African filmmaker Mpumi Njinge explore queer life in South African townships. My Son the Bride examines South Africa’s first same-sex marriage. Everything Must Come to Light follows three lesbian sangomas, or healers, in Soweto. A discussion with Northwestern PhD candidate Andrew Brown will follow. (Amy Harlowe)
Prisoners: Rights and Wrong
Toman Library, 2708 S. Pulaski Rd. Wednesday, June 17, 6pm. . southsideprojections.org
What does it mean to be home to the largest single-site jail in America? South Side Projections screens this hour-long film, an examination of mass incarceration nationwide and in Chicago in the 1990s, to begin the conversation; discussion with 96 ACRES will follow. (Emeline Posner)
Driving Hungry
57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th St. Wednesday, July 29, 6pm. (773)684-1300. semcoop.com
Layne Mosler comes to Hyde Park to discuss her “delicious memoir,” a book chronicling years of wanderlust, cab rides in Buenos Aires, cabdriving in Berlin, eating abroad, and living well. Moderating the discussion will be Dmitry Samarov, himself a published author and former cabbie. (Emeline Posner)
SURFACES
St. Laurence School building, 72nd and Dorchester Ave. Sunday, June 15, sunset (8:30pm). (773)270-3121. rebuild-foundation.org
Chicago-based artist Marco Ferrari has spent the last several months working with Grand Crossing residents to put together SURFACES, a film about the greater neighborhood. The screening will be outside with free food and music, and will coincide with an open house at the Black Cinema House. (Emeline Posner)
Chicago Dancing Festival
Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr., Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St. August 25-29. (773)609-2335. chicagodancingfestival.com
Established in 2006 by Lar Lubovitch and Jay Franke, the Chicago Dancing Festival is a local tradition, ranking among events like Lollapalooza and the Chicago Blues Festival. In the years since its inception, the festival has showcased more than sixty dance companies to over 70,000 people. (Zoe Makoul)
Rebels of the Neon God at the Gene Siskel Film Center
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. June 6-10. $11, $6 for members. (312)846-2800. siskelfilmcenter.org
For those who like gritty stories of young misadventure, Tsai Ming-liang’s first feature explores the underground world of Taipei. The 1992 film follows a young model student who falls in with petty thieves. A 35mm archival print, courtesy of the Taiwan Film Institute, will be shown on Sunday. (Zoe Makoul)
C.S. Lewis on Stage
Provision Theater, 1001 W. Roosevelt Rd. September 6 thru October 19, times TBA. (312)455-0065 provisiontheater.org
This late-summer production will feature the return of a one-man show about the life and times of everyone’s favorite Christian pop-philosopher, the “stuffed turkey” of scholarship (Harold Bloom), C.S. Lewis. Written by Lewis himself, the reprised show will feature Brad Armacost in the central role. (Jake Bittle)
Film at Beverly Arts Center
Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. Various days throughout the summer, 7:30pm or 8pm. $7.50, $5.50 members. (773)445-3838 beverlyartcenter.org
The Beverly Art Center will be running a film series this summer to complement film series in Millennium Park and other Chicago arts institutions. The films, which will be showing once every few days, include such family-friendly classics as 101 Dalmatians, Song of the Sea, and Crazy for You. Come and come again. (Jake Bittle)