Bulletin
United Working Families Platform Convention
United Working Families, 2229 S. Halsted St. Saturday, October 17, 10am. (773) 442-2628. unitedworkingfamilies.org
After holding various regional meetings to discuss issues affecting working families, United Working Families will host a convention on October 17 to choose a platform that aligns with their vision. Election Day is not yet upon us, but show up ready to debate and vote! (May Huang)
Turn Out For Your Local Bus!
CTA Headquarters, 567 W. Lake St, 2nd floor. Wednesday, October 14, 10am. Arrive before 9:30am to ensure a seat. (312) 681-5022. transitchicago.com/board
Few things matter more in the Chicago winter than public transportation, especially if you donât have a car. Turn out to fight for the CTA 31 and CTA 11 bus lines and equitable transportation for all with the Crosstown Bus Coalition at the CTAâs October board meeting. Free t-shirts included. (Yunhan Wen)
STOP Benefit: Steppinâ for Justice
Treâs Banquet Hall, 1528 E. 63rd St. Friday, October 16, 9pmâ2am. $7 in advance/$10 at the door. (773) 217-9598. eventbrite.com
This coming Friday, join Southside Together Organizing for Power at their combined benefit event and birthday celebration for one of the groupâs leaders, Deborah Taylor. There will be a cash bar, door prizes, raffle, food, dancingâthe list goes on! (Yunhan Wen)
Bilingual Community Tech Day/DĂa de la TecnologĂa
Cultura in Pilsen, 1900 S. Carpenter St. Sunday, October 18, 11amâ3pm. Free. latinotechies.com
Latino Techiesâself-described as the âfirst tech network in Chicago for Latino millennialsââis holding its second bilingual community tech day. Apart from the obvious, exciting stuff (coding games, robots) there will also be the less obvious, equally exciting stuff (raffles, music). (Christian Belanger)
Grassroots Collaborative Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration
Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S. Morgan St. Wednesday, October 28, 6pmâ8:30 pm. $75 before October 7; $95 after. thegrassrootscollaborative.org
The list of honorees for the fifteenth anniversary celebration of the Grassroots Collaborative is a whoâs who of prominent Chicago-area politicians, including Karen Lewis of the Chicago Teachers Union, Roderick Sawyer and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa of the Chicago City Council, and the leaders of the South Side Trauma Center campaign. (Adam Thorp)
Stage and Screen
AgnĂšs Varda: Photographs Get Moving (potatoes and shells, too)
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Opening reception Friday, October 9, 5â9pm. Through November 8. Free. (773)-702-6082. arts.uchicago.edu
Left Bank filmmaker AgnĂ©s Varda is taking to the South Side as the artist in residence for UChicago Artsâ weeklong CinĂ©VardaExpo. The French New Wave director was trained as a photographer; this exhibit features her photos, video installations, and works that explore âthe polarity between still and movingâ images, as well as a lecture by Varda herself on October 9. (Benjamin Chametzky)
Black Perspectives on Horror: Tales from the Hood
Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Sunday, October 25, 6pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.squarespace.com/black-cinema-house
Mr. Simms welcomes you to his mortuary. To begin a series about black horror films, their relationship with black culture, and their rarity, Black Cinema House is screening cult classic Tales from the Hood, in which a trio of drug dealers tries to buy drugs from an undertakerâbut first heâs intent on telling them about his latest corpses, their moral failings, and gruesome deaths. (Olivia Stovicek)
Self and Otherness: Fall Filmmaking Workshops
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Wednesday, October 7, 5pm-7pm. Through spring. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.squarespace.com/black-cinema-house
Dive into the filmmaking process with a series of artistic workshops created by Black Cinema House. Learn the art, technique, and history behind film, and get hands-on experience making movies with artist and filmmaker Marco G. Ferrari. (Sarah Liu)
Heaven, How I Got Here
Provision Theater, 1001 W. Roosevelt Rd. 3pm, 8pm. Through Sunday, October 25. $30, discounts available for students, seniors, children, groups. (312) 455-0066. provisiontheater.org/season.htm
Adapted from Evangelical Pastor Colin S. Smithâs book of the same name, Heaven, How I Got Here, follows the thief put to death closest to Jesus as he looks upon earth from heaven. (Bess Cohen)
Chicago Architectural Biennial Film Series: Hyenas
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S Stony Island Ave. Tuesday, October 20, 6pm-9pm. Free. rebuild-foundation.squarespace.com/black-cinema-house
This screening of the film Hyenas by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Dior Mambety is meant to provoke a discussion about the use of public space through its story of rapid development in postcolonial Africa. The movie is presented by the Black Cinema House in conjunction with the Chicago Architectural Biennial. (Adam Thorp)
The Fly-Bottle
Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Friday, October 9, 8pm. $5. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org
Come for a staged reading of author David Eganâs imagined version of a conversation between philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper and subsequent discussion; stay for an atmosphere of scruffy intellectualism possible in only a handful of places in the country. (Adam Thorp)
Freedom Stories: Contested Meanings of Americaâs Black Past
DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place. Thursday, October 8, 6:30pm. Doors 6pm. $10, $5 for members. (773) 947-0600. thedusablemuseum.eventbrite.com
Hear new insights on the issue of racial criminalization in this lecture and book-signing with Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Director of the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York and author of The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime and the Making of Modern Urban America. Muhammadâs book will be sold for $20 at the event. (Nadine Faisal)
Precious Memories: Strollinâ 47th Street
DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place. Sunday, October 25, 2pm. Doors open 1:30pm. $10, $5 for members. (773) 947-0600. thedusablemuseum.eventbrite.com
Watch this documentary film written by Francis Ward and experience 47th Street as it was in its heyday, when it was the entertainment hub of Black Chicago. Attendees will have the chance to get up close and personal with the filmâs artistic director, Val Gray Ward, and cast members in a Q&A session following the screening. (Nadine Faisal)
Music
Chicago Loud 9, Jetpack Hotline, and PJ & Soul
Reggies Chicago, 2105 S. State St. Thursday, October 8. Doors 7:30pm. 21+. $10 in advance, $12 at the door. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
In what is likely the most eclectic lineup of the month, indie reggae group Chicago Loud 9 (or CLOUD9), former punk rockers Jetpack Hotline, and funk bassist PJ & Soulâall localsâtake the Reggies stage for whatâs sure to be, at the very least, an interesting show. (Sam Stecklow)
Billy Branch
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave West. Friday, October 9. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. $12 standing room, $19-$30 seats. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
This Friday, Chicago-born singer and blues harmonica player Billy Branch will return to the Promontory with his Son of Blues band in tow. Branch has numerous world tours and three Grammy nominations to his name, but has also earned a lasting legacy through his Blues in the Schools program. For blues-lovers, it doesnât get much better than this. (Christopher Good)
Ari Brown
Quarry Event Center, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, October 9. Doors 7pm. 21+. (312) 259-1143. mobetterjazzchicago.us
Chicago native and acclaimed saxophonist Ari Brown brings his smooth style of expressive jazz back to the Windy City. With decades of performing experience harkening back to soul, rock, and blues musicians like B.B. King and Lou Rawls, Brown is sure to whisper and croon his music back in our psyches. (Rachel He)
The Socialists
Reggies Chicago, 2105 S. State St. Saturday, October 10. Doors 7pm. $5. 21+. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
The name of this family band is not a nod to Marx or Mao, but a way of indicating the equality of its members: the father, brother, and two sisters of The Socialists all sing and play every instrument in the band. Their upcoming show is a 21+ event, butâin true family styleâparents can bring their children for free. (May Huang)
Latino Music Festival: MĂșsica Temprana
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Wednesday, October 14. Doors 7pm. $25, seniors and students $5. (773) 702-2787. arts.uchicago.edu
Follow the history of Latin American music through this performance by MĂșsica Temprana as they draw inspiration from the Renaissance and Baroque eras while exploring the repertoire of music from the age of exploration and onward. (Lily Li)
Generations of Soul: Raphael Saadiq, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Lee Fields
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Wednesday, October 14, 7pm. Free. 21+. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
The âGenerations of Soulâ tour stars producer and R&B musician Raphael Saadiq, who wrote songs with legends like J Dilla and DâAngelo. The night will also feature Lee Fields, whose forty-six-year career bridged the gap between old-school soul and contemporary R&B, alongside rising star BJ the Chicago Kid, known for his epic collaborations with South Side natives like Chance the Rapper and Kanye West. (Christopher Good)
Warren G
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Sunday, October 18. Doors 10pm. $20 early bird, $30 general admission. 21+. Standing room only. (312) 753-5700. theshrinechicago.com
The regulator himself, Warren G, hits The Shrine later this month as part of a tour supporting his new Nate Dogg (RIP)-featuring EP, Regulate… G Funk Era, Pt. II, a twenty-one-years-in-the-making follow-up to his masterpiece of a first album. (Sam Stecklow)
Sexing Sound: Gender Sound Music
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Thursday, October 22. Doors 7pm. Free. (773) 702-2787. arts.uchicago.edu
Think music is too sexualized or not enough so? Either way, come explore the role of gender and sexuality in contemporary music and sound art in this exhibit, on display from October 22-24. Thursdayâs event will include panel discussions and performances by Annie Goh, Lynn Book, and Katherina Klement. (Lily Li)
Visual Arts
Art That Canât Be Ignored
Wabash Campus Room 203, 623 S. Wabash Ave. Thursday, October 8, 6pm. Free. (312) 369-7100. colum.edu
In a lecture on the use of pastels and decorative art in her own work, Northwestern University Professor of Art Theory & Practice Judy Ledgerwood will investigate how she has leveraged these historically feminine components of art to take on the male-dominated tradition of painting. (Elijah Wolter)
Precarious Workers of the (Art) World Reunite!
Cochrane-Woods Arts Center, Room 157, 5540 S. Greenwood Ave. Friday, October 9, 4pmâ6pm. Free. (773) 834-8936. neubauercollegium.uchicago.edu
As part of the Neubauer Collegiumâs Art and Public Life project, artist and writer Gregory Sholette will examine how artistic projects across the globe both confront and are confronted by issues of military conflict, displacement, and wealth inequality, from migrant workers in Abu Dhabi to refugees in Berlin. (Elijah Wolter)
Strange Bedfellows Opening Reception
Blanc Gallery, 4445 S. King Dr. Friday, October 9, 6pmâ11pm. Through December 31. Free. (773) 373-4320. blancchicago.com
This Friday will see the launch of Strange Bedfellows, a collaborative art exhibition featuring paintings by Kenrick Mcfarlane and âacoustical vibrationsâ by DJ Michael McClean, a.k.a Radio Moon. Mcfarlane and McClean, the eponymous bedfellows of the exhibition and School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduates, promise to deliver an unforgettable multimedia experience. (May Huang)
Gag Gig
Cobalt Studios, 1950 W. 21st St. Friday, October 9, 6pmâ10pm. Free. cobaltartstudio.blogspot.com
How can we relate humor in art to concepts such as emotions, the body, and criticism? Join the conversation about âfunny artâ at the opening reception for Gag Gig at Cobalt Studios. The answer may still evade you, but youâre sure to get at least one good laugh out of this humorous exhibit. (Yunhan Wen and Emeline Posner)
Under The Freeway
RSVP for exact location. Friday, October 9, 6:30â9pm. $5-25 suggested donation. RSVP at eventbrite.com
As part of Chicago Artists Month, artists Connie Noyes and Marvin Tate are hosting a participatory, multimedia performance highlighting extreme wealth disparity and inequality. The event will take place beneath the intersection of I-55 and I-94; the exact location is disclosed upon RSVPing on their website. Bring your singing voices for whatâs likely to be a memorable night beneath the hum of the highway. (Juliet Eldred)
AgnĂšs Varda: Photographs Get Moving (potatoes and shells, too)
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Opening reception Friday, October 9, 5â9pm. Through November 8. Free. (773)-702-6082. arts.uchicago.edu
Left Bank filmmaker AgnĂ©s Varda is taking to the South Side as the artist in residence for UChicago Artsâ weeklong CinĂ©VardaExpo. The French New Wave director was trained as a photographer; this exhibit features her photos, video installations, and works that explore âthe polarity between still and movingâ images, as well as a lecture by Varda herself on October 9. (Benjamin Chametzky)