Bulletin
Southside Democracy for America
Yassa Restaurant, 3511 S. King Dr. Wednesday, September 2, 6PM. Free.
The South Side’s chapter of this grassroots organization will host local Democratic candidates and a representative from Hillary Clinton for President at its monthly Yassa dinner. Come for the progressive politics, stay for the jolof rice. (Will Cabaniss)
Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations
Milwaukee and California, message organizer for exact address. Monday, September 7, 6:30pm–8:30 pm. furie.strikingly.com
Kimberly Springer’s Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations 1968–1980 chronicles the proliferation and extinction of a wave of black feminist organizations over a little more than a decade. Join area feminists to discuss the book and the period it chronicles. (Adam Thorp)
Teach-in & Diwali Artmaking for Purvi Patel
UIC’s Pop Up Just Art (PUJA) Gallery, 1255 S. Halsted St. Tuesday, September 8, 6pm–2am. Free. chicagoi2i.org
In February of this year, Indiana resident Purvi Patel was incarcerated for feticide—the first woman in U.S. history sentenced for miscarriage. Learn more about reproductive injustice and multiple marginalization at i2i’s September’s teach-in. Show support by sending Patel homemade Diwali cards while she’s away. (Alex Harrell)
Southside Soul Festival
87th St. from Jeffrey Ave. to Paxton Ave (2000 E–2160 E). Saturday, September 12th, 10am–6pm. Free. www.eventbrite.com/e/southside-soul-festival-tickets for reserved ticket.
Celebrate the end of summer at the Southeast Chicago Chamber’s annual festival to encourage community development and stability. The festival will feature the soulful sounds of local artists like Noah the Genius, The Javon Watson Experience Band, and headliner Kindred the Family Soul. (Jenna Johnson)
1 Woodlawn
Hyde Park High School, 6220 S. Stony Island Ave. Thursday, September 17, 5:30pm–8:30pm. facebook.com/NetworkofWoodlawn
The Network of Woodlawn—a partnership of the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corporation, The Woodlawn Organization, and the UofC— hosts a community meeting to work on job development, home ownership, affordable housing, and more neighborhood improvements. Woodlawn residents are encouraged to attend and contribute. (Mari Cohen)
Destination Chicago: Back to School Jam
Jones College Prep, 700 S. State St. Saturday, September 19, noon–4pm. https://chicagocityoflearning.org/Back-to-School-Jam
The goal of the Chicago City of Learning program is to encourage learning beyond the schoolhouse door and in the rest of children’s lives; their “Back-To-School Jam” will try to accomplish this by hosting a variety of techie activities and teen performances. (Adam Thorp)
Southeast Environmental Task Force Fall Fundraiser
Club 81 Too, 13157 Avenue M. Saturday, September 19, 3:30pm–7:30pm. $30. Call (773) 646-0436 for tickets.
At Hegewisch’s Club 81 Too, according to an online review, “you will be a better person for having eaten their fried chicken.” That’s one of many reasons to join some of the Southeast’s fiercest defenders of green space for their gala, appropriately situated on the banks of Wolf Lake. (Will Cabaniss)
International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement Convention
Life Builders United, 6855 S. Emerald Ave. Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 10am. $10 for 1-day pass, $15 for 2-day pass. inpdum.org
Mass incarceration. State violence. Black power. Expect to see these themes featured prominently when some of America’s foremost pan-African socialists congregate in the heart of Englewood. You might even catch a glimpse of Omali Yeshitela, the group’s founder, who will be in town for the convention. (Will Cabaniss)
Music
Tecora Rogers
The Quarry, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, September 4, 7pm. 21+. (773)741-6254. mobetterjazzchicago.us
Chicago-born and raised, Tecora Rogers is best known for her fusion of jazz and gospel, which combine to create her own personal genre of power jazz—both electric and complex. In addition to performing internationally, she teaches African-American history to middle school and high school students, as well as fellow adults, around Chicago. (Maha Ahmed)
Ky-Mani Marley
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Thursday, September 10, doors 8pm, show 10pm. $25 in advance, $32 at the door. 21+. (312)753-5681. theshrinechicago.com
This Miami-raised child of Bob Marley has been putting out music steadily since the turn of the century. His brand of reggae includes full doses of piano and trumpet, and covers well-traveled but beloved topics including love, spirituality, and … herbal remedies. (Jake Bittle)
Edwin Daugherty
The Quarry, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, September 11, 7pm. 21+. (773)741-6254. mobetterjazzchicago.us
The experimental sounds of Daugherty’s saxophone have shared the stage with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Barry White, B.B. King, but his recent solo album focuses on his personal communication as a musician. As someone who uses his saxophone as his voice, there’s not really much room to be anything other than expressive and wild. (Maha Ahmed)
Dee Alexander
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West. Saturday, September 19, doors 7pm, show 8pm. $12-$22. (312)801-2100. promontorychicago.com
This international-by-way-of-Chicago, soulful performer’s music is all about the African diaspora—from gospel, blues, neo-soul, rhythm-and-blues, world music, to jazz, her music has garnered recognition and love from around the world. (Maha Ahmed)
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)
Avant
The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. Friday, September 25, doors 8pm, show 10pm. $25 in advance, $32 at the door. 21+. (312)753-5681. theshrinechicago.com
Local artist L’Renee will open this release concert for R&B singer-songwriter Avant’s new album <i>The VIII</i>. Avant is best-known for his sensitive, romantic debut album My Thoughts (2000). Check out “My First Love” featuring KeKe Wyatt, his best work. (Jake Bittle)
Saul Williams
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave West. Wednesday, September 30, doors 7pm, show 8pm. $20-$50. (312)801-2100. promontorychicago.com
Saul Williams’s blend of alternative hip-hop and poetry has graced villages, prisons, and community centers around the world, as well as the Louvre and White House. More of a “multimedia project” than album, his latest <i>MartyrLoserKing</i> highlights the “digital dialogues” between the first and third worlds. (Maha Ahmed)
Stage and Screen
Tele-novela at ACRE
ACRE Projects, 1913 W. 17th St. Through October 31. 11am-5pm except Sundays. Free. (847) 778-9546. acretv.org
ACRE TV, a project of the well-known Pilsen-based gallery, has put together a collaborative gallery featuring over a dozen artists’ reflections on the telenovela, a popular genre of drama series on Spanish-language television. These works “simultaneously explore and avoid the notion of formal narrative on screen.” (Jake Bittle)
29th Spanish Book Fair at Librería Giron
Sam’s Club, 2601 S. Cicero Ave. September 3-7. 10am-8pm. Free. (708)369-8424. eventbrite.com/e/29th-spanish-book-fair-chicago-tickets-18137800650
Librería Giron will host Chicago’s 29th Spanish Book Fair over a mile away in a warehouse’s parking lot for a reason—the bookstore doesn’t have enough room for an event whose Latin American crafts, cuisine, books, and writers drew 20,000 people last year. This year, look out for actor Ignacio López Tarso. (Julia Aizuss)
Dreamcatcher
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. September 11-17. Various times; check online. $11, $6 for members. (312)846-2800. siskelfilmcenter.org/dreamcatcher
Kim Longinotto’s documentary has been lauded for its portrait of Brenda Myers-Powell, a former sex worker whose nonprofit helps Chicago women leave the sex industry. Audience discussion after the Saturday and Thursday screenings will feature Myers-Powell herself, producer Lisa Stevens, and other Chicago-based advocates. (Julia Aizuss)
Red Squads and Beyond
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Sunday, September 13, 5pm. Free. (773)702-2787. southsideprojections.org
South Side Projections will present and host two short films in an effort to examine the history of police surveillance from 1960 to the present. The longer of the two focuses on the “Red Squads” famous for investigating suspected Communists, while the discussion afterward will extend the conversation to domestic surveillance and harassment after 9/11. (Jake Bittle)
ReelAbilities Film Festival
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E 60th St. Sunday, September 13. Free. (773)702-2787. reelabilitieschicago.org
ReelAbilities is the largest film festival in the U.S. dedicated to sharing the stories of those with disabilities. From exploring what it means to “rediscover music after deafness” to following a graffiti artist with Lou Gehrig’s disease, the films reminds us not only to be grateful of our own abilities, but to embrace all and overcome the label of disability. In addition to the screenings at the Logan Center, films will be shown in other venues beginning on September 9. (Sammie Spector)
Anne and Emmett
DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Pl. September 25-27, 7pm. $25. (773)947-0600. dusablemuseum.org
Janet Langhart Cohen’s play collapses races, borders, and times to bring together two teenagers known for lives cut short by racism: Anne Frank and Emmett Till. Their conversation, set in a dimension called Memory, urges audience members to retain just that. (Julia Aizuss)
The Great Chicago Fire Festival Closing Ceremony
Northerly Island. Saturday, September 26, 5pm. Free. chicagofirefestival.com
Redmoon’s Great Chicago Fire Festival has joined together local artists and citywide partners to support Chicago’s youth while celebrating Chicago’s rebirth after the Great Fire of 1871. Throughout August and September, the festival has used arts engagement activities and events to ignite community and spark creativity in city neighborhoods. On September 6, the festival with go out with a bang, closing with various arts events, including the ceremonial, and a (very literal) burning down of the house. (Sammie Spector and Olivia Stovicek)
In the Game
Kelly High School Auditorium, 4136 S. California Ave. Thursday, October 1, 11am and 6pm screenings. Free. kartemquin.com
This Kartemquin-produced documentary, already slated to premiere at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, follows the hardships and challenges of low-income students on a South Side girls’ soccer team. The Kelly High School girls confront barriers to pursuing higher education with Coach Stan, their mentor, by their side. (Lucia Ahrensdorf)
Visual Arts
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)
Mom & Pops
Arts Incubator, 301 E. Garfield Boulevard. Through September 11, Tuesdays–Fridays, 12pm-6pm. Free. (773)702-9724. arts.uchicago.edu.
In the face of stiff competition from large commercial chains, the family business has always remained, at least in the popular imagination, the ideal institution for exchange within close-knit communities. Four artists challenge this traditional archetype of commercial organization and probe questions on the nature of human relations. (Darren Wan)
Impossible Heat
Hidden Dog, 2151 W. 21st St. Through September 11. Viewings by appointment. (845)652-0709. http://www.hiddendog.net
Much like Piet Mondrian, Brooklyn-based artist Travis Krupka’s incessantly repetitive paintings tenaciously intensify with each brush stroke. His narrative focuses as the line between fantasy and familiarity blurs. Jumping subjects from soccer players to luxury sports cars, his devotion to geometry refuses to break. (Alex Harrell)
Black Age of Comics Convention with Onli Studios
South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave. Friday, September 11, 12pm–5pm. Through November 8. Free. (773) 373-1026. http://www.sscartcenter.org
Get lost in New Afrika with superhero Malcolm 10, fighting crime and racial stereotypes. The Black Age of Comics returns home to Bronzeville for the exhibition “Heroes & Villians,” featuring Malcolm 10 and more. As Onli Studios founder Turtel Onli, says, “Come get your Black On!” (Alex Harrell)
Love Songs for the Club
33 Contemporary, 1029 W. 35th St., fourth floor. Through September 12, Monday–Friday 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–10pm. (708) 837-4534. 33collective.com
This collaborative exhibition by locally based artists Marina Ross (of Moldova) and Luis Sahagun (of Mexico) will feature more than thirty works riffing on romantic and sentimental R&B songs, inquiring into the dynamics of “romanticism, mood, and metaphor.” (Jake Bittle)
Ruth Lopez at mosnart site in Pullman
mosnart site, 11319 S St. Lawrence Ave. Week of September 20, more details to come. tallskinny.com/mosnart
Not many details are offered about “Artifact of Place,” the site-specific interdisciplinary exhibition by local artist-journalist Ruth Lopez, except that it will involve a transom and a week-long exhibition and will take place in the shadow of the Pullman Factory. Lopez’s career in Chicago arts journalism, however, already speaks for itself. (Jake Bittle)
On Paper / Sur Papier
East Gallery, Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. Through September 20. Free. (773)445-3838, beverlyartcenter.org.
Two friends, Anne Gilbert and Hélène Dureau-Martini, are artists who work on paper, albeit with different purposes and to different ends. In their first American exhibition, Gilbert responds to the external through her fragile line, while Dureau-Martini’s shape and color reveal her introspection and her contemplation of the self. (Darren Wan)
Creatures from the Concrete
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Through 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. Through March 13. (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)