A week’s worth of developing stories, events, and signs of the times, culled from the desks, inboxes, and wandering eyes of the editors
Notes
Forrest Claypool Gets Dunked On
#dunkedonbruh ???????? https://t.co/Spmih9h8bl
— Ald. Michael Scott (@aldermanscott24) September 15, 2017
“#dunkedonbruh”: that was Alderman Michael Scott’s succinct tweet summarizing the September 14 meeting between Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool and nine aldermen, and, in particular, Claypool’s exchange with Alderwoman Susan Garza (credit for the phrase goes to CTU organizer Martin Ritter). Claypool was there to answer questions about whether CPS has enough money to get through the year without more cuts. According to reports from the Sun-Times and the Reader, the meeting fell apart after Garza said that schools in her ward had lost about twenty teaching positions leaving classes with at least forty students. Claypool said her claim was false; furious, Garza told him he needed to visit the schools in her ward. Other aldermen backed her up, agreeing that Claypool should visit the South Side schools; some later said he would never accuse a male alderman or an alderman from anaffluent ward of lying like that. Garza was “so pissed. I wanted to go south-side on him. I really did,” she told the Reader. If Garza’s relative restraint led to a “#dunkedonbruh” hashtag, who knows what “go[ing] south-side on him” would have led to. In any case, many aldermen are probably frustrated enough with Claypool to wish Garza had.
“JoAnn is Watching”
That’s what 16th Ward Alderman Toni Foulkes said of the ward’s late and former Alderman JoAnn Thompson, according to DNAinfo. And we think she is pleased. Englewood Square, Thompson’s plan for the 63rd and Halsted Street block, celebrated its one-year anniversary this week. Anchored by Whole Foods, the square houses several other big-name businesses, including a Starbucks, a Chipotle, and, later this year, a PNC Bank. Although there are mixed perspectives among the different vendors as to how some stores are living up to their sales projections, the investment has brought to the neighborhood healthy food choices, jobs, and a place of social gathering. An area not previously regarded for growth and development is one year strong and with many more ahead.
Can COPA cope with losing Fairley?
It seemed for a good while that, if the entire police oversight system in Chicago was not going to be reformed overnight, that at least one agency with a significant say in the matter was staggering in the right direction: the long-disgraced Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), which existed for ten fitful years as the city’s civilian police investigatory agency. Shortly after dismissing Supt. Garry McCarthy in the wake of the Laquan McDonald video release, Mayor Emanuel replaced IPRA’s chief, the longtime Drug Enforcement Administration agent Scott Ando, with former federal prosecutor and political unknown Sharon Fairley. Under Fairley’s direction, IPRA seemed to genuinely work towards greater community engagement and improving its investigatory process, putting forward new rules and releasing critical third-party reviews of practices under her predecessors. She was simultaneously tasked with creating the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), the third iteration of civilian police oversight in Chicago, which has a broader investigative mandate and better funding than IPRA. Now, however, less than two years after being appointed, Fairley is exploring a run for Illinois Attorney General, throwing into doubt how many of her reform efforts will truly stick at COPA. If she does leave the agency this month to run for higher office, she will have been the shortest-serving head of civilian police investigations in the forty-two years Chicago has had such a system. The second shortest-serving? Current Police Board President Lori Lightfoot, who put in a tight twenty-three months as the chief administrator of the Office of Professional Standards, IPRA’s precursor.
Calendar
BULLETIN
Alternative Histories, Alternative Archives
Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S. Morgan St. Thursday, October 5, 9am-5pm. Free. vdb.org
Join the Video Data Bank, an experimental archive at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and twelve panelists—including Neil Taylor of Humboldt Park’s Read/Write Library, Brian Belak of the roving Chicago Film Archives, and Candace Ming of the South Side Home Movie Project—spread across three sessions for a free, day-long symposium, complete with breakfast and lunch. (Sam Stecklow)
16th Annual March Against Domestic Violence
Bessemer Park, 8930 S. Muskegon Ave. Friday, October 6, 4:30am–8am. Tables at 4:30am. Rally at 5:30am before the march and vigil begins at 6am. (312) 747-5493. bit.ly/DVMarch
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Family Rescue, an agency that provides services for domestic violence survivors, is organizing its annual march in collaboration with CPD’s 3rd and 4th districts. Previous marches featured CPD’s Mounted Units leading the procession as marchers showed their strong stance against domestic violence. (Yunhan Wen)
Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Awards
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Saturday, October 7, 11:30am-1:00pm. Free. (312) 422-5580. ilhumanities.org
Marking the start of a twelve-hour arts festival in celebration of its fifth anniversary, the Logan Center for the Arts will host the winners of the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry contest. Everyone is invited to watch the winners perform, and to honor Brooks’ legacy of cultivating youth poetry. (Abigail Bazin)
2nd Annual Black Man’s Expo 2017
Harris Park, 6200 S. Drexel Ave. Saturday, October 7, 10am–3pm for registration, vendor mall, plenary and workshops. AKARama Foundation Service Center, 6220 S. Ingleside Ave. Saturday, October 7, 5pm–8pm for the closing event ceremony. RSVP for each time slot at bit.ly/BlackmanExpo
Black Man’s Expo envisions a forum for Black men of all ages to gather and share the challenges that they face every day. The first half of the event focuses on facilitating discussion, while, on a lighter note, the second half is a closing event ceremony featuring entertainment and food. (Yunhan Wen)
Pullman 44th Annual House Tour
Pullman National Monument Visitor Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Saturday and Sunday, October 7–8, 11am. $17 Seniors, $20 adults in advance on their website, $20 seniors, $23 adults at door. (773) 785-8901. pullmanil.org/housetour.htm
Once a year, Pullman invites visitors into private spaces that double as architectural markers of the neighborhood’s history. On this self-guided tour, glimpse into the restored and reimagined interiors of today’s residences while peeking 130 years into the neighborhood’s past. (Sara Cohen)
Englewood Speaks: The Things I Learned While I Was Teaching
Kusanya Café, 825 W. 69th St. Monday, October 9, 12pm–1:30pm. Free. RSVP at sonnyspeaks.com/englewood-speaks.html
Englewood Speaks, the yearlong series of storytelling from residents of Englewood, is presenting its second episode, adding the voices of teachers to the conversation. The Things I Learned While I Was Teaching invites audiences to look at education and community from new angles. (Yunhan Wen)
VISUAL ARTS
Beverly Art Walk
Several locations, including Western Ave. Corridor, 103rd St. Corridor, and 99th St. and Walden Pkwy; check website for more information. Saturday, October 7, noon–7pm. Free. bit.ly/beverly-art-walk-2017
At the fourth annual Beverly Art Walk, more than sixty venues in the neighborhood will be showcasing everything from photography and painting to musical performances and craft beers. Two hundred artists will be participating, some of whom will be opening up their home studios to Art Walk visitors—look out in particular for Best of the South Side pick Boundary, a gallery space housed in a garage. (Adia Robinson)
Stations of the Elevated with Gabriel “Flash” Carrasquillo, Jr.
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Sunday, October 8, 1:30pm–3:30pm. Free. (773) 324-5520. southsideprojections.org
The commanding music of Charles Mingus and Aretha Franklin fill a void of voices as graffiti-inscribed subway cars pass by in Stations of the Elevated, a film documenting a now-forgotten New York. Local graffiti artist and historian “Flash” hosts the post-screening talk. (Sara Cohen)
CYBERDELIC: From Pilsen to Pluto, Yollocalli’s 20th Birthday Celebration
Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S. Morgan St. Friday, October 13, 6pm–10pm. Free. (773) 521-1621. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
Yollocalli Arts Reach is celebrating its twentieth birthday with an exhibit featuring art from the past two decades, installations, and more. An initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art, Yollocalli was created to provide opportunities for young people, especially those in the Pilsen area (and now Little Village), to explore their artistic talents. The word comes from the Aztec language and means something like “heart-house.” Yollocalli has evolved to include an open community center in the heart of Little Village with a computer lab, radio production studio, and an art library. It also has regular shows on Lumpen Radio. (Adam Przybyl)
“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” Book Release
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Friday, October 20, 6pm–8:30pm. Free. (312) 738-1503. bit.ly/ErikaSanchezBookRelease
Erika L. Sánchez, a second-generation Mexican American and Princeton professor, has come back to her native Chicago to read excerpts of her debut novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Sánchez, who also published the poetry chapbook Letters on Expulsion earlier this year, will talk about how she wrote her first novel around a pair of sisters, parental expectations, and an unexpected tragedy. (Joseph S. Pete)
MUSIC
The Dojo Presents: 1234!
The Dojo, message on Facebook for address. Friday, October 6, 6pm–1am. $5 donation. facebook.com/thedojochi
Come to the Dojo Friday night for: a good time; a workshop at 6:30pm with the F12 Network on transformative justice; music provided by six bands, from Jollys, who play “slop pop for the mop tops,” to Jen Dot & The Dawgs, who promise a lot of Ramones covers; hosting by Beverly Rage; and, maybe, to find out why this event is called “1234.” (Julia Aizuss)
La Santa Cecilia
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Saturday, October 7, 7:30pm doors, 8:30pm show. $15 students, $20 general admission.17+. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
Named after the patron saint of music, the “musical phenomenon” La Santa Cecilia comes to Thalia Hall with their boundary breaking music about “love, loss, and everyday struggles.” The band recently made waves with their visual album of Mexican and Latin American music Amar y Vivir, which was released this January. (Adia Robinson)
Hymen Moments
Olivia’s Garden, 10730 S. Western Ave. Friday, Saturday, October 7, 5pm. All ages. Free. bit.ly/beverly-art-walk-2017
Even though Olivia’s Garden closed last spring, you can still stop by the former greenhouse this Friday during the Beverly Arts Walk 2017 to catch Chicago’s only “all lady Misfits tribute band dedicated to community,” who always donate one hundred percent of their proceeds. Can’t make it Saturday? Fear not, they will also be opening for The Old Comiskeys at Reggies the following Saturday. (Andrew Koski)
The Old Comiskeys
Reggies, 2105 S. State St. Friday, October 13, 7pm. 21+. $8-$10. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com
As their name might suggest, The Old Comiskeys are a South Side punk band. They’re having a record release show at Reggies with some great Chicago-based openers—Nightcap, No Dead Heroes, and Hymen Moments—that shouldn’t be missed. (Andrew Koski)
Tony! Toni! Tone!
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. October 13, 7pm doors, 8pm show, and 9:30pm doors, 10:30pm show. $38-$78, all ages. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
If It Feels Good knowing It Never Rains in Southern California, it will feel even better hearing the trio who penned these songs sing them live next week at The Promontory. The Oakland family trio will perform these classic chart-topping songs for an all-ages show with something for everyone. Enjoy laid-back front row VIP table seating or make the night an R&B dance party in the standing lounge. Cousin Amor Khalil, now on lead vocals since Raphael Saadiq’s departure, will not disappoint; at first glance you will even think it’s him. (Nicole Bond)
Benjamin Booker
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Monday, October 16, 7:30pm doors, 8:30pm show. $20 in advance, $22 at the door. 17+. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Benjamin Booker comes to Thalia Hall with a sound that has been described by the Tribune as “a raw brand of blues/bougie/soul.” The Virginia-born, Tampa Bay, Florida–bred artist’s most recent album Witness was released in June and written primarily in Mexico City. (Adia Robinson)
David Archuleta
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Monday, October 30, 7pm doors, 8pm show. $17–$150. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
David Archuleta “doesn’t like attention, but deserves yours,” proclaims the description of Archuleta’s upcoming show on the Promontory’s website, which goes on to outline a career that remarkably makes no mention of his attention-bringing stint on American Idol. You will be able to give him even more attention if you pay for the $125 VIP experience of the concert; either way, fans will be able to head to the Promontory, where he’ll be singing “about the struggle of finding your own voice.” (Julia Aizuss)
STAGE & SCREEN
Chicago South Side Film Festival
Studio Movie Grill, 210 W. 87th St. Opens Friday, October 6, 6:30pm; events through Sunday. $16-$40. (773) 420-4475. filmsforthepeople.com
Watch movies old and new about the South Side, such as Hoop Dreams, Love Jones, Stony Island, The Interrupters, Cooley High, and Mahogany, starring Diana Ross. South Side native and film buff Michelle Kennedy produced the fest at the Alamo Drafthouse-like Studio Movie Grill in Chatham to show Chicago’s best side. (Joseph S. Pete)
Various Artists Independent Film Festival
Film Row Cinema of Columbia College, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. Saturday, October 7–Sunday, October 8,11am–5:30pm. $15 one-day ticket, $25 two-day festival pass. variousartiststv.net
The culmination of a yearlong selection process, the VAiFF will screen finalist films in categories ranging from animations to TV pilots. Stay for Q&A sessions, judging and award ceremonies with decorated industry professionals, and an after-party with VAiFF. (Sara Cohen)
Third World Press Fiftieth Anniversary Gala Events
Various locations throughout the city. Through October 7. For the complete schedule of events, locations and ticket prices, visit thirdworldpressfoundation.com
Come make history with Third World Press. The acclaimed publishing house is celebrating fifty years with multiple events around the South Side featuring scholars, stage, and screen. Some highlights: this Wednesday, catch screenings of Riding, Striding, Reaching and Teaching, a short film of a day in the life of Gwendolyn Brooks, and the Shahari Moore film Brooks People, at Studio Movie Grill in Chatham. Meanwhile, at the Betty Shabazz Academy Auditorium further north in the neighborhood, see Chicago Soul in Action, featuring the words of Gwendolyn Brooks and the music of Curtis Mayfield, by Lucy Smith and Cheryl Corley. Thursday, Jessica Care Moore presents her one-woman show at the Kennedy-King College Theater in Englewood. The closing gala on Saturday features an evening concert with guest vocalist Cassandra Wilson at the Parkway Ballroom in Bronzeville. (Nicole Bond)
eta Family Theatre Initiative: The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves
eta Creative Arts, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Friday, October 20–Saturday, December 23. $40, discounts available for seniors and students. (773) 752-3955. etacreativearts.org
Nora Brooks Blakely’s musical adaptation of a book by her mother Gwendolyn Brooks was already a fitting choice, in the year of the Brooks centennial, to start off eta’s 2017–18 season. Even more fitting, given Brooks’s dedication to youth poetry, is that the musical will launch eta’s partnership with the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation. The initiative will encourage Chicago students to read the book and then to see the musical. (Julia Aizuss)
Peacebook Festival
Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St. Thursday, October 5, 7pm; Friday, October 6, 7pm; Saturday October 7, 5pm. Free. collaboraction.org
This citywide festival collaboration of over two hundred performing artists exploring the theme of peace comes to Englewood. Music, dance, spoken word, and short theater sketches examine how loss, violence, justice, resilience, setting an example, and peace all intersect. Artists of all ages, with many from the South Side, are featured. Prior to the Saturday performance at 5pm is the Dome of Dance competition at 3pm, and a community meal and peace panel discussion at 4pm. (Nicole Bond)
Five Guys Named Moe
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Through Sunday, October 8. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org
Five guys named, yes, Moe—Big, Four-Eyed, Eat, No, and Little—are the side characters comforting lonely, blues-singing Nomax in this musical tribute to saxophonist and songwriter Louis Jordan. Directed by Court Resident Artist Ron O.J. Parson as well as associate director (and frequent Court actor!) Felicia P. Fields, this is sure to be a soulful start to Court’s 2017-18 season. (Julia Aizuss)