Gapers Block : Merge : Author

Future Perfect Almost Past
The Illinois Humanities' Council's series, Future Perfect: Conversations on the Meaning of Genetics -- which has staged panels and discussions throughout the city about genetic testing, stem cell research, and related topics over the past year -- wraps up next Tuesday night with a discussion of fairness and accessibility down at the DuSable Museum. Excerpts from the new Kartemquin documentary, Terra Incognita, will be shown. More details in Slowdown. If you've missed previous events in the series, you can catch up by watching the videos at the Illinois Channel, or listening at Chicago Amplified.
Friday September 21 2007 Outdoors/Environment

BOGO Seven-Minute View
The Navy Pier ferris wheel people are expecting their 10 millionth rider in the next couple weeks and are celebrating by offering this 2 for 1 coupon [pdf]. (Good only till 30 September.) If you have family coming to visit, or friends with kids, it's a nice opportunity to get a terrific (if brief) view at a more reasonable price.
Wednesday September 19 2007 City Life/Cultural

Humanities Festival Schedule Available Now
Tickets don't go on sale till the 24th (unless you're a member, in which case they've already been on sale for a few days) but you can get a head start by browsing the program (pdf) for the Chicago Humanities Festival (this year's theme: Climate of Concern) now.
Monday September 17 2007 City Life/Cultural

American Perspectives Starts Tomorrow
A yearlong exploration of 19th and 20th century American art, music, and literature, American Perspectives is a collaboration between AIC, the Poetry Foundation, and the CSO that includes exhibits, concerts, lectures, courses, films, and more, all focusing on how different genres influence each other. Tomorrow AIC kicks things off with live music, readings, talks, and gallery tours. For more information, click here.
Friday September 14 2007 City Life/Cultural

More Money for Nonprofits--and Documentary Filmmakers
The Illinois Humanities Council recently announced its award of $12,000 in mini-grants to non-profits. IHC is accepting applications for mini (up to $2,500, due 15 October) and major (up to $10,000, due 15 February) grants in support of humanities projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations. IHC is especially interested in funding projects that target new or historically neglected audiences. And if you're making a documentary, you might be able to raise some seed money from IHC. For more information, call 312-422-5580 or email ihc[at]prairie[dot]org. Applications are available here.
Friday September 7 2007 Resources

Back to School at the Newberry
Feeling jealous of all the kids going back to school this week? You can join them (sort of) by signing up for a seminar at the Newberry Library. Courses range from genealogy (of your family or your Chicago house), to literature (Dickens, Joyce, Shakespeare, Garcia Marquez, and others are featured), and also include history, art, music, philosophy, and creative writing. Courses start mid-month or later. For more information, click here.
Thursday September 6 2007 Schools/Education

Home-Cooked Jazz and Evening Star Gazing Kick Off
The Jazz Institute of Chicago has put together a half-dozen free jazz concerts, beginning tonight at 6:30 PM in Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion, and closing on 27 August with a performance by the acclaimed Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. You can't go wrong with any of these concerts, which--aside from featuring local jazz greats like Dee Alexander and Von Freeman--also open with performances by Chicago's NEXT jazz generation: the likes of the South Shore Youth Jazz Ensemble, Gallery 37 After School Matters Jazz Band, and the Jazz Links Ensemble. Individual concerts are listed in Slowdown; click here for a complete schedule. AND THERE'S MORE: If you mosey over toward the BP Bridge starting around 7:30, volunteers from Adler Planetarium will share their telescopes so you can get a good look at the moon and nearby planets.
Thursday July 26 2007 Music/Clubs

Save this Venue!
The Trib reports that HotHouse, the South Loop venue for innovative jazz and world music, is due out of its Balbo St. digs by the end of July because of funding shortfalls, management disputes, etc. You can donate to HotHouse here, or volunteer here.
Tuesday June 26 2007 Music/Clubs

Really Quick Review: 500 Clown Macbeth @ Steppenwolf
Just what it sounds like: a production of Macbeth put on by a bunch of clowns (three, to be exact--not sure where the other 497 are), and yet these bumbling, stumbling, profoundly earnest jokers manage to convey the major themes of Shakespeare's masterpiece. Terrific fun for adults as well as kids. Visit the Steppenwolf website for the schedule and to buy tickets.
Monday June 18 2007 Theatre/Dance

Nerd Alert
The US Rubik's Cube National Open starts tomorrow at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Friday June 15 2007 Offbeat/Misc. Events

SummerDance Kicks Off
The 11th Annual Chicago SummerDance season starts tonight with an hour of dance lessons in Grant Park's Spirit of Music Garden, followed by a couple of hours of dancing . If you can't make it tonight, you can also check it out Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. And if you can't make it this week, no worries: Chicago SummerDance runs till 26 August. Click here (PDF) for a complete schedule.
Thursday June 14 2007 City Life/Cultural

Art for Procrastinators
Lee Mingwei's multi-part exhibit, "Impermanence" (at the Chicago Cultural Center through 1 July) includes a Guernica made of sand and a room containing multiple configurations of bed and nightstand; but check out the Letter Writing Project: an arrangement of three enclosures that invite you to write that letter you've been putting off. You can have it mailed or leave it for others to read; and reading other people's letters is no small pleasure.
Friday June 8 2007 Arts/Architecture

More Free Art and Live Jazz
This summer, the Art Institute of Chicago joins the Museum of Contemporary Art in offering live jazz al fresco on free evenings (Thursdays and Fridays, from 5 PM). MCA continues to serve live music on its terrace Tuesdays at 5:30 PM.
Thursday June 7 2007 City Life/Cultural

Take the Express to Niki in the Garden
If you're interested in seeing the new Niki St. Phalle exhibit in Garfield Park (more than 30 playful sculptures by the noted artist are placed amidst gardens inside and outside the Conservatory building) but the thought of long waits for the west-bound Green Line discourage you, click here for details about new express trains running between Randolph and Wabash and Garfield Park Conservatory Saturdays and Sundays.
Wednesday June 6 2007 Arts/Architecture

Free Architecture Tours This Weekend
Sure, there's more to it--like tomorrow night's panel discussion on innovation in social housing, activities for kids, and open access to intriguing indoor spaces--but the chance of a free Architecture boat tour may seem more compelling. Other tours get you inside some of the bridge houses on the Chicago River (cool!), point out Arab influences on the city, and discuss how restaurant decor and cuisine can go hand in hand. Click here for complete details; all tours and programs are free.
Thursday May 17 2007 Arts/Architecture

Give Away Your Glasses, Save the Earth
Recycling is good, but reusing is better. As part of Earth Month Chicago, area eyewear vendors are participating in a program--from today till next Sunday (6 May)--that collects donated eyeglasses for families in developing countries. So if you have some old specs you don't really need anymore, do a good deed and drop them off at your local LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sunglass Hut, Sears, or Target Optical.
Sunday April 29 2007 Outdoors/Environment

Recycle Your Cell Phone, Save the Earth
You know you shouldn't just throw old cell phones in the trash, right? As part of Earth Month Chicago, area police stations are participating in a program--from today till next Sunday (29 April)--that collects used cell phones. The Verizon Hopeline Project will reprogram the phones for use as emergency phones by seniors and victims of domestic violence. So do a good deed: take that old phone to your local police station.
Monday April 23 2007 Outdoors/Environment

Earth Month Chicago Debuts
Someone at the City of Chicago decided one day to celebrate the earth is not enough, so Chicago's first Earth Month begins today and runs through 20 May, to "raise awareness of the simple things all of us can do to improve the environment." Key events include the Green Business Conference, the Green Festival, and a host of recycling drives. Some events are listed in Slowdown; click here for a complete calendar.
Tuesday April 17 2007 City Life/Cultural

Chagall Fans, Take Note
It's been a rough few years for Chicago's Chagall fans. His beautiful America Windows has been off exhibit at the Art Institute because of construction on the museum's new wing (and won't be back till 2009). And in 2005 one of his paintings was sold to a private collector. However, we still have the Four Seasons, and there's a new biography. Its author, Jonathan Wilson, is discussing it tonight up in Evanston. Slowdown has you covered, or visit the Nextbook website to buy tickets.
Tuesday March 20 2007 Arts/Architecture

Help for Greening Schools
Trying to make your school (or your kid's) greener? The Chicago Center for Green Technology is making an expert available for five hours on 3 March to answer your questions about getting funding, choosing appropriate technologies, and which step comes first for school building and renovation projects. Free, but you need to reserve time in advance: call 312-746-4678 and tell them what you have in mind.
Saturday February 3 2007 Resources

Newberry Winter Registration Open
It's that time again: the Newberry Library is offering seminars on everything from Irish writers to genealogy to the history of the sleeping car. Click here to see if there's a course for you. Seminars begin next month.
Friday January 26 2007 Schools/Education

Not Easy Being Green? Who Says?
The Chicago Center for Green Technology is kicking off a new season of free seminars, through its Green Tech U, next month. Some specifically target architects and engineers (who can earn certificates and continuing education credits), but others are ideal for those of us who wonder what we can individually do to make a difference for the environment: convince the condo board to install a green roof? Put a rain barrel in the yard? Call up the governor and ask him to impose tougher auto emissions standards? Some seminars are listed in Slowdown; click here for the complete catalog.
Friday January 26 2007 Resources

Really Quick Review: 4-Ish @ Harris Theater
This show, put on by a troupe from Amsterdam, has it all: break-dancing, acrobats, a hip-hop DJ, a human beatbox who rivals the DJ, and world-champion roller bladers. In a 70-minute production, you chuckle or your breath is taken away at least every five minutes. Perfect if you have a kid to entertain this weekend. (Even if the kid's your inner child.) Closes Sunday, 28 Jan. Tickets are available from the Chicago Children's Theater.
Wednesday January 24 2007 Theatre/Dance

Coming Soon: Cheap Nonstop to Hong Kong
Tell your friends and family overseas: Oasis Hong Kong, a no-frills, low-cost airline, has applied to make Chicago one of its departure points. Right now Oasis offers a nonstop flight between London and Hong Kong for as little as $150 (plus tax and fees) one way, so it's fair to expect highly affordable tickets.
Friday January 19 2007 Transportation

Visions of Venice on Michigan Ave.
Much as I love Chicago, after days of chilly, gray, damp weather I sometimes wish I were elsewhere. So the Cultural Center's new exhibit of large-scale Venice photographs is just perfect. Details in Slowdown.
Saturday January 13 2007 Arts/Architecture

Power by the Hour
Wouldn't it be cool to get an email telling you electricity rates are about to go up, so you'd better run the dishwasher right away? Or they're about to go down, so you can plan to do a big pile of laundry? And then have your electric bill be lower at the end of the month because you used more electricity when it was cheap and less when it was expensive? The Community Energy Cooperative, an initiative of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, recently piloted an hourly metering scheme, and a new program will be starting soon. Click here to find out more and fill out an interest form.
Thursday January 11 2007 Resources

Beyond Freakonomics
Noting an increasing trend in applying the techniques of economics to social and public health issues, this article highlights young economist Emily Oster at the University of Chicago, who has been studying why AIDS rates are higher in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere.
Thursday January 11 2007 In the News

Grownup Fingerprint Art Comes to Chicago
Last Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law gave my 5-year-old niece a little green ink pad and she started creating unique masterpieces based on her thumbprint while waiting for the turkey to appear. Unfortunately, some of these still decorate our dining room walls. New York-based artist Merle Temkin presents a much more sophisticated take in Fingerprints, a self-portrait exhibit that opens today at the Cultural Center. Slowdown has the details.
Saturday January 6 2007 Arts/Architecture

Know Any Orson Welles Fans?
Or fans of Nicholas Cage, Yoshiyuki Tomino, or US drug laws? Just in time for the holidays, you can bid on four very special autographed movie posters and benefit the Chicago International Film Festival. The auction runs until 15 December.
Wednesday December 6 2006 Film

Homegrown Hats for Sale
Though I'm not a big hat person, I just love it that we have a Milliners Guild in Chicago. Its existence makes me want to be a big hat person, as if wearing beautiful hats could transport me to the same era that the phrase "Milliners Guild" conjures up. I guess you don't know until you try. And tonight is a good time to try, as the Guild is showing off its merchandise. Details in Slowdown.
Friday November 3 2006 Offbeat/Misc. Events

Heads Up for Dance Fans
Dance Chicago -- a month-long festival celebrating Chicago's dance companies -- kicks off this weekend at the Athenaeum Theatre in Lakeview. Tickets are typically $20 or less and the shows (every weekend in November and some weeknights) offer a unique opportunity to survey a broad swath of the local dance scene for cheap. Some performances are highlighted in Slowdown, but click here for the complete schedule.
Wednesday November 1 2006 Theatre/Dance

Really Quick Review: ShawChicago
Going to a play is usually hit-or-miss; even when you attend a performance by one of Chicago's celebrated companies, the script might be a dud, or the acting uneven. ShawChicago, though, is always a sure thing. They do only a handful of shows a year, and most are staged readings, but the plays (since they're by George Bernard Shaw) are guaranteed terrific--smart and funny--and the performances are so consistently skilled that you forget you're not watching a fully staged production. See for yourself: You Never Can Tell is at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts until next Monday.
Monday October 30 2006 Theatre/Dance

More Money for Nonprofits
The Illinois Humanities Council is accepting applications for major (up to $10,000, due February 15) grants in support of humanities projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations. IHC is especially interested in funding projects that target new or historically neglected audiences. For more information, call 312/422-5580 or email ihc[at]prairie[dot]org. Applications are available here.
Monday October 23 2006 Offbeat/Misc. Events

Make Room for Tulips
It's hard to imagine the lush and dense Lurie Garden has room for 60,000 additional tulips, daffodils, and ornamental onions, but that's how many bulbs are going to be planted there between today and Wednesday. Here's a discussion of bulb expert Jacqueline van der Kloet's design strategy. Lots of color to look forward to next spring!
Sunday September 24 2006 Outdoors/Environment

Chicago Science Frenzy
Today, Chicago Science Expedition launches a two-week program of events calculated to make Chicagoans more science-literate, bringing physiologists, conservationists, and others to neighborhood Starbucks and Borders cafes to discuss their work and displaying the world's largest periodic table of elements on the south side of the Daley Center. Some highlights, which include presentations on the science of Millennium Park and the physics of the curveball, are listed in Slowdown, but click here to review the entire schedule and make plans to raise your science IQ.
Friday September 22 2006 City Life/Cultural

World (Music) Crisis in Chicago
World music fans have a problem tonight. Check out the US premiere (in Millennium Park) of "Nu Art Claiming Earth," an amalgam of Basque, West-Indian, and African influences, performed by an orchestra supplemented by 10 Bordeaux musicians, 20 Chicago jazz artists, and 20 Chicago students? Or dive into the Cultural Center's one-night showcase?
Thursday September 21 2006 Music/Clubs

World Music Fans, Take a Deep Breath...
The 8th annual Chicago World Music Festival begins tomorrow and will stage dozens of concerts around the city, by artists from a gazillion countries. We've highlighted many of them in Slowdown (mostly the free ones), but you can find a complete schedule here.
Wednesday September 13 2006 Music/Clubs

Money for Nonprofits
The Illinois Humanities Council is accepting applications until October 15 for mini (up to $2,000) grants in support of humanities projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations. IHC is especially interested in funding projects that target new or historically neglected audiences. For more information, call 312-422-5580 or email ihc[at]prairie[dot]org. Applications are available here.
Saturday September 9 2006 Resources

What the City Can Do for You (Redux)
The second of three late-summer City Services Fairs is being held on the West Side this Saturday. (The last one will be held on the South Side next Thursday.) You can get free health screenings, find out about assistance for seniors, or get help with your taxes. Details are in Slowdown.
Thursday September 7 2006 Resources

Free Plants for You or Your Community
Next Friday (15 September) is the registration deadline for participating in the Great Perennial Divide, an event that supports community and other shared gardens by distributing free perennials. Individual gardeners can also participate, if they donate plants at the Chicago Center for Green Technology on 23 September. Click here (pdf) for details.
Thursday September 7 2006 Outdoors/Environment

Happy Birthday, Louie!
Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Louis Sullivan (sesquicentennial, for big-word lovers), and groups all over Chicago are celebrating with free and ticketed tours, discussions, films, classes, and other events for the next six weeks. We highlight a lot of the good stuff in Slowdown, but click here for every last detail.
Sunday September 3 2006 Arts/Architecture

Humanities Festival Head Start
Tickets don't go on sale till the 5th (if you're a member) or the 18th (if you're not) but you can start browsing the program (pdf) for the Chicago Humanities Festival (this year's theme: Peace and War) now. So as soon as registration opens you'll be set take your pick (of events like a Joan Baez concert; presentations by documentarian Errol Morris, novelist Louise Erdrich, historian Taylor Branch, and cartoonist Garry Trudeau; conversations with Laura Kipnis, Jonathan Schell, and Scott Simon...) before the stampede.
Friday September 1 2006 City Life/Cultural

Last Free Friday Evening @ AIC
After Labor Day, the Art Institute's schedule changes, so this is your last chance to check out the museum's collection (and live jazz) on a Friday night. (At least until AIC next changes its schedule.) AIC will continue to be open (and free) Thursday evenings.
Friday September 1 2006 City Life/Cultural

Newberry Fall Registration Open
If one of your new year's resolutions was to read Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow, you're in luck: the Newberry Library is offering courses in each of these notoriously difficult masterpieces. Also offered are courses in Louis Sullivan, Friedrich Nietzsche, history, genealogy, and writing (including a one-day novel workshop). Click here to see if there's a course for you. Seminars begin next month.
Tuesday August 29 2006 Schools/Education

What the City Can Do for You
The first of three late-summer City Services Fairs is being held on the far South Side this Saturday. (In September there are two more.) You can get free health screenings, find out about assistance for seniors, or get help with your taxes. Details are in Slowdown.
Thursday August 24 2006 Resources

Devon on Page One
Comparing the assimilation of Pakistani immigrants in the UK and the US, the Times put Devon on its front page today.
Monday August 21 2006 In the News

Compost Bins Available, CHEAP!
Do you compost? You should, if you have any outdoor space at home. All day Saturday, the University of Illinois Extension is selling compost bins worth $80 for only $25 to Chicago city residents (bring proof of address with you) at the Garfield Park Conservatory visitor parking lot. Why compost? Besides creating stuff that makes for really good garden soil, it's a simple and environmentally sound way to divert yard waste and vegetarian kitchen scraps from garbage dumps and sewage. Slowdown has the details on this virtual giveaway. UPDATE: Bins will also be available at the Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences at 3807 W. 111th St. and the North Park Village Nature Center at 5801 N. Pulaski. (Thanks, Amber!)
Wednesday August 16 2006 Outdoors/Environment

Fire in Chicago
This terrific movie, a love story between married women, caused a huge controversy in India when it was released there in 1998. You can see it tonight on the roof of Gallery 37. Slowdown has the details.
Wednesday August 16 2006 Film

Study Architecture at IIT for $5
The Mies van der Rohe Society is offering inexpensive architecture tours at IIT, highlighting not only Mies' work (e.g., Crown Hall and the Carr Memorial Chapel), but also the grounds (designed by Alfred Caldwell), the campus center (designed by Rem Koolhaas), and the new student residence (designed by Helmut Jahn). Click here for details about self-guided and docent-led tours.
Friday August 11 2006 Arts/Architecture

Fuel for Foodies
LTHForum.com, the local food chat website, has just announced the latest round of Great Neighborhood Restaurant award-winners--23 destinations for gastronomic adventures, throughout the Chicago area.
Thursday August 10 2006 Eating/Drinking

Closing Soon: Southwestern Ceramics @ AIC
The Art Institute's Casas Grandes ceramic exhibit is worth checking out (you can stop in free tonight and tomorrow after work) before it closes Sunday. Native American ceramic objects between a few hundred and over a thousand years old are displayed and what's striking (aside from their amazingly good condition) is how modern they are: you wouldn't be surprised to see some of these designs at a local arts and crafts fair. Click here for details.
Thursday August 10 2006 Arts/Architecture

The Terra Museum (Virtually) Lives!
Those of us who miss the Terra Museum (formerly at 666 N Michigan, now the home of the temporary Motorola store) can now visit our favorite paintings online. The site also includes information about where the collection can be seen in person--part of it is still in Chicago, at the Art Institute.
Wednesday August 9 2006 Found on the Web

Oasis: Going, Going, Almost Gone
An unusual installation at the Chicago Cultural Center is closing Sunday: a lush tropical landscape created from discarded clothes (mostly socks, as far as I can tell) and background music. The effect is irresistibly smile-inducing--certainly worth a visit before it disappears, especially if you've had a hard week and are short on smiles. Click here for details.
Wednesday August 9 2006 Arts/Architecture

Start Gathering Your Toxics
Sure, it's hot, but with a household hazardous waste drop-off day coming this Saturday, now's the time to make a pile of your old oil-based paint cans, that broken TV in the basement, and that clunky laptop you replaced a year ago. You know this is stuff that shouldn't just go in the trash, right? Right. Carve out some time Saturday to haul your pile to the drop-off (see Slowdown for details) and get a year's supply of blue bags for your trouble.
Wednesday August 9 2006 Outdoors/Environment

Millennium Park--Cheap for the Price
Haven't heard that one before? In today's Times review of Timothy J. Gilfoyle's new history of Millennium Park, critic Michael J. Lewis favorably compares its cost and speed of execution to New York's efforts to erect a memorial at Ground Zero. "Starting from scratch, Chicago has turned a wasteland into America's most dazzling urban park."
Sunday August 6 2006 Arts/Architecture

Scholars Wanted
Know any academics? The Illinois Humanities Council is seeking candidates for its Road Scholars speakers bureau, which presents experts in fields ranging from ancient literature to wildlife biology to audiences of ordinary folks throughout the state. While scholars in all fields are welcome, themes emphasized this year include genetic engineering, U.S. roots music, and Abraham Lincoln. Click here for details and an application. The deadline is September 15.
Friday August 4 2006 Schools/Education

Learning about Louis Sullivan
If you love old Chicago buildings, then you probably know this year marks Louis Sullivan's 150th birthday. In honor of this important sesquicentennial, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is offering a four-session course on botanical motifs in Sullivan's work in September. Click here for more information on this and other Sullivan programs coming soon.
Friday August 4 2006 Arts/Architecture

File Under EEK!
The Explorer's Club is a 102-year-old organization (with chapters around the world, including Chicago) of adventurous souls devoted to going where no man or woman has gone before and bringing back hard data. So what is our Chicago chapter planning? With the sponsorship of Redwood Creek, a walk around the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, followed by a wine and wildlife tasting. Yes, you read that right. Participants will sample reds and whites as they nibble on North American Cricket, worm pretzels, and pigeon pate. Reservations are closed at this writing, but you can check directly with Redwood Creek through the day to see if any places have opened up. (That is, if you're just dying to try Roasted Ant Tarts with a good cabernet.)
Wednesday August 2 2006 Offbeat/Misc. Events

Cinema/Chicago Offers Teachers Some Pointers
Do you teach? Curious about how to incorporate documentaries into your classroom activities? Need more ideas for improving your students' media literacy? How about applying hip-hop in the K-12 setting? Cinema/Chicago is presenting a three-day Teacher's Institute from 15 through 17 August, to be held down at Columbia College. It's cheap ($25 a session; $150 for the whole shebang--cheaper if you're a Cinema/Chicago member), promises to be enlightening, and the registration deadline has been extended till this Friday. Click here for details.
Tuesday August 1 2006 Schools/Education

All the Park's a Stage
Ever wish your life was a Broadway musical? Starting late this afternoon and continuing throughout the weekend, Millennium Park shimmers with the music of Stephen Sondheim, as part of Sondheim in the Park. Performers will break into song in the Lurie Garden, Wrigley Square, and on staircase balconies, not to mention the stage of the Pritzker Pavillion. Details in Slowdown, or click here .
Friday July 14 2006 City Life/Cultural

Free Opera Alert
In August, the Chicago Office of Tourism, in conjunction with Silk Road Chicago, will present four performances of Mozart's The Magic Flute, with stars from our own Lyric Opera and the New York City Opera, at the Chicago Cultural Center. Starting tomorrow, you can pick up free tickets at the Storefront Theater Box Office (66 E Randolph) or call 312-742-8497.
Friday July 14 2006 City Life/Cultural

Nonprofit Woes?
smARTstart offers a comprehensive online guide to starting, managing, and growing a nonprofit arts organization, including pointers to other online resources. Launched by the Arts Business Council of Chicago, which supports the arts by connecting organizations to arts lovers with management savvy.
Thursday July 13 2006 Resources

Props for Humanities Geeks
The Illinois Humanities Council has mailed out nomination packets to mayors throughout the state for the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award. The award has typically gone to volunteers who champion cultural heritage, literacy, or community history. Only mayors can nominate recipients, but if you have suggestions, let Daley know: MayorDaley [at] CityofChicago [dot] org.
Thursday July 13 2006 City Life/Cultural

Classical Music Online
If you're a big classical music fan--or a not-so-big one, who just likes to know what's going on--check out Chicago Classical Music. The site offers a consolidated concert schedule; a blog written by staff from Ravinia, Chicago Sinfonietta, and other classical music organizations; and an assortment of user forums. There's even a Classified section, to pick up tickets someone else can't use.
Thursday July 13 2006 Music/Clubs

Wednesday is Double Feature Night
Cinema/Chicago has scheduled its series of free screenings of international films on the same night as Chicago Sister Cities International's film series (which is $15 a show, but includes dinner catered by Fox & Obel). The savvy cinemaphile needn't choose between the two: Cinema/Chicago's movies start at 6 PM in the Cultural Center and Sister Cities' movies start at sundown on the roof of Gallery 37, just across the street.
Wednesday July 12 2006 Film

Chicago Sister Cities Program Turns 50
If you've been to O'Hare (and even if you haven't), you probably know that Chicago has a slew of sister cities: 25--to be exact--from Accra, Ghana, to Warsaw, Poland (click here for list). To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Sister Cities program, Gallery 37 is showing international films on its roof every Wednesday evening through August 30. See Slowdown for details of individual screenings, or click here for a complete schedule.
Wednesday June 21 2006 Film

SummerDance Update
Chicago SummerDance continues this year (15 June through 27 August) with free one-hour dance lessons followed by two hours of dancing to live music in Grant Park's Spirit of Music Garden Thursday through Saturday evenings (6 PM to 9:30 PM) and Sunday afternoons (4 PM to 7 PM), but the popular DJ series turns nomadic, with venues ranging from Daley Plaza to the Taste of Chicago Taste Stage. And a bit sporadic: held some weeks on Monday, other weeks on Wednesday, and sometimes also Thursday or Friday. Individual Nomadic DJ Series events are listed in Slowdown; click here for a complete schedule.
Thursday June 15 2006 City Life/Cultural

Joffrey Turns 50, Invites Chicago to Dance
Commemorating its 50th anniversary, tomorrow the Joffrey Ballet kicks off a busy week of performances, dance instruction, workout sessions and other events, "Come Dance with Us." High points include free ballet and modern dance programs at the Harris Theater and Pritzker Pavillion, a late-night SummerDance session on the Chase Promenade, and numerous performances throughout Millennium Park by students associated with the Joffrey. Individual events are listed in Slowdown; click here for a complete schedule.
Monday June 12 2006 Theatre/Dance

One City, One Fashion Capital
Mayor Daley has announced the establishment of a Fashion Advisory Council, with the goal of persuading local designers not to leave Chicago for the east or west coast.
Thursday June 8 2006 In the News

AIC's Blue Period
Starting tonight, the Art Institute offers live music as well as free admission on Thursday and Friday evenings. If you're heading to the Blues Festival, you might want to stop at AIC first to get in the mood. The museum is hosting multiple blues bands and offering blue-themed gallery tours. Slowdown has details.
Thursday June 8 2006 City Life/Cultural

Fish Hotel Returns
On your way to the new Bridgehouse Museum, take a look into the river. You'll notice that the Friends of the Chicago River's Fish Hotel is back. Can't wait till they install cameras so we can see what the fish are doing down there...
Wednesday June 7 2006 Outdoors/Environment

Really Quick Review
Let's say you're riding east on Granville toward the lake, and you're ready for a break. Park your bike outside Cafe du Monde, at the corner of N. Broadway. No beignets (yet), but the coffee and tea are excellent and the sweets behind the glass case are tempting. Bonus 1: classical music is piped outdoors, which helps turn the charming patio into a refuge, in spite of proximity to traffic. Bonus 2: if you happen to be traveling with your laptop, Cafe du Monde offers free wireless.
Tuesday June 6 2006 Eating/Drinking

Chicago Memorized
Chicago Public Radio has partnered with organizations like the Illinois Humanities Council, Nextbook, and the Field Museum to store recordings of lectures, readings, and panel discussions online at Chicago Amplified. For example, if you missed Studs Terkel and Stuart Dybek at the Harold Washington Library last March, you can download the audio here.
Monday June 5 2006 Resources

Download This
According to the New York Times, Chicago Public Radio's Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me podcast is "among the Top 20 most popular downloads ranked by iTunes."
Monday June 5 2006 Radio/TV

Honey, United Switched the Kid
Friday at O'Hare, United neglected to wake up an unaccompanied minor who was napping while he waited for his connection to South Bend; his seat was taken by a 10-year-old bound for Taiwan.
Monday June 5 2006 Found on the Web

Syrian Cinema 101
If you read Lawrence Wright's recent New Yorker article about Syrian filmmakers, you know that Syria is a country with six movie theaters, and state censorship sometimes permits movies to be made but not shown. Starting tomorrow, you can check out a few of those movies, as the Gene Siskel Film Center kicks off a program of Syrian cinema, part of a traveling exhibition organized by ArteEast.
Thursday June 1 2006 Film

What's that Flower Called?
One of my favorite Chicago places is Millennium Park's Lurie Garden, and some time I'll take one of the 20-minute tours offered free (between 10am and 1pm) every other Sunday. In the meantime, this site has been useful for learning about the masses of purple flowers I've been admiring lately.
Wednesday May 31 2006 Outdoors/Environment

Thinking about Riding to Work?
On 10 June, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation kicks off Bike to Work Week, to encourage more Chicagoans to commute on two wheels. If you haven't biked to work before, it's a great time to get started. Next Monday, CBF is offering a class for novices, and during Bike to Work Week CBF is hosting Bicycle Commuter Stations through Thursday morning, the 15th, with free refreshments and bike chain lubes. You can find out more here.
Tuesday May 30 2006 Transportation

Heads Up for Studs Fans
You probably know about the Printers Row Book Fair (June 3 to 4), a late spring festival that abounds with free author appearances. To see some of those authors (Studs Terkel and John Updike, for two), though, you need a ticket, albeit a free one. Take your pick here, while they last.
Thursday May 25 2006 Books/Authors

Jungle-centric
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publication of GB Book Club 2005 pick The Jungle, Sunday's Tribune Magazine took a look at the rising popularity of meat, asked what Chicago is, now that it's no longer "hog butcher to the world," and offered a short history of muckraking.
Tuesday May 23 2006 Books/Authors

More Deadlines for Writers
Here's another resource if you need a deadline to get creative: the Guild Complex is looking for fiction and nonfiction for its 2006 reading series and there are submissions deadlines every month except July and December. As an added incentive, the work selected for readings will be entered into a competition for a $500 prize, with winners to be announced next January. See the website for complete details and guidelines.
Tuesday May 23 2006 Books/Authors

Shubert Theater Reborn, Renamed
Renovations to the 100-year-old venue are complete, and Tuesday night the marquee will be lit for the first time. The former vaudeville house officially reopens Wednesday night as the LaSalle Bank Theater with a performance by Tony Award winner Michael Crawford (perhaps best known for Phantom of the Opera). You're welcome to tour the interior Friday and Saturday from noon till 5 PM.
Monday May 22 2006 City Life/Cultural

Money for Nonprofits
The Illinois Humanities Council is accepting applications until July 15 for mini (up to $2,000) and major (up to $10,000) grants in support of humanities projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations. IHC is especially interested in funding projects that target new or historically neglected audiences. For more information, call 312-422-5580 or email ihc[at]prairie[dot]org. Applications are available here.
Friday May 19 2006 Resources

Grant Help for Nonprofits
The Illinois Humanities Council, which recently gave away $213,992 to 22 nonprofit organizations, is running a workshop for prospective grant applicants on June 2. Attendance is limited, so if you're interested, click here to register or call 312.422.5580.
Thursday May 18 2006 Resources

Got Hazardous Waste?
Saturday is Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Day, which means you can haul your old computer equipment, nasty chemicals, small appliances, and gas-powered garden tools to 1150 N North Branch and feel confident they'll be properly disposed of. Bonus: turn in your old gas-powered mower for a $100 rebate coupon for a new electric or manual mower. Details in Slowdown, or click here for the event flyer [pdf].
Thursday May 18 2006 Outdoors/Environment

Mad Hot Ballroom Fans Take Note
The All-City Dance Ensemble, made up of the best dancers from Chicago's public high schools, shows its stuff tomorrow afternoon in the Randolph Cafe at the Chicago Cultural Center. See Slowdown for details.
Friday May 12 2006 City Life/Cultural

Bike and Eat
Registration is ongoing for three Chicagoland Bicycle Federation-sponsored rides that combine food and biking. In June, Veggie Bike and Cook features lunch and a cooking class as part of a ride that runs from River North to Lincoln Square. In July, Veggie Bike and Dine incorporates tasty stops in a ride from Evanston to Edgewater and Progressive Bike and Dine tours the near west suburbs. Each ride requires advance registration, which costs $30 to $35. Learn more here.
Wednesday May 10 2006 Sports/Recreation

99 (or More) Documentaries Wanted
The Third Coast International Audio Festival has announced its 2006 ShortDocs Radio Experiment: "99 Ways to Tell a Radio Story." Short (two and a half minutes is the limit) audio documentaries are due by September 8, and the gimmick is that all submissions must start with the same sentence, incorporate a rhythmic noise, and include an exclamation. The idea for this comes from France. Hmmm. Aspiring radio documentarians can find out more here.
Wednesday May 10 2006 Radio/TV

Health Talk
If healthcare issues get you hot under the collar, you'll want to check out this month's Public Health Forum, sponsored by the Public Square of the Illinois Humanities Council and the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. Panels scheduled over the next couple of weeks will address healthcare as a human right, reproductive health and sexual identity, and building healthy communities. Details in Slowdown.
Sunday May 7 2006 Politics/Activism

Classics at Film Center
Today the Gene Siskel Film Center kicks off a three-week series, screening "top-quality archival prints of ... films selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry" and lent by the Library of Congress. Click here for a complete schedule; individual films are listed in Slowdown.
Saturday May 6 2006 Film

Know Any Artists?
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs is accepting applications for artist programs for the 11th annual Chicago Artists' Month, scheduled for October 2006. Benefits include loads of free publicity and large audiences. Programs should be designed around this year's theme, Beyond Boundaries (how artists overcome restrictions and expand their horizons). If you want to participate, think fast and fill out the form here by 15 May.
Friday May 5 2006 Arts/Architecture

Bat Out of Wacker Drive
Walking out an office building on North Wacker earlier this week, I noticed a little dark gray mouse on the sidewalk. No -- a bird. No -- a mouse. No -- a bat. I wondered if it was dead. While I was wondering, a seagull swooped down and snatched it. This made me think about Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, who may or may not be interested in bats, but just opened a bird hospital and are looking for volunteers to help scour the Loop for stunned and injured migrating birds this season. A training session is scheduled for next Tuesday evening (May 9) at 7pm at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
Friday May 5 2006 Outdoors/Environment

South African AIDS Diarist in Person
"It's only something that is inside my blood. Outside, I'll be the boss." Thembi Ngubane is a 19-year old South African with AIDS. You may have heard her moving AIDS Diary on NPR's All Things Considered last month. As part of her 5-city US tour, you can see her tonight at HotHouse. Details in Slowdown.
Thursday May 4 2006 Radio/TV

Great Chicago Places and Spaces: Tickets Available Now
If architecture is one of the things you love most about Chicago, then this is your festival. And if you believe Louis Sullivan is responsible for the best of Chicago architecture, then this is not just your festival, but your year, as the Great Chicago Places and Spaces festival celebrates the sesquicentennial (that's 150th anniversary -- maybe you knew that, but I had to look it up) of Sullivan's birth. The festival opens on Friday 19 May with a "great conversation" featuring Jaime Lerner, former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, one of the most progressive cities in the world, and continues with two days of guided tours. Tours are free, but require tickets. Depending on the tour, you may need to line up at the Chicago Architecture Foundation on the day of your tour to get your tickets, but for "Great Excursions" (which include Chicago River cruises), you can register here starting today. Complete tour details are available here -- note that items in blue are Sullivan-centric.
Monday May 1 2006 Arts/Architecture

Free Hot Dog Alert
According to Chicago Magazine's latest Dish bulletin, today, in honor of France's Labor Day (who knew?), Brasserie Jo is serving "free hot dogs on a crusty baguette with Dijon mustard." Now, if that doesn't improve your Monday, nothing will.
Monday May 1 2006 Eating/Drinking

"Chicago" is Good
Wikipedia's Chicago entry has been voted "good article collaboration of the week." This means the entry is "among the best...of Wikipedia articles, but...flaws [are] holding [it] back." To help eliminate the flaws, join the conversation. (Thanks, Sandy!)
Thursday April 27 2006 Found on the Web

And More Movies
Hot on the heels of the Latino Film Festival, Cinema/Chicago, in collaboration with the Global Film Initiative, presents Global Lens 2006, a new week-long program of international films -- for those of us who just can't wait till next October for the Film Festival. The new series starts next Friday, 5 May, and continues through the following Friday. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.
Wednesday April 26 2006 Film

El Cine Latino
The 22nd Annual Chicago Latino Film Festival started last weekend and runs through Thursday 4 May, with movies playing at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, the Gene Siskel Film Center, and Facets Cinematheque. Click here for a complete screening schedule.
Wednesday April 26 2006 Film

Newberry Summer Registration Open
Whether reading Devil in the White City excited your interest in Chicago history, or you've resolved to go back and study some of the classics you avoided in high school, or you're wondering if your life story might make a good novel (or at least a short story), the Newberry Library probably has a course for you. Classes start in June.
Sunday April 23 2006 Schools/Education

"Free" Bicycle, Anyone?
Chicago is one of around a dozen locations selected by Bicycling Magazine for its BikeTown USA promotion, which will give away 50 bicycles in each "BikeTown." Just fill out this form and pay special attention to the box that asks you to explain "how you would use a BikeTown bike to change your life." Of course, there are strings attached: if you win you'll have to sign a rather extensive release (pdf)...
Sunday April 16 2006 Transportation

One Book, One Chicago Event Alert
Although this season's One Book, One Chicago selection was announced in February, a cluster of related (and free!) events are scheduled this week, including a lecture by James Fallows, a film screening, and a reading of excerpts from One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in English and Russian. Slowdown has the details.
Sunday April 2 2006 Books/Authors

For the Artist in You
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has announced its May workshops and summer session courses for adults. Learn to paint, bind books, or make collages. Haven’t you been meaning to do something like this long enough?
Thursday March 9 2006 Schools/Education

Get Yourself Some Culture—Cheap!
So you’d like to take in more events, but ticket prices put too big a dent in your wallet. We’ve already told you about See Chicago Dance, which is a great source for discounts. And you probably know about Hot Tix (for cut-rate theater), with its downtown, Skokie, and Tower Records locations. Good deals are also available via the League of Chicago Theatres’ Theater Thursday series. But you really should get yourself on the GoldStar Events mailing list if you want to maximize your half-price ticket access. (It’s free.)
Thursday March 9 2006 Resources

Money for Nonprofits
The Illinois Humanities Council is accepting applications for mini (up to $2,000, due 15 April) and major (up to $10,000, due 15 July) grants in support of humanities projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations. IHC is especially interested in funding projects that target new or historically neglected audiences. For more information, call 312-422-5580 or email ihc[at]prairie[dot]org. Applications are available here.
Thursday March 9 2006 Resources

Make Like Warhol and Print
In conjunction with the upcoming Supernova exhibit, which opens March 18, MCA is offering a course in printmaking techniques called “Warhol’s Method.” Bonus: three of the eight sessions will be held at Chicago Printmakers’ Collaborative.
Wednesday March 8 2006 Arts/Architecture

Mamet Mania
The Goodman Theatre launches its David Mamet Festival tonight with the opening of A Life in the Theatre, which runs through 9 April. The Festival also features Mamet’s Romance, coming on 17 March, three programs of one-acts, a children’s play, and—not least—a Mamet write-alike contest. Prizes include free theater tickets, so Mamet-loving playwrights should get busy…the deadline is 10 March.
Saturday March 4 2006 Theatre/Dance

Michigan Ave. Ball Sculptures, Annotated
So maybe you don’t find anything curious about the current contents of the planting beds lining the Magnificent Mile. But if, like me, you’ve been hungry for some kind of explanation, check out this page, which describes them as “lit orb sculptures, hand-painted by local artists to add drama to the streets landscape” and provides a list of installations (with occasionally illuminating titles).
Saturday March 4 2006 City Life/Cultural

Hungry?
Local food chat site LTHforum.com has announced the latest recipients of its Great Neighborhood Restaurants awards. One of my new year’s resolutions is to check out each of these establishments, just as soon as I get through with last year’s.
Tuesday January 24 2006 Eating/Drinking

Get Out Your Castanets
Instituto Cervantes and Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs have kicked off the 5th annual Chicago Flamenco Festival, Flamenco 2006. For the next month, flamenco-related concerts, dance performances, films, exhibits, and lectures will be held all over town. For a complete schedule, click here (you’ll find individual events listed in Slowdown). And if you do have a pair of castanets, click here for instructions.
Tuesday January 24 2006 Offbeat/Misc. Events

Money for Nonprofits
The Illinois Humanities Council is accepting applications for mini (up to $2,000, due January 15) and major (up to $10,000, due February 15) grants in support of humanities projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations. IHC is especially interested in funding projects that target new or historically neglected audiences. For more information, call 312/422-5580 or email ihc[at]prairie[dot]org. Applications are available here.
Tuesday December 27 2005 Resources

See Santana Now
No, not the band. Painter Enrique Romero Santana, formerly of Madrid, Spain, has lived in Chicago since 1991, and the paintings now on display at the Chicago Cultural Center are among the achievements of his time here. A companion exhibit is on display at the Instituto Cervantes. Santana’s realistic Chicago streetscapes and gorgeous studies of light hitting Lake Michigan should not be missed. So don’t miss them. (Both exhibits end in mid-January.)
Sunday December 18 2005 Arts/Architecture

Listen Now, or Be Stuck with an Excerpt
If you’ve been meaning to listen to the Third Coast Festival’s prizewinning audio documentaries online, you've got a month to hear them in their entirety. After January 8, some will only be available as excerpts.
Thursday December 8 2005 Radio/TV

Say Your Piece
If you're still itching to give your opinion about the Taste of Heaven brouhaha, the Public Square, a program that fosters civic dialogue, has selected “Attitudes Toward Children in Public Spaces” as this week’s topic for its moderated Café Society discussions. Click here for times, locations, and resource materials.
Sunday December 4 2005 City Life/Cultural

Wintering Ducks Arrive in Belmont Harbor
Amid the usual gulls and mallards, we spotted a half-dozen Common Goldeneyes and a couple of Hooded Mergansers in Belmont Harbor this morning. The sight was cheering not just because these birds exhibit some rather entertaining behaviors but because it signals that even as Chicagoans hunker down for winter, dreading the cold, some creatures find a welcome respite in our neighborhood's climate.
Sunday November 27 2005 Outdoors/Environment

Patrons of the Year Named
Recently we told you that Preservation Chicago had identified the city’s seven most endangered significant buildings and places. On a more hopeful note, at least interesting structures are still being built. The Chicago Architecture Foundation has just announced its Patrons of the Year for 2005. These awards honor the “individuals or organizations that have fostered the creation of innovative architecture in Chicago.”
Saturday November 19 2005 Arts/Architecture

Lights Festival on N. Michigan
Depending on your point of view, you’ll want to avoid or make a beeline for N. Michigan Avenue this weekend. If thoughts of a Mickey Mouse parade, ice carving demonstrations, holiday lighting ceremonies, and carolers—especially before Thanksgiving—make your skin crawl, then give the Magnificent (3/4) Mile a wide berth. But if Christmas can’t start too soon for you, check it out and have fun.
Saturday November 19 2005 City Life/Cultural

Free Cocoa Alert
Today and tomorrow, the Pump Room at the Omni Ambassador East Hotel is giving away hot chocolate between 1 PM and 10 PM as part of the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. So is Harry Caray’s. For details about these and related discounts and deals, click here.
Saturday November 19 2005 Eating/Drinking

Kozol Redux
If you missed Jonathan Kozol's Humanities Festival talk at the Chicago Temple on Sunday afternoon, you still have a chance to hear the author of Death at an Early Age, Savage Inequalities, and—most recently—Shame of the Nation, when he speaks at the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on Tuesday evening. Kozol's talk, which is sure to be impassioned and inspiring, will focus on the de facto segregation of America's public schools. Details in Slowdown.
Sunday November 6 2005 Schools/Education

Hats Off to Chicago Milliners
If the very idea of milliners seems awfully 19th century, how about the idea of a Milliners Guild? This is the weekend to learn something new about hats. Chapeau, Chicago’s own Milliners Guild, presents Falling Head First, a series of events demonstrating that the art of hat making is alive and thriving. See Slowdown for details.
Thursday November 3 2005 Offbeat/Misc. Events

Free Cocoa Alert
Throughout November and December, the Pump Room at the Omni Ambassador East Hotel is giving away hot chocolate between 12 and 2pm as part of the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. And, if you take a copy of this holiday guide with you to the Museum of Contemporary Art, you get 2-for-1 admission as well as free hot chocolate at Puck’s Café. For details about these and related discounts and deals, click here.

TODAY

Search

From the Archives

Deb Oestreicher