The Chicago Theatre Celebrates 100 Years

In honor of the Chicago Theatre’s 100th anniversary, Chicago Mayor, Lori E. Lightfoot recently issued a proclamation recognizing Tuesday, October 26, 2021 as Chicago Theatre Day stating, “Theater is foundational to the life and culture of Chicago, as our productions draw crowds from all over the world and spark inspiration and engaging conversations. For the past 100 years, The Chicago Theatre has contributed to this reputation by illuminating State Street with fantastic shows and films. I am thrilled to wish the Theatre a happy 100th anniversary and celebrate Chicago Theatre Day as we embark on yet another century of entertainment in our city.”

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Newberry Library Exhibit Pushes Boundary Breaking Women to the Forefront

A new exhibition from the Newberry Library puts the spotlight on Chicago as a site of historic, boundary-pushing experimentation in art, literature, and dance. At the center of the exhibition are five women whose lives and careers embodied a uniquely Chicago style of avant-garde creativity in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s: Artist Gertrude Abercrombie, poet Gwendolyn Brooks, dancers Katherine Dunham and Ruth Page, and curator Katharine Kuh.

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Weinberg/Newton Gallery Presents New Makers Workshop

The Weinberg/Newton Gallery at 688 N. Milwaukee has announced the gallery’s first-ever experimental makers workshop, initiated and led by Chicago-based movement artist Joseph Lefthand. In a first-time collaboration with Chicago-based artists Isaac Couch and Sarah Whyte, the workshop explores impactful alternatives to institutional violence and navigates sustainable forms of social and political change. Led by Lefthand, who works at the intersection of art and social practice, the three artists consider the relationship between personhood and institutional violence, utilizing elements of performance and design to conceive wearable art that re-imagines the human form as transitory, lucid, ethereal, and disruptive. 

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Barbara Kruger Projections Debut on Art on theMART

In partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Art on theMART today announced a major new addition to its fall program: a projection by renowned conceptual artist Barbara Kruger. The projection will be shown twice nightly at 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. starting Sept. 17 and continuing through Nov. 25. The new work’s debut coincides with the Art Institute of Chicago’s presentation of Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You., an in-depth look at four decades of Kruger’s practice, the largest and most comprehensive presentation of Kruger’s work in twenty years.

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21c Museum Hotel Chicago Announces Lineup for “Curator Conversations”

21c Museum Hotel Chicago today announced the lineup for the first in-person edition of “Curator Conversations,” a free monthly discussion series. Taking place on Tuesday, July 20 at 6 p.m., in the hotel’s Main Gallery, the event will feature Chicago-based artist Emma McKee in conversation with Adia Sykes, 21c Museum Hotel Chicago Museum Manager. “Curator Conversations” brings together Chicago-based curators and artists for in-depth discussions to highlight Chicago’s rich arts community. 

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Immersive Van Gogh on view at Lighthouse ArtSpace through November 18, 2021

Have you ever wanted a bird’s-eye-view into the minds of the great masters of art or music?  Ever tried picturing how a Mozart or Picasso envisioned the world around them? It’s an intriguing thought. The Immersive Van Gogh exhibition on view through November in Chicago’s Old Town just may give you such insight into the mind of Dutch post-impressionistic painter Vincent Van Gogh. One of the most influential and iconic artists of the modern era, Van Gogh’s tragic life preceded what would emerge as nearly unprecedented fame and influence in the world of art. 

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Patterns in History: Bisa Butler Portraits at The Art Institute

Creating a historical narrative can easily become an artform all its own. Weaving a cultural narrative with the potent messages worthy of conveyance from one generation to the next is no light pursuit. Transform that narrative from written language to a visual tapestry, and you bring real depth to history and culture merging into the realm of artistry. This winter, The Art Institute of Chicago will present a new exhibition that showcases the kind of artistry that makes history come alive. Bisa Butler: Portraits, on view at the museum through April 19, 2021 showcases 22 quilts in four galleries and engages viewers with poignant themes of family, community, migration and the promise of youth, artistic and intellectual legacies. Meticulously stitched with vivid fabrics that emerge in painterly portraits, Bisa Butler’s quilts convey rich, one-of-a-kind, multidimensional narratives of Black life.

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Goodman Theatre to Present Debut “Future Labs” Reading, Layalina by Martin Yousif Zebari

ayalina by Martin Yousif Zebari, the first play of Goodman Theatre’s Future Labs, makes its virtual debut, launching the theater’s newest effort to develop new plays. Directed by Azar Kazemi, Layalina examines how families maintain their love in the midst of turbulent global and social change. Future Labs develops works authored and directed by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI and other artists of color, curated by Quenna L. Barrett (Associate Director of Education and Engagement), Jonathan L. Green (Literary and New Works Manager) and Ken-Matt Martin (Associate Producer) and a Goodman Staff Evaluation Team composed of individuals of intersectional identities and in areas across the theater. The live virtual reading of Layalina streams on January 30.

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