- Round out 2009 with parties at Bikram Yoga, Kaplan's Liquors and Reversible Eye Gallery.
- Malcolm X College hosts the last day of the 15th Annual Kwanzaa Observance Program.
- Start the first week of next year with Naked Girls Reading. Hot!
A/C - Arts & Literature Archives
Next Stop: New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, New Year's Week
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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A/C: Lots of Books, Public Art, Wrapping Up the Year
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Photograph by TheeErin
- It's the end of the year, so that means its time for The Reader to release its annual fiction and photo issues, while New City's posted its Top 5 book list.
- Ever wonder how busy the Chicago Public Library is? A record 9.2 million items were checked out this year.
- Speaking of the library, if you haven't played around on its website, you might enjoy its Digital Collections.
- Another high-end movie theater complex has opened in Chicago, and this time it's on the near South Side.
- It's time to view some public art in Chicago.
- The Art Institute's Apostles of Beauty digs into the design archive to explore the Arts and Crafts movement.
- Lee Bey guest blogs for the WBEZ to give his take on Chicago architecture of the decade.
- Randall Colburn runs down his theater opening picks for the coming month.
- If revolutionary art is your thing, you may want to check out All Power to the People! The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas before it closes on Saturday.
- Lastly, Happy New Year! If you're still looking for something to do tonight, we'll be at The Op Shop's Sylvester shindig.
- Thanks for reading!
A/C: Stradivari, Home Galleries, a Viking and a Goon
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- Arts programs may be on the decline, but Ogden International School students got a treat from the Stradivari Society.
- In other violin news, $290,000 worth of violin bows are the subject of a new Chicago lawsuit.
- Have you ever noticed that the Art Institute has a blog?
- Bad at Sports responds to the NYTimes article we discussed last week about home galleries with their own tale of two cities.
- Kelly Reaves sits down with street artists Viking and Goons.
- Who's your design hero?
- If your only connection to the The Arts Club of Chicago is walking by its building on Ontario, you might be surprised to learn its storied history, which includes important shows by artists such as Constantin Brancusi, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, among many others. Their website also offers a glimpse of their collection.
- What are the criteria to join? Only one: They must be passionate about music.
- The NYTimes features Mike Nourse's iPhone art courses at the Chicago Art Department.
Next Stop: Dreams Deferred, Indie Arts, A Holiday Party
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Tonight! It's the Gapers Block Holiday Party at Black Rock! Get to Addison and Damen to mingle with the people behind the site, free beer from Half Acre by the fire, and an overall good time.
- Operation Safe Passage, a non-profit determined to end youth violence, puts on an encore performance of Dreams Deferred Friday night. More information here.
- Still searching for a great gift? Saturday from 11am-5pm, local purveyor of stationery delights Paper Boy hosts the Indie Arts Market at Schubas.
A/C: More than Studs Lonigan, Gallery Snacks, A Forgery
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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Photograph by John Maloof
- Why writer James T. Farrell is more than just Studs Lonigan.
- Art Talk Chicago has been reviewing snacks at Chicago galleries. Check out how your favorites fared.
- Daniel Shea runs down the Chicagoans included in the 2010 Whitney Biennial.
- Al Gini shares his holiday book bag on 848.
- Architecture fans may be excited to see the newest area architectural tours from FanGuide Tours for your iPhone.
- The University of Chicago Divinity School professor Margaret M. Mitchell and her team discovered a forgery in the school's collection.
- The LA Times rediscovers 1,001 Afternoons in Chicago by Ben Hecht.
- Local filmmaker Michael Caplan is producing a documentary about Nelson Algren.
- If you didn't get enough logo mayhem last week, f News pulled a logo contest out of its archives for our enjoyment.
- J.H. Palmer reviews the Parker School's production of the Nutcracker and its visit by Prima Ballerina Assoluta Maria Tallchief.
- Or if you're interested in a holiday event a little more -- um -- adult, Katie Donbavand reviews The Ripettes' A Nightmare Before XXX-mas.
- Starting in January, Yo-Yo Ma will be the creative consultant to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His appointment will last three years.
A/C: Chris Rahn, the Apocalypse, the Obsession with Word Count
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Photograph by Dalmatica
- Killer Covers talks to illustrator Chris Rahn about designing the covers for six reissued Charlie Chan novels from Academy Chicago Publishers.
- Art Talk Chicago explores the Apocalypse, and readers remind us about the HPAC's Signs of the Apocalypse/Rapture.
- Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville has opened a new specialty gift store just in time for the holidays.
- Despite the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council's unanimous vote to recommend adding the remainder of the Gropius-related Michael Reese Hospital buildings to the National Register of Historic Places, Mayor Daley isn't having any of it.
- Jaime Groetsema explores Chicago apartment galleries.
- "Mars is our destiny," says author Ray Bradbury.
- SAIC is aflutter with discussion about its new logo.
- After 20 years of activities, Around the Coyote is in trouble, and you can help them out in their upcoming fundraiser.
- Sara Paretsky on the obsession with word count.
- Chicago's instantiation of the Complaints Choir makes an appearance in the NYTimes' feature on the phenomenon.
- The Trib has a round-up of books about the Second City comedy troupe.
- Looking for a gift? Have we got ideas for you!
Next Stop: Video Art 101, Holiday of Horrors, 101 Lecture
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- It's a weekend (well, weekend and early next week) of film, comics and screenprinting, and it kicks off Friday night with the Chicago Art Department's Video Art 101, which explores the medium of video through an art exhibition.
- Saturday, the historic Portage Theater hosts Holiday of Horrors Film Festival. Nothing says "holiday spirit" like gore, terror, and suspense on a big screen. Films include Christmas Evil, Silent Night, Deadly Night, New Years Evil, and Black Santa's Revenge. Lewis Jackson, the director of Christmas Evil, will be there in person. If that's not enough, there will also be vendors, free stuff, and booze.
- If Friday's talk wasn't enough, show up at the Hungry Brain Monday for the 101 Lecture Show, co-hosted by Homeroom and You, Me,Them, Everybody and featuring local artistic talents Jay Ryan and Paul Hornschemeier.
- Saturday, the historic Portage Theater hosts Holiday of Horrors Film Festival. Nothing says "holiday spirit" like gore, terror, and suspense on a big screen. Films include Christmas Evil, Silent Night, Deadly Night, New Years Evil, and Black Santa's Revenge. Lewis Jackson, the director of Christmas Evil, will be there in person. If that's not enough, there will also be vendors, free stuff, and booze.
Next Stop: Muntun Dance, Object Design League, Renegade Craft Fair
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- West African Dance comes to the Gary Comer Youth Center Thursday and this weekend by way of the Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago. For tickets, visit the website or call (773) 241-6083.
- Also going on Thursday is the Object Design League's December pop-up shop, Worth Your Salt, showcasing and selling the work of independent object designers both local and not.
- Still haven't found the right thing? Pulaski Park Fieldhouse hosts Renegade Craft Fair's Holiday Sale this weekend.
A/C: Maurine Dallas Watkins, Edgar Miller, Nick Disabato
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Photograph by Inspired by Everything
- That's right, it's time for One of a Kind.
- Maurine Dallas Watkins, the former Chicago Tribune reporter who penned Chicago is getting another wave of interest from a revival of another of her plays, So Help Me God!
- Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home is the first major monograph about Edgar Miller (1899-1993), who was internationally heralded for his organically modern reinterpretations of Victorian-era Chicago buildings beginning in the 1920s. GB features photographs of his homes from the book in A/C.
- Bad at Sports offers some final thoughts about this year's Chicago Humanities Festival.
- Looking for a present for the architect who has it all? Why not select a Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO design, or other Chicago structure.
- Did you know that Chicago-based signer Eric Miranda was a full-time flight attendant until 2001?
- Veronica Bond reviews The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus over in the Book Club.
- Rose Miller interviews Nick Disabato about interaction design and his Kickstarter campaign for his new book.
- Are you looking for a new book about Chicago? The U of C Press has one interesting collection going.
Next Stop: Animals and Lights, Sounds of Music, Glitter and Gifts
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Tomorrow, Lincoln Park Zoo brightens up for the holiday season with Zoo Lights, illuminating the zoo from 5-9pm.
- Sing along with The Sound of Music this weekend at the Music Box Theatre. Costumes encouraged.
- The Chicago Cultural Center helps you with your gifts next Thursday at Glitter: A Holiday Shopping Event. 78 East Washington Street, 11am-8pm.
A/C: A History of Depicting Thanksgiving, Political Art, Open Books Opens
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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Photograph by spencewine
- Celebrate Thanksgiving with Art Talk Chicago's a historical view of the holiday's depictions.
- And, the Poetry Foundation has a collection of Thanksgiving poems for you.
- What do you think about political art? I know what Jeriah Hildwine thinks.
- Veronica Bond runs down reviews the opening of the new Open Books used bookstore.
- In television news, it seems that our local Fox station isn't particularly good at math...
- Hyde Park's newest arts space, The Op Shop, will open tomorrow with its first show in a formerly vacant storefront, but just because they're open doesn't mean they're done accepting submissions.
- The GB Book Club also reviews The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus.
- If you head down to Hyde Park, maybe you also want to check out "gothic melodrama" at the Court Theater.
- Brian Dickie found a hilariously less-than-uplifting autumnal scene.
- If you haven't noticed already, Steve at the Movies reviews a heck a lot of movies.
- Now that the NYTimes has expanded Chicago coverage, the Chicago News Cooperative may be providing some interesting arts coverage.
- The University of Chicago Press is having a huge book sale.
- In other major art news, Time Out Chicago provides some background to the controversy surrounding the MCA's Italics, while Kelly Reaves provides a straightforward view.
- Have you ever noticed that the Sun-Times has a video games section?
- If you're going to be out and about with a camera tomorrow, perhaps you should consider contributing to the Picture Black Friday project.
Next Stop: Holidays Are Coming, Open Old Town, Pro Books
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Need gift ideas? Take a look at last week's Next Stop.
- Saturday evening, The Old Town School of Folk Music offers a free sampling of their music and dance classes, with music performances starting at 8:15.
- Attention independent publishers, writers and other literary entrepreneurs: Monday, the Chicago Cultural Center offers "Going Pro: How to Take Your Literary Venture to the Next Level", featuring Jill Pollack, Founder and Director of StoryStudio, Carol Saller, author of The Subversive Copy Editor, and Doug Seibold, President of Agate Publishing. Free, but reservations required: RSVP at julie.hunt[at]cityofchicago[dot]org or call (312) 742-1584.
A/C: Global Rhythms, Studs Terkel and the FBI, Marisa Wegrzyn
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Photo by Ian Only-Connect
- LaShawn Williams interviewed Brian Williams, founder and executive director of Step Afrika, and Lane Alexander, founder and director of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, both of which are involved with the Harris Theater's Global Rhythms.
- Open Books is celebrating the grand opening of its bookstore this weekend. New City has an interview with Literacy Director Erin Walter.
- Garrison Keillor's recent visit to the Art Institute seems to have reminded him how much he likes women.
- Given we are in Chicago, Anthony Elms is "suspicious of geographical or cartographic readings of cultural production."
- The Chicago Public Library now has an outpost in the City's Visitor Information Center at the Water Works on Pearson.
- Marisa Wegrzyn won the third annual Wasserstein Prize for her play HickoryDickory.
- Designs for a reworked Northerly Island suggest something pretty spectacular.
- The folks behind Hyde Park's Home Gallery are embarking on a pop-up of their own, Op Shop, and its looking for submissions.
- The Northwest Herald talks to Arlene Lynes, the owner of Woodstock's indie bookstore, Read Between the Lynes.
- The FBI kept tabs on Studs Terkel for more than 40 years.
- "Next time you're among friends, mention liking Dave Eggers. At least one of them will recoil as though you've just confessed a fondness for drowning puppies."
- Fill in the _____.
- If you haven't gotten a chance to view the Museum of Contemporary Photography's Reversed Images: Representations of Shanghai and Its Contemporary Material Culture, New City Art would like you to go.
Next Stop: Arts and Crafts and Bike Pin-Ups Make Great Gifts
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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Looking for something perfect, reasonable, and unique? This is your weekend.
- Friday, the School of the Art Institute hosts its annual Holiday Art Sale: in addition to having a wide and varied selection of all types of art, the artists receive a large portion of their sales.
- The DIY Trunk Show runs from 10am-5pm Saturday at Pulaski Park Auditorium (1419 W. Blackhawk). Head here for a list of vendors, and further information.
- But wait, there's more! Backpedal to Friday and head to Mars Gallery (1139 W. Fulton Market) for an opening centered on Thought You Knew's calendar, featuring pretty people on pretty awesome bikes. Yeah!
Next Stop: Handmade Chicago, Do No Harm
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Get a jump on your holiday shopping Saturday at the Empty Bottle, which will feature around 30 vendors selling handmade delights. The bar will also be open. Drinks, crafts, and thinking ahead: it kind of covers all bases.
- The Reeltime fall film series at the Block Museum of Art presents Do No Harm next Wednesday, a documentary about whistleblowers in a non-profit Georgia hospital, and the consequences of their actions. The filmmaker, Rebecca Schanberg, will be in attendance. More information here.
A/C: Free E-books, Lumpen TLVSN Interviews the Yes Men, a 2010 Reading List
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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![[turn for clearer view]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2636/4096226199_32e3bd92d0.jpg)
Photograph by Joshua Mellin
- Lumpen TLVSN had the opportunity to interview two members of the the Yes Men at the Co-Prosperity Sphere during their recent stop in Chicago.
- The Gapers Block Book Club announces its 2010 book list.
- Jeff Koons' newest installation is in an usual place: the CAT Scan room of Advocate Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn.
- Author Adam Langer talks to 848 about how he researched his new book, My Father's Bonus March.
- Vote for your top three reviews from public critics over at Chicago Classical Music, or if you prefer, you can just enjoy the flamewar in the comments.
- Been itching to make stencils? Christian Scheuer demonstrates how to make two types of them in A/C.
- Art Talk Chicago profiles E. Myrus and Masque Gallery's conversion into a Masque Mobile, following a trend of car galleries popping up all over the country.
- The Reader interviews Dominic Pacyga about his new book Chicago: A Biography.
- Chicago Art Map features Stan Shellabarger and Dutes Miller's Untitled Performance (Pink Tube).
- The University of Chicago Press is now offering a free e-book of the month. This month, download The Birthday Book by the Roman scholar Censorinus.
- Make your plans now for the Select Media Festival.
- City in a garden, indeed.
- Check out the bestselling books at Chicagoland indie bookstores last week.
Next Stop: Festivals of Films
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Tonight, the second oldest gay and lesbian film festival in the world opens at the Music Box: the Reeling Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival kicks off at 7:30pm with The Big Gay Musical. For more information and festival previews, head here.
- Fast-forward a day and hit the 21st annual Polish Film Festival, which runs through 11/21. Begins with a screening of the film General Nil.
A/C: Kurt Vonnegut, Paul Hornschemeier, CMAP Photo Contest
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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Photograph by BWChicago
- Dave Eggers reviews Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut for the New York Times, and talks about the time he read all of Vonnegut's books in one month.
- NewCity talks to Chicago cartoonist Paul Hornschemeier about his comic "Life with Mr. Dangerous."
- LaShawn Williams interviews Messiah Equiano, filmmaker and founder of Operation Safe Passage.
- f news features SAIC's Therapeutic Arts and the Global Alliance for Africa.
- The Newberry Library reminds suburbanites of the awesome power of reciprocal library cards. If you have a card from your participating suburban library, you can get a Chicago Public Library card -- for free!
- The NYTimes profiles Kumail Nanjiani and his rise from his start in Chicago to his current success.
- The Green Lantern Press and threewalls are releasing The Artist's Run Chicago Digest, a document of artist run spaces in Chicago in the last ten years, this Sunday at the Hyde Park Art Center.
- Bad at Sports has a new look!
- A spam comment on Theater for the Future's blog has spurred a conversation about appropriate promotion policies.
- MartinJon reviews The Calumet Region: An American Place, the new book of photographs by Gary Cialdella.
- The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning just announced a new photography contest for images of Northeastern Illinois.
- Heading to SOFA this weekend? ChicagoArtMap can get you started.
Next Stop: Exquisite Corpses, Sexy Monsters
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Allegedly started by the Surrealist movement, the artistic tradition of an illustrated amalgamation comes to St. Paul's Cultural Center this Friday, by way of Plastique Press and the Near Northwest Arts Council. There's a twist: visual artists, poets, and writers collectively assemble a collection of not just images, but words.
- This Halloween, Vaudezilla's Monster Burlesque Academy slithers and struts its way into the Portage Theater, featuring Red Hot Annie, Donna Touch, Coo d'Twat, and special guest Lady Lillith. More details here.
A/C: The Trib's Façade, YouMedia, the End of I Space Gallery
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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- Chicago Art Map is now live, with -- as you might expect -- a map, along with a variety of other tools.
- Do not use these words.
- "It's easy to be a great public library when times are good. The real test is when times are difficult. And that's when people need the library the most." Mary Dempsey fights for the Chicago Public Library.
- The Redmoon Theater thinks about Halloween in "White."
- YouMedia is a project of the Chicago Public Library to connect Chicago teens through digital media.
- Dave Eggers introduces an excerpt from his new book, The Wild Things.
- Why don't you enjoy the Chicago Architecture Blog's Chicago Brick of the Day.
- The Seminary Co-op reviews Look at the Birdie, the latest posthumously published story collection by Kurt Vonnegut.
- Famed theatrical lighting designer Michael Philippi passed away on Monday.
- Chicago Artists Resource asks Johnny Knight what he does to balance his day job and his art.
- F News interviews Theatre Zarko's Michael Montenegro and reviews its premiere production, "The Sublime Beauty of Hands."
- UIUC's I Space Gallery will close at the end of the year.
- Kelly Reaves reviews Liam Gillick's Three perspectives and a short scenario at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Next Stop: A Fractured Lens, A Telescope
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- An evening of local film talent, the Fractured Lens Video Festival bills itself as by and for video hobbyists and enthusiasts. This Thursday, view films of all experience levels at the Portage Theater, starting at 8pm. Only $7!
A/C: Barbara's Faces Eviction, Vintage Chicago Photos, Theater Rundown
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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Photograph by TheeErin
- Barbara's Bookstore in Oak Park could be evicted for failing to pay rent. A former employee has some comments about the store's owner.
- Art Talk Chicago reports that the Museums in the Park and the Chicago Park District are cutting their Park Voyagers art program.
- Enjoy forty years of vintage Chicago slide photographs from ZeusofHollyWooD. [Via]
- Selected items from Joffrey Ballet co-founder Gerald Arpino's estate will be auctioned. Select "November 1" for details on the auctioneer's website.
- Kelly Reaves interviews Mike Bancroft at the site of his newest collaborative venture: Stolen.
- The L.A. Times runs a never-before-published story by Kurt Vonnegut called "Look at the Birdie."
- Bid on Frank Sinatra's angry letter to journalist Mike Royko.
- The 2010 Chicago Fashion Incubator application is now online [PDF]. Sign up for your chance at a big break.
- In other auction news, the Hyde Park Art Center's annual "Just Good Art" fundraiser is in full swing. Check out their auction site before October 23 to preview the work and bid or attend the main event at HPAC on October 24.
- Get a sneak peek of selected images from local architect and photographer Keith B. Evans' show before his Friday opening.
- Read a review and an excerpt of Generosity by Richard Powers from the Denver Post.
- What do you want to read in 2010 for the Gapers Block Book Club?
- If theater's your thing, you'll probably want to check out Chicago Magazine's Fall 2009 Theatre Preview.
- And if you'd like to be reflective in addition to prospective, TimeLine Theatre's "The History Boys" dominated the Jeff Awards.
Next Stop: Luis Arrea, The Boy Detective in Chicago
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- As part of Columbia College's Creative Nonfiction Week, Luis Alberto Urrea (author of The Hummingbird's Daughter and The Devil's Highway) lectures at 6:30pm at 11104 S. Wabash, 8th floor. More info here.
- Joe Meno comes to our city by way of non-profit, Literary Chicago, reading and discussing his work at 17 N. State St., Suite 1010. More information here, or call (312) 870-1100x103.
A/C: Bricolage, Caroling, Iranians, Chicago: A Biography
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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- Time Out Chicago's Kris Vire says not to get your hopes up too far over a star-studded Christmas Carol announced this week.
- It's not every day that a lifetime's work of a heretofore unknown street photographer is discovered.
- Blair Kamin notes that the economy has saved 2 North Riverside Plaza (the old Chicago Daily News Building) from demolition. It will be renovated instead.
- Mystery writer Stuart Kaminsky has died.
- The ArtPrize winners have been announced, and a Chicago artist made the cut. Tracy Van Duinen's bricolage mosaic at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum came in second place.
- The University of Chicago Press has a gallery of historic photos of Chicago to support Chicago: A Biography by Dominic Pacyga.
- Margaret Larkin reminds us that what happened with David Letterman happens in the Chicago TV industry too.
- Goodreads has 10 questions for Audrey Niffenegger, and the Guardian reviews Her Fearful Symmetry.
- The DePaul University Museum is showing a surprising Iranian documentary photography show that's worth your while.
- Clear your schedule tonight! Today is Free Night of Theater.
- Pete Lit discovers a 1954 story by Kurt Vonnegut, "The Big Trip Up Yonder," on Project Gutenberg.
- Martine Syms guest blogs over at Bad at Sports to review highlights of the NY Art Book Fair.
- Poet Angela Jackson talks to 848 about her new novel.
Next Stop: Dance for the Camera, Cabaret Oobleck
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Featuring films by Pina Bausch, Michael Jackson and other artists, Dance for the Camera International Film Screening explores themes of character, gender and personality Tuesday and Wednesday. Multiple short films, and it's free! Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, more details and video clips here.
- Next Thursday, Cabaret Oobleck showcases percussionist, improviser and composer Michael Zerang, Jim Baker, Magnus & Schoen, and more. Show starts at 7:30pm in the downstairs lounge of The Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division. More information here.
A/C: New Fall Books, Michael Abramson, Chicago Artists Month
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- The title says it all: "Forget the Olympics. What the Second City Really Needs is First-Class Art News."
- Listen to Audrey Niffenegger talk about her new book, Her Fearful Symmetry, on 848 and read a review from the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Rose Miller recently interviewed Gordon McAlpin, author of the comic Multiplex.
- The New York Times' Lens Blog is running a feature about photographer Michael Abramson's photos of South Side blues clubs and their patrons back in the 1970s. The photos will appear in a book/LP set, titled Light: On the South Side, published by the inestimable Numero Group label.
- Documentary filmmaker Usama Alshaibi earned $35,000 as the recipient of the first Kartemquin Films Diversity Fellowship.
- If you're interested in an afternoon of art, head to Hyde Park and check out Heartland (mentioned last week) at the Smart Museum and Shanghype at the Hyde Park Art Center. Both got good reviews in this week's New City Arts.
- In other South Side news, the Woodlawn Collaborative will soon be joining organizations like those above and Little Black Pearl to contribute to the area's art and activist community.
- Check out MartinJon's interview with Renee Prisble Una in A/C.
- It's pledge drive time at WBEZ, and they're commemorating the event with staff playing cards. First at bat? Steve Edwards.
- In case you didn't notice, this month is Chicago Artists Month.
- The Gapers Block Book Club is featured in the Tribune, and Veronica Bond has some more background on the story.
- The Gail Borden Public Library and Pritzker Military Library are both recipients of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
- The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is sponsoring a 10th Anniversary Nature Museum Photo Contest. The winner will receive a free two year family membership to the museum and featured through their website and newsletter.
- The Seattle Times talks to Sara Paretsky about her new novel, Hardball.
- Richard Powers also has a new book out. Read reviews of Generosity at the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.
Next Stop: Chicago Calling
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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The Fourth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival (CCAF4) features Chicago-based artists collaborating with artists living in other locations. The following events are part of this festival.
- Friday, Brown Rice (4432 N. Kedzie.) features two sets of sound, music, and film. A performance by Chicago Phonography is followed by more performances by Chicago-based musicians and films by non-local filmmakers.$5 suggested donation.
- Myopic Books hosts poetry readings and a "telephone art" game Sunday. Poets TBA. 7-9pm. Free!
A/C: The Richard Nickel House, Mies van der Rohe, Her Fearful Symmetry
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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Avi Schwab's merge of his contemporary photograph and an archival image of
the University of Chicago's Harper Memorial Library Commons
- The Commission on Chicago Landmarks' final review of the Richard Nickel House is today. If you would like to protect the house from demolition, you should show up no later than 12:45pm.
- Yes, that girl was walking around with a dead cat on her head.
- Here's your opportunity to see Slim Aarons' photograph of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe standing oh-so-perfectly in front of his 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments.
- Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry is now on the shelves, and Veronica Bond is collecting its reviews.
- Don't those bushes look like they could use some redesigning?
- Watch Phineas X. Jones design his newest poster.
- Newcity Arts asks "Modernism, what have you done for me lately?"
- The Playground is presenting "The Tweet Life," a long-form improvisational show that utilizes an audience member's Twitter feed.
- Ever wonder what Art Institute students do over the summer?
- Boing Boing is holding a poetry contest, the prize for which is a copy of Dave Eggers's Zeitoun. All you have to do is compose a haiku on why you deserve to win and enter it in the comments section of the post.
- Oh, and if you didn't already know, the Gapers Block Book Club is the #2 way to meet your lover in Chicago.
Next Stop: Learn about Comics, Get in Proximity, Read Something Dangerous
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Tonight, Third Coast Comics answers everything you wanted to know about comics, and maybe more. 6234 N Broadway, 7pm.
- Tomorrow, the Co-Prosperity Sphere commemorates the fifth issue of Proximity, Chicago's own international arts publication. More information here.
- Author Chris Crutcher presents the authors of six of the most challenged books of 2008, and City Lit Theatre Company and Chicago Public Library Readers' Theatre perform work from said authors. Saturday, 12pm, Bughouse Square across from the Newberry Library (60 W. Walton).
A/C: Ira Glass, Paul Sierra, Heartland, Ballads of Suburbia
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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- WBEZ has an exclusive interview with Ira Glass about the news regarding This American Life's TV hiatus.
- Chicago is producing great literature, but have we "entered a period where writers are less likely to be so passionate about American cities"?
- While the new version of Fame at least has serious marketing dollars, real arts schools like the Chicago Academy for the Arts have been having a difficult time.
- Quimby's Bookstore has photos from the Windy City Comic Con.
- Chicago Dance Crash is offering a sneak peek behind the Drawing Board.
- Bad at Sports profiles Gallery 400's current show, which combines total environments with wordplay and experimental film.
- The Smart Museum's newest show, Heartland, opens one week from today. Check out the supporting materials on the website, including this map of artist-run spaces.
- Aleksandar Hemon talks to Deutsche Welle about being a Bosnian living abroad.
- MartinJon sat down for a video interview with Paul Sierra.
- Proximity Magazine's newest issue will be officially released tomorrow, with a party and show at the Co-Prosperity Sphere.
- Veronica Bond reviews Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert.
- Grand Rapids' ArtPrize is now in full swing, and there are a lot of Chicago artists in the mix, although you have to search for them. Here's a start.
- Local design house MAS Studio's newest issue of MAS Context is out, and the topic is Work.
- Newcity's Chicago Weekly launched a new blog to cover the South Side art scene, among other things.
Next Stop: Hunt for Gold, Comics and Other Treasures
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Avast, me hearties! It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day and the Field Museum is celebrating Saturday with the opening of the Real Pirates exhibit.
- If Terry and the Pirates are more your speed, head over to the Windy City Comicon Saturday and enjoy vendors, exhibitors and a host of special and often local guests.
- Sequential art and doubloons aren't the only games in town this weekend: New Suit Theatre Company hosts a scavenger hunt starting at 1pm Saturday. Bring 2-5 people and a digital camera. More information here.
A/C: New Audrey Niffenegger, Collecting Art Early, Paint as an Economic Indicator
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Photograph by Ian Only-Connect
- Patrick Sommerville is a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize for his book The Cradle.
- Ever wanted some tips about how to be a non-starving artist?
- Shows at UIUC's I Space Gallery and the U of C's Renaissance Society get a good mention in the NYTimes' fall art season wish list.
- Veronica Bond reviews Her Fearful Symmetry, the hotly anticipated new novel by Audrey Niffenegger.
- Dave Eggers has earned the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community from the National Book Foundation.
- Landmarks Illinois released its Chicagoland Watch List this week. Among the featured buildings are Cameron's house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the Lincoln/Fullerton streetscape, the South Side Masonic Temple and three Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Add these to the statewide list, and there are some big concerns for the Chicago area.
- The National Book Awards remembers two past winners with ties to the University of Chicago.
- In 1971 Pat Arnow got a chance to photograph the Chicago Board of Trade during one phase of its renovation.
- "I think the white paint index is signaling that the manufacturing recovery may be short-lived." That's right paint ingredients are economic indicators. I guess Silver Tower didn't need enough.
- Granta's acting editor, John Freeman, talks to Chicago Public Radio's 848 about the all-Chicago issue of Granta.
- Andrew Huff investigates the the demise and future plans of the Chi-Town Daily News.
- Bad at Sports has 10 reasons you should start collecting art in your early twenties. Of course, if you're older than that, now's the time to start!
Chi-Town Daily News Folds -- What's Next?
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News broke this morning that the Chi-Town Daily News had laid off the entire staff on Wednesday night, and that founder and editor-in-chief Geoff Dougherty was working to create a new for-profit public affairs publication in its place. See our full coverage in A/C.
Next Stop: Second City/Third Person, Granta Magazine
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- This Saturday, reading series Second City/Third Person welcomes local authors Kyle Beachy (The Slide), Zach Dodson (of Featherproof) and Alexis Thomas. 7pm at the Book Cellar, 4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave. Free!
- Granta Magazine celebrates their all-Chicago issue by teaming up with the Chicago Cultural Center, Stop Smiling, and The Hideout.
A/C: Chicago's Poetry Renaissance, The Moth Flies to Chicago, Chicago Theater Flies to Broadway
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- Is the Chicago poetry scene experiencing a new renaissance? Kent Johnson thinks so. And Samizdat has commentary about the New Chicago School.
- The Moth has just announced it is expanding from New York and L.A. and starting a regular StorySLAM in Chicago. The first event will be held at Martyrs' on Septermber 29 and will be hosted by Dan Kennedy from The Moth Radio Hour.
- Veronica Bond has a complete look at the Chicago issue of Granta.
- Exterior restoration of IIT's Carr Chapel, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's only ecclesiastical building, is complete.
- Today is the last day to review -- and maybe vote for -- Chicago's Freshest Film: The Substitute.
- The Complete Review collects reviews of Summertime by J.M. Coetzee, which has just been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize.
- A record five Chicago productions will show on Broadway this season -- that's just under a quarter of all shows.
- Something new to cross off of the list of unrealized tributes to The Big Lebowski: a burlesque show.
- Karen Hanson, the author of Today's Chicago Blues, checks to see if the graves of any musicians were affected by the Burr Oak Cemetery desecration. (via)
- Dalkey Archive Press has launched a fellowship program for young people interested in publishing.
- John Lendman put together this handy google map of gallery openings on Friday, the largest opening of the year. If you do head out to the openings, a free trolley may make getting around easier.
- So you think you really know NPR? Put that knowledge to the test by playing a game where you match voices to photos of NPR personalities, including Wait Wait's Carl Kasell.
Next Stop: A Sometimes Store, Rollin' Outta Here Naked, Fast and Cheap Fiction
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Breaking up is hard to do, but sometimes it results in a vintage clothing store: when Venus writer Christine Bejasa's ex moved out of their Pilsen apartment, she found a new way to fund her online magazine start-up. Vintage millinery delights abound at the grand opening this Saturday, 11am to 7pm at 913 W Cullerton, first floor.
- The Dude Abides Saturday night, with naked ladies too: Vaudezilla presents "Rollin' Outta Here Naked: A Big Lebowski Burlesque", at 10pm and every Saturday in September at the Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave. -- as well as at Lebowski Fest.
- This Tuesday, reading series Quickies! welcomes authors Andrew Farkas, Robbie Q. Telfer, Jacob Knabb, Jessa Marsh and Patrick Somerville to read their very brief fiction. For those unfamiliar, each author must read a complete piece of prose - no poetry, no excerpts - in under five minutes. Whew! Innertown Pub (1935 W. Thomas), 7:30pm. Quick and free!
A/C: Busy Beaver, Granta's Chicago Issue, the Stikman
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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Photograph by Kevin Peterson
- Legendary Chicago photographer Barbara Crane has not one -- not two -- but three exhibitions opening in the next month or so.
- Lindsay Muscato spent some time at the new Busy Beaver Button Co. space in Logan Square and interviewed founder Christen Carter to get the back story.
- The latest issue of Granta magazine is dedicated to Chicago. Editor John Freeman introduces the issue here, and New City has a special interview with Freeman about the issue.
- Have you ever visited the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop? You may want to take a look or at least visit their online catalog.
- Veronica Bond reviews Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann and says it's a "page-turner."
- If you haven't seen Take your time: Olafur Eliasson, the first U.S. retrospective of Olafur Eliasson's career, hurry up: the exhibition closes on September 13th.
- Audrey Niffenegger talks about Her Fearful Symmetry.
- Whose street art is this? The Stikman's.
- Attention writers: Ninth Letter is accepting submissions for fiction, poetry, essays and more.
- Over at Art Talk Chicago, Kathryn Born celebrates the fourth birthday of Bad at Sports with more history than you can shake a paintbrush at.
- Julia Keller tells us about the Chicago roots of L. Frank Baum.
Next Stop: After the Deluge, 50 Years of Naked Lunch, 50 Readings Under the Influence
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Josh Neufeld brings new meaning to A.D. at the Book Cellar this Friday, appearing to discuss his graphic novel A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, which follows the story of six New Orleans residents pre-, during, and post-Katrina. Free, 7pm, 4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave. Call (773) 293-2665 for more information.
- Celebrate the 50th anniversary of William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch at ThinkArt Salon Friday, and if you just can't get enough centenarian parties, head over to Sheffield's Monday for RUI: Reading Under the Influence's 50th set of readings. The latter features 2nd Story ensemble members J. Adams Oaks, author of Why I Fight, and Nadine Warner, along with GB Mechanics editor Ramsin Canon and local writer Kyle Chaney.
A/C: Saving a Library, Cheap Opera, The Bollywood Ticket
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- The William Leonard Public Library in south suburban Robbins, IL needs your help.
- The Trib spent some time figuring out how the art scene has been affected by the recession and how galleries are coping. Here's a hint: they're not doing well.
- A local businessman and author is doing more than a little hinting that his most recent thriller about the CEO set is more truthful than its fictional nature.
- Sharon Woodhouse of Lake Claremont Press shares her thoughts on the benefits of being an author.
- Students take note: The Lyric Opera has renewed its NExT program for the 2009/2010 series, so sign up to be eligible for $20 seats.
- Saturday Night Live is picking up new Chicago comedians like the kids are picking up the new disco record.
- If you're interested in Bollywood movies but don't know where to start, let The Bollywood Ticket be your guide. Written in Chicago with an American perspective, it's a good entree into the sprawling Hindi cinema.
The Michael Reese Hospital campus has been cordoned off in preparation for demolition.
- Crime novelist Marcus Sakey talks to 848 about his new novel.
- Native Chicago photographer Mary Morris Lawrence, one of the first female reporters at the Associated Press, has passed away.
- Lumpen is moving its site from blogspot to wordpress, so update your bookmarks.
- The Trib reviews Await Your Reply: A Novel by Dan Choan, while book blog The Millions has an in-depth interview with the author.
Next Stop: Get Filthy Rich, Visit the Ukraine, Find a Little Black Pearl
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Local author of stories in sequential art form Brian Azzarello graces "Best New Comic Book Store" Challengers Comics Friday, signing copies of his new graphic novel, Filthy Rich. 5-7pm- after 7 the signing stops and the partying begins. 1845 N. Western Ave. 2R.
- Come slightly west to get a lot farther east, to Ukrainian Village Saturday and Sunday for the 26th Annual Ukrainian Festival. 12-10pm both days in Smith Park, 2526 W. Grand Ave.
- Head south Sunday to Mandrake Park (E 39th & S Cottage Grove) for Pearl Fest 2009, which marks the 15th anniversary of the Little Black Pearl workshop, which aims to create opportunities in the arts for youth and adults. Diane Reeves and more perform.
A/C: A New Civic Plaza, A Revolt on Goose Island, A Building Celebration
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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- Enjoy Chicago Revenant, a new occasional feature by Gapers Block writer Dan Kelly examining some of the less well-known neighborhoods of Chicago -- or as he likes to put it, "shambling through the Second City." This is the first in the series, in which he visits Dunning and Schorsch Village on the Northwest Side.
- Julia Keller interviews Kari Lydersen, the author of Revolt on Goose Island: The Chicago Factory Takeover, and What It Says About the Economic Crisis.
- How would you like to see Federal Plaza redesigned as an undulating terrascape? [Via]
- You have two opportunities to listen to author Aleksandar Hemon read from his recent work.
- Have you ever taken the time to explore the International Museum of Surgical Science and its unsurprisingly creepy displays?
- Mark October 10 and 11 down on your calendar for the opportunity to check out exhibits about Abraham Lincoln and Benito Juárez at the Chicago History Museum for the price of one small portrait of Lincoln.
- If you haven't seen the news already, you may be interested to know the designer of the Obama/Joker poster is a Chicagoan, and he didn't tack the word "socialist" at the bottom of it.
- Chicago-based interior designer and HGTV host Frank Fontana provides a glimpse of the tensions between celebrity and artistic community in the NYTimes.
- Chicago Week may be over, but Wall Blank is opening its archives for the week, so you can pick up that print you missed.
- New City talks to local crime story writer Marcus Sakey.
- Publisher Douglas Seibold writes an appreciation of Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr. at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore blog.
- If you are interested in learning about contemporary photography and starting a collection, sign up now for Catherine Edelman Gallery's In Focus program, which will meet four times in the fall.
- Lake Point Tower is turning 40 (well, really 41), so it's time to celebrate.
Next Stop: Making a BFF, Turning 30 (next) Thursday
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- The Bicycle Film Festival, or BFF, kicks off tonight with a scavenger hunt and Joyride Art Show. The main event screens at Columbia College on Saturday, starting at 3pm: tickets available for titles such as The Bicycle Church, I Love My Bicycle: The Story of FBM Bikes, and Anima D'Acciaio (Soul of Steel) here. It all wraps up Sunday with a block party next to the Skylark (2149 S. Halsted St.): more information here.
- A week from today, The Neo-Futurists bring us 30 on Thursday, selected classics from the archives of their show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, which is now in its twentieth year. 9:30pm, 5153 N. Clark (at Foster), tickets start at $15.
A/C: Chicago Week, Coetzee Reads, Gender Bias in the Theater
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Chicago Week artist Dmitry Samarov's "O'Hare Staging Area #10"
- Chicago Week, a collaboration between Gapers Block and Wall Blank is well underway. Each weekday this week, an interview with an artist and a corresponding print will be made available for one week through Wall Blank. 10% of the proceeds will benefit the Chicago Artists' Coalition. So far, featured artists include Dmitry Samarov, Sharon Parmet, Mark Hansen and David Schalliol. Check A/C Friday afternoon for a feature on Clare Rosean.
- Elsewhere on ChicagoNow, Amy Guth is looking for local literary tweeters.
- Zach Dodson, one of the founders of featherproof books, interviews Amelia Gray, author of featherproof's latest title, AM/PM.
- Carl Giometti headed down to Millennium Park in order to review the Zaha Hadid and UNStudio's Ben van Berkel pavilions for the Burnham Centennial before the temporary closure of the van Berkel pavilion.
- Bad at Sports invented a new "lost" Chicago movie that looks pretty darned good.
- By now, most everyone in the art world knows about the July 29 fire at Peggy Cooper Cafritz's D.C. home, in which hundreds of works by prominent artists were destroyed. Burned in the fire include pieces by prominent Chicago artists, such as Kerry James Marshall's Power to the People. Amazingly, O Magazine's current issue happened to have a feature of the house.
- Listen to J.M. Coetzee read from Summertime, thanks to the New York Review of Books podcast, or read the passages yourself online.
- Chicago artist Jeff Zimmerman designed these kicks for Lebron James to "express LeBron's positive energy through color and motion." [Via]
- A senior in economics at Princeton's findings about gender bias in the theater have sparked quite the media frenzy, including this interesting piece in which Chicago theater luminaries weighed in on the issue.
- Check out the bestselling books in Chicagoland last week.
- The Art Institute and MoMA have teamed up to uncover the mystery of the Matisse.
- Daniel Shea is funding his September trip to southern Ohio to work on his next series by having a sale of editioned (and non-editioned) work from his Removing Mountains series.
- Looking for a last minute documentary idea for Chicago 360? WBEZ has some suggestions.
Next Stop: Oak Park Book Fair, Busy Beaver Buttons Grand Opening, Everything is Terrible!
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Sort through over 100,000 books that span the spectrum of genres, courtesy of The Friends of the Oak Park Public Library. The fair lasts Friday and Saturday (there is a $5 entrance fee Saturday), and takes place at Oak Park River Forest High School, 201 N. Socille Ave., Oak Park. Call (708) 383-8200 for more information.
- Chicago's very own button makers, Busy Beaver Buttons, will be be celebrating the opening of their new space at 3279 W. Armitage Saturday. Activities! Booze! Buttons! 35th Ward Alderman Rey Colón cutting the ribbon at 1:30! How can you go wrong? For more information contact them here.
- Anyone who's cringed at a bad training video and somehow has a hankering for more should head on down to the Hungry Brain (2319 W. Belmont) on Monday, where the video blog Everything Is Terrible! shows select clips from their stash of the "best" that promotional and instructional tapes have to offer. Free!
A/C: Laporte, Alternative Galleries and Playing Tag with Blagojevich
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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- Bitner and Kotlowitz's immensely popular LaPorte, Indiana is getting a new treatment with a documentary film that's in the works.
- Zaha Hadid's Burnham Pavilion is finally open, and it's a looker -- at least for now.
- "At the Movies" is getting yet another overhaul, this time with the Trib's Michael Phillips pairing up with A.O. Scott of the NY Times battling it out. Hopefully this arrangement will stick.
- The Cermak Road Creative Industries District is finally expanding, and they want you check out the digs next weekend, so mark your calendar now.
- Wendy McClure's childhood infatuation with Little House on the Prairie has stoked some very interesting conversation.
- U of C copy editor Carol Fisher Saller is still getting some pretty darned positive reviews for The Subversive Copy Editor. One recent review goes as far as to say: "this book should be read by all who write or edit in the course of their professional duties."
- Avram Eisen Gallery's current show brings together 22 artists who studied at the School of the Art Institute in the late 1980s with a show dedicated to the late Chicago Imagist Ray Yoshida.
- GB's Book Club will be meeting on Monday at The Book Cellar to discuss La Perdida, by Jessica Abel. If you're interested in attending, here are some questions to get you thinking.
- Speaking of Imagists, the Site of Big Shoulders covers "The Biggest Collection of Modern Chicago Art."
- The Suburban, the alternative art gallery in Oak Park, is about to get a sister space: The Poor Farm Experiment.
- Ever wonder what the General Director of an opera company does on a weekend off?
- Now that KamberEdelson has taken a case fighting Amazon.com over their ability to delete files off of Kindles, Chicago may soon be ground zero for the battle over rights to digitally purchased books.
- Have you been busy adding tags to Blago's new book? I want to know who added "Lincoln rolling in his grave."
Next Stop: Atomic Sketches, BROADZILLA! Burlesque, Milwaukee Arts
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Get your draw on: tonight marks the one-year anniversary of the the Atomic Sketch Event, which showcases emerging Chicago artists through live art at evilOlive (1551 W. Division St). The 13th panel includes: John Airo, Emmy Star Brown, Carlos Arteaga, Joey Potts, paranoidgirl, Torreyanna Barley, Brooks Golden, Joyce Vallejo, Michelle Mashon, Blütt, SUPAQOOT, Ethan Hutchinson and Ryan P. Young. 6 to 10pm
- The Vaudezilla Vixens shake it Friday at Exit (1315 W North Avenue), in two different shows at 10pm and 1am. Featuring Red Hot Annie, Wham Bam Pam, Donna Touch, and more, this show is free!
- Explore scenic Logan Square, and enjoy some art and music: the Milwaukee Arts Festival runs Friday to Sunday, along Milwaukee Avenue between California and Ridgeway avenues, centered on the Logan Square Centennial Monument. Featuring 150+ artists, this free festival also hosts multiple live music stages. Be sure to check out the Polonia Stage at Milwaukee and Ridgeway, where Polish Elvis performs from 4-6:30pm.
A/C: Chicago Rants, Art Contests and Graffiti (the Bad Kind)
Co-Editor of Gapers Block Book Club
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- Don't forget that this Friday is the deadline for Chicago visual artists to submit their work to a competition sponsored by Gapers Block and the Rockford-based arts purveyor Wall Blank. The four winning artists will be featured on Gapers Block, and their work will be offered as prints for sale on Wall Blank during "Chicago Week" in August 2009.
- Tom Lynch surveys the state of literary events in Chicago. Summary: not good.
- We all know business is bad for artists and galleries around the country, so don't forget Chicago Artists Resource's business section.
- Local author Achy Obejas talks about her new novel, Ruins, on NPR, and later Pulitzer prize-winning writer Junot Diaz praises her book during his own interview.
- Bad at Sports walks through Meg Onli's Underground Railroad Project currently on display at Twelve Galleries.
- Elsewhere on ChicagoNow, Amy Guth interviews Jon Fullmer about his new Chicago-based literary magazine, Knee-Jerk.
- Local artist Joseph Lappie is staging a novel way of raising money. Of course, if he's successful, he won't be a local artist here for long.
- A $900,000 wax statue is at the center of a lawsuit filed by members of Chicago-headquartered sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha against the sorority's president. At least it's good to see some artists are making money in the current economy.
- Read an amusing recap of the Open Books Blogathon, which took place last Saturday.
- Aurora's Paramount Theater's executive director has stepped down, apparently over a conflict with the theater's board.
- Speaking of business, documentary filmmakers may want to start putting together submissions for Split Pillow's fifth annual Chicago360 film series.
- A Pilsen pro-immigration mural created as part of the Yollocalli Arts Reach youth program has been defaced.
- If you've ever wanted to see Walter Gropius in front of his (rejected) design for the Chicago Tribune building, here's your chance.
- And, does Chicago inspire ranters? The New York Times begins to wonder...
Next Stop: 110,000 Books, Three Comic Book Artists, One Day
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Inexpensive literature of all stripes abounds at the Newberry Library's 25th Annual Book Fair, which runs today through Sunday (which is also half-price day). 60 W. Walton. For more information, head here.
- Comic artists Alex Robinson, Jeremy Tinder, and Josh Cotter grace Quimby's Saturday to discuss their latest works, and probably past works as well. Free, 7pm, 1854 W. North Ave. Go here or call (773) 342-0910 for more information.
- O Dia da Caça, or The Day of the Hunter, the story of a former drug dealer forced back into the business by a corrupt policeman, screens at the Chicago Cultural Center next Wednesday. Free, 6:30pm, seating first come first served.
A/C: Dioramas, Eating and Dancing, Reading An Off Year
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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- Dioramas of all shapes and sizes are making a comeback at Hyde Park's Home Gallery.
- During July, the National Pastime Theater is hosting the Naked July festival. It's gotten at least one mixed review, but that review does have its critics.
- Literago points us to this wonderful video about why buying at local bookstores vs. online is buying green.
- An ambitious plan to build Chicago's first net-zero-energy home is finished. If you're thinking about building one soon, keep in mind the price tag of the 2,675 sq. ft. building was $1.6 million.
- Veronica Bond reviews An Off Year by Claire Zulkey, an "encouraging" coming-of-age novel.
- Dance Magazine recently spent some time at the new Joffrey Academy of Dance and is full of admiration.
- Lindsay Muscato and Robin Carlson recently spent some time at a cabin in Wisconsin and got to know the family who owns it, along with new strategies for bringing guests from far and wide into the woods.
- Photographer Brian Ulrich has been thinking about The Blues Brothers' Dixie Square Mall, and shooting in malls like it, following a recent fire at the Dixie.
- Julia Keller reexamines the Great Chicago Novel.
- The Harris Theater is launching a new series called "Eat to the Beat," designed for people who work (or are hanging out) in the Loop and would like to take in 45 minutes worth of dance during lunch time -- for only $5. All three performances are now listed on their schedule.
- Sara Paretsky is among the powerful women who admit to being influenced by Nancy Drew.
- Coudal points us to the 57 image retrospective of Chicago photographer Lee Balterman's work from the 1950s and 1960s at Stephen Daiter Gallery. The photographs focus on people and cover a wide range of subjects.
- Check out the bestselling books at indie bookstores in Chicagoland last week.
Next Stop: The Naked Killer, Dave McKean Weekend, Summer Writing at DePaul
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- The Neo-Futurists present a staged reading of the 1992 Hong Kong film The Naked Killer: how the bloody action and over the top drama will play out is anyone's guess. Part of their eighth annual "film fest", It Came From The Neo-Futurarium VIII: Legend of the Neo-Futurarium, happens at 8pm, 5153 N. Ashland at Foster.
- Artist/writer/director and frequent Neil Gaiman-collaborator Dave McKean will be signing at Challengers Comics tonight (6-8pm, 1845 N. Western Ave. 2R). But wait, there's more: a weekend-long film festival at the historic Portage Theatre, full of his silent film-inspired art, and a showing of MirrorMask where McKean himself will preside.
- DePaul's First Annual Summer Writing Conference takes place Saturday. Part of a partnership with the Chicago Public Library, the conference will include poetry, fiction, and non-fiction readings, panels, classes, and lectures by DePaul professors. For locations, registration, and other information go here or contact Chris Green at (312) 362-8916 or cgreen1@depaul.edu.
A/C: A Boy Named Sue, Michael Jordan in Gatorade, Neil Gaiman at ALA
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block, among many other things.
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- The Time Out Chicago blog reminds us that Shel Silverstein's hometown is Chicago, and takes the message home with a live Millenium Park recording of Jon Langford performing "A Boy Named Sue."
- GB's Andrew Huff caught up with local film producer Eric Neal to discuss the upcoming Green Hornet web series.
- Last weekend at the American Library Association conference in Chicago, Neil Gaiman accepted the Newbery Award and signed lots of books, while author James Kennedy challenged Gaiman to a fight. And, the Oak Park Public Library Warrior Librarians earned the gold book cart in the fifth annual Library Book Cart Drill Team Championship.
- Sure, we've all been to the Art Institute, but have you ever spent much time on their website? The Permanent Collection section is particularly interesting and provides considerable detail about many of their holdings.
- 19,000 Gatorade bottles in Chicago can only mean one thing: Michael Jordan street art.
- This summer, the city added a new tour to its usual neighborhood fare, by featuring art around town.
- The University of Chicago Press is now offering hundreds of its titles as ebooks, using Adobe's Digital Editions software. Check out the full ebook catalog.
- While FSU may be grabbing headlines, Revelation Records' May release of Burning Fight, a documentary text of the 1990s hardcore scene by Chicago area teacher Brian Peterson, keeps the scene posi.
- Barack Obama bestsellers join list of banned books.
- If you missed 70 Days for 70 Years at the Hyde Park Art Center, you can catch one of their most unusual events on their website via WGN or check out the full recap here. Of course, there's still more regular programming to see.
- Bestselling books at indie bookstores in Chicagoland last week, plus Quimby's keeps its own bestseller list.
- Do you have any idea what this is?
Next Stop: Booze and Blackbird, Juicy Books, International Summer Screenings
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Edits Slowdown, the Gapers Block calendar.
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- Drinky bird: enjoy a craft beer tasting Friday with the stars of Drinking & Writing before an 8pm screening of Blackbird, presented by Victory Gardens Theater. 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, 6:30pm.
- This Saturday, Quimby's hosts Rory Litwin of Library Juice Press which, true to its name, publishes titles about the politics of libraries and information science, among other things. 1854 W. North Ave. More info here or call (773) 342-0910. Free!
- Emma's Bliss, the story of an unlikely relationship between a sneaky city car dealer and a humble pig breeder, screens 7/15 as part of Cinema/Chicago's International Summer Screening Program. 6:30pm at the Chicago Cultural Center.
A/C: Barack the Barbarian, GB's Art Competition, Library Graffiti
Co-Editor of Gapers Block Book Club
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- Gapers Block is teaming up with Rockford-based arts purveyor Wall Blank to host a visual arts competition. Four winners will be featured on GB and have prints offered for sale on Wall Blank during "Chicago Week" in August 2009. Get the details in A/C.
- In other contest and funding news, Theatre in Chicago introduced a new auditions listing, and the CityArts deadline is apporaching.
- Stuart Dybek, Carolyn Alessio and Kathleen Rooney are among the winners of the 2009 Literary Awards from the Illinois Arts Council.
- If you were a world-class art collector in Chicago, your name would be on this list.
- La Bloga says The World in Half by local author Cristina Henríquez should be on your summer reading list.
- Noah Vaughn found hundreds of photographs from the 1893 Columbian Exhibition on flickr.
- Looking for a bite-sized sketch comedy piece to read? Joe Janes is writing one every day for a year.
- It's a bird; it's a plane; it's Barack the Barbarian: Quest for the Treasure of Stimuli, and reviewers love it.
- Katherine Raz caught up with Max Grinnell, author of Frommer's 24 Great Walks in Chicago and got tips about everything from the mural Living 2007 to underappreciated restaurants.
- Quinn Dombrowski has taken more than 700 photos of graffiti at the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago. [via]
- Chicago may not have a "Main Street," but there are at least eight in the Chicago region. Join the Mapping Main Street project and help document them.
- The Gropius in Chicago Coalition continues to document the status of the Michael Reese Hospital campus, this time by detailing the demolition and abatement bid process. Here are the contract details.
- Recordings by Chicago classical music performers such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra and plenty of others are available for free through Chicago Classical Music.
- Steppenwolf wants to know "what motivates you to come to the theater: our theater, or to theater generally. What is it that you seek in coming to theater? What makes you choose live theater? And what theater experiences have you had that really delivered your wish?"