Chicago Reader print issue of November 30, 2023 (Vol. 53, No. 4)

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CTA STAFFING WOES P. 12 WHERE DID THE MOVIE THEATERS GO? P. 34 ARTS AND CULTURE REVIEWS AND PREVIEWS P. 20

THIS WEEK

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IN THIS ISSUE

52 Gossip Wolf The inimitable but intermittent Roctober roars back with a hefty double issue, the Fallen Log books a live-music calendar worth watching, and more.

LETTERS

04 Readers Respond You talk, we listen.

04 Editor’s Note Parole, children, and giving

CLASSIFIEDS

CITY LIFE

06 The To-Do World AIDS Day, movies, and more.

08 Shop Local A new digital platform for contemporary art objects

FOOD & DRINK

10 Sula | Feature Alejandra Rivera previews her upcoming McKinley Park cafe.

NEWS & POLITICS

12 CTA labor shortage New hires aren’t digging the CTA out of its staffing shortages.

16 Environment What Joliet’s water crisis means for the future of the Great Lakes

COMMENTARY

18 Isaacs | On Culture Lights, music, Scrooge, and Shostakovich 19 Ehlers | On Prisons Do politics play a role in sentencing?

ARTS & CULTURE

20 Architecture The Chicago Architecture Biennial highlights the endless transformations of the city.

21 Review Rathin Barman’s unsettling sculptures 22 Exhibits Two exhibitions focus on the individual narratives in Vietnamese art.

THEATER

24 Reid | Profile Almanya Narula brings the story of princess and spy Noor Inayat Khan to the stage.

32 Holiday show Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol makes a spinetingling return to Writers Theatre.

44 City of Win Loona Dae opens up a new world of psychedelic R&B. 46 Chicagoans of Note Izzi Vasquez, music-adjacent multimedia artist 48 Shows of Note Previews of concerts including Mavis Staples, Cafe Racer, Resavoir, and the three-night Catalytic Sound Festival 52 Early Warnings Upcoming shows to have on your radar

54 Jobs 54 Auditions 54 Professionals & Services 54 Matches 54 Adult Services

OPINION

55 Savage Love Dan Savage consoles a person hung up on their ex.

ON THE COVER: PHOTO BY JAMES HOSKING. FOR MORE OF HOSKING’S WORK, GO TO JAMESHOSKING.COM.

FILM

34 Accessibility Chicagoans don’t have equal access to movies, but the local scene is ready to adapt.

38 Movies of Note The Boy and the Heron has the Miyazaki magic; Fallen Leaves is a dragging watch; and more.

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

26 The 2023 Reader Gift Guide Holiday gift ideas for your people

40 Caporale | Balikbayan Worldwide David Beltran of Feeltrip launches a new label to take Filipino dance music global.

Comprehensive arts and culture news and reviews, deeply researched coverage of civic affairs, and unique voices from every part of Chicago.

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CEO AND PUBLISHER SOLOMON LIEBERMAN ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER AMBER NETTLES EDITOR IN CHIEF SALEM COLLO-JULIN MANAGING EDITOR SHEBA WHITE ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR SAVANNAH HUGUELEY ART DIRECTOR JAMES HOSKING PRODUCTION MANAGER KIRK WILLIAMSON SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER AMBER HUFF THEATER & DANCE EDITOR KERRY REID MUSIC EDITOR PHILIP MONTORO CULTURE EDITOR: FILM, MEDIA, FOOD TARYN ALLEN CULTURE EDITOR: ART, ARCHITECTURE, BOOKS KERRY CARDOZA NEWS EDITOR SHAWN MULCAHY ASSOCIATE EDITOR & BRANDED CONTENT SPECIALIST JAMIE LUDWIG DIGITAL EDITOR TYRA NICOLE TRICHE SENIOR WRITERS LEOR GALIL, DEANNA ISAACS, BEN JORAVSKY, MIKE SULA FEATURES WRITER KATIE PROUT SOCIAL JUSTICE REPORTER DMB (DEBBIE-MARIE BROWN) STAFF WRITER MICCO CAPORALE SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT ASSOCIATE CHARLI RENKEN ---------------------------------------------------------------VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS ANN SCHOLHAMER CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER DIANE PASCAL VICE PRESIDENT OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE ALIA GRAHAM DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CHASITY COOPER MULTIMEDIA CONTENT PRODUCER SHAWNEE DAY MARKETING ASSOCIATE MAJA STACHNIK MEMBERSHIP MANAGER MICHAEL THOMPSON TECHNOLOGY MANAGER ARTURO ALVAREZ OFFICE MANAGER AND CIRCULATION DIRECTOR SANDRA KLEIN VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AMY MATHENY SALES TEAM VANESSA FLEMING, WILL ROGERS DIGITAL SALES ASSOCIATE AYANA ROLLING MEDIA SALES ASSOCIATE JILLIAN MUELLER ADVERTISING ADS@CHICAGOREADER.COM CLASSIFIEDS: CLASSIFIEDS.CHICAGOREADER.COM NATIONAL ADVERTISING VOICE MEDIA GROUP 1-888-278-9866 VMGADVERTISING.COM JOE LARKIN AND SUE BELAIR ---------------------------------------------------------------DISTRIBUTION CONCERNS distributionissues@chicagoreader.com 312-392-2970 READER INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY JOURNALISM, INC. PRESIDENT AND CHAIRPERSON EILEEN RHODES TREASURER REESE MARCUSSON SECRETARY KIM L. HUNT DIRECTORS ALISON CUDDY, DANIEL DEVER, MATT DOUBLEDAY, VANESSA FERNANDEZ, TORRENCE GARDNER, ROBERT REITER, CHRISTINA CRAWFORD STEED ----------------------------------------------------------------

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Are you caring for a spouse, parent, relative, or friend?

We are here to help!

Contact the DFSS Senior Services Division Information and Assistance Unit aging@cityofchicago.org 312-744-4016

DFSS

Department of Family and Support Services

Caregiver Services Programs include FREE services such as: Education & Training: Learn new skills to care for you and loved ones Gap-Filling Funds: Help buying essential items like clothing, furniture, grab bars, eyeglasses, technology, and hearing aids One-on-One Counseling: Help with decisions, self-care, and support Support Groups: Share your stories, successes, and challenges caring foryour loved ones with fellow caregivers Respite: Take a short-term break with help at home from a professional caregiver or caregiver of your choice or a nursing home stay for the person receiving your care

Programs are for individuals of any age who are caring for: A Chicago resident age 60+ OR under age 60 with Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Dementias

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 3

Community m Letters Re: “Lose your car, but keep the debt”

by DMB (Debbie-Marie Brown) for the September 7, 2023 issue (Volume 52, Number 24) “Tickets are 40 percent more likely to be issued within ZIP codes where there are more low- and moderate-income residents.” This is the whole problem. Chicago’s budget problem could be solved, quickly, by enforcing moving and nonmoving violations in wealthier areas. —Tim Yocum (@tkyocum), via X Re: “Howard Brown and Berlin Nightclub workers escalate fights for fair contracts” by DMB (Debbie-Marie Brown) for chicagoreader.com (posted November 17, 2023) Berlin hasn’t been Chicago’s queerest bar in years. It’s just the most popular queer bar for straight people so it’s better known. —Jess Donaldson (theconsideratesipper), via Instagram Hard disagree. Berlin was the only Chicago bar offering regular events for trans people and they had the most diverse array of drag performers. Now there is no Chicago venue catering to these diverse communities like Berlin did. —Tours With Mike (tours_with_mike), via Instagram Find us on socials: facebook.com/chicagoreader twitter.com/Chicago_Reader instagram.com/chicago_reader linkedin.com search chicago-reader The Chicago Reader accepts comments and letters to the editor of less than 400 words for publication consideration.

m letters@chicagoreader.com

4 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE Moms United’s toy registry is viewable at bit.ly/holidaysolidarity10 CHRISTIAN LUE/UNSPLASH

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ast week my culture travels took me to the Promontory in Hyde Park.

Before I continue, and in full disclosure, there are several friends of and contributors to the Reader that will be mentioned in this week’s note: Jake Austen (whose Roctober is mentioned in this very issue’s Gossip Wolf column) is a personal friend and also runs the ship at the Promontory. I was attending an event thrown by Jake’s brother Ben, who has also written for the Reader in the past, and while I was there I chatted with Lumpen Radio’s Mario Smith, who owes nothing to me or the Reader but was featured as one of our people in last year’s People Issue.

Oh, and I wrote that profile.

If it really matters, once you get to a certain age in the city you grew up in, you have to “full disclosure” pretty much everything. Imagine having to tell everyone you know the depth of your troubled relationship to the Jewels on Western near Roscoe. “Fair customer service, not the same since they moved that one bakery manager out in 1997, but the whole neighborhood isn’t the same either and frankly most of my time spent here was at three in the morning under influence of cold medication and the Strum und Drang of my early twenties, so . . . ” Anyhow, I knew everyone and didn’t plan on writing about this. However, Ben Austen’s event at the Promontory was very moving, a celebration and book release party for Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change. In Correction, Ben looks at the idea of parole through the stories of two men affected by incarceration.

Our news editor Shawn Mulcahy deftly interviewed Ben about his work in September for chicagoreader.com, and you can fi nd more details about the book there. Part of the event in Hyde Park was devoted to a “call-in” from a representative of Parole Illinois, an organization that Ben teamed up with for the evening to shed light on the hard work that the coalition is doing to bring back the possibility of parole for Illinois. Parole Illinois is run by a group of people who are both “inside and outside” of prison as their website states, and the magnitude of a member delivering his

speech over the phone because he was calling from prison was not lost on any of us.

The situation reminded me of a December 19whatever night at the Green Mill, when Marc Smith still hosted the Uptown Poetry Slam on Sunday nights exclusively. He had a call-in during the “featured poet” portion: a friend who had managed to be able to use the phone exactly at the right moment (a feat when one is incarcerated, as phone time isn’t your own to choose) to read us a poem. Someone performed John Prine’s song “Christmas in Prison” later in the evening. Full disclosure: I am middle-aged and I can remember most everything about this evening, except who else read and how I got there. But the phone call from the inside was a special moment.

This year, like many other nonprofit organizations that serve families, the west-side group Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration (MUAVI) is hosting a toy drive for children. Unlike some other organizations

you may be familiar with, MUAVI’s toy drive brings free toys to parents who are detained or incarcerated, so that they can have a gift to give their kids during their holiday visit. No matter what you think of parole, the giving season, incarceration, justice, or memory, I think most of us can agree that the children and teenagers of incarcerated people still deserve holiday gifts.

And I can feel some of you ready to say “Well, actually, not all . . .”

I do remember people from 19whatever in Chicago who didn’t believe that all kinds of kids deserve toys. We used to call them jagoffs. Full disclosure: I don’t expect that any of them still live here, because you have to have compassion and empathy to truly be a city dweller. Please enjoy this issue and our gift guide. And give your love freely because some of us will remember years later. v —Salem Collo-Julin, editor in chief m scollojulin@chicagoreader.com

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EXPERIENCE THE GLOW OF THE NEW NOSTALGIA

Monday Night Foodball The Reader’s weekly chef pop-up series, at Ludlow Liquors.

Follow the chefs, @chicago_reader, and @mikesula on Instagram for weekly menu drops, ordering info, updates, and the stories behind Chicago’s most exciting foodlums.

Dec. 4: Portuguese pastry from Cadinho @cadinhobakery Dec. 11: Fungal ferments with Sauce and Bread Kitchen @sauceandbread Dec. 18: It’s all Greek with Meze Table @meze.table For weekly menus and ordering info, head to

chicagoreader.com/ monday-night-foodball

Starting November 17

Admission: $7–$10 Free Admission on Mondays

Visit lpzoo.org/zoolights for entry, attraction, and programming info.

Members receive free or discounted parking!

Sponsored By:

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 5

CITY LIFE calendar

The To-Do Upcoming events and activities you should know about

By SALEM COLLO-JULIN

It may be cold out but there’s a lot to go see and do. Read on for some ideas!

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orld AIDS Day is a global event that serves as an opportunity to honor those we have lost and celebrate organizations and people working to end HIV-related stigma. There are a few events scheduled in Chicago on Friday, December 1 (the 35th anniversary of this commemoration). For those looking to support Black-led organizations, join the Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity (BLACHE) for a press conference and rally near Illinois Department of Public Health corporate offices (122 S. Michigan) at 10 AM. BLACHE member organizations from across the city are concerned about funding inequity for Black-led organizations in the state of Illinois’s HIV/ AIDS budget, during a year when 48 percent of newly diagnosed people with HIV in Illinois are Black. facebook.com/BLACHEIllinois Later on Friday, December 1, the Black and LGBTQ+ led Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland hosts a World AIDS Day event featuring a panel discussion including trans advocate and author Caprice Carthans, Black queer activist Terry Dudley, and moderator Timothy Jackson of AIDS Foundation Chicago.

Carthans and Dudley were two of the people featured in HIV and the Journey Toward Zero, a film series created by Chicago’s Department of Public Health with Tessa Films that highlights the experiences of Chicagoans impacted by HIV. Food and drink will be provided. The event starts at 6 PM at Gallery Guichard (436 E. 47th), and entry is free but reservations are required. lightfoundchi.org Friday, December 1, is also the kick-off night for a series of screenings at Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State) celebrating a pioneering Japanese composer and musician who passed away earlier this year. “The

6 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Sounds of Ryuichi Sakamoto” features five movies that integrated Sakamoto’s often hypnotic scores, including 2015’s The Revenant and director Nagisa Ōshima’s 1983 drama Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (starring David Bowie and featuring Sakamoto in his feature fi lm acting debut). The series starts with screenings of the Japanese fi lm Monster (2023) showing at 3 PM, 6 PM, and 8:30 PM. More information and full screen times are available at the Film Center’s website. siskelfilmcenter.org/sakamoto Sometimes you just need to take in flowers and get some new perspective but Chicago’s late fall and early winter season can make it difficult to want to go search for inspiration from the outdoors. Fortunately, the Driehaus Museum (40 E. Erie) and exhibition curator Elizabeth Cronin (owner of Asrai Garden in Wicker Park and judge on the competition show Full Bloom) asked several local floral designers to create new floral installations in dialogue with art by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios. The resulting “Glass to Garden: Tiffany Inspired Floral Designs”

features contemporary takes on Tiffany’s decorative arts designs from a diverse group of flower artists including John Caleb Pendleton (Planks & Pistils). The show is on view starting Friday, December 1; open hours are Wednesday from 11 AM-3 PM, Thursday 11 AM-5 PM, Friday and Saturday 10 AM-5 PM, and Sunday from 11 AM-5 PM. Admission to the museum is $20 with discounts for seniors, students, children 12 and under, and active military members. driehausmuseum.org Do you have a foodie friend who craves southeast Asian flavors? Local dining entrepreneurs Kathy Vega Hardy (A Taste of the Philippines), Sam Rattanopas (NaKorn), Stacy Seuamsothabandith Gully (Laos to Your House), and Mary Nguyen Aregoni (Saigon Sisters) host a “culinary journey” and dinner experience on Monday, December 4, that will wow your culinary companion.

1996 Sakamoto, “Glass to Garden,” LAO-cuterie PR/FLICKR; JACQUELINE KREJNIK-RYAN; LAOS TO YOUR HOUSE

Dishes with Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, and Filipino origins will be served in a three course (plus dessert—if you have room) set up along with beverage pairings including wine options provided by Molly Matelski of Mmmm . . . Enjoy Wines. It’s $150 per person and by reservation only (price includes food, drinks, tax, and gratuity). The event starts at 6 PM at Saigon Sisters (567 W. Lake). shorturl.at/rxMNY Are you in a giving mood? Take a look at our suggestions in this issue’s Holiday Gift Guide, and take it on the road on Saturday,

December 9, to Empt y Bot t le (1035 N. Western) for the last Handmade Market event for 2023. The monthly event attracts local makers and crafters offering jewelry, handbags, paper crafts, baked goods, and more. The bar is open for you mimosa drinkers but people under 21 are welcome to at tend i f accompa n ied by a n adu lt guardian. It’s free to browse, and runs from noon to 4 PM. handmadechicago.com. v

m scollojulin@chicagoreader.com

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Ceasefire Haiku To kill with such ease, You must first murder your own Soul. Is it worth it?

Each next bomb you drop Kills another universe Of innocence: Yours.

Numbers and facts don’t Move you. Is that why you won’t Face us, won’t listen?

Such weakness: You kill Journalists, kidnap poets, Steal even God’s rain.

Who then is the real Monster? Dreams will remind you.

Every mirror too.

You too should demand Ceasefire. Don’t tell me you have Given in too, died.

Demands for peace, for Ceasefire, you call violent.

Then you drop more bombs.

By Faisal Mohyuddin

Children beg to be Seen, beg to be spared, yet are Killed and killed and killed.

How simplistic: You Thinking our liberation Means your destruction.

No, we want freedom For all of us. But first, get Your feet off our necks!

Be angry, but not Rancorous. To harm others Harms you even more.

Never let anger Occupy our hearts. That is Their tactic, not ours.

Why is it a crime To stand with Palestine? What Truths scare you so much?

Ceasefire is only A start. Freedom, dignity, All are demands too.

And justice. Perhaps You’re afraid this means giving In. Peace gets us out.

You too have suffered Horror. You too are afraid.

Why then won’t you help?

Peace gets us all out.

Peace is holy, no? The goal, No? Start with ceasefire.

To admit what is True: an act of bravery, Of humanity.

We’re stuck inside this Circle of rage and fear. You Who speak up, our thanks.

Freedom: How the gates Of healing start to open, How this horror ends.

Poem curated by Faisal Mohyuddin. Faisal Mohyuddin is the author of Elsewhere: An Elegy (forthcoming March 2024 from Next Page Press), The Displaced Children of Displaced Children, and The Riddle of Longing. He teaches high school English in suburban Chicago and creative writing at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies; he also serves as a Master Practitioner with the global not-for-profit Narrative 4 and is a visual artist.

A biweekly series curated by the Chicago Reader and sponsored by the Poetry Foundation.

Hours

Wednesday & Friday: 11:00 AM–5:00 PM Thursday: 11:00 AM–7:00 PM Saturday: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Harriet Monroe & The Open Door

Visit our latest exhibition to learn about Chicago icon and Poetry magazine founder, Harriet Monroe.

Open through January 13, 2024.

Learn more at PoetryFoundation.org NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 7

CITY LIFE

PRINTANDOBJECT.COM

instagram.com/printandobject

Angela Finney, installation image from the series “Acts of Kindness.” COURTESY PRINT & OBJECT

Accessibility can mean a lot of things for P&O: accessibility in pricing, accessibility in the online platforms that we use, and accessibility with a diverse range of artists/mediums/ styles.

How do you select artists and artworks?

SHOP LOCAL

How Print & Object makes art collecting more accessible A conversation with founders Anna Cerniglia and Kate Pollasch

By VASIA RIGOU

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pair of denim jeans enhanced by acrylic paint, aerosol spray paint, permanent marker, and elbow grease. A lamp made out of tile, acrylic, and glass. A linen chore coat with flocked vinyl designs. Departing from the confines of traditional gallery settings, Anna Cerniglia and Kate Pollasch have united their decades-long curatorial and art programming experience to create Print & Object (P&O), a digital platform and online project space dedicated to showcasing contemporary artists’ editions, bespoke objects, and unique artworks. It’s a testament to the fluidity and creativity of Chicago’s art scene that supports local artists and aims to inspire the next generation of collectors.

Emphasizing accessibility across pricing, mediums, and styles, P&O includes clothing, functional objects, sculptural work, and other imaginative undertakings that the duo brings to life through art exhibitions, pop-up events, and collaborations across the city.

In a conversation over email, Cerniglia and Pollasch talk about the inception of the idea, their creative process, and the importance of finding balance between accessibility and exclusivity as they work toward fostering a more diverse art community in Chicago.

Vasia Rigou: Can you talk about the journey and inspiration behind P&O? Anna Cerniglia and Kate Pollasch: We both

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come from about 15 years of curatorial and commercial gallery experience and, during that time, collaborated on various exhibition, programming, and writing projects. Around 2019, we started talking about how we both get so inspired by the creative projects and endeavors that artists do outside of the traditional body of work made for a big exhibition or public artwork. Those creative moments often don’t make it into gallery shows or public view until decades later when you go to a museum retrospective and the curator has found these treasured explorations that appear in between and within the decades of major movements and series. When those moments are brought into an artist’s historical narrative it clarifies and enhances an understanding of how their work shifted and evolved over time—of how the playful, one-off experiments in different mediums or subject matter weave into the more well-known work. We wanted to lean into that portion of an artist’s studio experience and create a platform where those works could be highlighted, celebrated, and opened up to collectors in the present time.

P&O grew from there, and during the incubation phase of our planning, we also refined some of our core program intentions: creating a collaborative partnership with artists where we shared in edition ideation and brainstorming, offering resources and support with fabrication or studio-based problem-solving, and sparking accessibility for collecting art.

It is a really fun, collaborative partnership. We often have an ongoing conversation in text or Instagram DMs where we each are sharing artists that we are discovering, inspired by, and learning about. We also each have our own history of artists that we have worked with in the past, or artists that we hope to work with in the future. From all those inspiration points, we come together and have these incredibly invigorating “show and tell” meetings, where we talk to each other about the artists that we have seen recently and want to reach out to learn more about. After our “show and tell,” we move forward with studio visits, learning what an artist is working on in the year or so to come and shaping our program schedule about a year in advance.

This project supports and uplifts local artists. Can you give me a few examples of specific artists/works that represent the Chicago art scene?

The Chicago art scene is always shifting and evolving. The range of mediums across P&O is a telling example of how wide-ranging Chicago’s scene is, from the acrylic piped work of Yvette Mayorga and magnet paintings

by Roland Santana to Claire Ashley’s mini inflatables. Our newest program, Wears and Articles, pushes that even further by celebrating artists exploring mediums that might not often be available to collectors. This program features artistic interventions with clothing, objects, and unique sculptural work. You can see the multidimensionality of Chicago’s art scene represented here when you have an artist like Allie Kushnir, known for sculpture and painting, working in embroidery, and an artist like Dont Fret, known for graffiti, painting on pants.

If P&O represents anything about Chicago’s art scene, it is that it is fluid, creatively bold, welcoming, and unbound by rules and labels.

How does P&O make art more accessible, and how do you balance this with maintaining the exclusivity of limited editions and bespoke objects?

We work to offer a range of prices so that the barrier to entry for collecting isn’t so high; we have original art that starts at $50. We also have works in the $1,000 to $5,000 range, so P&O really creates a multilevel space for collectors. The more people that feel like collectors and become part of this vast and expansive art community the better.

The bespoke and out-of-the-box limited edition nature of our program ties back to the origin of how P&O became an idea. Look at an artist like Roger Brown, a cornerstone of the Chicago Imagists whose primary medium and historical identity is in painting on canvas. But he also painted on found objects like irons and footstools, and those objects are fascinating to consider when you look at his complete history, but very sparse compared to the quantity of his paintings on canvas.

P&O is a space for that kind of artistic sidestep from an artist’s well-known practice and it is with that divergence that accessibility and bespoke harmonize.

How do you envision the evolution of P&O, and are there any new initiatives you are excited to explore?

We just launched our newest program, Wears and Articles, celebrating the longstanding history of artists being inspired by and inspiring fashion, design, and functional objects. We kicked off our launch with artists Leslie Baum, Dont Fret, Marina Kozak, Allie Kushnir, Giulia Piera Livi, and Stacia Yeapanis.

We are also excited to continue evolving our partnerships with other businesses and creative firms, placing P&O artworks in new spaces for broader audiences to see. In Spring ’23 we had a pop-up shop weekend collaboration with the Center of Order and Experimentation that has evolved into an ongoing relationship. The Center has Claire Ashley inflatables available to view and purchase. We also partnered with the Hoxton on two different endeavors, first with a selection of photographs from Brendan Carroll’s series “The Final Race At Arlington,” which were on view in their rotating gallery space, and now a selection of Angela Finney’s sculptures are on display in their shop. v

m letters@chicagoreader.com

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WRIGHTWOOD

CHICAGO

Most AIDS memorials address the spirit; those which speak to the body are few and far between. Goldstein’s work evokes the toll of AIDS through the ghostly imprint of bodies—once present, now lost.

THIS EXHIBITION IS PRESENTED

BY ALPHAWOOD EXHIBITIONS AT WRIGHTWOOD 659.

Opening December 1 In honor of World AIDS Day

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 9

FOOD & DRINK

Find more one-of-a-kind Chicago food and drink content at chicagoreader.com/food.

Alejandra Rivera in Lisbon’s Jardim de Estrela

PREVIEW

Cadinho Bakery explores the dazzling world of Portuguese pastry

ERIC CARLSON

Alejandra Rivera previews her upcoming McKinley Park cafe.

By MIKE SULA

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lejandra Rivera kept burning the pastéis de nata. The flaky Portuguese egg custard tartlets, known the world over, should have a bit of dark-brown caramelized stippling on top, but the numbers on the old oven in her little flat had worn off, so she kept scorching the iconic pastries.

Rivera and her husband were reluctantly nearing the end of a two-year stint teaching business and geography classes to high schoolers and living in the idyllic coastal town of Cascais in Portugal. The couple, who first met and worked together in Rivera’s native Honduras, married and then spent four years teaching in Beijing. After the birth of their daughter, they relocated to southern Portugal and fell in love with it, particularly with its easygoing cafe culture.

“It was a dreamy little town,” she says. “Our house had the view of the ocean and the boats just sitting there. The setup was not perfect, but that view did it for us. I feel like I learned how to drink coffee there—while you’re looking at this vast display of pastries. Forget all the coffee flavors you get here. It was really good quality, very simple, and I feel like that applies to everything in Portugal. I think I connected with it because that’s kind of like the Honduran style. We put the social part of life way ahead of work.”

But Rivera’s father-in-law had been recently widowed, and even in low-cost Portugal, the

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sweet life the family was living was beyond their modest means. It was time to move to Chicago, but Rivera balked. “I was having a hard time dealing with coming back.”

That was when her husband, a former CPS teacher named Eric Carlson, suggested they open a Portuguese-style cafe in the States— along with its attendant array of pastries. “It was the perfect excuse to keep going back to Portugal,” Rivera says.

Rivera had built a career as a teacher, but she’d inherited a love of food and cooking from her Aunt Theresa, who was a devoted cottage cook in Tegucigalpa, canning leaves from her husband’s vineyards for sale to Middle Eastern restaurants, preserving eggplant for the Argentine berenjenas al escabeche that she sold on the side at the boarding school cafeteria she managed, and catering Rivera’s school events. “She was a hustler.”

In China and Portugal, Rivera taught students headed to the States how to prepare American foods, but during her time in Cascais, she hadn’t immersed herself in cooking much Portuguese food.

“I immersed myself in eating it,” she says, but with the pandemic in full swing and their departure looming, the couple engaged in concentrated R&D. “[Eric] would ride his bike

to different cafes around our region, come back with boxes of pastries, and we would take photos and write notes.” Rivera took a weeklong university pastéis de nata course, along with other online baking classes, but with the oven sabotaging her efforts, she concentrated first on the no-bake bolo de bolacha: Marie tea biscuits dipped in espresso, stacked between layers of coffee buttercream frosting, and showered with bittersweet chocolate shavings.

The dazzling universe of Portuguese pastries dates back centuries, was kick-started by colonial sugar production, and was widely incubated in monasteries and convents. The prevalence of rich, sunshine-yellow custards—like those at the core of a pastéis de nata—are apocryphally said to be the result of a surplus of yolks after their whites were used to starch nuns’ habits and monks’ robes (or, alternatively, ship sails).

In June 2020, the couple settled in Logan Square, Carlson returned to CPS, and plans for the cafe stalled while the couple contemplated having another child. But in December, Rivera flew to Honduras to stay with Aunt Theresa, sick with cancer. When she returned, something was different.

“That’s when it kicked me,” she says. “OK,

I’m doing it, because she would have been in heaven [knowing] that I was doing it. It came from a place of sadness, but it was also a way to honor her.” She chose the name Cadinho Bakery, for a slang term meaning “a little bit,” and a cousin designed a logo meant to evoke the tiled street signs above the cobblestones of Cascais.

She introduced herself on a Logan Square Facebook group, offering her bolo de bolacha for sale. She didn’t get too many takers, but plenty of people who’d traveled to Portugal inquired whether she could make pastéis de nata. With her modern oven, she nailed it, and

by January, she was offering new pastries each week: the coconut pastéis de coco, almond pastéis de amêndoa, and Brazilian brigadeiros.

That spring, the couple moved to McKinley Park to be closer to Carlson’s Englewood teaching job, shortly before United Airlines launched a direct flight to the Azores and placed an order for 1,500 pastéis de nata. She and Carlson enlisted neighbors’ ovens for a 24-hour tart-baking marathon, and Cadinho’s catering arm was born.

Meanwhile, they committed to opening their brick-and-mortar in McKinley Park.

“We owe it to the neighborhood to stay here,” she says. “There’s no other bakery or coffee

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CADINHO BAKERY R Monday Night Foodball at Ludlow Liquors 2959 N. California

FOOD & DRINK

Mon 12/4 at 5 PM

shop [where] you can stay and connect with community and neighbors. There’s Dunkin’ Donuts, but we wanted something that would have the same vibe that we had in Portugal.”

They found a spot at 35th and Archer, and while Carlson began to manage a build-out, Rivera continued to expand her repertoire, including whole Portuguese cakes and tarts

meant for specific holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day. And last summer, they returned to Portugal for some intensive research. “I never thought eating could feel like a job,”

m msula@chicagoreader.com

Pastéis de nata (left) and bolo de bolacha ALEJANDRA RIVERA

Photography by Kathleen Hinkel

says Carlson. “Every day it was, ‘How far do I run to work off everything on the agenda I have to eat?’”

The bakery, which is slated for a spring opening, will include classic blue-and-white azulejo tiling, and for Rivera in particular, a commercial oven, a dough sheeter, and professional mixers that will allow her to scale up production. They’re planning to offer a few American-style coffee drinks, but the focus will be on Portuguese simplicity. “I’m excited to have people walk in and just say, ‘Give me 12 pastéis de nata,’” Rivera says, “without having to put in an order and wait 24 hours.”

In the meantime, she’ll be offering a preview of pastries to come this December 4 for Monday Night Foodball, the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Ludlow Liquors. There she’ll debut a pair of savory pastries: the sausage roll pão com chouriço and a baked version of the shrimp-and-bechamel-stuffed turnovers rissóis de camarão.

On the sweet side, there will be Frenchstyle elephant-ear palmiers (some dipped in chocolate); the almond cream-stuffed pillows known as travesseiros; and individual slices of tarte de maracujá, a specialty of the island of Madeira.

And of course there will be the sobremesas that started it all: pastéis de nata, and bolo de bolacha by the slice.

“That one is dear to my heart because it was my only success while learning pastries in Portugal.” v

NOW OPEN NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 11

NEWS & POLITICS

More than 50 people protest outside CTA headquarters on October 13 to demand better service REEMA SALEH

TRANSPORTATION

The moment met the CTA Data shows the CTA is losing just as many workers as it gains—and new hires aren’t digging the agency out of post-pandemic staffing shortages.

By REEMA SALEH

W

hen the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) first announced its Meeting the Moment action plan last year, workforce and service delivery issues were at the forefront. Officials pointed to the “Great Resignation” as creating an unusually competitive job market, leading to high attrition rates among bus and rail operators. Mass resignations during the pandemic, along with an aging workforce on average ten years older than the rest of American workers, contribut-

12 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

ed to existing attrition rates, which lingered and compounded into a crisis.

Like President Dorval Carter stated last year in front of the City Council: the exodus is far from over. “We’re now hiring at the same level of people that we were at before the pandemic . . . The problem is I’ve got to stop the hemorrhaging on the other side,” Carter said.

“The days of simply posting a ‘Now Hiring’ notice are long gone,” announced Meeting the Moment, which included new recruitment strategies for replenishing the CTA’s

declining workforce—the biggest obstacle to delivering reliable and frequent service.

The CTA says it has doubled down on its hiring efforts this year, chipping away at the 1,000 vacancies Carter said were left by the pandemic.

Since the CTA first announced Meeting the Moment, it increased starting wages and partnered with Olive-Harvey College to help job candidates obtain a commercial learner’s permit, the fi rst step to working as a bus operator. To recruit more bus drivers, the CTA

abandoned its previous approach of enlisting full-time employees from its existing pool of part-timers and began hiring full-time workers directly.

Entry-level roles saw hourly wage increases and hiring bonuses to compete with the private sector. This year alone, the CTA hosted nearly a dozen in-person and virtual job fairs to advertise entry-level roles and help attendees successfully apply. To track its progress, the CTA unveiled public scorecards for the fi rst time—releasing data on perfor-

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NEWS & POLITICS mance metrics that show its progress toward regaining riders, increasing reliability, and closing employment gaps.

However, a Chicago Reader analysis of data from the Meeting the Moment Scorecard through November indicates less promising results. A closer look shows the CTA’s worker shortage has stayed long past the pandemic’s onset.

The CTA has lost both bus and rail workers since the pandemic. The number of bus operators began to rise in 2023, but the CTA has continued to lose rail operators—showing little signs of recovery.

In 2020, the CTA saw a steady exodus of workers, one that still lingers. The agency took its worst losses in 2022—months after the pandemic exacted the brunt of its impact on Chicago. In the three years since the pandemic began, the CTA workforce lost 14 percent of bus and 16 percent of rail operators.

Among transit agencies, the CTA is not alone in its workforce attrition problems. A 2022 survey by the American Public Transportation Association found that 96 percent of United States public transit agencies are experiencing a workforce shortage and 84 percent say these challenges are affecting their ability to provide service.

In New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, workforce shortages led to diminished or delayed service—like the 71 percent of U.S. transit agencies that reported doing so that year. Amid a national shortfall of transit operators years in the making, the CTA had company going into its pandemic-induced staffi ng shortages.

“Going together with this business, it becomes a very vicious cycle. If you do not have enough operators, then you’re unable to provide service. You can justify it now because the ridership is not high, but you still are obligated to provide the same frequency of service in order to attract the rider back,” said P.S. Sriraj, director of the University of Illinois Chicago’s Urban Transportation Center. “If you don’t have the operators, then you put up a schedule and it doesn’t show up in reality, and then people start worrying about the reliability of the service. But this, in turn, is going to keep people away from the service.”

With short-staffed crews and fewer operators who could fill in behind the wheel when someone calls in sick, the CTA was left without enough workers to deliver scheduled service reliably. The CTA frames its staffi ng shortages as a pandemic shock it’s recov-

ering from, along with a tight labor market affecting the whole industry.

“Many people took early retirement during the pandemic, mainly because of the worry that they had about their well-being in the line of duty. The opportunities in other sectors were also very attractive, and that made it easier for them to forego this opportunity,” Sriraj added.

In addition to a wave of retirements that hit the CTA during the pandemic, CTA spokesperson Kathleen Woodruff pointed to industry-level shifts across the country, which have encouraged CTA employees to join the private sector.

“The private market has also proven to be a strong competitor for bus operators. The CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) is a highly marketable certification. CTA bus operators are often recruited by package delivery companies, logistics companies, and school districts to help fi ll voids they too are experiencing in qualified candidates,” Woodruff said.

But these staffi ng shortages are still happening—an ongoing problem that hit harder in 2022 than at the onset of the pandemic. As we approach 2024, the CTA is making progress toward replenishing its workforce, but it is still far from pre-pandemic levels.

C

TA officials announced they hired more than 700 new bus operators since the start of 2023, surpassing their year-end goal of 700. But closer examination shows the CTA also lost 357 employees through September due to “separations”—layoffs, terminations, and resignations. An additional 36 bus operators transferred to other divisions, leaving vacancies behind. Altogether, separations and transfers account for nearly 60 percent of rail employees hired by the CTA this year—bringing the number of new bus operators down to a net 338.

For much of 2022, the CTA lost more bus workers than it gained. While the CTA stepped up recruitment efforts, it appears to have had difficulties filling the gaps left behind. Whether long-time workers leave before they’re replaced or new hires quit entrylevel roles, the CTA has struggled to grow over the past few years.

The CTA budgeted 3,707 full-time bus operators for 2023. Despite an emphasis on hiring, the agency has yet to fill remaining vacancies.

“For the most part, they’re reaching their target for hiring bus operators, but that’s

Frustrated with service cuts, Commuters Take Action protests outside CTA headquarters to demand more reliable schedules and new leadership. REEMA SALEH

still almost certainly not going to be enough to run pre-pandemic service, which is what we obviously want to see because there are cities all over North America that have seen their transit ridership return to pre-pandemic levels because they invested in service and operators,” said David Powe, Active Transportation Alliance’s director of planning and technical assistance.

T

he CTA has yet to announce an official recruitment goal for rail operators as they have for bus operators. But the Meeting the Moment scorecard shows struggles in growing the division. As of September, the

CTA hired 175 new rail workers. But, when accounting for 2023’s separations and transfers, the CTA’s rail division netted only 20 employees.

Filled rail operator positions remain well below what the CTA budgeted for 2023. As of September, 721 rail operators worked at the agency, though it budgeted for 839.

Rail operator training classes took place five times in 2023 and five times the year before, according to documents from the CTA. In 2021, the agency held two classes. Each class is capped at 20 employees, limiting the number of people who can join the workforce.

Previously, the agency capped classes at 16.

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 13

NEWS & POLITICS continued from p. 13

Increased class sizes led to onboarding 20 additional rail operators this year. The CTA also brought back nine retired instructors this year to train new hires and current workers, who require recertification every two years.

“The hiring and training for rail operators is a far more complex process and simply cannot be expedited,” Woodruff said. “Rail operators get the most extensive training of any CTA position, given the nature of their duties and of operating complex machinery.”

As part of the training process, new employees must fi rst join as a flagger, a fulltime, temporary position that pays a starting wage of about $21 per hour. Since new hires typically lack necessary experience, working as a flagger allows employees to build knowledge on the job. After working as a flagger for multiple months, they can apply for other positions within the division. Additionally, the small size of the rail cars limits how many people can be trained in a rail car at once.

“Each operator trainee who serves as a flagger has been thoroughly trained on rightof-way safety, rail operations, and system communications with our control center.

This training and experience in railroad operations are prerequisites for the job—a standard that must not be compromised as it allows CTA to maintain the highest quality of safety standards for customers and employees,” Woodruff said.

Active Transportation Alliance and Commuters Take Action, two transportation advocacy groups in Chicago, argue the training schedule has created persistent bottlenecks in the onboarding process and contributed to the CTA’s rail operator shortage. Without scaling up the CTA’s training capacity, they believe that post-pandemic service cuts will become the norm.

“We’re pushing CTA to increase capacity so they can train 300 rail operators a year, so they can start adding rail service as soon as possible,” said Powe.

The City Council recently approved a $1.99 billion operating budget for 2024, a 9 percent increase from this year. Both organizations are pushing the CTA to increase the number of classes and class sizes next year to increase its capacity and avoid further service cuts.

“Since 2019, the CTA’s rail service has been cut by 24 percent, primarily due to the agency’s inability to hire and retain rail operators,” said Commuters Take Action’s Brandon

14 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Kyle Lucas of Better Streets Chicago speaks at an October 13 demonstration outside CTA headquarters. REEMA SALEH

“The 2024 budget fails to outline maintained through the new year. Without “Other cities, McFadden. any specific steps that the agency is planning an increase in training classes, natural atto take to increase the headcount. trition will prevent CTA from reaching those According to Woodruff, the agency is cur- staffi ng goals,” McFadden said. like New York, rently discussing plans to further expand The CTA workforce has not recovered from rail training in 2024. These details will be its pandemic losses; it is still in the same Washington, D.C., finalized by the year’s end. dire situation it was during the height of the Like many transit agencies across the pandemic. If COVID-19 sparked retention the CTA is adjusting to “a new nor- problems, these shortages have lingered long or San Francisco, country, mal”—charting out a new post-pandemic after, as positions the CTA budgeted remain future for services across the city. Since the unfi lled. are running more pandemic started, the agency’s workforce “Without an overhauled hiring process and has been making do with less. This fall, the focus on improving employee retention, the has seen additional service cuts. Accord- agency rail service will continue to stagnate. rail service than CTA ing to the Chicago Tribune, CTA’s scheduled It’s fair to say that the future success of the bus and rail service will be down roughly 15 agency, and even the city of Chicago, rests on the CTA’s ability to hire just over 100 people,” ever. There’s no percent this year compared to 2019.

Without fi lling vacant positions, service is said Commuters Take Action’s Fabio Göttlito return to pre-pandemic levels—a cher. “Other cities, like New York, Washingneed for Chicago unlikely situation that Commuters Take Action char- ton, D.C., or San Francisco, are running more acterizes as a 24 percent cut on rail, with rail service than ever. There’s no need for Chicago to be falling behind.” v to be falling regular unreliability after that.

“As the budget exists today, it contains . . 2019 staffi ng levels but no outline for in- m letters@chicagoreader.com behind.” .creases in rail operator training throughput, leading us to believe the status quo will be

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NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 15

NEWS & POLITICS ENVIRONMENT

When the

water wars come

What Joliet’s water crisis means for the future of the Great Lakes

By S. NICOLE LANE

W

ith the world’s sixthlargest freshwater lake at our fingertips, Chicago’s cup runneth over with bragging rights. Climate migration is predicted for the Second City, with hordes of people from out west tapping into our water privilege: our Great, and fragile, Lake. But currently, in Middle America, there’s a city running out of water.

No, it’s not in California or Arizona. It’s 44 miles from the shores of Lake Michigan.

Joliet has a population of around 150,000 and is a major commercial center for the entire nation. If you’ve ever ordered something from Amazon or bought something from IKEA or Home Depot, it probably passed through the city.

Experts predict that within the next decade, Joliet won’t have any water left. The groundwater supply from Joliet’s 21 deep and five shallow wells, located all over the city, has almost been exhausted. The issue is that the area is using more water—for commercial and personal reasons—than can be replenished.

Since the 1960s, the city has been exploring alternative water sources. Janet Henderson from Rethink Water Joliet explains that Joliet regularly monitors the levels in the wells. In fact, Henderson says, the wells are performing better than expected, with amounts higher than projected by the 2018 Illinois State Water Survey. “However, water levels in some wells have declined more than 600 feet over the past 100 years as a result of

16 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

long-term over-pumping of the aquifer,” she says.

Joliet isn’t the only city with a water problem

T

he Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system is the midwest’s most extensive. It supplies groundwater to five collar counties: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will. If it collapses, those communities will need a new source of water, since the aquifer cannot be replenished. With no other options—drilling even further will result in salty water and contamination—Joliet and surrounding communities turned their eyes toward Chicago.

In April, former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot and the former mayor of Joliet, Bob O’Dekirk, shook hands and signed a landmark 100-year, $1 billion agreement. This agreement sealed the fate of Lake Michigan’s water and will result in its transportation more than 40 miles away.

Joliet, Channahon, Crest Hill, Minooka, Romeoville, and Shorewood signed a preliminary agreement that creates a new regional water transmission system and a new regional water utility, the Grand Prairie Water Commission, that will offer sustainable and reliable water to the region by 2030.

Water will flow from Chicago to Joliet after a 31-mile pipeline, costing upwards of $1 billion, is built to connect the lake to the city, along with upgrades to the Southwest Pumping Station next to Durkin Park in Chicago’s

A 100-year, $1 billion agreement between the cities of Chicago and Joliet will transport water from Lake Michigan through a 31-mile pipeline. S. NICOLE LANE

Scottsdale neighborhood. Construction for the pipeline is scheduled to begin next year.

The finances behind the plan include a divide in construction costs, with each community paying a share. Members of the commission will each pay Chicago for their water use, which they approximate will be $30 million a year.

Before Chicago, Joliet also considered getting water from the Kankakee or Illinois rivers, as well as from Hammond, Indiana.

However, in January 2021, the Joliet council voted 7–1 to select Chicago over Hammond.

Joliet and the Grand Prairie Water Commission will be responsible for the construction of the pipeline as well as its operations and maintenance.

So, will this mean that everyone, from coast to coast, can take Great Lakes water?

Not exactly.

In 2008, the Great Lakes Compact, an agreement that protects the eight Great Lakes states and governs how their waters are used and managed, became federal law.

The agreement also says that Great Lakes water must stay within the Great Lakes Basin, which consists of parts of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, all of Michigan, as well as areas in Ontario and Quebec. There are exceptions to where water can be diverted and sold; Joliet and the surrounding communities are one of these exceptions, as they are outside of the basin’s boundaries.

“The pipeline from Chicago to Joliet is an expensive piece of infrastructure that moves

Great Lakes water to the farthest point out of the watershed,” says Dr. Rachel Havrelock, the director of the Freshwater Lab at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Some, along with Havrelock, worry Illinois may oversell, exceeding its water limit with this century-long agreement. These communities use, on average, 98 million gallons of water a day. Once water arrives from Chicago, they will have to reduce their water usage by 40 percent.

While the 94,000 square miles that make up the Great Lakes Basin hold six quadrillion gallons of water, less than 1 percent of it is renewed by rainfall and groundwater. In January, Lake Michigan-Huron water levels hit a record low. Considering their replenishment is more important than ever, as our livelihood depends on their future.

In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court set a water diversion limit for Illinois of 2.1 billion gallons per day. Now that Joliet has access to our water, this means other surrounding communities, in due time, may receive less when it’s their time to quench their thirst.

“If Joliet uses all that it is allowed, then these communities would not be eligible to receive Lake Michigan water and could be left high and dry. This is a dangerous probability for Illinois. Warehouses and industries could receive high-quality drinking water that they don’t need, while households have nothing,” says Havrelock.

If Chicago exceeds its water withdrawal limit, the city will have to head back to court to increase its limit, putting stress and pres-

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NEWS & POLITICS Rachel Havrelock (middle) poses with Teresa Córdova and Krishna Reddy.

The three UIC professors developed a wastewater recycling plan for Chicago. JENNY FONTAINE/UNIVERSITY

A map of the Freshwater Lab’s proposed dual pipeline plan, which would deliver both drinking water and recycled wastewater FRESHWATER LABS

sure on water in the lake. Moreover, by making an exception with Joliet, will other towns and cities in Illinois have an exception made for them?

Hav relock says, wh ile the pla n w ill strengthen the bond between Joliet and Chicago, it’s not without flaws. The aquifer’s drawdown has not been examined, and industrial warehouse and trucking hubs are moving into the area, using the remaining bits of water.

NorthPoint Development, a Missouribased company, is planning to move to Joliet with a warehouse district that would use approximately 500,000 gallons of water every day. This would stress the limits of Supreme Court diversion restrictions and run the risk of endangering future water access.

Alternative options

T

he Freshwater Lab has created a dual pipeline plan that Joliet could use, where one pipeline delivers drinking water and another delivers recycled wastewater to industry sites. Cities like Austin, El Paso, and San Antonio in Texas have already put this type of dual system into place.

Illinois does not currently allow wastewater recycling. The Illinois Environmental Council drafted a bill, House Bill 3046, to allow such a change. It stalled in the Senate, but there may be hope for the bill to pass next year.

“By recycling water currently sent out of state through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, we can meet industrial and com-

mercial needs and safeguard sufficient Lake Michigan water for drinking and health care uses,” explains Havrelock.

In addition to Texas, California—which has been battling a water crisis going back 1,000 years, according to paleoclimatic records— uses water recycling for drinking water.

Havrelock says, “If we recycle water for industry around the Great Lakes, then we can preserve freshwater from the lakes for drinking, human health, and ecosystem viability.

It’s a win-win solution that expands our overall water supply and allows for economic growth.”

OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO

Water Portal allows residents to view their real-time water usage.

Joliet is leading the way for proactive approaches toward water sustainability and finding a solution for the future of water sourcing. And now, we see that Chicago is one of those cities that holds the key.

Eventually, the rust belt states may have their comeback. While the Great Lakes Compact prevents states like California, Arizona, or even midwestern states like Iowa from tapping into the Great Lakes, people will always need water. Ultimately—hopefully far

in the future—Chicago may be the epicenter of the gold rush, as Middle America becomes a critical climate haven.

In an April 2021 visit to Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “Wars have been fought over oil. In a short matter of time, they will be fought over water.” Little did Harris know that Joliet’s water crisis is an example of what the future of the Great Lakes region will encompass and how soon those so-called dystopian “water wars” may begin. v

m letters@chicagoreader.com

What can Joliet residents do to save their water?

“P

rotection of Lake Michigan water quantity is important since we are going to see lurches in water levels, alternating between floods and droughts,” Havrelock says.

So, what can folks do to save their water?

Henderson advises Joliet residents adopt good water use habits by “repairing leaks, installing water savings devices, and managing outdoor water use.”

Rethink Water is spearheading the Joliet Alternative Water Source Program, a public outreach campaign that will facilitate communication between Joliet, its residents, surrounding communities, and local businesses. The program promotes conservation efforts for residents like low-flow toilets and rain barrels. Moreover, Joliet’s Customer

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 17

COMMENTARY more spectacular if this is your virgin visit, or if you grab one of the $10 cups of mulled wine.

The towering winter cathedral is back, along with a fire garden, a gala entrance arch, a new “Sea of Light,” a glowing pyramid, and much more, including a soundscape of music short on seasonality and awe. Daytime visitors are getting booted at 3 PM during this event, which runs from 4:30 to 11 PM most nights through January 7; nonmembers will be charged $25 for parking, $15 if purchased in advance.

Lightscape, through 1/7/24, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, 847835-6801, chicagobotanic.org.

Also: Lincoln Park’s ZooLights, through 1/7/24, 2001 N. Clark, lpzoo.org, free on Mondays, $7 weekdays, $10 weekends.

I ON CULTURE

Lights, music, Scrooge, and Shostakovich A short roundup of cultural events, seasonal and otherwise

By DEANNA ISAACS

A

piercing wind from the north whipped down darkened Dearborn Street, turning noses and fingers to icy lumps and testing the resolve of pedestrians on the opening night of Goodman Theatre’s 46th annual production of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol last weekend.

As if current events weren’t already enough to chill the holiday spirit! Dreadful, bloody images of terrorism and war have risen like the undead to remind us, safe as we might be in our cozy enclaves, that all is not well in the world.

Inside the theater, there was light and warmth. A handsome tree was lit, a chorus sang, libations were sold and downed, and that venerable gentleman, Larry Yando, scripted by the brilliant Mr. Dickens and aided by a diverse cast of able performers and adorable youngsters, worked his magic with the character of Scrooge.

It is his show, no doubt whatever about that. In his 16th year of bringing the stingy old misanthrope to life, Yando is an absolute

18 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

master of every word and nuance. He scowls, growls, glares, flaps his arms when he should be soaring, and drops his jaw nearly to his kneecaps, mining every delicious, deadpan nugget of Dickensian humor—all to the audience’s sustained delight. Right up to the message that applies as much to us today as it did to Scrooge: To escape the imminent and terrible future we have glimpsed, there must be change. Profound change. The time before us is our own to make it happen.

A Christmas Carol, through 12/31, 170 N. Dearborn, 312-443-3800, goodmantheatre. org, $30-$159.

n 2019, Elijah McClain, a self-taught 23-year-old violinist, was stopped by police on his way home from a convenience store in Aurora, Colorado, for “looking suspicious.” He was put into a choke hold twice, injected with ketamine, and suffered a cardiac arrest from which he never recovered. His death spurred police reform in Colorado and inspired composer Dave Ragland’s brief, mournful, and haunting chamber piece, “Eight Tones for Elijah.” It’s on the program for CSO’s MusicNOW season opener, Montgomery and the Blacknificent 7. Curated by CSO composer in residence Jessie Montgomery, the concert will feature work by a collective of Black composers, including Montgomery, who came together during the pandemic. Performers

include Montgomery and collective members Jasmine Barnes, Carlos Simon, and Damien Geter, as well as tenor Russell Thomas and musicians from the CSO, conducted by Donald Lee III. There’s a preconcert panel discussion at 3 PM and an afterparty at 6 PM. Montgomery and the Blacknificent 7, Sun 12/3 4:30 PM, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan, 312-294-3000, cso.org, $30-$50.

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or the humbugs among us, Chicago Opera Theater is offering the Chicago debut of Dmitri Shostakovich’s cynical and satiric 1928 clown car of an opera, The Nose. Based on Nikolai Gogol’s 1836 short story with the same title, it’s the tale of a minor Russian official who wakes up one day to find that his proboscis has left its place on his face and is making its own surprisingly successful way in Saint Petersburg, having already achieved a higher rank than his own. His efforts to retrieve it and coax it back into place lead to multiple mind-blowing encounters with ineptitude, corruption, and chaos. Francesca Zambello directs this production, which features baritone Aleksey Bogdanov as the official and tenor Curtis Bannister as the nose. Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts the raucous, iconoclastic score. Scrooge, I think, would have loved it.

The Nose, Fri 12/8 7:30 PM, Sun 12/10 3 PM, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 312-704-8414, chicagooperatheater.org, $45-$150. v

m disaacs@chicagoreader.com

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n a night like that, you’d freeze your buds off at the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lightscape. But given a milder evening, and willingness to fork over the $34-per-person nonmember advance-purchase adult entrance fee ($30 for members; $17-$19 for kids), you can check out this iteration of a newer holiday tradition. More glitz than green, it offers a 1.3mile trail of photo ops that’ll strike you as even

Above and top left : Larry Yando in A Christmas Carol at the Goodman LIZ LAUREN

COMMENTARY ON PRISONS

Who is a political prisoner?

We need to recognize just how outsize a role politics plays in excessive prison sentences.

By ANTHONY EHLERS

I

t is time that we change who we think of as political prisoners. When most people think of political prisoners, they usually envision someone who is imprisoned for their political beliefs or for challenging the government.

The reality is that there are tens of thousands of men and women in U.S. prisons who should be recognized as political prisoners— not because they were imprisoned for their political beliefs or actions, but because their continued incarceration is being exploited for political gain by politicians, prosecutors, and judges. While they may not start out as political prisoners, they continue to be incarcerated beyond any justification and are refused release simply due to political considerations.

As a society, we need to recognize just how outsize a role politics plays in excessive prison sentences. There comes a certain point where most people no longer need to be incarcerated, and their continued incarceration is purely political in nature.

According to research by the nonprofit organization the Sentencing Project, in 2021 almost 56,000 people nationwide were serving sentences of life without parole (LWOP), and more than 200,000 people, or 15 percent of the U.S. prison population, were serving a sentence that exceeded natural life expectancy. These kinds of extreme sentences are called “death by incarceration,” and the U.S. is an outlier in administering them. Of the 193 United Nations member states, 155 prohibit LWOP sentences.

Death by incarceration and LWOP sentencing are violations of human rights. Sentences that exceed life expectancy condemn individuals to death by incarceration. Such sentencing is often racially discriminatory, and it violates an individual’s right to life, which antiabortion politicians are so fond of screaming about. It violates the constitutional prohibition against cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. It is in every way a human rights violation.

I’ve said many times that mass incarceration is the civil rights issue of our era, and we

EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA/PEXELS

cannot eradicate mass incarceration without first addressing extremely long sentences.

The state of Illinois is in the midst of an unacknowledged humanitarian crisis where thousands of people are oversentenced to death by incarceration. We arrived at this crisis via hyperbole, racism, political gamesmanship, the abandonment of rehabilitation as an ideal, and the mass demonization and dehumanization of criminals.

Tough-on-crime rhetoric and blatantly false claims about the deterrent power of harsher sentences have been used by politicians for decades to get elected. Those same politicians have voted to abolish parole in many states, including at the federal level, increase penalties for a broad range of crimes, and enact “truth-in-sentencing” laws, firearm enhance-

ments, three-strikes laws, life without parole, and “accountability” and felony murder laws.

The list goes on.

Punitive deterrence does not work because most people who commit crimes have no idea what sentencing laws stipulate. They also almost universally believe they won’t get caught. No one mentions that most criminals are not rational actors.

They don’t tend to sit down and weigh the costs and benefits of committing a crime.

Illinois has some of the harshest gun laws in the country. They were made that way, in part, to be deterrents. How is that working out? Every day, we see continued gun violence on the streets of Chicago—robberies, carjackings, shootings.

This myth that harsher penalties are any deterrence must stop! It’s a very costly lie. Deterrence literally inflicts more punishment than is justifiable. Increasing the pain of one individual to try to coerce the behavior of another person is morally repugnant. Yet we still currently have thousands of people in Illinois prisons suffering from this injustice.

It’s not just legislators who lie about crime and deterrence. Prosecutors, eyeing future political office, tend to charge defendants to increase their conviction rates by pushing people into plea deals. Judges consistently oversentence people to prove they are “tough on crime,” and do so under the guise that such sentences will deter others. Presidents and governors routinely deny prisoners clemency and parole—not out of any deficiency of the applicant, but rather out of political considerations, because there is a possibility, no matter how small, that it could negatively impact their own political careers.

Let’s not forget the impact of the media on public policy and opinion. An outsider would believe Chicago is a war zone. The mainstream media perpetuate the notion that crime is out of control. The news on all of our Chicago

channels begins every night with stories of gun violence. The sad truth is that most of the gun violence is confined to just a few neighborhoods, yet the media have made the face of crime that of young Black men and terrorize the public as if our whole city is under siege.

The media narrative that centers on personal crime and violence took hold in the 1990s. As journalist Vince Beiser wrote in Mother Jones in 2001, “From 1990 to 1998, homicide rates dropped by half nationwide, but homicide stories on the three major networks rose almost fourfold.” During the same period, crime rates were declining, yet prison populations soared.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who isn’t even a radical leftist, pardoned or granted clemency to more than 1,000 people during his decade in office, despite conservative attack ads. Governor Pritzker would do well to follow that example. Politics should not be the deciding factor for someone’s freedom; politics should not decide the fate of people who didn’t choose to join the political arena.

Yet this is exactly what happens and why we are, in fact, political prisoners.

Moreover, any incarcerated person who is innocent of charges—and there are many—is also a political prisoner due to the fact that our criminal legal system is so highly politicized that no judge wants to admit they made a mistake or that a state’s witness was lying.

Chicago is the city of Jon Burge, Reynaldo Guevara, and Ronald Watts. More innocent people have been exonerated in this state than in any other. According to the National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan, Illinois has a false confession rate of more than 30 percent, three times the national average.

Those numbers should disturb everyone interested in truth or justice. Our criminal system doesn’t have much of either. Additionally, the various procedural roadblocks to overturning a wrongful conviction, including the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, were put in place by politicians trying to prove their tough-on-crime bona fides.

It’s time we started properly identifying everyone held due to political considerations— including politicians’ self-serving policy choices—as political prisoners. Only then can we effectively fight for their release. v Anthony Ehlers is a writer incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center. Find out more about incarcerated journalists from the Prison Journalism Project (prisonjournalismproject.org).

m letters@chicagoreader.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 19

ARTS & CULTURE

CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL R Through 2/11/24, various locations throughout the city. Visit

chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org for more info.

ARCHITECTURE

Discover Chicago’s layered history The fifth Chicago Architecture Biennial shows what the city could become.

Norman Teague, Tetisi = Listen

By ANJULIE RAO

E

arly one morning I stood on what might be the last undeveloped piece of land in the Loop’s radius. The site of the forthcoming DuSable Park is, currently, a soil mound bursting with prairie life located where the Chicago River punctures Lake Michigan’s mouth. This, says architect Ryan Gann, who is working with Ross Barney Architects on the upcoming park’s design, is where Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable’s property, composed of nine buildings, would have once stood.

The mound now hosts nine informal structures—eight red-fenced enclosures and one large, four-sided billboard that reads “Who was DuSable?” and “Who found Chicago” on either side—symbolizing Du Sable’s past presence here. The installation, by Gann and Carol Ross Barney, is titled Parallel Histories.

It was created as part of the fifth edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB 5) which opened in early November. Parallel Histories is a monument to Du Sable, obviously, but also a means to orient ourselves within the land’s layered past.

The enclosures remind us that what exists now once was not—cities are land, buildings, and stories heaped onto one another, where one history gets (often physically) flattened and paved over for another. CAB 5 is an extensive exhibition dedicated to showcasing this “infill” layering of histories—what we choose to remember, and the evidence or traces of those past urban selves that still hold tight amidst endless transformations. These layers—as asserted by biennial curators from the Floating Museum and the theme “This Is A Rehearsal”—are iterations of the city-yet-to-be, signifying not only history but all the ways we currently build and negotiate urban life.

Rehearsal comes through clearly through-

CORY DEWALD

out parts of the exhibition, though at times it feels like a hodgepodge of attempts at squeezing rehearsal into the contours of an overstuffed show. There is, in some ways, too much work: with 51 works at the Chicago Cultural Center, several at the Thompson Center, more at the Graham Foundation, and off-site outdoor installations on the north, south, and west sides—there might be something for every Chicago resident, but perhaps it comes at the cost of legibility. At the Cultural Center, some work is more comprehensible than others, with some pieces feeling unfinished or haphazardly installed. Remnants of hot glue and peeling surfaces were difficult to ignore. I overheard one visitor joking that the rehearsal theme might be a cop-out—if it’s only a rehearsal, maybe it’s supposed to be unfinished?

A bad-faith comment, certainly, but the quantity of work exhibited could be the culprit.

There are, however, some highlights: On the Cultural Center’s second floor, 100 Links is a massive web of interlinking Gunter’s chains spanning the gallery’s entire height and width.

Designed by architecture and art practice AD-WO and the Buell Center in New York, the chains are devices that historically marked territory for property ownership, enclosing “private” land and ultimately dispossessing Indigenous peoples. Visitors can walk amongst the draped chains as a way to challenge or unsettle the historic meaning behind them.

The fourth floor includes a hectic assemblage of smaller-scale works. Packed to the brim, visitors encounter dozens of individual works and installations, but a few stand out.

Along the floor’s east wall are paintings by Puerto Rican artist Gamaliel Rodríguez, which depict hazy drawings of anonymous modern structures being consumed by jungle flora.

20 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Titled Figures, the series portrays angular airport traffic control towers and military baselike megaliths enmeshed by palm leaves and shrouded in ghostly bushes. Close by, Monumental Returns, a new work by anthropologist Vyjayanthi Rao and filmmaker Kush Badhwar addresses the effects of a mega-dam built in Telangana, South India. A video depicting the dam plays, soundtracked by a prayerlike song that tells the story of corruption and social and ecological loss related to the dam’s construction—notably, that nearby sacred temples had to be dismantled and rebuilt multiple times to accommodate this modern, ultradestructive infrastructure.

Also included on the fourth floor is a “monument park,” where landscape architecture firm Site crafted a sprawling series of plinths composed of Geofoam blocks, material typically used to shape the earth underneath parks and playgrounds. The blocks are smartly sloppy, with Sharpie markings and blemishes from use—all signs of their past lives outside the gallery. On these plinths sit a new series of 14 “monuments” by various contributors; however, the foam landscape is most compelling as literal manifestations of a terraforming recipe that uses artificial ingredients.

While the Cultural Center’s exhibition feels so full that it becomes difficult to comprehend how all 51 pieces fit together, CAB’s installations on the south side offer respite and meaning. An installation by local artist Edra Soto, located at 75th and Ellis Avenue, is a small concrete shelter; its modern design hearkens back to decorative architecture from Soto’s native Puerto Rico. Titled La Distancia, the structure speaks to diasporic traditions but also importantly functions as a much-needed bus shelter for the 4 and 79 buses. Just north of this site,

in Bronzeville, artist Norman Teague worked with architect Mejay Gula to construct a fullscale plywood model of a monument to abolitionists Frederick and Anna Douglass. Called Tetisi = Listen, it’s a prototype that precedes a planned monument to be built at an unknown date in Douglass Park. Four plywood tunnels surround a dome pavilion; the tunnel facades provide a chalkboard for visitors to manifest community futures while quotes from Douglass are displayed on the tunnels’ interiors.

These works complicate the belief that cities and landscapes are static places that only evolve through “natural order.” In her 2019 essay “Towards an Urban Attention Ecology,” curator Cecilie Sachs Olsen wrote, “The current urban regime of attention alienates us from the urban spaces that we inhabit by promoting an understanding of the built environment as a form of ‘natural order’ with inherent meanings and predetermined functions that exercise control over the people who use it.”

Those predetermined functions often also yield predetermined futures. Soto and Teague instead create other possible uses and futures: Soto, through a guerrilla act, disrupts formal mechanisms of providing critical infrastructure; Teague collapses design and abolition histories that invite visitors to literally write out their hopes for their communities.

While overwhelming, CAB 5 makes an exciting proposition: Though we might imagine urban timelines as straight lines, artists, and architects can fracture that line to let histories, uses, stories, and new meanings leak out.

Through these fractures, city residents can also imagine new ways of challenging prescribed uses, to retell or remember those lost stories—to become closer to our city’s past and develop agency over its future.

Returning to the soil mound on the lake’s edge, Gann reminds me that Parallel Histories should, technically, be located over at the Michigan Avenue Apple store, which is where the river used to reach the lake before humans landfilled the original coastline. The Apple store is just another layer of Chicago’s fabric, as are the skateboarders I’ve seen doing tricks on its plaza, or the commuters taking shelter from the rain under the building’s roof overhang. These unsanctioned uses might seem like tiny blips in the city’s long timeline; however, CAB 5 seems to want us to see, encourage, and celebrate them as monumental. v

m letters@chicagoreader.com

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“UNSETTLED STRUCTURES” R Through 12/22: Tue-Fri 11 AM-6 PM, Sat 11 AM-3 PM, Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario, artsclubchicago.org

ARTS & CULTURE

REVIEW

Desire lines Rathin Barman investigates the migrant experience through sculpture.

By PIA SINGH

O

ne of the most enduring legacies of colonialism is found in architecture, often built on the basis of separation.

Divide-and-rule policies inform social structures in former colonies like India, where the separation of communities on the basis of class, caste, and creed is linked to the separation of laborers from their points of origin.

Forming the basis of an imperialist ontology with material presences that persist in architectures where itinerant bodies exchange glances, verbal cues, and formal and informal gestures, the semiotics of Indigenous norms play out against specters of colonial habitus.

It is this morphology and hierarchy of spatial segregation in present-day Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) that inform Rathin Barman’s “Unsettled Structures,” where the artist invites the viewer to investigate notions of place/lessness, homeliness, and dis/placement linked to the migrant condition through cast concrete and brass sculptures.

Completing a degree in engineering in Tripura, Barman moved from Kanchanpura to Calcutta, first in the mid-90s, returning later to call it home in 2003. Fulfilling a BFA and MFA from Rabindra Bharati University, he grew intrigued by the fictionalization of migrant stories. “Due to the government’s prioritization of the partition of West Pakistan over that of East Bengal, a large part of a history of violence remains unobserved,” he explains.

From the first partition of Bengal in 1905, to its territorial reorganization and repeal of the division, or Banga Bhanga, in 1930, gradually leading up to the Swadeshi movement and partition of India in 1947, the British imposed communal divisions that cemented a largely Hindu population in West Bengal, pushing a large majority of Muslim Indians to the east, or what is now known as Bangladesh. Barman has engaged political and climate refugees from Orissa, Assam, Bihar, and Dhaka for over two decades, working alongside and living near communities settled in what the city’s municipal corporation identifies as “hazard-

Installation view, "Unsettled Structures," at Arts Club of Chicago SARAH LARSON

ous homes,” old residential structures deemed unfit for habitation.

In Calcutta’s northern suburbs of Baranagar, Jorasanko Thakur Bari, and Sovabazar Rajbari, colonial mansions once built to accommodate administrative officers of the raj now accommodate 20 to 30 families, cohabitating in a single home. Partially retained by landowners of bygone affluence and power, the remainder of the house accommodates tenants from displaced migrant populations. Vestiges of imperialism persist—ornate gates, wooden Venetian windows, wrought iron balconies, railings, and masonry walls display symbols of a ruling class, disfiguring and de-territorializing native and undocumented citizen spaces and stories.

Growing up in an area where everyone knew each other by name, “home” is a concept navigated by spatial approximation for Barman.

Moving to Calcutta, Barman quickly noticed the calculated language of exclusion within the metropolis. Initially, sharing numerous apartments with friends, he came to question the implied permanence of his concrete surroundings. “Back home, the annual, ritualized repair of bamboo and mud homes during the spring informs my perspective on timelines of ‘maintenance,’” he says, benevolently. Adding and removing elements to accommodate the needs of growing family members, the artist began to question the aesthetics of redesign, residues of bodies confined within architectural processes in Calcutta’s forgotten Dutch colonial mansions. In contrast to the living character of homes in rural India, he noticed

land developers unceremoniously seizing limestone houses to replace them with multistory apartment buildings, forever altering an embodied repository of prior meaning.

Studying part-ruined, part-salvaged colonial structures through drawings, interviews, photographs, and shared family archives and recipes, Barman began to capture the real, psychic subject within the geometries of architecture, leading to his propensity for sculpture using conventional building material.

Dwelling on the reconfiguration of space within the migrant home, Barman transmits a visceral sense of migratory displacement and rearrangement in Space Counts III-VII (2023).

Transporting the viewer to the ever-changing needs of an increasing number of migrants scrambling for “private space” within the city, Barman maps the footprint of internal displacement, animating static concrete tablets by marking X and Y planes in gray-black charcoal stain, indicating moved walls, enclosed balconies, informal aluminum roofing, and sealed windows; here one moment, gone the next. With the home as the primary organ, the artist’s annotative observations are multilayered measurements of time. Inscribed with relief cast and brass inlay detail, wrought from colonial facades, the artist points to terminology that went on to inform legal frameworks on land ownership and occupancy laws, a reminder of the persistence of neocolonial relations within a “new world order” that makes no room for migrant self-determination.

The only unit of control, or the individual “footprint,” appears in the form of three-

dimensional brass grids incorporated in sculptures at various scales. In Unsettled Structures I-VI (2023), superimposed, two- to three-inch brass grids form markings of the gestation period between bureaucratic process and erasure that punctuate the emigrant experience. In Unsettled Structure I, Barman conjures a near-life-sized model of an inner courtyard of a colonial mansion. Casting a speculative, monumental brass grid in the Arts Club’s front gallery, the artist performs an act of poiesis, conjuring a space designed for social interaction, recreation, and cross ventilation in colonial India contra Chicago’s Miesian modernism. The dense metal grid renders space once inhabited for pickle-making, craft knowledge exchange, glances between lovers, and naps in the warmth of a winter sun, uninhabitable. With archways overhead, the sculpture seems impenetrable, sparing a single pathway to the rear of the room. The viewer, in this way, must bodily navigate into the heart of the colonial home.

Once inside, all single-point perspectives warp and collapse. Archways fold upon each other as vectors of Barman’s navigational allegory close. In the cul-de-sac, all forms of exchange are ruptured in the execution of geometry; there is no reciprocity in the condition of political survival.

A trio of floor-seated, iron-oxide tinted, brass-capitular grids find their base in raw, cast meteoric forms in One, and the Other (2016). Addressing the seizure of hazardous homes from their inhabitants, Barman skews the architectural grid, spinning the columnar landscape on a vertice to conjure an evocation of a land grab, as though a singular hand determines the deliberate dislocation of people while new infrastructure is poured atop. No longer cramped with the laughter of children, the hammer of the native laborer tied to Anglo-Indian living, nor overrun by storage spaces, old furniture, and pestilential banyan roots, Barman posits massive ornate European architectures as reread and reimagined, scaled psycho-geographies of those impacted by temporal processes of the legality of migration, co-ownership, and self-governance.

Keeping records in and through architectural processes, Barman offers a deeper understanding of intangible traces of the identity of the “alien” resident beyond the detritus of imperial sites of production in contemporary and colonial India. vA longer version of this story can be found at chicagoreader.com

m letters@chicagoreader.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 21

“A VILLAGE BEFORE US” R Through 12/31: Tue-Fri 11 AM-6 PM, John David Mooney Foundation, 114 W Kinzie,

ARTS & CULTURE

avillagebeforeus.com

REVIEW

Installation view, “A Village Before Us,” John David Mooney Foundation NGÔ HỨA MINH TRÍ

Public and private politics in Vietnamese art “A Village Before Us” offers counternarratives on the Vietnam War.

By WENDY WEI

S

ubtly evoked or explicitly referenced, reclaiming individual narrative is a major subject for the Vietnamese artists whose work is on view in dual exhibitions at the John David Mooney Foundation: “A Village Before Us” and the Albert I. Goodman Collection of Vietnamese Art. The Goodman collection is one of the most complete collections of Vietnamese art from the second half of the 20th century. “A Village Before Us” transmutes the American war in Vietnam into a shrouded but strong current as explored by nine artists and scholars who do not have lived experience of the war, yet still navigate its social, personal, and political reverberations.

The American imagination of Vietnam is often stuck in the 1960s. Blockbusters like 1979’s Apocalypse Now, 1987’s Full Metal Jacket, and 2020’s Da 5 Bloods orient American audiences to view the conflict and region almost exclusively through one angle—that of Americans during the war. But what Vietnamese people, especially those from North Vietnam, experienced during the war and in postwar Vietnamese society is underrepresented in the U.S., creating a black box of time and geography.

We are lucky that it is in Chicago, not New York or California, that the highest concentration of Vietnamese artists in America are voicing their own narrative, according to Dr. Nora Annesley Taylor, cocurator of the exhibition along with Thuy-Tien Vo. Taylor brought the nine featured artists together, including Vo, to visit the Goodman collection, housed on the third floor, where Vo encourages visitors to start before making their way down to “A Village Before Us.” The Goodman collection was pieced together by Goodman’s friend Bruce Blowitz, who purchased directly from artists during his travels in the 1990s to Vietnam, not long after Vietnam first opened to international markets in a reform called “D ổ i M ớ i.” Before then, state censorship of artists forced many to sell

and display their works privately. Half of the collection is wartime posters commissioned by the North Vietnamese government, who put their art students to task on the “cultural front” illustrating arresting images in the Soviet social realism style of female guerillas triumphantly bearing arms and expelling American invaders. These mass-produced works were painted with affordable gouache, filling the walls of the upstairs gallery-like windows. In one, we get a glimpse of a poster market where civilians trade and delight in the array of images—marking these works for public consumption.

After the war, between 1975 and 1986, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture limited artists’ access to international influence and strictly regulated production, which included prohibitions on abstraction and nudity that were not lifted until 1991.

Yet in the midst of political upheaval, artists still created art for art’s sake, playing with abstraction and impressionism—an empty street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a reclining woman’s figure, a bowl of fruit. Many refused to join state-sponsored exhibitions and arts unions. Bùi Xuân Phái was one of the leading artists who defied these regulations and whose work and ethos remain revered by Vietnamese artists.

Descending the narrow staircase between the two floors, one crosses through time and space, from postwar Vietnam to Chicago 2023.

In “A Village Before Us,” you’re greeted by an open space framed with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams. A black-and-white wall-sized painting of repeating boxes welcomes you, to your right stands a delicate sculpture of a woman whose long curling fingernails are ready to strike—and humming beneath it all is the soft bubbling sound, from a far corner, of a rice cooker. The show emerges as a feast of visual, audio, and video sensations.

These artworks are no less political than their counterparts above, but linger in the

22 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

private, quiet introspections from the Vietnamese diaspora and span mediums: oil paint to photography, soundscapes to video installation, sculpture to cyber art.

Most eye-catching is the established artist Lê Hien Minh’s Ornamentalism (2023), a mounted 3D tableau that from afar looks like a porcupine’s back—four- to five-inch birchcolored needles as tightly dispersed as hair follicles protrude from 12 raised boxes. The spikes are actually fingernails constructed out of a traditional Vietnamese paper called “Do” and sharpened to a point. The effect is beautiful yet intimidating, even off-putting. Minh’s work has focused on the role of women in Vietnamese society, which, following her move to the States, translates to Vietnamese American women’s labor in nail salons. Minh’s video NAIL WOMEN (2023) documents Vietnamese aestheticians in Chicago, with close-ups of their delicate tasks of tweezing, poking, and decorating the peaceful faces of their clients, the sharp tools in their hands glinting from the light of the camera. “A Vietnamese woman is made to be submissive,” narrates one of the women Minh interviewed, when asked, “What is Vietnamese woman?”

The gender dynamic is stark. Many of the older paintings in the Goodman collection featured women and women’s empowerment as a theme—though it’s telling that only one of the works displayed was done by a female artist, Nguyễn Thị Lành. Do Trong Quy brings humor and subversion into his work, contrasting the American military’s treatment of Vietnamese women with his own take on American gender roles. Leaning into the trope of a green-card marriage, a series of paintings explores his daydreams of marrying a dog, or perhaps his own shadow, or another man, to achieve his ultimate dream of marrying a red-haired, pale American woman (modeled after Rose from Titanic), almost daring the viewer to answer him, “Why can’t I? When you have done the same to my country?”

In the opposite corner lies another series, Poster Girl (2023), a grid of ten close-up shots capturing a truck trailer parked at Lichtenberg’s Dong Xuan Center, the largest Vietnamese market in Germany. Artist Maya Nguyen zooms increasingly closer on the driving school advertisement printed on its side—an image of a smiling young woman whose face has been scratched out. As the zoom tightens, the depth and intentionality of the gashes through her pupils and exposed teeth are revealed. There’s a simmering anger below the surface, and its accompanying emotion, fear. What would possess someone to slash a face, even a photo of a face? Therein lies an uneasy truth coursing through the works—the freedom to move is liberating, but it’s unclear how far one can get from the political as a Vietnamese artist.

The ways in which Vietnam has shaped American psychology, mythmaking, and morality have not been equally explored from the other side, at least not in the public sphere.

How do the dominant American war trauma narratives shape (and silence) Vietnamese narratives of themselves? What do they say in response? In “A Village Before Us,” we get not just one response, but multiple.

Perhaps my favorite addition to the discourse lay with a PC video game Planet Jent World (2023) created by artist Đỗ Minh Giang (Jent). Clicking through Jent’s indulgent, private universe of dawdling distractions and hypnotic holograms, I was delighted. Traditional lacquer painting motifs are distorted to the beat of a soundtrack featuring Vietnamese songs like “To Be A Cockroach” glitched out into techno beats. Lattice designs found on Vietnamese woodblock prints morph into scuttling beetles. I couldn’t help but marvel at how far this work has deviated from the posters displayed in Hanoi’s public squares.

It recalled the spirit of the works of Bùi— personal explorations of color, movement, pleasure—for no purpose other than seeking joy, an instinct that prevails during war and political upheaval, perhaps even treasured more then than during peacetime. To have no overt political message endures as one of the most powerful political messages of all. v

m letters@chicagoreader.com

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A FIVE-STAR NEW YEAR'S CONCERT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

CELEBRATE

2024

WITH SINGING, DANCING & FULL ORCHESTRA!

STRAUSS SYMPHONY OF AMERICA featuring MICHAEL ZEHETNER Conductor (Vienna) BRIGITTA SIMON Soprano (Vienna) DAVID DANHOLT Tenor (Vienna-Copenhagen) Featuring dancers from

EUROPABALLET (Austria)

Saturday, December 30 at 2:30 pm

ORCHESTRA HALL SYMPHONY CENTER Tickets: 312.294.3000

salutetovienna.com @salutetovienna

Produced by

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 23

THEATER

NOOR INAYAT KHAN: THE FORGOTTEN SPY R Mon 12/11 7 PM, Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, sarahsiddonssociety.org, $18 Sarah Siddons Society members, $25 nonmembers

SOLO ADVENTURE

Secret agent woman Almanya Narula brings the story of princess and spy Noor Inayat Khan to the stage.

By KERRY REID

P

rincess. Musician. Writer. Spy. The short description of all of Noor Inayat Khan’s identities during her brief lifetime reads like the title of a John le Carré novel. Yet despite the fact that her work as an undercover radio operator and liaison between the French resistance and British intelligence during World War II was an important part of the planning for the D-Day invasion, Khan’s story remained on the sidelines of history for decades.

That’s been changing in recent years. In 2018, the New York Times honored her with an obit in their “Overlooked No More” series.

In 2021, production on a television miniseries about Khan, Spy Princess (starring Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire in the title role) was announced.

Khan was captured by the Gestapo in Paris in October 1943. Despite months of torture and interrogation, she never gave up any information about what the Allies knew. She was executed at Dachau at age 30 on September 13, 1944.

Almanya Narula has been fascinated by Khan’s story since she was ten and found a brief footnote about the spy in a book while living in Thailand with her mother. That fascination has turned into Narula’s acclaimed solo show, Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy, which comes to Chicago for one performance on December 11, courtesy of the Sarah Siddons Society, at the Edge Theater. Winner of multiple awards in the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival, Narula’s show also appeared earlier this month at the United Solo festival in New York City.

Narula is a onetime Chicago actor, fight choreographer, and journalist, now living in LA. (A former contributor to the Reader, Narula started her own publication, Chicago

Almanya Narula in Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy MIGUEL PEREZ

Theatre Now, in 2018, developed during her time in the arts journalism graduate program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.)

She still comes back to town for theater work; most recently she served as fight choreographer for Steppenwolf’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.

Narula, who is Indian and Thai, and whose career began in Bollywood productions as a child, remembers that fateful encounter with the footnote on Khan.

“I grew up in Thailand and my mom was operating as a single mom. She worked multiple jobs for us to survive. She was a teacher, and she’d work after school and tutor. She didn’t want me to stay home alone, so she’d tell me, ‘Go to the mall. Go to the bookstore,’ or whatever. I would go to this bookstore and most of

24 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

the time I would just read comics and things like that. For some reason, that day I was compelled to open up a World War II history book.” She found a footnote that mostly just said, as Narula recalls, “Indian princess, World War II British spy.” I didn’t read much more than that because my mom came and I had to put the book away, but it just stuck in my head for years.”

The fact that Khan was Indian was the biggest thing that stuck with Narula. “At the time, there still wasn’t a ton of representation for Indian people in media,” she notes. “Even though I was born in Thailand, I was raised for the first part of my life in India, so when I came back, I wasn’t operating like a Thai Indian. I was operating like an Indian Indian. I still had the accent and things like that. There was a lot of prejudice toward Indian people in Thailand

at that time. I just felt really isolated. Nothing in Hollywood made me seem cool. We had Harold and Kumar and Apu and The Big Bang Theory kind of thing. I was just very disheartened. So anytime I found an Indian person in history, or anywhere, I’d be like, ‘Oh my god,’ and it would stay in my head.”

On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of parallels between Khan’s life and Narula’s, aside from their shared Indian heritage. Khan was indeed a princess through her father, a musician and philosopher named Inayat Khan who was a devotee of the mystical practice of Sufism. (Her mother was American.) Khan was born in Moscow and grew up living between Paris and London. Her father died when she was 13, leaving her to help raise her younger siblings. Somehow she found time to write short stories, play music (harp and piano), and study child psychology at the Sorbonne.

Yet despite her accomplishments (including her skills as a radio operator, acquired during a stint with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in Great Britain in 1940), Khan was not considered a great prospect by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the undercover intelligence mission she joined as the first woman radio operator. A superior officer, Colonel Frank Spooner, wrote in her personnel file, “Not overburdened with brains but has worked hard and shown keenness, apart from some dislike of the security side of the course.

She has an unstable and temperamental personality and it is very doubtful whether she is really suited to work in the field.”

Khan ended up outlasting every other radio operator in the field. Within ten days of her arrival in Paris, SOE asked her to return; all the other agents in her network had been arrested.

She stayed and did the work of six under the code name “Madeline.” The average lifespan in the job was six weeks; Khan survived four months before being captured.

In Narula’s 40-minute show, framed as an interrogation between Khan and an unseen Gestapo agent, we see how Khan managed to outwit the Nazis for several months. At one point, she recounts how a Nazi officer even helped her string her radio wire outside when she told him she was trying to listen to some jazz. The stories of her time as a spy are interspersed with one of Khan’s own children’s stories about a brave monkey king who saves the lives of others by turning himself into a bridge.

The dissonance between Khan’s personality and her résumé became a big part of what attracted Narula to her story.

ll

ll

THEATER “Because I also come from a [stage] combat background, my initial thought was, ‘Ooh she’s a spy. I’ll find some cool James Bond stuff.’ But when I started reading her story, I realized, ‘Ah, she’s this super effeminate woman.’”

Narula adds, “She hated firearms. She was a pacifist. She was all like, ‘I can’t lie.’”

For Narula, one key realization was that she had known someone like Khan all her life: her mom.

“I grew up in a tumultuous home and I witnessed a lot of things my mom had to face in terms of abuse. She was also the eldest daughter, so she was bred to be the second mom.

Nobody literally forced her into it, but it could be argued that she had that responsibility.”

For Narula, Khan’s spying isn’t motivated solely by conscience. It was a chance to prove herself. “‘I’m going to go on this cool adventure.’ And she lands in France and everybody else gets sabotaged and she survives and she continues to survive, so I think she’s just sort of getting this kick, like ‘Oh my god, I’m amazing for the first time in my life.’ I saw that happen with my mom, too. Finally when she had a job and because she was sort of so

good at what she did, she started getting more jobs and got so hyperfocused on not just being a woman and womanly duties—she put her whole soul into it.”

She adds, “I think it’s interesting that [Khan] had this no-lying code, but when push came to shove, she lied. She had this no-fighting code, but when push came to shove, she fought. Not hand-to-hand combat, but when they eventually closed in on her, she wrestled this guy and bit his hand and he had to leave the room because he was terrified she would rip his face off.”

Khan’s story, Narula believes, resonates even more as a beacon of hope and inspiration in these dark days.

“One of the times I performed was the afternoon that Roe v. Wade was overturned.

I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m about to do this show. What the hell?’ Then I realized Noor was someone who till the end kept fighting. Someone who was seen as the wrong person for the job—who was seen as ditzy and clumsy—till the end did not give up.” v

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y a d i l o H Locally available items and gift ideas handpicked

by Reader staff, from stepping and skate classes to handmade accessories and clothing, plus books, records, and more.

1.

Chicago stepping lessons from award-winning south sider Shaun Ballentine of Effortless Stepping.

— SALEM COLLO-JULIN

Open group lessons Wednesdays at 7 PM, Effortless Stepping Studio, 1850 E. 79th. $20 per person, 21+ only. DM for private lesson rates through instagram.com/ mr_effortlessly_done or Facebook (search Effortless Steppin).

2.

Unicorn Death Moon Day Planner by Zachary Cahill. This part art and poetry collection, part actual undated day planner comes from a Chicago artist and author who directs programming for the Gray Center for Arts & Inquiry at University of Chicago.

— SALEM COLLO-JULIN

3.

Tickets to Magic Parlour, Dennis Watkins’s longrunning show that recently relocated to a cozy space in the Goodman Theatre complex, are a gift of 90 minutes of amazing and mystifying fun.

— DEANNA ISAACS

Goodman Theatre, goodmantheatre.org, $85 including a drink or $30 more for VIP

4.

Dave Roberts’s Neo 80s Music Sundays print ad poster, part of a new collection of T-shirts and posters paying homage to Planet Earth DJ and Late Bar cofounder Dave Roberts. (The collection is only available till December 8.)

— LEOR GALIL

Vivaleroberts at redbubble.com, $16-$35

ogre.red, $12.99

5.

Signal Records’s Chicago shirt in green, which is for the Logan and Wicker record store; it features photos of historical Chicago venues, including the Warehouse and La Mere Vipere.

— LEOR GALIL

Signal Records locations, signalrecords.bigcartel.com, $25

26 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Gift Guide

6.

Invite someone to a walk-in fragrance consultation at Merz Apothecary.

Even if you don’t buy a bottle on your way out, an expert can introduce you to niche perfumes and help you discover your taste.

— TARYN ALLEN

Merz Apothecary in Lincoln Square, Free, fragrances range in price

7.

8.

9.

Dapper & Urban makes bowties and accessories for “dapper queer dressers of all genders” and sources most of their materials from other local businesses.

— DIANE PASCAL

Hoste Cocktails are leaps more palatable than the usual ready-to-drink bottled mixed potations. Former Violet Hour head bartender Robby Haynes’s 2023 Gold Fashioned is a blend of ten-year-old rye, nine-year-old bourbon, Afghan saffron-Tahitian vanilla bitters, and fair trade Malawian demerara sugar. Kumiko’s Julia Momosé is behind The Martini, with a gin distilled with sakura blossoms, red sansho peppercorns, hojicha roasted green tea, and yuzu.

— MIKE SULA

A donation to the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, the midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ archive which helps preserve and share LGBTQIA+ history. It’s also an active lending library, exhibition space, and home to accessible events. — JAMES HOSKING

hostecocktails.com, $150, $65

gerberhart.org, $25 and up

dapperandurban.com, $15-$35

12.

14.

Roller skate class or private lesson with Inspired by Favor’s Myesha McCaskill, hosted in Ravenswood or South Loop.

— SAVANNAH HUGUELEY

10.

11.

inspiredbyfavor.org, $25 for 2-hour group class

13.

Rebirth Garments makes gender non-conforming wearables and accessories that center “non-binary, trans, disabled, and mad queers of all sizes and ages.”

— DIANE PASCAL

Transition, the second vinyl compilation released by Pilsen shop 606 Records (via their label Unity). Includes contributions from ESSO Afrojam Funkbeat, Lapgan, Oui Ennui, and Sulyiman.

— LEOR GALIL

Little Gaze is Chi Nwosu’s “soft sanctuary for tender queers” with lovely stickers, shirts, totes, and prints!

— SAVANNAH HUGUELEY

rebirthgarments.com, $20 and up

606 Records, 606records.com, $24.99

littlegaze.com, $4-$65

Embryo is a zine produced by Natural Sciences, an electronic music label that focuses on things like dungeon synth, industrial, and more, and has featured multiple Chicago artists including Beau Wanzer and shawné michaelain holloway. Orders come with an exclusive Conrad Pack mix and A3 poster and comes housed in a special folder.

— MICCO CAPORALE

naturalsciences.bandcamp.com, 19.99 GBP

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 27

Paid Sponsored Content

Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art this holiday season and beyond

Gra Established in 1967, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is one of the world’s premier institutions celebrating the work of leading contemporary artists. Located just off Michigan Avenue near the historic Chicago Water Tower and the John Hancock Building, the 220,000-square-foot venue was designed by Berlin architect Josef Paul Klienhues and features three stories of galleries with ever-changing exhibits, a performance theater, a sculpture garden, an education center, and much more.

Currently on view at the MCA Faith Ringgold: American People On November 18, the MCA opened its new exhibit Faith Ringgold: American People, a career-spanning retrospective of artist, author, educator, and organizer Faith Ringgold.

Born in New York in 1930, and now based in New Jersey, Ringgold is among the most influential figures of her generation. Her visual works include paintings, quilts, sculptures, and performance art, which are threaded together by her intersectional politics and her ability to poignantly center marginalized communities and overlooked narratives. American People, which runs through February 25, 2024, showcases many of her best known pieces and includes archival materials from her activist work from the 60s and 70s, exploring the Civil Rights era, radical feminism, and the struggle for social justice while shedding light on her artistic and political evolution.

“Faith Ringgold: American People is an overdue examination of an iconic artist whose work has been underseen in Chicago,” Manilow senior curator Jamillah James said.

“Ringgold’s centering of social critique and personal and familial narrative in her work has been profoundly influential to later generations of artists, and we are thrilled to partner with the New Museum to bring this thought-provoking and timely exhibition to the MCA.” 28 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

With a focus on innovation, accessibility, and inclusion, the MCA invites Chicagoans and visitors alike to immerse themselves in the wonder of art. Whether you’re an aficionado or visiting the museum for the first time, you’ll undoubtedly find plenty of inspiration, and there’s no time like the present to make the MCA a part of your holiday season and beyond.

Entre Horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico Running through May 5, 2024, Entre Horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico explores the connectedness between Puerto Rico and Chicago through artistic genealogies and social justice movements. The exhibit, which features works by an intergenerational group of artists with ties to the city and the island, including Puerto Rican painters who use printmaking techniques as well as artists who use their craft to explore social and political issues.

Curated by Carla Acevedo-Yates, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator with curatorial associate Iris Colburn, the exhibit centers on the concepts of place and identity as it touches on Chicago’s decades-long history of facilitating conversations on Puerto Rican self-determination and Latine issues, such as immigration and bilingual education. Along with artworks, the exhibit includes archival photographs and other materials that document the work of grassroots organizers and activists who advocated for anti-colonial resistance and the rights of underrepresented Latine communities from the 1960s through the present.

Rebecca Morris: 2001-2022 Now through April 7, 2024, come to the MCA for a 21-year survey of American painter Rebecca Morris. Born in Hawai’i and based in Los Angeles, Morris is widely known for her daring large-scale paintings made using various tech-

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Faith Ringgold: American People.

Photo courtesy of MCA Chicago

niques including erasure, dripping, and spray painting on canvases laid flat on the floor. This exhibit—Morris’s first major museum survey since 2005, features 27 dynamic works that showcase her embrace of color and motif, and knack for boundary-pushing exploration The exhibit is presented in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA), and curated

by James (a former senior curator at ICA LA) with curatorial assistant Caroline Ellen Liou, and a presentation organized by James and assistant curator Jack Schneider.

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Left: Entre Horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico Right: Rebecca Morris: 2001-2022.

Photos courtesy of MCA Chicago

Grab a bite and unwind

Attend our special events ongoing programs

Marisol Restaurant & Bar is the MCA’s on-site dining establishment, welcoming visitors between exhibits or in search of a great meal in a chic and relaxing setting.

Marisol’s innovative menus are overseen by Chicago chef Jason Hammel, a three-time James Beard award finalist for best chef in the Great Lakes and owner and executive chef of beloved Logan Square gathering place Lula Cafe.

With immersive art by Chris Ofili, an emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients, and fantastic service, Marisol offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience you won’t soon forget. Stop in Tuesdays through Sundays for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch—or come to happy hour from 5:00 to 6:30 PM.

MCA’s eclectic programming schedule offers a chance for Chicagoans to make one of the finest arts institutions in the city a part of their regular routine. Visit the MCA calendar for regular updates on film screenings, lectures, special events, and more. Many events are free to attend with purchase of museum entry.

In addition to table service at Marisol, the MCA invites guests to stop at the Counter for light bites, snacks, coffee, tea, and other refreshments from 10 AM to 7 PM on Tuesdays, and 10 AM to 4 PM Wednesday through Sunday.

On December 16, the MCA hosts Teen Creative Agency Zinefest. Now in its 12th year, the TCA is partnering with the Newberry Library for an afternoon of personal expression and independent publishing. Curated and produced by the teenage members of the TCA, the event highlights the valuable artwork, activism, and voices of young members of the community and beyond. It’s free for anyone 18 and under, so tell all your friends.

Planning a special event or celebration? Contact Marisol to learn more about the private dining room.

Described by Conde Nast Traveller as “one of the best gift shops (ever)” the MCA Store has the perfect holiday or anytime gift for anyone on your list. With a focus on independent artists—including some of Chicago’s finest— its impeccable selection of merchandise celebrates fun, beauty, and curiosity, with jewelry, home goods, wearables, art books, games, prints, and much more. Like the museum itself, the store has something for every budget and age group. Along with its mix of chic, playful, and thought-provoking items for grown-ups, it features hundreds of colorful, imaginative toys, art kits, and interactive books to inspire and nurture young creative minds.

The MCA Store is open Tuesday from 10 AM to 9 PM, Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 5:30 PM, or visit online anytime at mcachicagostore.org.

The MCA’s Family Day arrives on the second Saturday of every month. This fun, free, and educational series provides an introduction to exciting art forms and diverse creators and encourages artistic exploration in an informal, interactive environment that appeals to kids and teens of all ages. ASL interpretation is provided.

Above: MCA’s Family Day. Below: The MCA Store.

Photos courtesy of MCA Chicago

Plan your visit to MCA Located at 220 E. Chicago Avenue, the MCA is accessible

by CTA train and bus routes, Divvy bikes, and on-site paid parking is available. Admission is free for Illinois residents on Tuesdays, and daily for anyone 18 and under. Discounts are available for veterans, active military members and first responders, visitors with disabilities and their caretakers, and Illinois elementary and high school teachers.

As part of the Museums for All program, the MCA offers $3 tickets for up to six individuals for visitors who present a LINK card.

Stop by the MCA today, or visit mcachicago.org for more information.

This sponsored content is paid for by Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 29

15.

17.

The Facets Film Club membership is the second of three membership tiers at Facets. It includes three video rentals per month, six free screening tickets per year, access to membersonly perks like Anime Club, and a host of discounts including 15 percent at the box office.

— MICCO CAPORALE

18.

Sinceer & Meece is the irreverent, danceable collaboration by local groove kings Drew Sinceer & Jeremiah Meece that was put out earlier this year by Jesse Sandvik’s label, Areaman.

— MICCO CAPORALE

areamanchicago.bandcamp.com, $15-$20

facets.org, $15 per month or $150 per year

19.

20.

22.

Night and Dana is the latest graphic novel by rock ‘n’ roller, cartoonist, and Reader contributor Anya Davidson. It’s a coming-of-age story centered in queerness, bordedom, and monster makeup.

— MICCO CAPORALE

lernerbooks.com, $18.99-$24.99

16.

Crybaby pots were all the rage five years ago when Jess Miller, the ceramicist behind Jamila Goods began selling them at craft fairs. Of late, Miller has been using nerikomi (stacked colors) styles that often incorporate the troubled eyes and blue tears that first brought attention to her work. Her mugs, planters, and holders make perfect, subtle reminders to embrace whimsy in everyday objects.

— SHEBA WHITE

instagram.com/jamilagoods, $48-$78

A dozen of whatever from Brite Donuts and Baked Goods. This west-side, small-batch bakehouse operates out of Metric Coffee and specializes in unconventional flavor combinations that change daily. It’s always a toss-up of what’s available, but a good bet are the savory treats for noshing the day after holiday meals.

— SHEBA WHITE

Metric Coffee, enjoybrite.com, $20-$50

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival returns in January and this year, in addition to the wealth of ticketed attractions, they offer family-friendly free neighborhood tours throughout the city (1/18-1/28), featuring Krystal Puppeteers’ Tears by the River, blending Kenyan puppetry with vocals to tell the story of a brave monkey named Libendi.

— KERRY REID

Onetime award-winning Chicago theater director Jennifer Markowitz shifted careers a few years ago, and now creates stunning embroidered pieces reflecting her own history, including her experiences with mental illness. (Her work was part of “Fiber-Fashion-Feminism” at the Art Center Highland Park last year.) Markowitz offers work on commission, including bespoke hand-embroidered T-shirts.

— KERRY REID

chicagopuppetfest.org, Free to $45

jennifer-markowitz-artist.com, Prices vary

21.

“Remember Manila Town” is a longsleeve shirt made by Feeltrip Records that keeps alive the cultural memory of when 3,000 protestors attempted to resist a tenant eviction and the subsequent demolition of a housing complex in the Philipines in 1977.

— MICCO CAPORALE

feeltrip.co, $50

30 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

23.

25.

Chicago nonprofit Arts of Life provides artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a space to hone their practice.

Proceeds from this lovely 2024 calendar—featuring the work of AoL artists— is an affordable way to support their great work.

— KERRY CARDOZA

artsoflife.org, $15

26.

Compliments of Chicagohoodz is an archival collection of graffiti, business cards, clothing, and other cultural signifiers associated with Chicago gang culture in the 20th century, by Jinx and Mr. C. It also looks at how the groups changed and consolidated based on internal and external factors.

— MICCO CAPORALE

Book Nook

27.

We know you’re readers just like us so here’s a list of more favorite new releases of 2023 for book and comic lovers young and old.

Most are available at independent stores (suggestions: Kido, Quimby’s, Women and Children First, bookshop.org).

J is for Justice! An Activism Alphabet A board book for the little ones from Chicagoan Veronica Arreola. Sunbird Books, $9.99

Remedios Varo: Science Fictions is a beautiful volume that accompanied the gorgeous Art Institute of Chicago exhibition this year of this artist’s work, which made “a lasting contribution to modern art and the legacy of Surrealism.” Her fantastical, intricate paintings have appeal for both kids and adults.

— JAMES HOSKING

Homeland: My father dreams of Palestine An illustrated storybook for ages three to eight that brings a father’s memories to life,

by Hannah Moushabeck.

Chronicle Books, $18.99

semcoop.com, $40

Ramsey Lewis, Gentleman of Jazz: A Life in Music Reader contributor Aaron Cohen assisted with this autobiography from the late great Chicago pianist.

Blackstone Publishing, $25.99

bookshop.org, $25

How to be sad Whitney Wasson’s (Sober Rabbit) latest mini-comic tackles grief and loss with humor and mindfulness; an illustrated version of a long hug. soberrabbit.bigcartel.com, $10

24.

Rising up angry: our fight for a better world Rising Up Angry was a Chicago radical community organization and part of the original Rainbow Coalition. They published a free newspaper, also called Rising Up Angry, from 1969 to 1975. Member Michael James of Live From the Heartland put together this collection of reflections, photographs, and graphics from the activist group. Email fatback@

28.

Chicago artist Jesse Malmed is one of the best minds of my generation. His Etsy shop features hilarious, ingeniously designed merch (a “U.S. out of everywhere” bumper sticker, a MoMMA cap) that make perfect gifts for the art lover in your life.

— KERRY CARDOZA

etsy.com/shop/jetsymerchblatt, $2-$30

Located in McKinley Park, Garbage Hill Farm makes a range of skincare products in addition to their produce—from hair serum to face toner. All proceeds benefit farm operations, which includes expanding food access in the community.

— KERRY CARDOZA

hi-buddy.org/products/garbage-hill-personal-care-products, $5-$35

Akaelah Rain’s In the Garden shop boasts handcrafted and affordable plantthemed necklaces and earrings built to last.

Their shop array spans from clay-crafted to plant-embalmed jewelry. Whatever you buy, you’re now properly adorned to join us In The Garden.

— DMB (DEBBIE-MARIE BROWN)

aol.com for price and shipping information

Broken Things (7” record & comic) Chicago’s original punk band that could, Naked Raygun, released their first album in 30 years along with a comic book collaboration with artists Josh Bayer and James Romberger. quimbys.com, $15

Catch them selling in person at local events, instagram.com/inthegarden.shop, $28-$36

1. COURTESY SHAUN BALLENTINE

7. COURTESY HOSTE COCKTAILS/FOXTROT

12. COURTESY INSPIRED BY FAVOR

18. COURTESY SINCERE AND MEECE

23. COURTESY FERAL HOUSE

2. COURTESY RED OGRE REVIEW

8. COURTESY GERBER/HART LIBRARY AND

13. COURTESY LITTLE GAZE

19. COURTESY JAMILA GOODS

24. JESSE MALMED

3. COURTESY GOODMAN THEATRE

ARCHIVES

14. COURTESY NATURAL SCIENCES

20. COURTESY BRITE DONUTS

25. ARTS OF LIFE

15. COURTESY LERNER BOOKS

21. COURTESY CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL PUPPET

26. GARBAGE HILL FARM

16. COURTESY FEELTRIP RECORDS

THEATER FESTIVAL

27. YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS

4. KRISTINE HENGL/VIVALEROBERTS 5. BLAKE KARLSON/SIGNAL RECORDS 6. COURTESY MERZ APOTHECARY

9. COURTESY DAPPER AND URBAN 10. COURTESY REBIRTH GARMENTS 11. COURTESY 606 RECORDS

17. COURTESY ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE

22. COURTESY JENNIFER MARKOWITZ

28. AKAELAH RAIN

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 31

MANUAL CINEMA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL R Through 12/24: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM; also Wed 12/13 3 and 7:30 PM, Wed 12/20 7:30 PM, Fri 12/22 3 PM, Sun

THEATER

12/17 6 PM; Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Ct., Glencoe, 847-242-6000, writerstheatre.org, $35-$90; recommended for ages 6+

Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol LIZ LAUREN

REVIEW

Sympathy for the Scrooge in all of us Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol makes a spine-tingling return to Writers Theatre.

By KIMZYN CAMPBELL

M

anual Cinema’s Christmas Carol (devised and directed by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter) is a charming remix of an old classic, but with added layers for extra warmth this time of year. Imagine the timeless tale of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol with a modern upgrade, boasting a new kind of Scrooge forged by losses of a contemporary sort—a spouse lost to COVID-19 and a life full of regrets and workaholism.

It would be easy to have a poor opinion of the parallel character Trudy’s plight—as we are led to have of Scrooge—if she weren’t so relatable and filled with anger toward blissfully cheerful folk during the holidays. Something has changed in the 180 years since the original story was written—we’ve all become Scrooge.

Trudy is stuck in an era that won’t allow her to slow down long enough to process her loss-

es. She is expected to move on and keep up. On top of that, she is lovingly coerced into performing her deceased partner’s favorite puppet play over Zoom for his surviving relatives.

It has taken a lot of wine and social pressure to snap her into step for the holidays. Consider the sensory overwhelm, the increased social demands to match increased workloads, and family expectations.

Does something feel familiar here? Is it no wonder that both Trudy and Scrooge find some of the cherished rituals to be just hollow excuses for overindulgence rather than genuine opportunities to connect with loved ones?

And for those of us dealing with the loss of a loved one around this time of year, the feeling of dread and heaviness can easily cast a darker hue on the forced mirth of the season.

LaKecia Harris embodies this sorrow and anger at the top of Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, and it rings so true that the gloom

32 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

is palpable. Add to that the gorgeous staging, chaotic piles of boxes heading to charity, and one endearing puppet theater at the center of the dining room table that is otherwise piled with wine glasses and the debris of packing.

Smoky Victorian lighting (designed by Trey Brazeal) vies for space with the cheerful string of Christmas lights on the tiny puppet theater.

Sometimes spooky and sometimes jolly, the set seamlessly morphs from a household in transition into a puppet theater in old London.

Live music is provided by a talented team who become partly visible on and off behind a curtain as the music rises and falls to the action: Teiana Davis (lead vocals, keys, piano), Lucy Little (violin, vocals), and cocreator Vegter (cello, keys, bass). Puppeteers Lizi Breit, cocreator Miller, and Jeffrey Paschal arrange magical segues between scenes, operating paper puppets in groundbreaking ways to create mind-bogglingly complicated visuals.

As the puppet show unfolds and a real storm brews outside her home, Trudy slowly comes undone and opens up as the ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future run her through the routine, exploring memories, possibilities, and projections. Her transformation is ultimately just as unimaginable and rewarding as that of Ebenezer Scrooge’s, the puppet she reluctantly operates for Joe’s Zoom family audience, not even knowing whether the Internet connection has held. She suddenly

understands she needs them: a real, live connection to her past, present, and future.

Originally performed as a play on Zoom at the height of the lockdown in December 2020, then debuting in its physical form last November at Writers Theatre, the Jeff Award-winning cast has returned to bend the beloved Victorian novella to the times, drifting in and out of direct wording from the book and modern-day cursing. Harris’s comedic timing is as perfect as her ability to pull at our heartstrings. From hilariously scolding her relatives for their jolly natures to railing against Joe for his lack of financial savvy, we accept her struggle. We root for her, as with each remembered kindness her heart grows a little lighter and she opens up more to her grief around her beloved Joe. Manual Cinema considers itself a performance collective, design studio, and a film/ video production company. Since their origin in 2010, they have lived up to that diverse mission, creating dozens of productions and shows for film, music, and theater, all of which combine their signature style of original scores, live action, and puppetry. Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol is the perfect setting to showcase their flexibility, storytelling, and creativity. It’s spine-tingling. It’s moving. It’s just what you need to loosen all that pent-up ire and open your heart a bit this holiday season. v

m letters@chicagoreader.com

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NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 33

FILM AMBER HUFF

With both chain and indie theaters limited by accessibility and distribution, Chicagoans don’t have equal access to movies, but the local scene is ready to adapt.

By DANIELLA MAZZIO

T

CINEMA ACCESSIBILITY

Coming soon— to a theater near you?

34 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

wo-thirds of the way through my conversation with Rebecca Fons, director of programming at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago, her relief is palpable. “You know, I wondered if some of your questions were going to be like, ‘Is the death of cinema upon us?’ I’m really happy that they weren’t.” Undoubtedly, this is a question that she and a great deal of her peers have been asked directly and indirectly throughout their careers; it’s the “death knell of movie theaters that has been foretold, ringing for years,” in Fons’s words.

It’s easy to get caught up in the echo of that bell that has reverberated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only about movie theaters but about so many of the institutions that make up our cultural way of life. As recently as August 2023, the New 400 Theaters in Rogers Park was suddenly closed by owner Tony Fox of ADF Capital. The cinema had operated for over 100 years, having boasted itself as “the longest continually operating movie theater in Chicago,” and as previously reported by the Reader, having survived “two world wars, many periods of economic downturn, several owners, and now, two global pandemics.” As a historic neighborhood theater that prided itself on its community involvement and affordable movie tickets, the closure of the New 400 feels like a tremendous loss to anyone who champions the survival of the theatrical experience.

The feared “death knell,” however, isn’t exclusive to independent and historic movie theaters. With the growing proliferation of streaming—coupled with this year’s monumental dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes— the fate of the traditional moviegoing experience appears to hang in the balance. In Chicago, the loss of the New 400 Theaters brings the city’s first-run theater total down to 17, with an additional six theaters accessible by CTA just past the city’s borders. Out of those 17 movie theaters, only four theaters exist outside of

FILM Chicago’s Loop, north, or northwest sides. Out of those four, only one is accessible by a CTA train line: Cinema Chatham on 87th, which is currently operated by Detroit-based small cinema chain Emagine Entertainment.

It’s tempting in the fight for the survival of cinema to plead with audiences: Go to the movie theater! Support art cinema! Support smaller films! Be curious! But before we continue putting the onus on audiences to be curious in their moviegoing, we have to ask whether they even have the access, what factors determine that access, and how many people make those choices on audiences’ behalves long before they even have a chance to look up “movie showtimes near me.”

L

auren Sheely, a Lakeview resident, lived in Beverly for most of her childhood up until college. She has a performing arts background primarily in theater, but moviegoing was a cherished family tradition that she’s carried into adulthood. She notes that compared to theater, which often has a reputation for being inaccessible as an art form, there’s an assumption that “movies are for everyone.”

“They’re pitched to us as such a part of our fabric and supposedly easily accessed by all of us,” Sheely says. “[Growing up,] we wouldn’t have been able to walk to a movie theater or [take the] bus to a movie theater, really. We’re

big walkers, we enjoy walking, and [Beverly] is not really a walking neighborhood. Even if we had been motivated, there was nothing close to us.”

A hundred years ago, movie palaces were commonplace across nearly every part of Chicago. A crowdsourced database of movie theaters estimates nearly 600 theaters have either closed or been demolished in Chicago’s history (compared to approximately 340 in Los Angeles and 420 in New York City). An additional 20 or so historic venues still operate as theaters, but they either no longer screen first-run movies or operate exclusively as stage theaters.

It is sometimes said that every map of Chicago is the same map. The reverberations of redlining and segregation in the city inevitably display themselves in most reported metrics, including income levels, pollution, access to public transportation, housing, and even voting patterns. Movie theaters may not be an issue as detrimental as the inequalities that divide Chicago’s communities, but the waning of their presence mirrors larger issues of economic opportunity in the city, community investment, and access to recreation and culture throughout Chicago.

When Hermosa resident Jon Hancock saw the trailer for the introspective A24 film Past Lives, he felt it was one of those films to see

in theaters. “Sometimes you see a trailer, and you can feel in the trailer that the cinematography needs a big screen. And that can be a big film, or that can be something indie. I think I got trained into that through my parents. My dad is such a film guy and would want to go see it on the screen first. So that’s what I do.”

Hancock, who was raised on the west side and has lived across the south and west sides, goes to the AMC Galewood Crossings 14 most often these days, as it’s only a quick drive from his apartment. But for Past Lives, he had to go to the Regal Webster Place in Lincoln Park; it wasn’t playing at the theater closest to him.

There’s also an underlying tension here that underscores the crossroads the film industry finds itself at as long as box office numbers are crucial to the survival of the cinematic experience. Geography isn’t the only obstacle to seeing a movie in Chicago, or really in many cinemas throughout the nation: accessibility is another key issue. Most theaters are equipped with closed captioning and audio description devices, but they can be burdensome and even nonfunctioning for audience members who need them. A rare selection of theaters in Chicago offer open-captioned screenings, but these options are limited to certain times and movies. And there are several other accessible considerations that continue to create barriers to moviegoing—barriers that exist across

ACCESSIBILITY IN CHICAGO MOVIE THEATERS

many cultural institutions—such as accessible aisles and seating, multilingual access (only a handful of theaters provide Spanish dubbed or subtitled screenings in Chicago), bathroom access, and sensory-friendly screenings.

Cinephiles like Sheely and Hancock wish to continue the tradition of moviegoing and supporting cinemas and a diversity of films, but the planning involved is an increasingly prohibitive obstacle that the film industry must contend with.

D

espite feeling the precarity of the pandemic, movie theaters are seeing renewed return to the movies. Even seasoned programmers were unable to fully anticipate the massive excitement that would surround the summer hits Barbie and Oppenheimer and their unlikely pairing as a double feature with a shared opening weekend. For many movie lovers, the phenomenon—affectionately memed as “Barbenheimer”—was both a battle cry for the preservation of in-theater experiences and a signal that these experiences aren’t going away anytime soon.

Even with the most generous of projections, both films outpaced box office predictions, an even more remarkable feat without the ability of the ensemble casts to participate in promotion due to the strike.

“Barbie and Oppenheimer are a perfect NOTE: Accessibility and cost is subject to change

AMBER HUFF

Theater Name

Community Area

Year Opened

Nearest Train Stops (20 min walk or less)

Cost of a Friday Night

# of Screens

ACX Harper Theater Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville AMC Ford City 14 AMC Classic Galewood Crossings 14 AMC NewCity 14 AMC River East 21 AMC Dine-In Block 37 AMC Dine-In 600 North Michigan 9 Cinema Chatham Powered by Emagine The Davis Theater Gene Siskel Film Center Landmark Century Centre Cinema The Logan Theatre Music Box Theatre Regal City North Regal Webster Place ShowPlace ICON Theatre and Kitchen

Hyde Park

1915

Metra Electric (ME) 51st/53rd Hyde Park

$13.23

4

Lakeview (Wrigleyville)

2023

Red Line Addison, Brown/Purple/Red Line Belmont

$14.99

6

West Lawn (border of Ashburn)

1966

-

$14.49-$15.99

14

Austin (North Austin)

2007

Metra Milwaukee District West (MD-W) Hanson Park

$6.99-$7.49

14

Near North Side (Goose Island)

2015

Red Line North/Clybourn, Purple Line Sedgewick

$14.49-$15.99

14

Near North Side (Streeterville)

2002

Red Line Grand

$16.99-$21.49

21

The Loop

2015

Brown/Green/Orange/Pink Line, Red Line, Blue Line, Metra (ME)

$19.49-$20.99

11

Near North Side (Streeterville)

1996

Brown/Green/Orange/Pink Line, Red Line, Metra (ME)

$14.99-$16.49

9

Chatham

1997

Red Line 87th

$9.50

14

Lincoln Square

1918

Brown Line Western, Blue Line Washington, Red Line Lake

$12

3

The Loop

1972

Brown/Green/Orange/Pink Line State/Lake, Metra (ME)

$13

2

Lakeview

1925

Brown/Purple Line Diversey, Red Line Belmont

$14.50

7

Logan Square

1915

Blue Line Logan Square

$12

4

Lakeview (Wrigleyville)

1929

Brown Line Southport, Red Line Addison

$11

2

Logan Square (Bucktown Border)

1999

- *Blue Line California is ~30 minute walk

$15.51-$16.63

14

Lincoln Park

1988

Brown/Purple Line, Brown/Purple/Red Line, Metra (UP-N)(UP-NW)

$15.48-$16.60

11

The Loop (South Loop near Printer’s Row)

2009

Green/Red Line Roosevelt, Red Line Harrison, Blue Line LaSalle, Brown/Orange/Pink/Purple Line LaSalle/Van Buren, Metra (ME)(RI)

$14.75

16

Wheelchair Accessible Listening Devices

Closed Captioning Devices Audio Description Devices

Spanish Dubbed and/or Subtitled Screenings (Select Showtimes)

Open Captioning

GA, Standard

Sensory-Friendly Screenings (Select Showtimes)

Accessibility

* Wheelchairs cannot travel between theater and lounge without exiting and reentering building)

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 35

FILM continued from p.35 example of if you give people new and interesting films, films by auteurs, films that aren’t sequels, people will come back to the movies,” says Ryan Oestreich, managing director at the Music Box Theatre.

Oestreich, Fons at Gene Siskel, and their programming colleagues (whether imbued with the title of “programmer” or wearing a programmer hat while overseeing other theater operations) have the challenging roles of anticipating the desires of their theaters’ audiences while meeting the expectations of distributor contracts, all while trying to keep the projector lights on—a calculus that often comes after decisions that have already been made, passed down, interpreted, and adjusted from one corporate body to the next to predict how an audience will behave, before even providing them the option to decide.

Before a film goes to distribution, there are several decisions made by production companies and producers that dictate who the audience is for any given movie. A distribution company decides an audience for a film when it buys the rights, makes deals with exhibitors, and sets the contract terms for how many screens a film will play at and for how many showtimes. An exhibitor then makes additional decisions about its audience—for a small, independent theater, those decisions frequently come down to capacity, affordability of screening fees, balancing distributor contracts with existing obligations such as film festivals or regularly scheduled programming, and scheduling within an often limited number of available screens and time slots.

For a larger chain theater, decisions may come down to determining which location will play well, predicting audience behavior and demographics. Debbie Pennie is Regal Entertainment Group’s director of film, overseeing the programming for Regal’s northwest locations (including both Chicago locations), as well as all independent film programming in Regal Cinemas nationwide. Pennie’s current position sees her balancing the typical wide releases expected from a chain against the hopes of elevating smaller films and filmmakers. “When I started, there wasn’t as much film, and now there’s so much film and access to content that you have to gross to stay. If you don’t, you get moved out [of being screened] pretty quickly,” she says.

Even in simplified terms, this is at least three rounds of decision-making—often taking place over multiple years—regarding what movies any given audience will have access to, and these terms do not even take into account the added decision-making that takes place through film festivals, advertisement, streaming, and changes in distribution agreements as more and more mergers and acquisitions take place in the industry.

In a metropolis as big as Chicago, we then see the choices limited from multiple angles: There are scant number of places where one can see a movie on the south or west sides, reflecting decades of disinvestment in economic and recreational opportunities (particularly for residents of color), and should a south- or west-sider find themselves at one of these fine few cinemas, layers of decision-making processes lead to a scarce selection of films to

36 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

choose from.

A Lakeview resident could live within walking distance from three movie theaters providing an array of film options, ranging from the latest superhero movie to an art house film. For a Beverly resident, going to the movies might turn into an event. Sheely and Hancock both shared that despite living in the city, trips to movie theaters in the suburbs were frequent growing up, as those movie theaters would sometimes be more accessible than driving to the city’s limited nearby options.

These are the challenges in a city—where there are often the most choices for moviegoing. Suburban areas may only have one Cineplex nearby, and rural communities are lucky if they have a movie theater at all.

When teaching a class to DePaul University film students on the business of film festivals, Fons compares the process to an iconic scene from the movie The Devil Wears Prada where Meryl Streep eviscerates Anne Hathaway’s character for her casual dismissal of the fashion industry, reminding her, “You’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.”

“Yeah,” Fons agrees. “The choice gets made for all of us. A lot.”

I

t’s likely too soon to begin digging cinema’s grave; new audiences are discovering a love for cinemas. Both WGA and SAG-AFTRA have concluded their hard-fought strikes, bringing cautious optimism that there will be better sustainability and transparency for artists in the streaming era and beyond.

Original films by auteurs are successful, and intellectual properties no longer hold the same dominance as they used to. But audiences need to have the option to see these films in order to support them during the first run, when box office numbers not only determine a film’s success but determine the entire course of filmmaking in the future.

For as long as movie theaters are still struggling to stay open, it’s unlikely that we’ll see many more open their doors anytime soon, leaving some regions with limited options for casual moviegoing. But if that is going to be the case for the time being, movie theaters will have to stay connected to their audiences and embrace the arrival of new ones.

In the meantime, other efforts to bring a variety of films to a wider audience will pop up in their place. Groups ranging from Doc Films, the student-run repertory theater housed on the University of Chicago’s campus and one of the longest-running repertory theaters in Chi-

cago, and Sweet Void Cinema, a one-year-old microcinema and production company forging a film community in Humboldt Park, fill gaps by hosting repertory screenings and other film-focused events.

Hannah Yang, University of Chicago student and general chair of Doc Films, expresses how repertory screenings have the opportunity to sustain an overall practice of moviegoing.

“Since streaming and digital have become dominant, our mission has become much more about sustaining the culture of moviewatching and going to the theaters.” As a student-led organization, Yang shares Doc Films’s aspirations in “providing students the opportunity to see a different movie every day”—up to 850 unique films seen over an undergraduate’s four years at school.

Sweet Void Cinema hosts workshops alongside free screenings ranging from deep, grisly cuts in the giallo genre to the quiet films of Korean-born director (and School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA graduate) Hong Sang-soo. By far, though, the most popular screenings are Sweet Void’s monthly shorts fests, which provide an opportunity for filmmakers of any background or experience level to exhibit their work. “There’s a lot happening, and it just really matters for people to come out and experience it,” says Jack McCoy, owner and head director of Sweet Void. “If you don’t, it’s not there—like the tree in the forest.” Those invested in the preservation of cinema, the longevity of the theatrical experience, and the survival of movie theaters echo McCoy’s plea.

It’s not a dying industry; it’s a changing industry. It’s changed many times over in more than a century since the first moving picture.

It’s changed drastically since Netflix was a mail-in DVD service, and even a great deal since we first heard the words “HBO Go.” The programmers I spoke to all share a unifying observation: Young people overwhelmingly make up the audiences that have returned to the theaters since COVID-19. It’s an optimistic outlook, but a shift that certainly changes the approach to programming.

Oestreich notes that young people aren’t just coming back to the Music Box Theatre, but they’re coming back “with more adventurous tastes, not just, you know, ‘Avengers 17.’ You saw that the actual box office started to come back really powered by young people.”

For a chain like Regal Cinemas, programming for art and independent films leaned toward an older audience, resulting in losses since the pandemic. Pennie has worked in the

FILM industry for over 40 years, but even with her decades of experience and intuition, Pennie knows this: “You can’t just stick in the past.

You can’t just say, ‘This is how I used to do it.’”

Yang says, “If theaters are allowed to go beyond what is simply most profitable and, in doing so, if audiences become more open and used to seeing things they otherwise wouldn’t, that is what will build and excite a moviegoing community.”

For Hancock, moviegoing will never stop being an important part of his life. “I’d rather go see a film in the theater. It’s a different kind of immersive experience to, you know, make an Icee and sit around a bunch of people who are excited to see a film. It’s a whole different kind of being part of humanity, getting to share that space with people.”

Movies have been a human experience for as long as their existence. They’re an escape.

They’re a window into other experiences.

They’ve provided people comfort through wartime, economic turmoil, or even the moments when one just needs to pass the time.

Access to that experience should be available

to everyone, and everyone should have the opportunity to support the movies they believe in. Cinema will persist—it always does—but in a world oversaturated with content that supposedly provides us with unlimited options, it must be ensured that everyone does indeed have that choice and that community.

“As our ecosystem changes, we adapt like a little lizard, you know?” says Fons, face alight with the promise of hope. “We sort of grow a new tail. We figure it out, and figure out what needs to happen so that audiences can see films. I watch a lot of movies on my TV and my couch, too, but ultimately, movie theaters are a place of culture, and they’re a place of learning and expanding attention spans and cultural competencies. To do that with strangers in a dark room? It can’t be replicated anywhere.

I think that when people go to the movies, whether for Barbenheimer or for an eighthour Czech documentary at the Film Center or a Taylor Swift concert, it’s searching for that community.” v

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FILM

Get showtimes and see reviews of everything playing this week at chicagoreader.com/movies.

May December FRANCOIS DUHAMEL/NETFLIX

NOW PLAYING

R The Boy and the Heron

A review of the film The Boy and the Heron?

More like, you had me at Miyazaki. And myself and my critic brethren aren’t the only ones—at the Chicago International Film Festival screening, there were raucous cheers at the sight of the Studio Ghibli logo.

Hayao Miyazaki staying retired was an unlikelier tale than any of his fantastical creations, but you can practically hear the zeitgeist sighing in relief at his return.

His latest is certainly everything we’ve come to expect from him: a tender tale of a child coming of age in the breathtaking beauty of a natural landscape that also acts as a passageway to a stunning otherworldly realm.

The story of 11-year-old Mahito (Soma Santoki) has a smorgasbord of symbolism, even for a Studio Ghibli movie. Mahito struggles with the fiery death of his mother in a Tokyo ripped apart by war. After his father remarries his wife’s younger sister, who’s soon expecting, Mahito adopts a removed stoicism that quickly cracks after he meets a magical heron, who becomes his reluctant guide to the worlds contained in the nearby tower built by his granduncle, who is said to have become mentally unstable before he vanished.

As Mahito embarks on a search for his mother figures, there are, of course, creatures both fearsome and adorable, traveling companions who hold the key to past and future alike, all of whom act as parallels to our own world. It takes a bit too long to build, but chances are, there are few who will care about the flaws, including those symbols that don’t quite gel.

In terms of filmmakers, Miyazaki enjoys the kind of reverence that perhaps only Spielberg could match.

Both men have based their careers around creating awe-inspiring worlds that act as visual feasts for viewers, with enough danger to satisfy kids and make adults feel like kids again in an environment untainted by the

complications of sexuality. There’s safety in knowing that their kids will undertake a journey that becomes wholesome by the discovery that family is everything and the only force that can sustain us in a world where cruelty can feel far more inevitable than magic.

Much like The Fabelmans, The Boy and the Heron is a flawed, yet magical semi-autobiographical tale that spins gold out of our collective dreams and nightmares, as it gives us an ultimately uplifting vision of how one of our great modern artists copes with his own impending end. —ANDREA THOMPSON PG-13, 124 min. Gene

Siskel Film Center, wide release in theaters

Fallen Leaves Aki Kaurismäki is the modern master of deadpan. From Shadows in Paradise (1986) to Le Havre (2011), the Finnish director balances his near-impenetrable characters with an undeniable allure. Stripped of superfluous emotions, Kaurismäki’s characters resonate with an understated humanity. Often, their stoic exteriors would allow a more poignant appreciation of their rich internal landscapes. For Kaurismäki, the raw, brutal reality of our interactions is what’s exciting. More often than not, I’m pulled in.

However, Fallen Leaves misses Kaurismäki’s usual mark. Instead, his film emerges as half-baked—possibly half-alive—as if we’re missing the access point to this story. Like his other films, Fallen Leaves is brimming with subtle whimsy and piercing humor, but throughout the 81-minute runtime, he never sells it. There’s one too many walls between the audience and the characters, despite the good performances and the film’s intriguing premise.

Speaking of half-alive, Fallen Leaves’s two unassuming lovebirds are Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) and Ansa (Alma Pöysti). Holappa, a drunk and a metalworker, lives in a small bunk with about five coworkers. They work, drink (a lot), sleep, and sing karaoke on the weekends.

38 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

That’s where he meets Ansa, a stoic woman battling to find reliable work. After getting fired at the local supermarket for stealing expired goods, she finds work as a dishwasher at a shady bar and then as a worker in an industrial factory. They both are cast aside by society, regardless of their attempts otherwise.

Admittedly, Fallen Leaves successfully creates a compelling love story on the surface, and the inexpressive delivery bolsters the alienation felt by his workingclass protagonists. Even more so, Vatanen and Pöysti deliver truly convincing performances, molded by a real sense of desire to connect. Still, the film wavers between its thematic modes, failing to pick up a cadence, making it a dragging watch. —MAXWELL RABB 81 min. Music

Box Theatre

Hunger Games: The R The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes It’s been nearly ten years since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 hit theaters, and at long last, Suzanne Collins’s massively popular YA dystopian book series is returning to the big screen. Based on the prequel of the same name, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes unpacks the history of big bad President Snow—winding the clock back to the tenth annual Hunger Games and digging into the root of the twisted villain’s murky history. Though admirably faithful to the novel and ambitious in its scope, Songbirds and Snakes struggles to navigate the source material’s complex characters and messaging, resulting in a jumbled (but admittedly entertaining) new franchise entry.

Starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, Songbirds and Snakes follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Blyth), whose aristocratic family has fallen on hard times in the wake of a devastating war. Promised a hefty cash prize if he can turn his tribute into a spectacle that will draw more attention to the games, Snow resolves to make the spirited Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler) into a star—a plan that begins to falter when the two develop a deep romantic connection.

Undoubtedly, it’s a gutsy and fascinating move to center a prequel around a villain who’s utterly irredeemable by series end (mass child murder being among his many eventual crimes), but Songbirds and Snakes struggles to fully commit to exploring Snow as a twisted antihero. Instead, the film clings to the Romeo and Juliet-style romance, an angle that’s at times affecting but mostly only serves as a distraction from the fascinating road-to-ruin story that the premise invokes.

But while the film’s approach to handling Snow’s descent into villainy is flimsy, Zegler’s turn as Lucy Gray

is an electric one that injects a much-needed dose of passion and energy. From the folksy twang in her singing (the film makes abundant use of her vocal talents) to the deceptively cheerful facade she puts on for crowds, Lucy is a fascinating, vibrant character—and an undeniable star turn for Zegler. In the end, a standout leading lady isn’t quite enough to rescue Songbirds and Snakes from the sluggish runtime, bizarre pacing, and muddled thematic elements, but Zegler’s fire (combined with some memorable costuming and action set pieces) lends this film some spark. —LAUREN COATES PG-13, 157 min.

Wide release in theaters

R May December

May December is a slow burn—a film that, like an intensifying flame, becomes more scorching every second you grasp it, ultimately leaving you with searing imprints. Throughout, May December is a robust, unnerving achievement from director Todd Haynes, reminding us of his unwavering prowess as a storyteller.

Natalie Portman, delivering her best performance since Black Swan, is Elizabeth Barry, a famous film actress traveling down to Georgia to study and, subsequently, to portray Gracie Atherton-Yoo, played

by Julianne Moore. At first, the tension between Elizabeth and Gracie simmers just beneath the surface as the two cautiously dance around one another at the latter’s cookout. Gracie’s children run around the yard, and her much younger husband, Joe (Charles Melton), cooks hot dogs at the grill. As the cookout unravels, the happy family scene is undercut by an unsettling realization about why Elizabeth is to play Gracie in a movie. The kicker: at 36 years old, Gracie had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy, embroiling her life in a massive tabloid scandal and sending her to prison. That boy, to everyone’s dismay, is her husband, Joe. Inspired (loosely) by the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal, May December interrogates the lingering trauma of abuse, the emotional fallout rooted in major headlines, and, most notably, our collective obsession with sensationalizing real-life stories—something Todd Haynes is (loosely) guilty of here. But he is fully aware of that.

Like any slow burn, the movie hints at the emotional core but only gradually reveals each character’s buried trauma. However, as they surface, these raw emotions intermingle until they’re gnarled into a disquieting knot—and Haynes has little intention of unraveling it for us. These tensions, magnified by electrifying performances from Moore, Melton, and Portman, relentlessly squeeze out the evils in people. Haynes doles out morsels of empathy only to turn back and peel the shields off the entire cast. The inside is disquieting. In monologues from Portman and Melton, Haynes and writer Samy Burch cut deep into their characters—all leading to a finale that leaves us at a loss for words.

—MAXWELL RABB R, 117 min. Netflix, limited release

in theaters v

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MUSIC Balikbayan Worldwide takes Filipino dance music global David Beltran of Feeltrip launches a new label to help boost grassroots southeast Asian street culture onto the same stage as American and European exports.

By MICCO CAPORALE

Michael Balangue DJs as Anito Soul at the Balikbayan Worldwide launch party on October 21, 2023. DIANA BOWDEN

O

n Saturday, October 21, more than a hundred people packed a whitewalled warehouse in Hermosa to get sweaty to Filipino dance music.

It was the launch party for the newest imprint of Feeltrip Records, Balikbayan Worldwide, which focuses on sounds from the southeast Asian diaspora. To many of the partiers, the event was just an excuse to get down. But as the night went on, event organizers noticed the crowd was mostly Asians and Asian Americans who’d come not only from around the city but also from across the country and even the world. It felt surreal to see who’d been drawn to that room by the power of music.

Feeltrip cofounder David Beltran, 39, leads Balikbayan Worldwide, and he opened the night spinning records as David Can’t DJ. But neither the label nor the party could’ve happened without the collaboration and support of his Filipino dance-music community. It includes sisters Francine and Flo Almeda, who are 26 and 23 (Flo DJs as Floreyna), and Michael Balangue, who’s 26 (aka Anito Soul). Flo and Balangue live in New York, and Francine lives here. All four of them performed that

Saturday, along with headliner Alyana Cabral (T33G33), a Manila-based artist who was on her first American tour after a Boiler Room appearance in the Philippines a few months ago.

Beltran hatched the idea to start a southeast Asian–focused label while visiting the Philippines in May 2023. In 2017, a friend had connected him via Instagram to Manila-based DJ and producer Jorge Wieneke, then making work as similarobjects, and that year Beltran reissued Wieneke’s 2016 beat tape Raw Philippine Love Songs. When Beltran went to the islands himself, he connected with Wieneke, who exposed him firsthand to a dizzying variety of music and culture. Beltran couldn’t stop texting Francine and his business and romantic partner, Diana Bowden.

Though Beltran is a longtime lover of electronic music and a Chicago nightlife staple, he’d had no concept of the Filipino club scene.

He was elated to learn about it from someone deeply embedded in it.

Beltran and Wieneke had agreed in 2017 that they needed to work together again. Raw Philippine Love Songs—a nine-track collection of winsome, nostalgic-sounding Filipino romance ballads, clouded with reverb and

40 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

layered over 90s hip-hop beats—had quickly sold out an edition of 100 cassettes. Six years later, Beltran would release a second Wieneke tape to launch Balikbayan Worldwide.

By 2023, Wieneke had retired the similarobjects name and was honing a budots sound as obese.dogma777. Budots (slang for “slacker”) is a style of hip-hop-adjacent electronic dance music that originated in the Philippines.

It fuses house, jungle, and drum ’n’ bass with Filipino-specific elements—including rhythms from a traditional form of percussion music called tagonggo. Played mostly on tuned gongs and drums, tagonggo evolved to suit outdoor settings, usually festivals. It complements the budots sound because many of the Filipino raves where budots is played are held on outdoor basketball courts.

Budots also incorporates samples from Filipino popular culture, such as movies and commercials, and field recordings from Filipino streets—chickens clucking, say, or cars honking. The beats are often very basic, but Indigenous rhythm patterns and sound bites specific to day-to-day life keep the genre fresh and specific to the region.

Budots is little known outside the country,

but it’s the most popular style of music on Filipino TikTok. The accompanying dance moves, with stiff torsos and wiggly limbs, borrow from cultural imports such as twerking, Bollywood, and rugby. Everyone in the Philippines knows the style, but budots is considered lowbrow. When Wieneke played budots during a Manila Community Radio appearance on Boiler Room in April, he got some blowback: some people didn’t want the music shared outside the Filipino underground, while others felt it wasn’t respectable or sophisticated enough to be a worthy cultural export.

Naturally, Beltran became obsessed. As a Filipino whose career embodies the risktaking spirit of street culture (and who’s long amplified hyperspecific parts of his local underground), he appreciated Wieneke’s devotion to understanding, crafting, and sharing budots. Beltran was eager to put out the next obese.dogma777 mixtape—and on October 23, it became Balikbayan Worldwide’s debut release, Mall Edits.

Beltran was part of the collective that founded Feeltrip in 2011, but since 2014 or so, he and Bowden have run it as a duo. The two of them have historically collaborated on business decisions, but in recent years they’d started to consider the possibility of solo projects under the Feeltrip banner. Wieneke’s latest music gave Beltran a chance to marry his cultural heritage with the club culture that had made him, and Balikbayan Worldwide was born.

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The DJs from the Balikbayan Worldwide launch party: Flo Almeda (aka Floreyna), Francine Almeda, Michael Balangue (aka Anito Soul), T33G33, and David Beltran DIANA BOWDEN

B

alikbayan boxes are well-known to Filipinos. They’re used by Filipino immigrants to send gifts, food, and other household goods back home, often through services that began popping up in the 70s. Since 1987, shipments below a certain value have been untaxed, provided a person sends no more than three per year. Delivering goods this way is slow but cheap—boxes are usually transported by container ship and come in standardized sizes.

The term “balikbayan” refers to a Filipino immigrant returning to the islands after a long time away, and balikbayan boxes were originally brought to the islands by travelers coming back home. Beltran loves the idea of music arriving at Feeltrip like reverse balikbayan boxes from the Philippines (or elsewhere in southeast Asia), then being redistributed across the planet. Political and economic incentives make it easy to export American culture to the Philippines—or almost anywhere else—but it’s much harder to spread Filipino culture abroad. Feeltrip can help address the imperialist tilt of that playing field.

Beltran grew up in Chicago, raised by parents who’d immigrated to the city after Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and began ruling the country as a dictator. Thousands and thousands of Filipinos came to the United States in the 70s and 80s during the resulting period of political repression, violence, and economic instability. Many of them—including Beltran’s

parents and extended family here—worked in the medical field. Because modern Filipino medical education began while the islands were an American territory, such instruction has usually included an English-language component, and Cold War policies put in place as early as 1948 made getting a U.S. visa easier for medical personnel than for other workers.

When Beltran was a kid, he recalls, his mother encouraged him to spend time with other Filipinos. But as he got older, expanded his networks, and explored American subcultures such as punk and indie, his contact with Filipinos dwindled.

“I guess that’s how assimilation works,” Beltran says. “Slowly, you get exposed to other cultures. Then it becomes, like, once a month that you see other Filipinos, and then it’s just holidays.” Nine years ago, he had an existential crisis that landed him before a therapist, asking, “Who am I, and what’s my heritage?”

“I am a minority in almost every space that I’m in,” Beltran says, “not only in the sense of how many Asians there are in a single room.

It’s like, even within that group—I’m a Filipino, so 99 percent of the time I’m a minority within a minority.”

Gradually, he started learning more about his family and cultural history and finding ways to work that into his creative practice, which has always revolved around grassroots music and parties. In 2017 and 2019, he and Bowden visited the Philippines, each time returning with heaps of vinyl, books, and zines.

When Beltran and Bowden opened the record store No Requests (now defunct), they sold treasures from their visits to the Philippines—among them Filipino disco records, which helped flesh out a history of the islands’ party culture, and the gay lifestyle magazine Team, which speaks to a thriving culture of resistance. (Gender and sexual fluidity is a common aspect of many southeast Asian Indigenous cultures subjugated by colonizers.)

They also sold art periodicals by and for Asian American creatives, such as Hella Pinay and Banana. As Beltran became well-known for his curated collection of southeast Asian music and art, he noticed that more Asians—and especially Filipinos—gravitated toward him.

Two summers ago, Beltran met the Almeda sisters while he and Bowden were selling at the itinerant outdoor dance party and vendor pop-up Vibes on Logan.

“We saw him and were like, ‘That guy looks Filipino,’” Flo says, laughing. “He was selling some Filipino merch, and we’re like, ‘We have to talk to him.’”

F

rancine and Flo Almeda describe each other as twin flames—sisters in soul as much as blood. They grew up in the West Loop near the UIC medical district, and both eventually moved to Boston for college (Boston University and Tufts, respectively). They found themselves drawn to dance music—and subsequently DJing—because they saw something spiritual and healing in it.

Top to bottom: Flo Almeda, David Beltran, and Francine Almeda PHOTOS BY DIANA BOWDEN (DAVID BELTRAN) AND COURTESY THE ARTISTS

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 41

MUSIC continued from p. 41

Both sisters work in the arts. Francine is a curator who runs the Pilsen arts space Jude Gallery and is working on launching a new space in West Town. Flo, who moved to New York in September 2022, works in music therapy and is helping conduct research into using music to improve health outcomes for pregnant Black people. They see their heritage as central to their creative output and welcome opportunities to collaborate with other Asians, especially Filipinos. Meeting Beltran put them over the moon, and Beltran and Francine quickly became close.

Francine loves vinyl. Finding records can’t be predicted by an algorithm—every sleeve tells a story, and every record is a portal opened with a needle drop. In 2022, Francine was part of the spring cohort of a Chicago-based research program called Tanda, which brings together people from various disciplines to use the Chuquimarca art library for an art-history project. With Beltran helping her source records, she developed the presentation Southeast Asian Disco: The Aesthetics of Optimism Under Oppression.

For her project, Francine examined musical and visual styles that emerged during political upheavals across southeast Asia in the Vietnam war era, noting a common emphasis on drama, sentimentality, and beauty that suggested hopefulness, escapism, and resilience. In May 2023, while Beltran was in the Philippines, Francine teamed up with DJ, curator, and sound artist Sadie Woods to present a talk at the Arts Club called Disco Optimism that linked southeast Asian disco with the genre’s broader history of embodying a revolutionary party spirit. Riding the high of that talk, Francine couldn’t have been more ready to hear that Beltran wanted to launch a label distributing contemporary Filipino music that shared roots with the historic records that had shaped her research and her DJ sets.

After Beltran returned stateside and put the wheels in motion to release Mall Edits, Francine volunteered to write the October press release that would announce Balikbayan Worldwide and explain why it was debuting with a budots mixtape. She enlisted Flo to help. Flo shares her sister’s passion for Filipino and southeast Asian disco (she also uses them in her sets), and she was just beginning to learn about budots. The same month Beltran visited the Philippines and Francine gave her talk, Flo befriended a Filipino American DJ with an ear for budots and other Filipino music. They were both playing a Filipino American DJ night at

Some of the crowd at the Balikbayan Worldwide launch party DIANA BOWDEN

the New York club Mood Ring.

“I was just blown away,” she says, beaming as she recalls Michael Balangue’s set. “This guy is doing everything that I’d want to do.”

Balangue caught Flo’s attention with his ear for blending current dance beats with Filipino music more familiar to an older generation of immigrants and their children. When it came time for Flo to pitch in on the press release Francine was writing, she tapped him for his expertise.

Balangue was stunned to learn from Flo that a new American label was hyped about budots, and he especially liked that it was based in the city that had birthed so much of the dance music he loved (footwork, house, and so on).

He was even more surprised to hear that this label was planning to release a tape by obese.dogma777.

Balangue already listened to Wieneke’s mixes, and they’d been corresponding for months via Instagram about budots and other Filipino party music. Balangue had a trip to the Philippines planned for August, when he would meet up and DJ with Wieneke. Flo decided to cash in flight credits and schedule an overlapping trip, so that she and Balangue could interview Wieneke and learn more about budots together.

“There were all these things that were, like, already independently happening that aligned really well,” Balangue says. “When we came back, we had all this additional info for the press release, but then David was like, ‘Hey, this artist T33G33 from Manila is coming to

42 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

the U.S. and asking if we know any places for her to play.’ So I booked her for a show in New York. And then we both, along with Flo, went to Chicago to play at the Balikbayan Worldwide event.”

Balangue started DJing two years ago.

Raves helped him find the spirituality and community he’d been craving since moving to New York in 2019, and DJing felt like a way to give back to the queer nightlife scene that had become his home.

Just before the pandemic, he started researching his family’s origins to learn who they’d been before coming to the U.S. in the 1980s. During lockdown he began threading his daily life with parts of his heritage that felt meaningful to him, even basing his Animal Crossing island on Filipino mythology he was learning. Its stories and ideas felt more collectively oriented and less individualist than those of his Seventh-day Adventist upbringing.

Three years later, when Balangue shared an underground Chicago stage with T33G33—one of the biggest names in Filipino nightlife—he felt his past and present colliding in ways that felt grounding and nourishing.

“The sound that I reference primarily is almost, like, 90 percent jungle, some 90s drum ’n’ bass stuff,” Balangue explains. “I’m also really into Chicago footwork and breakbeat—that type of stuff. What I’ve started to realize is that the music that I tend to like or reference is stuff that is really DIY or grassroots and representative of a certain culture.”

Francine believes that Chicago’s thriving Filipino community could use a hand connecting with music from home. “I think music is a very important artifact to continue bringing over here. A lot of the music is hard to find here,” she says. “It’s really cool here, but it’s more difficult to get home from here than the coasts. So it feels all the more important that there is that connecting network and that there is some sort of idea or physical place where people can find each other and find objects that are from somewhere far away.”

Just as Filipinos crave news and packages from their far-flung immigrant relatives, so do American-born diaspora babies crave a place in the culture they share with their families back home—not just knowledge of its history but also participation in collaborative visions for its future.

When I interviewed people for this story— Beltran, the Almeda sisters, and Balangue— everyone got emotional recalling the Balikbayan Worldwide launch party. They peppered their descriptions with words like “magical” and “fate.” There’s more music coming, though Beltran is keeping the details close. He expects the label’s parties to happen annually, and he hopes to expand to New York and even Manila someday. The balikbayan goes to the Philippines and brings music home. He ships it back. The cultural back-and-forth gives rise to sounds, dances, and attitudes that energize dance floors the world over. v

m mcaporale@chicagoreader.com

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NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 43

MUSIC CITY OF WIN

Loona Dae opens up a new world of psychedelic R&B The Chicago singer learned to skateboard with FroSkate, then fed that momentum into her first album.

By ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ City of Win is a series curated by Isiah “ThoughtPoet” Veney and written by Alejandro Hernandez that uses prose and photography to create portraits of Chicago musicians and cultural innovators working to create positive change in their communities.

“W

hen I started skating, I was definitely in a creative rut, and I needed to push myself in a way,” says Chicago R&B singer Loona Dae. “It’s scary to fall, but I found a lot of refuge in skating because it’s just you and the skateboard. It taught me to trust myself more and rewired something in my brain to show me more grace and patience, even in music.”

Loona has dedicated herself to music for her entire life. One of her earliest memories is of singing at age three. She was born in Saint Louis, and by third grade, she’d started reading and writing music, singing in choir at school, and performing in pageants.

She made the conscious decision that she wanted a career in music, as a performer and an educator. She learned how to play the piano in grade school and picked up the guitar at 17.

While she was in college—she moved to Chicago in 2010 to attend Columbia—she learned the basics of producing from a friend, laying a strong foundation for her artistry.

Loona released the EP Phases, her first project to hit the major streaming services, in 2017, then followed it with the EP Moonflower in 2019. “I wanted to drop a longer project,” she says. “But I always felt like I needed to wait for the right time or wait until there was a demand for me to drop an album, or wait until I was signed.”

Loona continued to release the occasional single, but she needed a new spark in her creative battery. That’s when skateboarding entered her life. In 2020, she learned how to skateboard by connecting with Chicago collective FroSkate, a Black- and queer-woman-led organization founded in 2019 to help build inclusive spaces and provide resources for BIPOC skaters.

“It’s really important for me to push myself

Loona Dae THOUGHTPOET FOR CHICAGO READER

44 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

to learn new things and stick to them,” Loona says. “I started to go to [FroSkate] meetups in the beginning. Then I began to do more volunteer work, helping intermingle with the youth and build a safe space for beginners and anyone who wants to skate but never felt like they had the chance to connect with people because they dress a certain way or they don’t look a certain way.”

Skateboarding and FroSkate helped Loona find her drive as an artist. Toward the end of 2020, she began conceptualizing her first fulllength album, Atari, with collaborator Aswhin Torke—a project she’d been working toward for years and would need years to finish. She wrote some of its songs as early as 2017, and Atari came out in August 2023.

The video for the Atari single “Kindness,” which dropped in July, shows Loona skateboarding with her friends on the 606 trail and through the streets of Chicago. She gives each of them a flower as she sings sweetly and harmoniously about the importance of appreciating your loved ones while they’re still here.

Atari represents an entirely new world for Loona Dae. During the album’s development, she’d begun learning Japanese. She was inspired by Japanese fashion, culture, and manga, and that influence turns up throughout the project—some of the tracks sample video games, and on “Tamagotchi” Loona sings partly in Japanese.

“Atari is actually based on a board game [go], and at the end of the game, one of the players says ‘Atari, atari!’ as a winning declaration,” she explains. “We just kind of built the beat around Atari video games, and slowly but surely everything came together as the storyline. I was really going through an abusive relationship at the time and decided to leave.

So the context of the album being about love, about finding self-love, going through all the tribulations of life and enduring it—that story just kind of came together naturally.”

Loona also pushed herself to lead the production team for the first time. She’s known the basics of FL Studio for a while, but with Atari she took a more hands-on approach as a

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“I feel like I’m forever evolving and learning new things,” says Loona Dae. “Right now, I can say I’ve evolved into a producer of music.” THOUGHTPOET FOR CHICAGO READER

producer—she’s in the driver’s seat on most of the tracks. The album sounds familiar, with its ties to traditional R&B, but it’s also futuristic, no doubt from the heavy video-game influence.

“I feel like I’m forever evolving and learning new things, trying new things, but right now, I can say I’ve evolved into a producer of music,” Loona reflects. “In my recent project, I didn’t realize I was experimenting. I was just doing things that felt and sounded good to me. To most people, it sounds like experimental R&B, but my favorite descriptor of my sound is

‘psychedelic R&B’—an entrancing and ethereal world of R&B songs. No matter what genre of music I make, there’s always a presence of soulfulness.” v

m letters@chicagoreader.com Photos by ThoughtPoet of Unsocial Aesthetics (UAES), a digital creative studio and resource collective designed to elevate community-driven storytelling and social activism in Chicago and beyond

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 45

MUSIC CHICAGOANS OF NOTE

Izzi Vasquez, music-adjacent multimedia artist “I get excited to help people get their album covers to the next level, especially since they’re gonna see it five million times. But I think seeing my work onstage has been even more exciting.”

As told to DMB (DEBBIE-MARIE BROWN)

Izzi Vasquez is a multimedia artist who has helped some of Chicago’s most celebrated musicians with the visuals for their visions.

Vasquez has created animations and designed album packaging for the likes of Kaina, Sen Morimoto, Nnamdï, and Kara Jackson.

In their art, Vasquez gives new form to the lessons they learned from their grandmother, a nurse who made dolls and artwork to help soothe her patients. At the time Vasquez lived in Texas, near Austin or El Paso, and often visited their grandmother when the two of them weren’t under the same roof. “She would also make these mosaic tiles out of broken plates, tiles, and seashells,” Vasquez says. Their grandmother passed in 2020 and never had a proper funeral. As a 100th birthday celebration and memorial for the matriarch, Vasquez presented the exhibit “I’ll Plant You a Garden” at Happy Gallery, which opened earlier this month and closed November 29.

I Izzi Vasquez in their studio at Happy Gallery KAINA CASTILLO

46 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

’ve never really had jobs that aren’t drawing-related or art-related in some context.

One of my first jobs was a sign painter with Whole Foods. Pre-Bezos, the company used to hire in-store artists. Every store had one or two, and you might paint, for example, a giant peach and do lettering over it. There was an older man I worked with who was a sign painter for his whole life—he really showed me the ropes. I did an apprenticeship after that with a sign painter in Seattle, doing menus and gold-leaf windows.

But art is something I’ve always done.

I feel like I don’t even have a beginning, because I’ve been drawing since I was a tiny baby.

When I was a kid, I used to have my mom write out what I was saying, and then I’d illustrate it into books. I was always drawing bubble letters all over people with Sharpie in middle

school. Around that time I’d also enter T-shirt design contests. I entered one for Jason Mraz around 2001, and I remember drawing all the T-shirts out. I was even chosen as one of the finalists, but I don’t remember what happened after that.

As a kid, my grandma showed me how to do mosaics. She lived in a really colorful, Eastercolored house, and we would go to garage sales, find secondhand stuff, and remake it.

That’s a big reason why I, as much as I can, use secondhand materials in my work.

It was when I went to college for design at the University of North Texas in Denton, which is a huge jazz school, that I started making promo posters for people.

I had been involved in the DIY music scene since high school, traveling from Austin to Denton to see my friends play. In college, I started making stuff for people because I just like doing posters. I used to email bands and ask if they needed one. I also started playing drums for a lot of bands and did that through 2019, primarily. The college house we lived in hosted a lot of shows in Denton. I was tasked with making all the promo stuff for bands I was in, plus friends’ bands, plus for general shows in the house-turned-DIY space, which I was helping facilitate.

I worked for the 35 Denton music festival in college, and Kyle LaValley, who moved to Chicago like myself, was the head honcho. Ten years later, she was working for Sleeping Village and helped me land a gig doing the branding for Thick Mall, a vintage clothing pop-up fair at Sleeping Village catering exclusively to people who wear larger sizes.

Back then I also worked for my college’s dining halls. I planned and executed the design for a huge project. They paid me minimum wage, but me and one other person (who wasn’t a student) redesigned all of the inte-

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MUSIC

Three examples of Izzi Vasquez’s work: animations projected onstage at a Kaina show, a poster for Macie Stewart, and a vinyl design for Kara Jackson CONCERT PHOTO BY EMILY NAVA; OTHER IMAGES COURTESY THE ARTIST

rior dining halls with different themes. One was festival themed, another was western/ southern-cooking themed, and we went big with it. There was one cafeteria where we designed the facades to look like the town square of the city we were in—it included some of its iconic buildings. There was also a vegan cafeteria, so I designed lamps and huge wall graphics that were kaleidoscope-style vegetables. It was pretty freaky and fun. I remember we got to work with the people who fabricate for Legoland.

While in undergrad, I did an internship designing all of the promotional materials for the SIMS Foundation in Austin, which provided mental health resources for musicians. It was sophomore year of college that I started painting signs at Whole Foods.

And then I moved out of state. I moved to Seattle with a band I was in, Baby Jessica, and did a sign-painting apprenticeship while there. I worked with Nordstrom too, designing their packaging for a year. I ended up working at this place that did museum graphics—like, interactive and experimental exhibits. We worked with the Seattle Symphony, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. I did a World War II exhibit for MSI. Before I moved from Seattle to Chicago, my band Baby Jessica would host out-of-town bands at our place. The first Chicago band that stayed at our house back in 2016 was [Nnamdï’s group] Monobody.

When I moved here in December 2019, I came knowing quite a few people through hosting shows and playing the same DIYcircuit tours, but those were the only people that I knew. I grew closer to a lot of people from here, who usually are touring all the

time, during the pandemic when everyone was stuck here. I moved here thinking, “I’m gonna focus on just the art for a while,” but ended up in the same place, where I work with a lot of musicians. Most of the work that I’ve done has been with people that I’m friends with, or for friends of friends.

I came to the city knowing a few bands already, like Finom, who I met in Seattle. I met Kaina and Sen Morimoto a couple times when I would come visit Chicago. But I didn’t know anyone super well. Well, I knew Nnamdï well.

But I mostly moved here because I liked the vibe of the community and the music scene.

I’m not a very good networky person. I just enjoy being around people who feel similarly driven by art and music, people willing to put their whole ass into it. The Sooper Records people were the first people that I really knew here, and I felt we had similar ideas and visions about art, music, and how to operate within those spaces in a way that feels like you get to keep your dignity. I loved that. From there, all of the collaboration felt natural.

My work with artists here has been a lot of physical record designs. The first one I did was Sen Morimoto’s self-titled album in 2020.

I also did his album Diagnosis. I did a couple of posters for [his band], and one was for a gig they played in Millennium Park.

When it comes to physical records, I design the actual album packaging, not just the front of it, including promotion materials. Sen’s had a whole foldout. I did Kaina’s too, and hers came with a sticker packet. For any song of Kaina’s that didn’t have a music video, I made a looping animation, and that played at her release show. They projected my animations for each song she played, which was so fun. I also did the layout for Dusty Patches’s Newtok,

which is based around a series of paintings by Jennifer Cronin. It’s fun to have one or two things to work with, and figuring out how to expand upon that initial reference to have each album feel like its own branded system.

What’s most fun for me is to listen to albums before they come out, and to try matching the tone of the album to the visuals of it. Artists sometimes already have an idea for how it could look. But I always make people a mood board and expand upon what the references are. What kind of color schemes does the music convey? Is it warm? Is it frantic? Is it minimal?

Also on Sooper Records, I did one for Lynyn, the electronic project of composer Conor Mackey of Monobody, based on images created by Owen Blodgett. I used generated images that almost look like glass sculptures, and it gave the layout a weird, digital, minimal feel on top of the sonic experience.

I’ve done layouts for Nnamdï. He designed the cover for the Black Plight EP, and then I did all the artwork for the physical release. It’s a seven-inch record, and the labels on it are cute because they’re just the middle fingers from the front of the EP. They just go in a circle when you play it.

I designed the entire campaign for Kara Jackson’s album, Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? That was one of my favorite things I’ve worked on. I got to create a lyric zine for it, and she let me go crazy with it. It’s 90s medieval style mixed with a lot of warm nature—the back looks very cinematic. It’s been crazy seeing that album on Pitchfork’s “Best New Music” list. I’m so proud of her.

Most recently, I designed a poster for Jamila Woods. But it was for a secret event, so I didn’t get to post it.

One of the most fun places to see my work is onstage. Of course I get excited to help people get their album covers to the next level, especially since they’re gonna see it five million times. But I think seeing my work onstage has been even more exciting than that. Having my animations huge and projected onto the stage at the Metro for Kaina’s release show was so sick. I feel like it really took her performance into a much bigger visual realm, and I was so happy because I feel we work so well together.

We have similar tastes too.

I also do airbrushing, and I airbrushed a jumpsuit for Nnamdï that he wore for his release show. It had symbols from all of his past albums on the front of it.

I love getting commissioned for animation—honestly, it’s my favorite thing. I did one fully animated, hand-drawn music video for Macie Stewart. I recently did another one that was partially found footage and partially hand-drawn that came out over the summer, for Maeve & Quinn. They’re identical twins from Alaska who have beautiful folk songs.

Two-dimensional hand-drawn animation is without a doubt my favorite work.

Ultimately, I try to work with everyone that I can. I do a lot of trades, or I try to work within people’s budgets. I think that’s another reason people come to me. I really want musicians and artists that I believe in to have good visuals. It’s so important now, where everything is video and Instagram. If you don’t have a solid visual journey, then it’s hard to promote stuff.

I try to take other, more corporate jobs to help pay the bills so I have the leeway to work in people’s budgets. Same with the clothes I make. I try hard to keep everything within an accessible sizing. I always make sizes up to a 6X. I just feel so honored whenever any musician wants to work with me, because I feel like they’re putting their baby in my hands, and I can’t let them down.

What I need people to know is that mostly I’m sitting at my house drawing pictures of dumb bugs and shit. I’m at home alone, all day every day, tinkering around with different objects, making silly things. It’s honestly weird to talk about having done things for this long.

Day-to-day, it doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything ever besides drawing silly pictures and making stuff out of beads and writing emails.

That’s what people should know. In your dream job, no matter what it is, you’re gonna be writing emails. v

m dmbrown@chicagoreader.com

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 47

Recommended and notable shows with critics’ insights for the week of November 30

MUSIC

b ALL AGES F

PICK OF THE WEEK

Hometown hero Mavis Staples provides inspiration at Cahn Auditorium

THURSDAY30 Jay Wood Cassius Tae and Khaliyah X open.

8 PM, Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, $15. 18+ Chicago rapper Jay Wood has gained a foothold in the local scene with his work on the mike, but his production prowess is what distinguishes his new self-released EP, Nowhere, Fast. His svelte, sturdy instrumentals contain his voice as snugly as an opulent picture frame, ornamented to amplify the character of his performances. On “Homesick,” the horn-happy first single from Nowhere, Fast, Wood cushions his soft singing with feathery vocal samples to give the hook a woozy gleefulness. His crisp voice, chill disposition, and unfussy lyrics are as magnetic as his well-sculpted tracks, and the little details in his songs—like the way his placid flow locks into a simple percussive loop on “Landline Part II”—invite plenty of repeated spins.

—LEOR GALIL

FRIDAY1 Mavis Staples See Pick of the Week at left.

8 PM, Cahn Auditorium, Northwestern University, 600 Emerson, Evanston, $59-$250. b

SATURDAY2 Doso, OutPastMidnight 8:30 PM, Gman Tavern, 3740 N. Clark, $12. 21+ DANNY CLINCH

MAVIS STAPLES

Fri 12/1, 8 PM, Cahn Auditorium, Northwestern University, 600 Emerson, Evanston, $59-$250. b

MAVIS STAPLES IS MORE rock ’n’ roll than any of us. Who else declined a marriage proposal from Bob Dylan in the early 60s because she felt she was too young to be tied down? Who else got divorced less than a year after getting hitched in 1964 because she refused to quit singing at her husband’s command? The legendary vocalist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee has conviction and godly purpose in her music—and it’s been like that since she was a preteen in her family band.

The Staple Singers were an essential gospel, soul, and R&B group, and Mavis, the last surviving member, played an indispensable role. Though the group’s music was crucial to the civil rights movement, their classic songs—“I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself”—are too timeless and influential to be cordoned off into any one era. You’ve heard them everywhere—which means you’ve heard Staples’s voice everywhere. And did I mention she’s a Chicago native?

Now in her 70th year in the music business, Ms. Staples has been blazing trails longer than I’ve been alive, and her body of work is rare

48 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

and anointed. We won’t even get into her collaborations with Prince in the 80s and 90s, or the fact that her vocals on “I’ll Take You There” are among the most recognizable in music history.

When the vibes turn negative, social media timelines prophecy doom, the political knocks on the door grow more ominous and sinister, and we have no idea where to find inspiration, we often turn to music to ease the pain of society’s ills. Ms. Staples’s music can surely help smooth some of these existential bumps in the road. Even a shallow dive into her discography can bring you to a place of joy, perseverance, and restored hope for humanity; she has the gift of reminding us that even when the world seems its coldest, everything might just turn out all right.

On Friday, December 1, Ms. Staples brings her unmistakable voice, gruff and heartfelt, along with her incredible catalog to Cahn Auditorium at Northwestern University. Respect yourself and grab tickets to see a homegrown powerhouse with a message that transcends trend and genre. —CRISTALLE BOWEN

Chicago rapper Doso caught my attention four years ago by tinkering confidently and smoothly with a variety of instrumental styles, and he plays up that skill on October’s Safe Travels (A Rugged Interest, Inc.). He raps over minimal nu-funk (“Holding on Loosely”), sleek and frictionless pop punk (“Upside Down”), and a sentimental ballad built atop a single acoustic guitar (“Long Way Home”), maintaining a casual, debonair presence wherever he goes.

Doso cycles through these sounds like he’s trying on every piece in his wardrobe, each time laser focused on choosing a perfect fit to make his personality pop.

South-side hip-hop duo OutPastMidnight perform with a single-minded focus on euphoria. In April they self-released Super Stereo Bros., and three of its most joyful tracks (“What You Need,” “H20,” “Sure Thing”) are available on the two major streaming services. (Currently you can only get the whole album from Bandcamp.) On “Sure Thing,” they’re joined by guest vocalist Kenny Morningstar, but they trade verses over its stuttering videogame synth melody and kitchen-sink percussion like they’re at the best party of the week and have to keep the energy level sky-high all on their own.

“Sure Thing” is a great argument to download the rest of Super Stereo Bros.; the next track, “Kick da Doe,” exudes a welcoming freshness even as it thrums along on an arty beat reminiscent of late2000s blog-era hip-hop. —LEOR GALIL

MUSIC

Jay Wood AMBERCITA

Doso OSCAR RODRIGUEZ

Eartheater HANNAH KHYMYCH

MONDAY4

an attempt to make room for multiple perspectives while trying to separate herself from someone.

Eartheater comes to Lincoln Hall on a U.S. tour supporting her sixth studio album, September’s Powders, the first of a two-part series intended to balance fall and spring sentiments, respectively.

It’s her most straightforward pop record so far, but “straightforward” is relative here; when it comes to Eartheater, beauty and comfort are never far from the uncanny. —MICCO CAPORALE

lage elements together, and they made their fulllength debut, I’ve Seen a Way (which dropped in May), in sites that included a crypt, a cave, and a mall. Like their American peers Boy Harsher, Mandy, Indiana take inspiration from film, but instead of making sad and sensual darkwave, they stick closer to noise, techno, and punk. Each song on I’ve Seen a Way hits like a scene in a dark, action-driven arthouse movie, creating a cinematic arc that guitarist and producer Scott Fair told MusicRadar was partly inspired by French art-horror director and screenwriter Julia Ducournau, best known for Raw and Titane. It’s as energetic, sexy, and dangerous as rock ’n’ roll should be, and it lashes against systemic injustices in ways that make Mandy, Indiana seem less like a group and more like a state of mind.

—MICCO CAPORALE

Eartheater Concrete Husband open.

8 PM, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, $35, $30 in advance. 18+ When Eartheater sings, her voice carries like pollen and decaying floral tendrils adrift in a rush of hot wind. The New York-based multi disciplinary artist debuted in 2015 with two releases (Metalepsis and RIP Chrysalis) on local avant-garde electronic label Hausu Mountain. She’s gone on to become one of the biggest names in art-pop, and in 2019, she launched the record label and artist collective Chemical X. According to Powerpuff Girls lore, Chemical X is a mysterious substance that, when properly administered, gives people and animals special abilities. The name Eartheater has picked as an umbrella for her chosen collaborators nods to the strong feminine sensibilities threaded through her creative choices as much as her interest in fusing art and science.

Themes of death, rebirth, and transformation recur in Eartheater’s catalog. Her creativity thrives in an atmosphere of scientific mysticism, so much so that fans frequently write frenzied Reddit posts and YouTube comments where they refer to her as “mother,” as if she were Gaia. Though her visuals and song titles draw heavily on naturalism and biology, she uses the divine intervention of artistry to interrupt literal interpretations. In the video for last year’s “Mitosis”—named for the process of cell division—she appears dewy and glistening, her eyelashes kissed with crystals and her body covered in snails. “Fuck all my senses / I’ll keep some perspective / No double standards / I don’t entertain it,” she sings in a quiet, pinched voice as she raises her shimmering palm to offer the viewer a biologically impossible two-headed snail. She then repeats those lyrics in a controlled but furious wave of emotion that overwhelms the listener as she describes

TUESDAY5 Mandy, Indiana Mass open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $15. 21+ The art-rock of Mandy, Indiana conjures the spirit of May 1968, when French students and workers spent seven weeks in an orgiastic, decentralized uprising against capitalism and state violence. That’s partly because vocalist Valentine Caulfield uses French lyrics to deliver brutal indictments of patriarchy, imperialism, and white supremacy. But it also comes from the unmistakable urgency and imagination in the band’s sound, which has a romantic and ephemeral feel. The members of Mandy, Indiana are French and English and based in Manchester and Berlin, and they originally called their band Gary, Indiana because they liked that there was an American city with a common man’s name. When they signed to New York-based label Fire Talk, they were encouraged to change it because they weren’t familiar with Gary’s history of economic decline, high crime, and racial disparity. The band decided to stick with Indiana but use a common woman’s name instead. Their politically charged lyrics call Mandy, Indiana into existence as an imagined sister city that stands in opposition to the forces that ravaged its real twin.

The band write and record piecemeal, then col-

FRIDAY8 Cafe Racer, Edging See also Sat 12/9. Cafe Racer headline; Edging and Accessory open.

10 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $15. 21+ Chicago has no shortage of great bands who could’ve found more commercial success and built entirely different legacies were it not for poor timing, a particularly unlucky tour, or any of the other variables that make pursuing art under capitalism so exhausting and difficult. I don’t begrudge the members of Cafe Racer for calling it quits after eight years together; it’s their band, after all. But it feels like these local indie rockers are walking away from the table with a winning hand.

Shoegaze has recaptured the hearts of indie rockers all over the country, and every day I see new signs of it: in early November, for example, Hotline TNT became national heartthrobs with their sharp, succinct debut LP for Third Man, Cartwheel.

Cafe Racer are at the very least shoegaze adja-

cent, and in a just world, their new fourth album, Words in Error (Limited Language), would level up their career rather than cap it. Even as a farewell, it ought to earn the band new fans among dreampop diehards. The record creates cool, comfortable atmospheres by retrofitting shoegaze’s coziness to relaxed psych-rock melodies and scruffy garagerock simplicity. The songs that deviate from this formula work just as well: razor-sharp guitars and terse rhythms give “Wrong Way” a stern postpunk edge.

When the stars align like they do on “Split,” with husky vocals hovering over layers of wafting guitars, Cafe Racer sound as if they’ve unlocked divinity.

Cafe Racer bow out with two nights at the Empty Bottle, the first of which features an opening set by local punks Edging. Their August release, Good Sex Music (Dick Jail), uses blunt, acerbic postpunk rhythms to drive boisterous songs that screech and squall with cartoonish abandon. Few new punk bands I’ve heard can use the saxophone as well as Edging do here; its sassy outbursts on the celebratory “Bleach Me,” for example, give the song a lighthearted whimsy. Edging remind us that punk can be a lot of things—and when it’s this much fun, it’s great. —LEOR GALIL

Catalytic Sound Festival night one See also Sat 12/9 and Sun 12/10. In performance order, tonight’s three sets are a duo of Chris Corsano and Mabel Kwan, a duo of Edward Wilkerson Jr. and Joe Morris, and the Erez Dessel Group with Ben Hall, Fred Jackson Jr., Mai Sugimoto, and Marvin Tate. 8 PM, Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey #208, $25, $60 three-day pass ($54 for Elastic Arts members). b For nearly as long as free improvisation has been a musical practice, improvising artists have engaged in collective action to build outlets for their creative expression. Catalytic Sound was formed in 2012 by 30 musicians from Europe and the United States

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 49

UPCOMING CONCERTS AT

MUSIC

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/musicreviews.

4544 N LINCOLN AVENUE, CHICAGO IL OLDTOWNSCHOOL.ORG • 773.728.6000

NEW SHOWS ANNOUNCED • ON SALE NOW! 2/3 Bonnie Koloc with Ed Holstein 2/4 Alash 3/16 The Nields 4/11 Paula Cole SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 8PM

Funkadesi 27th Anniversary Concert In Maurer Hall SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 8PM

Seamus Egan (of Solas) In Szold Hall SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 11AM

Wintertime Family Sing-Along In Szold Hall SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 7PM

Over The Rhine An Acoustic Christmas In Maurer Hall THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7 7:30PM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 7:30PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 3PM & 7:30PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 4PM 25th Anniversary!

Holiday Caroling Party with Mary Schmich & Eric Zorn

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 8PM

The Claudettes In Szold Hall SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 7PM

Jeffrey Foucault / Pietra Brown In Szold Hall FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 7PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 2PM, 5PM, 8PM

Mariachi Herencia de México: A Mariachi Christmas In Maurer Hall SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 7PM

Corey Harris & Cedric Watson In Szold Hall SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 8PM

Sam Bush In Maurer Hall WORLD MUSIC WEDNESDAY SERIES

Chris Corsano plays in a duo each night of the Catalytic Sound Festival. COURTESY THE ARTIST

continued from p. 49

who recognized the necessity to have a shared platform for disseminating information and selling their recordings. On its website, you can purchase albums, sign up for a paid streaming service, listen to podcasts coproduced by the musicians, and access digital editions of a quarterly publication in which they consider the aesthetic, emotional, and practical aspects of their work. And since 2020, Catalytic Sound’s artists have held an annual festival in cities where they’re based. This year, it will take place December 1, 2, and 3 in the Netherlands and Washington, D.C., and the following weekend in Asheville, New York City, and Chicago. The local incarnation, which takes place December 8, 9, and 10 at Elastic Arts and the Hungry Brain, will run the stylistic gamut from free jazz to spontaneous multimedia art. The lineup encompasses ensembles led by Catalytic Sound veterans, including Detroit drummer Ben Hall and local saxophonist Dave Rempis, as well as groups led by newer associates such as keyboardist Erez Dessel and saxophonist Sarah Clausen. New England-based multi-instrumentalist Joe Morris will reunite with local reeds player Edward Wilkerson Jr. in a duo that explores the influence that Chicago’s AACM has exerted on other improvisational communities. And dynamic percussionist and multi- instrumentalist Chris Corsano will act as a sort of unofficial artist in residence, playing in a different duo each night; two are first-time encounters, with stylistically flexible pianist Mabel Kwan and Afrofuturist visionary Damon Locks, while a third resumes his long-running partnership with octogenarian poet, saxophonist, and sage Joe McPhee. —BILL MEYER

FREE WEEKLY CONCERTS, LINCOLN SQUARE

12/6 3/20

Frias Zreik Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper

OLDTOWNSCHOOL.ORG

SATURDAY9 Cafe Racer See Fri 12/8. Stuck and Pleasant Mob open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $15. 21+

50 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Dorothy Carlos performs in a trio Saturday at the Catalytic Sound Festival. KAT BAWDEN

Catalytic Sound Festival night two See Fri 12/8. In performance order, tonight’s three sets are a duo of Chris Corsano and Damon Locks, a trio of Kim Alpert, Dorothy Carlos, and a special guest, and the Ben Hall Group with Mike Khoury, Lemuel Marc, Jaribu Shahid, and Kaleigh Wilder. 8 PM, Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey #208, $25, $60 three-day pass ($54 for Elastic Arts members). b Resavoir The band will be joined by Macie Stewart, Lane Beckstrom, Eddie Burns, Kenneth Leftridge Jr., Irvin Pierce, Matt Gold, and others.

8:30 PM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $20. 18+ Resavoir, the experimental jazz project of Chicago multi-instrumentalist and producer Will Miller, returned this month with a new self-titled album on local label International Anthem. As with Resavoir’s 2019 debut, Miller conceived and largely produced the material alone in his home, and the recordings feature contributions from friends and fellow Chicago musicians—among them guitarist and vocalist Elton Aura, vocalist and Wurlitzer player Akenya Seymour, guitarist Matt Gold, drummer Eddie Burns, bassist Lane Beckstrom, and Miller’s bandmates from local indie-rock outfit Whitney. Here, though, Miller reaches even further into a reserve of meditative composition, resulting in an album that’s as much about the moods it inspires as it is about songwriting and instrumentation.

Resavoir appears to be something of a home for Miller. The conservatory-trained musician has played trumpet in Whitney and performed on tracks by superstars such as Lil Wayne and Chance the Rapper, and his production credits include a chart-topping single for SZA (last year’s “Blind”).

Resavoir encompassess this musical prowess and wealth of experience while serving as a peaceful dream space where he has room to express his creativity in new and imaginative ways.

Miller’s compositions incorporate various genres and moods, including soulful jazz and silky hip-hop.

To my ears, his richest and most serene moments recall the ambient works of electronic jazz artists of the 70s and 80s, such as Beverly Glenn Copeland and Laraaji. On “Sunset” and “Bluetopia,” Miller elegantly achieves complete emotional escape.

With soft arpeggiated synth lines, a bed of strings, or the steady opening and closing of a hi-hat, Resavoir invites listeners to get lost in its gentle, forgiving universe.

The album’s cover art was designed by a longtime Resavoir collaborator, esteemed Chicago graphic designer and artist Crystal Zapata, and it depicts the blurred silhouettes of two birds flying into a sunset sky whose falling shroud of blue feels comforting despite being on the edge of darkness. With Resavoir, there’s no need to fear the coming night when what follows is the brilliant surprise of a new day’s first perfect light. —TASHA VIETS-VANLEAR

SUNDAY10 Bar Italia See also 12/11. Mika Zhané opens.

9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, sold out. 21+ London trio Bar Italia formed in 2019, and though the world of live music screeched to a halt the following year, they powered through by writing and recording at full steam. They released their studio debut, Quarrel, in September 2020, showcasing an understated sound that joined lo-fi postpunk with indie-pop experimentation redolent of the 80s and 90s. Two months later, they dropped an EP, Angelica Pilled, and just four months after that they issued their second full-length, Bedhead. Bar Italia’s sophomore album furthered their alt-rock leanings, with poppy detuned melodies and compositions so spacious they sometimes feel like they could disintegrate at any moment.

MUSIC play and immediately going home to start their own band. —JAMIE LUDWIG

Catalytic Sound Festival night three See Fri 12/8. In performance order, tonight’s three sets are the Sarah Clausen Trio with Katie Ernst and Lily Finnegan, a duo of Chris Corsano and Joe McPhee, and the Dave Rempis Group with Gabby Fluke-Mogul, Ben Hall, Joshua Abrams, and Michael Zerang. 8:30 PM, Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont, $25 for a single ticket, $60 three-day pass ($54 for Elastic Arts members). 21+ Crossing Borders Music Presenting a program called Mourning, Refuge, and Unity: String Quartets From the Arab World. 2 PM, Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State. b F In 2020, Toronto-based Palestinian-Jordanian composer Shireen Abu Khader founded Dozan World— an offshoot of Dozan wa Awtar Music Establishment, the celebrated choir she established in 2002—as a hub for Levantine composers to share music. Local chamber-music nonprofit Crossing Borders Music, which specializes in Western classical work by non-Western composers, most recently visited the Dozan catalog in February, with the program Reflections on the Arab World.

In this special program, called Mourning, Refuge,

Cafe Racer DANIEL DELGADO

and Unity: String Quartets From the Arab World, the group will revisit some of those works, which take on renewed and tragic resonance as the death toll and humanitarian crisis of the Israel-Hamas War grow sickeningly acute. Among them is “International Refugees Anthem” by Arian Abbas, a Kurdish composer born in Syria and displaced by that country’s ongoing civil war. Abbas wrote this short work to represent the first-ever refugee team in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, and it’s arranged here for string quartet by violinist Rasa Mahmoudian.

Displacement also animates Elie Kallab’s “Tango Al Maaboor: Memories of Home,” a melancholy, five-minute dance composed in 2010, the year his family was forced to evacuate the titular neighborhood in Amchit, Lebanon. Other pieces are more abstract or broadly nostalgic. Sezar Barshini’s “Layali Al-Sharq” (“Oriental Nights”) is inspired by a night ramble through Damascus, while Nahla Mattar’s Qassida Lil Manial (“Ode to Manial Palace”) filters scenes from Egypt’s grand Manial Palace through music by the likes of Schumann, Beethoven, Berlioz, and Saint-Saëns. This concert also reprises “Journey 1,” a 2021 CBM commission by Jordanian-Colombian composer Tarek Younis. —HANNAH EDGAR

MONDAY11 Bar Italia See Sun 12/10. Noise Shrine opens.

9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $20. 21+ v

Bar Italia STEVE GULLICK Bar Italia swiftly attracted adoring hype as will as skeptical castigation. Some people loved the intimate imperfections of the music, while others suspected that the band had infiltrated the industry via insider connections (they put out their first records on the trendy World Music label, run by UK polymath Dean Blunt) or scoffed that they played with more style than substance. The intensity of the discourse around Bar Italia was surely boosted by the members’ self-imposed anonymity—though to hear them say it, that wasn’t about creating a mystique.

“We had nothing to talk about,” cofounder Jezmi Tarik Fehmi told the Guardian in October. “What’s interesting about hearing a band’s origin story when

that was last week?”

In March, Bar Italia broke their media silence to announce they’d signed with indie-rock heavyweights Matador Records. They’ve since released two more records: May’s Tracey Denim and this month’s The Twits. The former was a major step up in terms of songwriting and musicianship, fleshing out moods and arrangements with urgent, propulsive guitar lines. The latter, recorded in a home studio in Mallorca, Spain, largely reverts to chill mode, with the single “Worlds Greatest Emoter” providing a dance-worthy exception. Bar Italia aren’t reinventing the wheel—nor do they claim to be—but I can easily imagine someone seeing them

Providing arts coverage in Chicago since 1971.

chicagoreader.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - CHICAGO READER 51

EARLY WARNINGS

UPCOMING CONCERTS TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR

b ALL AGES

GOSSIP WOLF A furry ear to the ground of the local music scene

Early Warnings newsletter: sign up here SUN 1/28/2024 Lisa Fischer with Ranky Tanky 5 and 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b

BEYOND FRI 2/2/2024 Kream 10 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+

Mick Jenkins LEANDRO LARA

DECEMBER THU 12/14 Exmortus, Generation Kill, Hatriot, Claustrofobia, Backlash 7:30 PM, Reggies Rock Club, 17+ FRI 12/15 El Alfa 8 PM, Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont b Dag Juhlin, 321’s, Last Afternoons, Buckstops 8 PM, Montrose Saloon Yada Yada, Scarlet Demore, Pinksqueeze, Scam Likely 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ SAT 12/16 Juice Wrld Day 6:30 PM, United Center b Nocturna featuring DJ Scary Lady Sarah 11:30 PM, Metro, 18+ The Secret History of Chicago Music Holiday Happening featuring Jeff Lescher & the Larks, the Joy Poppers, Spiral Galaxy 9 PM, Hideout SUN 12/17 Na Ja: A Peter Brötzmann Memorial Concert featuring Joe McPhee & Jason Adasiewicz, Jeb Bishop & Fred Lonberg-Holm, Gads Mustafsson, DKV Trio, and more 3 PM, Constellation, 18+ Na Ja: A Peter Brötzmann Memorial Concert featuring Caspar B., Ensemble Redux, Survival Unit III, and more 7:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ THU 12/21 Baby Smoove 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall b Off Broadway 8 PM, FitzGerald’s, Berwyn FRI 12/22 Bloody Xmas featuring Nora Marks, Won’t Stay Dead, Nightfreak, Inpo 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ SAT 12/23 Frank Orrall & Charlette Wortham 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b

THU 12/28 Glassjaw 6 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ SAT 12/30 Coco and friends featuring DJ Colette, Dajae (live), Lady D, Vitigrrl, Czboogie 10 PM, Smart Bar

JANUARY TUE 1/2/2024 Kindred the Family Soul 6 and 9:30 PM, City Winery b WED 1/3/2024 Kindred the Family Soul 6 and 9:30 PM, City Winery b THU 1/4/2024 Dave Rempis, Tomeka Reid, and Joshua Abrams; Dave Rempis, Jason Adasiewicz, Joshua Abrams, and Tyler Damon 9 PM, Hungry Brain WED 1/10/2024 Plaid, Abstract Science DJs 9 PM, Sleeping Village THU 1/11/2024 Everyday Fantastic, Midcentury Llama, Cheap Monarchy, Tubesocks 7:30 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ SAT 1/13/2024 Bo En, Kikuo, Gus Bonito vs.

Kane West 8 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ TUE 1/16/2024 Plvtinum, Chris Grey, Shaker 6 PM, Cobra Lounge b FRI 1/19/2024 Mick Jenkins, Tobi 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ SAT 1/20/2024 Jon Langford & His Fancy Men, Handcuffs, James Dean Joint 8 PM, FitzGerald’s, Berwyn TUE 1/23/2024 Amber Liu 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+

52 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

SAT 2/3/2024 High Spirits, Bear Mace, Acerus 9 PM, Reggies Rock Club, 17+ Sunsquabi, Cofresi 8 PM, Chop Shop, 18+ THU 2/8/2024 Frost Children, MSPAINT 7:30 PM, Beat Kitchen b Reverie Road 8 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b FRI 2/9/2024 Poolside 8:30 PM, the Vic, 18+ THU 2/15/2024 Tinashe 6 PM, Radius b SUN 2/18/2024 Mir Fontane, Caleborate 7:30 PM, Schubas, 18+ Squid, Water From Your Eyes 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ WED 2/21/2024 Burna Boy 7:30 PM, Wintrust Arena b Phora 8 PM, the Promontory b WED 3/6/2024 Mary Timony, Youbet 9 PM, Empty Bottle TUE 3/12/2024 Laetitia Sadier 9 PM, Empty Bottle TUE 3/19/2024 Candlemass 8 PM, Reggies Rock Club, 17+ FRI 3/22/2024 Health, Pixel Grip, King Yosef 7 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ WED 4/10/2024 Dylan 7:30 PM, Subterranean b SUN 4/14/2024 Oumou Sangaré 7 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b SAT 4/27/2024 Sheer Mag 9 PM, Sleeping Village SAT 5/18/2024 Psychedelic Porn Crumpets 8 PM, Metro, 18+ v

WHEN GOSSIP WOLF checked in a few years back with Reader contributor, Chica-Go-Go cofounder, and Promontory talent buyer Jake Austen, he’d just rebooted his wide-ranging, infectiously enthusiastic, and absurdly thorough music and culture zine, Roctober, originally launched more than 30 years ago. Issue 52 arrived in fall 2020 after a seven-year hiatus, but the wait for this fall’s double issue was less than half as long! On Wednesday, December 6, the Promontory hosts a release party for the new Roctober, which combines issues 53 and 54 and includes conversations with the likes of Mavis Staples, Yoko Ono, Bootsy Collins, and ? & the Mysterians, plus an interview with Prince conducted via email in 2012.

Roctober usually corrals all sorts of contributors, but music historian and one-man band John Battles wrote almost all of issue 54—including dozens of illustrated obituaries for beloved artists collected under the rubric “The Final Curtain.” Battles will perform at Wednesday night’s all-ages release party, along with several DJs spinning appropriately esoteric vinyl. Admission is free with RSVP or with a discounted $5 advance copy of the new Roctober. If you don’t RSVP, day-of-show admission is $10—but that also includes a copy of Roctober.

In case you’re somehow new to Roctober, Austen has uploaded scans of every issue to the Internet Archive. This wolf recommends the very first issue, from way back in 1992, if only for its essay about a White Sox pitcher who’d fronted California hardcore band Scared Straight!

GOSSIP WOLF HAS HEARD good things about the Fallen Log, a music venue that debuted in March near Ravinia Brewing on the border of Avondale and Logan Square.

The Fallen Log shares a building at 2554 W. Diversey with Kitchen 17, a restaurant specializing in vegan deep-dish pizza. This wolf can’t comment on the pizza, but the Fallen Log’s bookings are well worth keeping an eye on. The venue hosted Greek postpunks Chain Cult in September and booked Philadelphia power-pop group Radiator Hospital for an October show that unfortunately got canceled.

The Fallen Log presents music from all over the genre map, but it’s taken a particu-

lar interest in Chicago’s young indie scene— it’s booked Twin Coast, Friko front man Niko Kapetan, and Sharp Pins , among others.

Venue talent buyer Cole Hunt plays guitar and sings in TV Buddha, an experimental indie-rock duo he formed with a workhorse of the all-ages scene, Eli Schmitt. They dropped a loose, noisy full-length called Simple Bodies in March, while Hunt finished his final semester at the University of Texas at Austin.

On Thursday, November 30, TV Buddha headline the Fallen Log as part of the first installment of Hunt’s series Nitroglycerine.

Laurie and Soil 77 open. The show starts at 7 PM, and it’s 17 and up; tickets cost $10.

ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, Chicago multiinstrumentalist Jake Hawrylak drops the debut album from his Americana-inflected solo project, Maiden King. Hawrylak detailed his lush and lovingly layered LP, Who Else Were We Supposed to Become?, with help from ten other musicians, including Gossip Wolf favorite Reno Cruz (playing banjo), Half Gringa collaborator Ivan Pyzow (trumpet), and Molly Rife (cello). Hawrylak headlines Schubas that same Friday, with openers Astrachan and Lane Beckstrom (who dropped his debut solo album, Looking Out, in September).

WHEN LOCAL FOOTWORK producer DJ Manny, aka Manuel Gaines, released his killer new EP, Control, on Planet Mu in August, he was already teasing a new full-length album due in November—dude is well-known for his industriousness! That album, Hypnotized, arrived on the 17th, and it’s full of sumptuous sounds and dance-floor bangers. Gossip Wolf especially digs the title track, which alternates between slinky R&B vocals and fusillades of booming beat drops, and the archival track “Ooh Baby,” whose contributions from late genre pioneer DJ Rashad wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the master’s canonical album Double Cup. Last month, Manny also released a supremely tasty hour-long mix via the website for UK magazine Crack, combining a slew of his classic jams with unreleased tracks from across his storied career.

—J.R. NELSON AND LEOR GALIL Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or email gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.

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DEC 14–16

zeds dead

DEC 22

DUKE DUMONT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THE SHED

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PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THE SHED MT. JOY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THE SHED DRAMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THE SHED BLACK PUMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THE SHED

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CLASSIFIEDS JOBS AUDITIONS

PROFESSIONALS

& SERVICES MATCHES ADULT SERVICES

JOBS Health First Home Health, Inc seeks Managers – Healthcare Systems Engineers for Park Ridge, IL location to design healthcare systems processes in a way that promotes efficiency, time savings, and cost efficiency through systems usability, scalability and the continuous improvement of processes.

Master’s in Industrial Engineering/related field with coursework in Ergonomics & Healthcare Systems. Send resume: A. Siddiq, s.a@homehealthnear.com, REF: KM Stony Island Dental PC seeks Associate Dentists for Chicago, IL location to conduct patient screening and assessment. DDM/DDS or foreign equivalent +3 yrs exp’d req’d. Req’d skills: patient screening & assessment, treatment planning, managing basic & complex root canal treatments, dental implant planning & surgeries, digital cosmetic dentistry, digital smile design, CAD-CAM, fixed & removable prosthesis, full mouth rehabilitation, teeth extractions, & minor dental surgeries. Illinois Dental Licensure req’d.

Send resume to: Lucia Gamino, Stonyislanddentaloffice@gmail.com.

REF: MA Asian Food Cook (Chicago, IL) Kohoku-Ku LLC. Asst. w/ creation of new Asian food menus; Prep. ingredients for Vi e t n a m e s e , T h a i & Japanese food; Process cust. orders, producing meals & cleaning workspace throughout day to fllw. health & safety guidelines; Monitor & fllw. recipes; Make adjustments based on cust, requests; Comm. w/ wait staff & prep. garnishes; Deliver delicious & cook food & ensure meals are safe & fresh. Req. Bach. in Restaurant & Catering mgmt., Hotel & Tourism or Culinary Mgmt., Food & Bev. Mgmt. or General Restaurant Mgmt. & 2 yrs. exp. as Asian Food Cook. Will accept HS Diploma & at least 3-5 yrs. exp. working in Thai, Japanese, or Vietnamese Restaurants in major cities in the US. Must be fluent in Thai. Req. IL Food Handler Cert., valid Cert.

Food Protection Manager cert., or unpaid volunteer. $39,229/ yr. Send resume to: Wawa (Manager) at zuzoo_work@hotmail. com.

Food Scientists (McCain Foods USA Inc.) (Oakbrook, IL): Mng prdct dvlpmt prjcts; Dvlp prdct docs; Ovrsee plnt scale tests, direct reps to ensure crtria met; Optmz prdctn to meet objctvs & co-ord w/ deptmnts; Co-ord presentatns w/

54 CHICAGO READER - NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Sales & Mrktg. Exp reqd: Food mnftrg ops, eqpmt & prdctn fclts; Knwldg of food laws incldg NLEA, ingrdnt declrtns & formltn & R&D docmtn; Applctn of scientfc prncpls & anlytcl mthdlgs to prjcts w/ limitd drctn; Use of lab eqpmnt, stat technqs to anlyz/prsnt data; Food prcsg techlgy: undrstndg of heat trnsfr, thermodynmcs, temprtr crvs, effcts of temp/time on substrts & functnl ingrdnts & undrstndg of prcs eqpmt & use; Stat prcss: mean, stndrd devtns, regrssn mdlg, cndctg & eval of stat tests, & ablty to set exprmtl dsgn test; Bckgrnd in food chemstry, sensry, microblgy, food pckgng systms & food engnrg; Ablty to drive CI & chng mngmt; Prblm slvg sklls (scientfc mtd); Ablty to wrk w/ teams at multi lvls w/in org. Reqs Bachelors or frgn equiv in Food Sci or rltd & 3 yrs exp as Food Scientst or smlr. Optn to WFH hybrd avlbl. Trvl rqd in NA (10-15%). Slry: $79,123 -$105,000/yr. To apply online please visit https:// careers.mccain .com/ reference number 26264.

Multiple SW Developers, SFDC Lead & Project Manager Needed Multiple Software Developers needed to develop, create, & modify computer applications software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs & develop software solutions. Design software or customize software for client use with the aim of optimizing operational efficiency.

All of the above duties will be performed using Java Spring Boot, SAP Business Objects, & ASP. Net; OR RPGLE, COBOL, & HAWKEYE; OR Salesforce Sales Cloud, Lightening Web Component, & Apex; OR webMethods suite, Mulesoft, & AWS; OR SAP CPI, SoftwareAG webMethods, & Unix; OR Dot Net, & Manual Testing; OR Calypso, Java, & SQL. Multiple positions available for Software Developers using one of the above combinations of skills or tools. SFDC LEAD needed to analyze business requirements & other data processing problems to develop & design Salesforce solutions. Create technical architecture & design documentation to support the implementation of Salesforce solutions.

Develop & implement custom Salesforce applications, integrations, & data migration strategies.

Duties will be performed using Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Service Cloud, & Mulesoft. Project Manager needed to plan, initiate, & manage information technology projects.

Lead & guide the work of technical staff. Serve as a liaison between business & technical

aspects of projects. Plan project stages & assess business implications for each stage. Duties will be performed using SAP MII, SAP EWM, & Solution Manager. Not all positions require all skills & tools. Work locations for all positions will include Chicago, IL & also at various unanticipated locations in the U.S., as assigned, which may require relocation. Applicants should clearly identify the position they are applying for in their cover letter. The resume must specifically list all postsecondary education, training, or experience.

Resumes must show if the applicant has any of the mentioned combination of skills or tools. Mail all resumes to Quinnox, Inc., Attn: EVP - HCM, 1 South Wacker Drive, Ste # 3150, Chicago, IL 60606.

Lecturer of Mathematics Loyola University Chicago is seeking a Lecturer of Mathematics in Chicago, IL to teach undergraduate classes in mathematics, incl both introductory classes like precalculus & calculus, & more advanced classes like number theory or combinatorics. Please send res to ptingley@luc. edu & ref job 062787.

Sr. Salesforce Developer Apex Fintech Services LLC seeks Sr. Salesforce Developer in Chicago, Illinois, 60604 (Various Unanticipated Worksites) to Identify system data, hardware, and software components to meet user needs. Reqs.

Master’s degree or foreign equiv in Engineering Management, Computer Engineering or rel. field & 1 yr post-baccalaureate exp. as Salesforce Administrator/Developer or rel. role. Exp. must incl. designing/developing Custom Objects, Custom Page Layouts, Custom Tabs & Reports, Visual force pages; developing applications using Java, and Apex. Also reqs. certification as a Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator. Position will be HQ’ed in Chicago, IL but is a telecommuting position, allowing for remote employment from various unanticipated worksites throughout the U.S.. Email resume: email resume: svallette@peak6. com.

Kenway Consulting, LLC Kenway Consulting, LLC seeks Database Architect in Chicago, IL to lead dsgn & implmntn of lgcl dta mdls for trnsactnl & anlytcl prps. Reqs BS in Comp. Sci, Info. Sys. or clsly rltd fld + 18 mnths exp in clsly rltd ocptn.

Reqs exp w/ the fllwng: Var ETL aprchs, as wl as

dta mdlng & dta trnsfmtn; Dta Lke & Dta Wrhsng aprchs & cnspts; Dta Clnsng & Vldtn; Cld tech (Azr, AWS, Ggle Cld); Bus. Intel Rprtng tls sch as Pwr BI, Tblu, Lkr, Qlk; R, Pythn, Scla, JS, C#; SQL Cdng tchnqs, prfmnce mntrng, & tning. Tlcmtng optnl. Mail resumes to Sarab Weiss at 200 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1850, Chicago, IL 60601.

Kenway Consulting, LLC Kenway Consulting, LLC seeks Operations Research Analyst in Chicago, IL to dvlp & tst qntatv mdls, sprt sftwr, & anlytcl tls whl prtcptng in systm dsgn & fnctnl spcfctn dvlpmt. Reqs BS in Info. Sys, Comp.

Sci, or clsly rltd fld + 18 mnths exp in clsly rltd ocptn. Reqs exp w/ the fllwng: Systm dvlpnt mthdlgs (Agl, SDLC); Dta vislztn – SQL Qries; Sftwr cmplnce, sftwr tstng & trblshtng (CSS, HTML, PHP, JvaScpt); Pwr BI, AWS Snwflk, Pstmn, SOAP UI, Vsio, Gnsys Cld; API dvlpmt (JSON), SQL, tchncl rqrmnt dsgn; Bus. anlytcs & prjct mngmnt; Dta scrty, dta forcstng, & dta mning.

Tlcmtng optnl. Mail resumes to Sarab Weiss at 200 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1850, Chicago, IL 60601.

Automation Engineer in Chicago IL. Must have Bachelor Degree in Mechatronics or Automation Engineering. 3 yrs. exp. as Automation engineer or computer systems engineer. Design & development of automated production technology & IT solutions; Develop & maintain ERP system especially w/ respect to Automated production systems; Develop & optimize CNC machine tools in production; Develop, implement & maintain office automation systems; Focus on new industrial development; Research & develop sensor & control technologies & devices; Suggest improvements in manufacturing procedures. Send resume to: Monda Industrials LLC, 4101 W 42nd Pl., Chicago, IL 60632.

Marketing Specialist in Chicago IL. Must have Master Degree in mkt. research, mktg. analytics, or mktg. & 1 yr exp. as Marketing Specialist.

Conduct mktg. events both online & offline to attract potential customers; Collect & analyze industry data to understand current mkt., trends, competition, promising sales & mktg. strategies; Build & manage company\’s website, prepare company\’s promotional materials; Provide analysis, information & insights to ensure better deci-

sion-making by company.

Send resume to: RDI Inc., 4101 42nd Pl., Chicago, IL 60632.

Architectural Designer ML DESIGN STUDIO, LTD. seeks an Architectural Designer. Mail resume to 333 N OAKLEY BLVD, #203, Chicago, IL 60612.

Computer Programmer Write, analyze, review, and rewrite programs, using workflow chart and diagram, and applying knowledge of computer capabilities, subject matter, and symbolic logic; Correct errors by making appropriate changes and rechecking the program to ensure that the desired results are produced; Perform or direct revision, repair, or expansion of existing programs to increase operating efficiency or adapt to new requirements; Write, update, and maintain computer programs or software packages to handle specific jobs such as tracking inventory, storing or retrieving data, or controlling other equipment; Consult with managerial, engineering, and technical personnel to clarify program intent, identify problems, and suggest changes; Compile and write documentation of program development and subsequent revisions, inserting comments in the coded instructions so others can understand the program; Coordinate and review work and activities of programming personnel; D e v e l o p We b s i t e s .

Mail résumé to Amgaa Purevjal, iCodice LLC, 5005 Newport Dr, Suite# 505, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Financial Quantitative Analyst Electronic Knowledge Interchange Company. Chicago, IL. Responsibilities: Determine technical efficiency of existing financial models, products, and analytics. Research opportunities for integration with sophisticated and advanced statistical, quantitative, or econometric software applications.

Report solutions to IT management. Design and rearchitect technology application environment and systems used for daily production of financial metrices and reports.

Remote work allowed 100% of the time. Must have a Master’s degree in Finance, Financial Engineering or related field.

Must have one (1) year of experience as a Financial Analyst. Must have one (1) year of experience in cleaning and manipulating raw data using statistical software and ETL (extract, transform, and load) of unstructured

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SAVAGE LOVE

the

platform Local Goods & Services

HOME IMPROVEMENT SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS

What was lost

I still have feelings for my ex.

By DAN SAVAGE Q: About ten years

ago, I was in a serious relationship with someone I loved more than I had ever loved anyone before. I hoped

to spend my life with her.

But I was deep in the closet, and the process of coming out annihilated large parts of my life, including our relationship. I dumped her and tried to tell myself she wouldn’t understand. In the years that followed, I came into my own as a proud and potent goddess, but I felt haunted by how I’d pushed my ex away. The regret that marked her absence tinged all my emerging triumphs.

In the chaos of the early pandemic, I sent a simple email, curtailed into a modest how-are-you, and she sent a brief-but-cordial reply. I didn’t take offense.

It was kind of her to reply at all. But some months later, she reached out, asking to meet. Apparently, her boyfriend had dumped her, and it reminded her of how I’d dumped her. Despite my nerves, we had a simple afternoon in a park gabbing about poetry and ethics, laughing easily. I didn’t make any overtures. Regarding the past, I said only that I regretted how I’d left things. She replied quickly, “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s not like our relationship really had a future.” Yikes!

It’s been a few years and she’s become a close friend.

We go hiking, drinking, we go on double dates with our partners—me and my wife, her and her new boyfriend.

And yet . . . I still think about

her every day. Even my wife knows I’m crazy about her!

(We’re poly, it’s not an issue.)

I’m writing because I don’t know what to do. For almost ten years I’ve tried to get over her, but I have proven stubbornly head-over-heels.

I’ve tried separation, several types of therapy, even fiery rituals, but I still wake up with her name on my lips. I worry that if I were to broach the totality of my feelings, it would alienate her all over again. What’s a gal to do?

—CONFOUNDED HEARTFELT AMOROUS DAMSEL

a: You mention coming out, you mention transitioning, you mention being an outand-proud goddess now—so, I assume you’re a trans woman who had to end what the world perceived to be a cishet relationship before you embarked on your transition.

And based on your ex’s reaction when you reconnected and apologized for dumping her (“It’s not like our relationship really had a future!”), CHAD, along with the fact that your ex has only ever dated men (or people she had every reason to believe were men), it sounds like your ex is a straight cis woman. Which means you couldn’t be the goddess you are now—you couldn’t have the life you have now (to say nothing of the wife you have now)—if you were still with your ex, CHAD, because you couldn’t be her partner and yourself at the same time.

I’m going to crawl out on a limb and guess that however bumpy your transition may have been, the trade-off

was worth it. You lost some things—including a romantic relationship with your ex—but you gained so much more.

If seeing your ex socially— or having her in your life—is too painful, well, don’t see her socially. If you want to tell her that you miss the relationship you once had and still have feelings for her, you can do that without blowing up the relationship you have with her now. Lots of people who are friends with their exes have said or heard variations on, “If things had been different, things could’ve turned out differently,” and remained friends.

You weren’t the person you thought you were when you were with your ex (or, you weren’t the person you were coerced into pretending to be) but you had important and meaningful experiences before you transitioned. Feeling sad about what you may have lost as a consequence of transitioning takes nothing away from what you’ve gained.

But the intensity of these feelings for your ex—waking up every day thinking about her—makes me wonder whether she’s a symbolic stand-in for everything else you lost. Maybe a few sessions with a good therapist could put your feelings for your ex into perspective.

P.S. If what you mean by, “We’ve silently agreed to uphold a narrative that we’re just old friends,” is “I’m being shoved into a new closet,” that’s not good. If never acknowledging that you were in a relationship is the price of admission you have to pay for her friendship, it may be too steep a price a pay. Awkwardness is fine . . . shame is not. v Ask your burning questions, download podcasts, read full column archives, and more at the URL savage.love. m mailbox@savage.love

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