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BULLETIN
Books for a Buck
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Chicago Review, 935 E. 60th St. Friday, February 7, 12pm–6pm. bit.ly/ChiReviewBooks
Looking for something new to read? The Chicago Review, a literary magazine published by the University of Chicago, is selling off their old review copies for unbelievably cheap prices: $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardcovers. Come by and browse their shelves of poetry, criticism, fiction, memoirs, nonfiction and more. Cash and card accepted. (Sam Joyce)
Author Conversation: Mikki Kendall
Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St. Wednesday, February 5, 6pm–7:30pm. Austin Library, 5615 W. Race Ave. Saturday, February 8, 2pm–3pm. chipublib.org
Mikki Kendall is the author of Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists, a graphic novel about the history of the women’s rights movement. Her forthcoming essay collection, Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot, critiques the failures of the contemporary feminist movement to address the issues of all women. She will be joined in conversation by Block Club Chicago reporter Jamie Nesbitt Golden. (Sam Joyce)
Yea, Good, Ok!
Slow Pony Project, 1745 W. 18th St. Saturday, February 8, 8pm–11pm. $10 suggested donation. RSVP recommended. bit.ly/yeagoodok
This show will feature a little bit of everything: multiple stand-up and improv performances, a reading by local poet Spencer Diaz Tootle, and a set from powerpop musical guest Richard Album & The Singles. Beer from Marz Brewing will be available, and Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez will be making an appearance as well. Admission requires proof of a $10 donation to Bernie Sanders on the day of the show, or making a donation when you arrive. (Sam Joyce)
Illinois Supreme Court Forum
UIC John Marshall Law School, 300 S. State St. Monday, February 10, 5:30pm–8pm. acslaw.org
Join Injustice Watch and the Chicago chapter of the American Constitution Society for a public forum. The candidates for Supreme Court in Illinois’s First District, which includes Cook County, will be discussing their judicial philosophy and vision for the court. The forum will be followed by a food and beverage reception. Admission is free, but make sure to bring a photo ID for entry. (Sam Joyce)
Afro-Futurism and Black Liberation
Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St. Saturday, February 15, 12pm–1pm. chipublib.org
Join the Blackroots Alliance for a panel discussion facilitated by Katelyn Johnson, executive director of the Action Now Institute. Panelists including Marcia Walker-McWilliams, executive director of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium, will discuss current issues within Black communities, as well as their hopes for the future. (Sam Joyce)
Recovering the Lost South Side
Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St. Tuesday, February 18, 6pm–8pm. c hipublib.org
Chicago authors Lee Bey and Don Hayner will be presenting their recent books. Although one deals with architecture and the other with history, both share a common theme: highlighting stories on the South Side that often go ignored. Bey is the author of Southern Exposure, the first book dedicated to the South Side’s architectural heritage, while Hayner penned Binga, the definitive biography of Chicago’s first Black banker, Jesse Binga. (Sam Joyce)
VISUAL ARTS Open Mic and Dance Night at the National Museum of Mexican Art
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Friday, February 7, 4–8pm. Free, RSVP at bit.ly/teen-night-network
The Network, a Chicago-based organization that advocates against domestic violence, will raise awareness of Teen Dating Violence Month with a teen night at Pilsen’s NMMA. Come through for a comedy set from Delmy Cabera, a button-making station, catering by Vista Hermosa, and more. (Christopher Good)
The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China
Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. On exhibit February 7–May 3, 10am–5pm Tuesday through Sunday. Opening reception on Saturday, February 8, 3pm–7pm. Free. (773) 702-0200. theallureofmatter.org After a well-received showing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Allure of Matter—a survey of contemporary Chinese art that emphasizes its materiality—come to Chicago. Completionists will have to make a day of it: the show is split between the Smart and Wrightwood 659 over in Lincoln Park. (Christopher Good)
What Remains: Chapter One
ARC Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Ave. February 7–9; Friday, 6pm–9pm; Saturday, 3pm–6pm; Sunday, 2pm–4pm. Free. (312) 877-5760. dfbrl8r.org
Throughout February, performance art incubator Dfbrl8r will host a fourchapter series “on the sacred, the lost, and the forgotten relics of live art.” The first phase—which, across three dates, will include a performance program, an afternoon of “installations,” and a soup kitchen conversation on “the impulse to collect”—will bring together artists from all over the world for meditation on “fixing.” (Christopher Good)
Conjuring: Black Histories in Jewelry
South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave. On view through February 28. Open Wednesday–Friday, noon–5pm; Saturday, 9–5pm; Sunday, 1–5pm. (773) 373-1026. sscartcenter.org
Under the curation of LaMar R. Gayles Jr. (and with the support of the Society of North American Goldsmiths), the “first ever exhibition focusing solely on Black diasporic jewelry” is now on display in Bronzeville. The show traces this history from artisans like Winifred Mason, thought to be the first Black jeweler practicing in the United States, to the present day. (Christopher Good)
The Petty Biennial.2
NYCH Gallery, 2025 S. Laflin St. On view Monday–Saturday, 11am–7pm, through February 14. (773) 413-9565. bit.ly/PettyBiennial2
The Petty Biennial—a multifocal, multisite happening— highlights “the connective tissue of social systems” to challenge artworld conventions. At Pilsen’s NYCH, you can find artwork by Carlos Barberena, Liz Gomez, Jennifer Ligaya, Damon Locks, Zakkiyyah Najeebah, and Yasmin Spiro. (Christopher Good)
Tender as the Language
Ignition Project Space, 3839 W. Grand Ave. On view by appointment through February 22. acreresidency.org
In her second solo exhibition in Chicago, installation artist Yesenia Bello interrogates language and bilinguality through sculpture. These works, curated for this show by Elizabeth Lalley, evoke her account of the word: something “nonlinear and kinetic.” (Christopher Good)
MUSIC Drag Prom: Dance Party
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Saturday, February 15, 7pm. $20. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com Thalia Hall is hosting Drag Prom, for “queens, kings, and everyone in between.” The night will be hosted by drag queen Auntie Heroine, who will keep the dancing and singing going until the early hours. There will be performances from the house band Live Band Karaoke, and artists Hinkypunk, Abhijeet, Tenderoni, and Wanda Screw. Attendees are encouraged to dress up. ( Jade Yan)
Body
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. W. Sunday, February 9, 10pm–2am. Free with RSVP until midnight; $5 without RSVP. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
A weekly occurrence, Body offers the chance to dance to Afro-Caribbean music. This Sunday’s dance night will include music played by local DJ TYN MAN. Dance lessons and exhibitions will also be provided alongside the tunes, by the night’s host Dance Hall Queen MIGHTY. ( Jade Yan)
Sunday Service with Duane Powell
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Sunday, February 9, 3pm–7pm. Free. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org
Despite its name, this Sunday service will not be in a church. Duane Powell’s Sunday Service is a daytime dance party, inviting everyone to come and move to a mix of house, soul, and disco. Cocktails, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages can be bought on-site. This event happens every second and third Sunday of the month. ( Jade Yan)
AACM with Special Guest Ari Brown
Logan Center, 915 E. 60th St. Saturday, February 15, 7pm. Free. (773) 702-2787. arts.uchicago.edu
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) will be bringing a wide range of Black music styles, from Africa to the USA over many different eras, into one room. This show will feature jazz saxophonist and pianist Ari Brown, who has been a member of AACM since 1971. Given AACM’s taste for the unconventional, audiences should expect innovative and exciting performances. ( Jade Yan)
FOOD & LAND Farmers Markets
Saturdays: 61st St. Farmers Market, Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. February 8, March 14, April 11, 9am–2pm. This market accepts Link/SNAP & Link Match. experimentalstation.org/market
Sundays: Pilsen Community Market Blue Island Ave. and 18th St. February 9, 11am–3:30pm. facebook.com/pilsenmarket
Pilsen Community Market strives to provide fresh, quality farm products, arts and crafts, music and information to a diverse community while embracing and connecting with surrounding neighborhoods. With an educational mission centered on sourcing and sustainability, PCM is a community market first, looking to connect local artisans, farmers and makers to local consumers, as well as provide a meeting place for the community to come together. PCM is comprised of an entirely minority board. (AV Benford)
Multiple Days: Farm on Ogden Food Stand, 3555 W. Ogden Ave. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11am–7pm; Wednesdays, Fridays, & Saturdays, 10am–6pm. http://bit.ly/ogden_farm
Farmers Stand / Mercado De Cultura A Cup of Joe (reboot), 6806 W. Archer Ave. Saturdays and Sundays, . 9am – 4pm. http:// bit.ly/joemercado
Presented by A Cup of Joe, Farmers Stand / Mercado De Cultura promises vendors selling fresh tamales, custom jewelry, clothing, locally grown vegetables, produce, live music, and much more. A Cup of Joe Reboot is a coffee house concept that came about because the owner couldn’t find any cool and hip coffee houses on the outhwest Side. They found themselves always traveling to the North Side of Chicago for a good cup of coffee, an open mic night, or a free comfortable work space. The idea of the space is to provide a space where artists have a platform where they could express themselves without limitations. (AV Benford)
Saturday Community Visioning Sessions 2020 Green ERA Chicago, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St.. Saturday, February 22, March 28, April 25, May 23, June 27, July 25, 11:30am–1pm. http://bit.ly/greenera Presented by Green ERA Chicago and the Urban Grower Collective, Saturday Community Visioning Sessions 2020 promises to be a forum where discussions about the educational, economic, and environmental opportunities that the Green Era Urban Farm and Energy Collective will bring to the Greater Auburn Gresham community and the South Side of Chicago. Each month there will be presentations and opportunities to network with aligned individuals and emerging enterprises. Interest areas include: education programs, farmers market and community gardens, jobs, planning ecological spaces, and “other ideas we dream up together.” (AV Benford)
Chicago Tool Library Volunteer Orientation
1048 W. 37th St., Suite 102. Sunday, February 16. 10am–11:30am. Tool library open Thursdays 4pm–7pm and Sundays 10am–3pm. chicagotoollibrary.org
The Bridgeport-based Chicago Tool Library opened its doors at the end of August last year and since then has been supplying its members with all sorts of handy (and otherwise pricey!) gadgets from bench grinders to slow cookers. Membership is on a sliding scale and the whole 1,000 square feet of tool heaven is entirely volunteer-run and donationsupported. If you’re looking to support accessible and communal home tinkering, show up for their upcoming volunteer training and get involved. (Sarah Fineman)
Midwest Urban Farmers Summit
4459 S. Marshfield Ave. Saturday, February 15, 8:30am and Sunday, February 16, 6:30pm. http://midwesturbanfarmers.org
The Urban Canopy and Advocates for Urban Agriculture present the fourth
SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ FEBRUARY 5, 2020 iteration of a come-one-come-all gathering for urban farmers from Chicago and other cities around the Midwest. Small farmers operating within cities face their own set of trials, tribulations, and joys, and the MWUF Summit serves as a needed space for community-building and sharing. This year’s summit focuses on economic viability, productivity, and equity— register for free participation in two days of discussions on beekeeping, grain rotation, racial equity in urban ag, incorporating indigenous knowledge into agricultural practice, and more. (Sarah Fineman)
A Very Environmental Justice Valentine’s Day
2445 S. Spaulding Ave. Thursday, February 6. 5:30pm–6:45pm. lvejo.org
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and their community are all about loving and appreciating Mother Earth, and what better time to express that than Valentine’s Day season? LVEJO Fellow Kristen Jeré will lead an event to write earthy poetry and draw up Gaia-appreciation valentines inspired by the values of the environmental justice movement. (Sarah Fineman)
NATURE The Underground Railroad South of Chicago
Historic Pullman Visitor Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Sunday, February 9, 3pm–5pm. Free. nps.gov/pull/planyourvisit/ calendar.htm
Local author Larry McClellan, emeritus professor of sociology and community studies at Governors State University in the south suburbs and an expert on the Underground Railroad in Northern Illinois, will be presenting his decades of research on the freedom seekers who traveled through Chicagoland on their way north to Canada and freedom. This event will be followed by a Q&A and book signing, and refreshments will be served. (Sam Joyce)
Openlands Pruning Workdays
Ave. Monday, February 10, 10am–1pm. Garfield Boulevard, S. State St. and E. Garfield Blvd. Friday, February 14, 10am–1pm. openlands.org/trees/forestry-events
It may be winter, but Chicago’s trees still need regular maintenance. Openlands’s TreeKeepers will be pruning trees along the south side of Kennedy Park, as well as along Garfield Boulevard. Make sure to bring your gloves, a water bottle, and eye protection; bringing your own tools is helpful, but a limited number will be available to borrow. (Sam Joyce)
David Wallace-Wells: The Uninhabitable Earth
Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. Monday, February 10, 6pm–7pm. Free. chipublib.org
David Wallace-Wells is a deputy editor at New York magazine and author of The Uninhabitable Earth, a New York Times best-selling book that explores how our lives will have to change in order to adapt to climate change. He’ll be joined in conversation by the Tribune’s Tony Briscoe, an environmental reporter who has written extensively about the effects of climate change on the Great Lakes region. Doors open at 5pm, and seating is first-come, first-served. (Sam Joyce)
Armour Seminar: Dr. Lisa White
Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. Wednesday, February 12, 12pm–1pm. Free. bit.ly/ArmourSeminarSeries
In honor of Black History Month, the Field Museum will be hosting Dr. Lisa White. Dr. White is the director of education at the University of California Museum of Paleontology, and will be discussing her work on inspiring and expanding diversity in geology and paleontology. She was awarded the 2008 Bromery Award from the Geological Society of America for her work to open the field of geoscience to minority groups. This event is open to the public, and museum admission is not required to attend.
Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. Wednesday, February 19, 6pm–7:30pm. Free. chipublib.org
The culminating event of this year’s One Book, One Chicago event series features the author of the 2019-2020 One Book, One Chicago selection: New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction. Kolbert’s book is based on a combination of field reporting and natural history, and won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. She will be joined in conversation by Donna Seaman, editor for adult books at Booklist. Doors open at 5pm, and seating is first-come, first-served. Books will be available for purchase, and Kolbert will autograph books following the program. (Sam Joyce)
STAGE & SCREEN Love Letters Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. February 13–16. Thursday–Saturday, 7:30pm; Sunday, 2:30pm. $24, $22 BAC members. (773) 445-3838. beverlyartcenter. org
Celebrate Valentine’s Day by going to see the Beverly Art Center’s production of Love Letters, A. R. Gurney’s classic tale of a lifelong romance maintained over letters. Part of Chicago Theatre Week 2020, the show is sure to add the theatrical flair your Valentine’s weekend was missing—and will maybe even get you writing letters instead of texting. (Michael Wasney) Radical Love
Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. Monday, February 17, 6pm–10pm. $29 general admission. (773) 772-7248. freestreet.org
All our welcome at Free Street Theater’s Radical Love, a soirée to celebrate the five decades that the organization has sought to bring inclusivity and accessibility to the Chicago theater scene. Attendees can enjoy beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres as they view the world premiere of the organization’s documentary, Free Street Theater: 50 Years of Joy & Justice. (Michael Wasney)
Devotional Forms: Films by Nathaniel Dorsky
Logan Center for the Arts, Screening Room 201, 915 E. 60th St. Friday, February 7, 7pm. Free. (773) 702-8596. filmstudiescenter. uchicago.edu
Catch some of the experimental filmmaking great Nathaniel Dorsky’s films when they come to the Logan Center for the Arts. Hours for Jerome (1982), Alaya (1987), and Triste (1996) will all be screened back to back. Fana of the artist— who notoriously resisted having his films digitized—will jump at the opportunity to view his hard-to-find earlier work. (Michael Wasney)
Yin He Dance: Lunar New Year Celebration Logan Center for the Arts, Performance Hall,
Don’t miss this Lunar New Year bash at the Logan Center for the Arts. New Year celebrants will have the chance to watch a variety of traditional Chinese dances and participate in hands-on activities. The whole family is sure to have a good time while ushering in the Year of the Rat. (Michael Wasney) Spoken Word Cafe the Musical
Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 S. Martin Luther King Dr. Thursday, February 15, doors 9am, show 10am. $25. VIP reception at 5pm. (773) 373-1900. bit.ly/spoken-wordcafe
Come watch Spoken Word Cafe the Musical, produced and directed by Jimalita Tillman and put on by Broadway in Bronzeville. The event will feature Khali B. Arthur’s Barnes Jr., Kiley “Analogue” Soul, and more. Come back in the evening to have a good time at the VIP reception. (Michael Wasney)
