ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Since being stuck inside, which shows have you been watching? Which movies? Have you read any good books lately? Any new music releases have you dancing in your living room? StreetWise vendors, readers and staff are sharing what is occupying their attention during this unprecedented time.

To be featured in a future edition, send your recommendations of what to do at home and why you love them to Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org

Art Outdoors!

‘Behold, Be Held’

"Behold, Be Held" uses the facades of The Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Drive), the neighboring Ethel M. Barber Theater, and the building of our community partner Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.) as an outdoor gallery. Reproductions of artworks from the Block Museum collection invite visitors to reflect on how art holds us through moments of crisis. These works capture gestures that we may have taken for granted prior to the pandemic, that we have missed dearly. The selection of works was guided by themes of self-care, self-authorship, and community. It also explores how subtle moments with others prepare and carry us on our journeys. Within these works, people hold each other through life changes, create spaces of sustenance, and raise their hands to declare “I am still here.” “Behold, Be Held” is a meditation and a prompt, asking: W.hat are you most in need of right now? On display through August 22. FREE.

M C A Event Returns!

Tuesdays on the Terrace: Thaddeus Tukes and the Chicago Freedom Ensemble

Summer Tuesdays come alive on the MCA’s Anne and John Kern Terrace Garden with free music highlighting artists from Chicago’s internationally renowned jazz community. Enjoy two sets of live music beginning at 5:30 p.m. hosted by Al Carter-Bey, WDCB 90.9 FM and Richton Guy Thomas, WHPK 88.5 FM, in a safe, sociallydistant outdoor environment. Free tickets must be reserved in advance. In case of inclement weather, the event will be canceled. Announcements will be made by 2 p.m. each week. Food and beverage are available for purchase on the upper terrace. Options on Tuesdays include light refreshments and a full bar with cold beverages, wine, and cocktails. Outside alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Masks are required for entry and must be worn at all times, except while seated. On June 8, enjoy music from Thaddeus Tukes and the Chicago Freedom Ensemble.

Innovative Performance!

Paramodernities, night #1

Paramodernities offers an utterly unique hybrid of academic conference, dance performance, and town hall gathering, presented by the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. The series weaves theory and performance into a brain-tickling journey. With equal parts reverence and violence, choreographer Netta Yerushalmy and a cast of 20 dancers and scholars, ranging in age from 21 to 69, perform responses to iconic works from artists ranging from Bob Fosse to Alvin Ailey. Paramodernities was named as one of the “20 Top Works of the Last 20 Years” by Dance Magazine. Thursday, June 10, 8:30 - 9:30 p.m., Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St. FREE, no reservations required. Wear a mask and bring your own blanket!

Green Thumbs!

Get Growing! Expo

Get Growing! Expo offers educational workshops and interactive gardening exhibits and plant shopping. The Get Growing Foundation offers its second Get Growing! Expo presented by Wintrust Bank at Stone Temple Baptist Church, 3607 W. Douglas Blvd., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily Friday, June 11 – Sunday, June 13. Designed to attract a blossoming gardening audience as well as seasoned gardeners, the nonprofit organization’s events feature free educational classes and make-n-take workshops rotating on the hour, 10 inspirational and themed garden vignette displays and Plant Truck Chicago, a mobile plant boutique raising funds for the foundation through the on-site sale of plants. FREE.

New Choreography!

The Music of Black Voices

Six choreographers join forces with Ballet Chicago Studio Company dancers and the superb young musicians of Merit School of Music - a longtime Harris Theater education partner - to reflect on the arc of history and contributions of Black composers and musicians. These six brief ballets should be viewed not only as works of their time, but also as works of dance relevant beyond today. Available for streaming starting at June 8 at 2 p.m. at harristheaterchicago.org

Keep Dancing!

Wave Wall Wax at Navy Pier

Jam out to free outdoor DJ performances every Saturday afternoon this summer. This live DJ music summer series will take place every Saturday afternoon at 5 - 7 p.m. at the Wave Wall Performance Platform through Labor Day weekend. The program features Chicago’s top DJs in house and dance music, including Selah Say on June 12. FREE.

Musical Theater!

'The New Classics: Songs from the New Golden Age of Musical Theater'

Lyric Opera of Chicago announces "The New Classics: Songs from the New Golden Age of Musical Theater," a virtual cabaret starring Broadway’s Gavin Creel (pictured), Nikki Renée Daniels, and Norm Lewis, plus Amanda Castro, Jenn Gambatese, Jo Lampert, and Heath Saunders, with David Chase as music director and featuring members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra. This cabaret will premiere on Thursday, June 10 at 7 p.m. for FREE to audiences on Lyric’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

Lunch & Learn!

Lunch and Learn: Mandela and Anne Frank

Hear a special presentation by Marlene Bethlehem, the first woman to be elected as national chairperson of the South African Board of Deputies. Bethlehem served as chair of the Anne Frank in the World Exhibition and traveled with Nelson Mandela to Israel on his visit to Yad Vashem. Bethlehem will be in conversation with her daughter-in-law, Emilia Potenza, curator of exhibitions & education, Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg South Africa. June 10, noon, FREE. Register at ilholocaustmuseum.org

In-Person Dance Performance!

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre Performance

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre is a multicultural company that creates new dance and music to explore strong personal narratives. The show is appropriate for all ages and will be about 75 minutes long. The audience will experience some of the new 2020-2021 work that is a reflection and response to the pandemic and racial injustice movement. This is an in-person event at 7:30 p.m. June 12 at Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. For tickets and more information, visit beverlyartcenter.org

Pride Special Event!

‘Breaking Fast’ Conversation

Mo is a heartbroken, practicing Muslim doctor in West Hollywood when he meets tall, all-American Kal – who offers to break fast and eat with him during Ramadan. Join Silk Road Rising Co-founder and Co-Executive Artistic Director Jamil Khoury in a conversation with the rom-com’s writer/director Mike Mosallam, along with cast members and film snippets. Mosallam is a queer Arab-Muslin filmmaker based in California. June 12, 2 p.m. RSVP required for Zoom link at silkroadrising.org.

-Compiled by Dave Hamilton