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

Celebrate Chicagoans

Making History Awards

The Chicago History Museum will host the virtual 26th annual Making History Awards at 6 p.m. CST on Tuesday, October 6, from the Chicago History Museum YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/ChicagoHistoryMuseum). This year, it celebrates the accomplishments of seven distinguished honorees who have left their mark on Chicago. Join them as they share each of their unique stories and hear from esteemed colleagues on the importance of their contributions to our community. We will also hear from Chicago History Museum leadership and take a look inside the Museum’s current initiatives, exhibitions, and educational programs. Be sure to stay tuned to the end for a special surprise!

Laugh Out Loud!

45 Plays for America's First Ladies

"45 Plays for America’s First Ladies" is a Neo-Lab commission that serves as a companion piece to the acclaimed Neo-Futurist production "43 Plays for 43 Presidents" (originally produced in 2004 and remounted in 2012). Focusing this time on the women who served in the role of First Lady, it is a chronological series of 1 to 5-minute plays over the course of 90 minutes that adopt a variety of shapes, tones and theatrical conventions, in traditional Neo-Futurist style. Rather than presenting a purely biographical story, the project uses the “honorary” office of First Lady as a lens to examine the roles that women and other marginalized individuals have played in the development of America. The production features ensemble members from the Chicago, New York and San Francisco Neo-Futurists under the direction of Denise Yvette Serna, and is written by Neo-Futurists alumni Andy Bayiates, Bilal Dardai, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Sharon Greene and Chloe Johnston. Live-streamed performances of "45 Plays for America’s First Ladies" run Oct. 8, 9 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. with a full digital recording available for online viewing Oct. 13 through Nov. 2. Tickets are now on sale for $15. For more information, visit neofuturists.org.

Art Outside!

Paint Southport

Join Spectra Fine Art from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 10 on the Southport Corridor between Grace and Waveland Streets for “Paint Southport," as some of Chicago’s best artists paint along the sidewalk. A map to galleries, local vendors and artist booths will be available at Bombastic Café, 3732 N. Southport. Attendees will be required to wear masks and to maintain social distancing. “Maintaining a vibrant economy by increasing foot traffic to local businesses and neighborhood promotion remains at the forefront of everything we do,” said Nicole McLellan, community development manager of the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce. “Although COVID-19 has changed the landscape of events, we are thrilled that these unique programs can continue in a socially distanced way so more people can continue to enjoy our thriving neighborhood.”

Get in a Groove!

Tips for electronic music production

A virtual event for people who are interested in coming together and sharing ideas about making electronic music is coming up! This virtual event will take place on Thursday, October 8 at 6 p.m. The organizers ask that you be willing to turn on your video for the event. This event is intended to simulate a group conversation. Learn more at https:// www.meetup.com/Chicago-Electronic-Music-Producers-Meetup/events/jkwqsrybcnblb/

Time Travel!

Decision 1920: A Return to "Normalcy"

In this free Newberry Library exhibition, you are a voter faced with making an important choice in a moment of profound change. A global war followed by a worldwide pandemic brought the United States into a closer relationship with the rest of the world. On the home front, national prohibition and women’s suffrage campaigns have reached their end. Unrest surrounding race, immigration, and the economy continue to highlight persistent challenges dating to the founding of the republic. Voters -- What direction do you choose? Forward into a new decade or a return to the United States at the beginning of the 20th century? Learn about the issues, meet the candidates, experience the campaigns, cast your ballot. Decision 1920 offers a choice where the stakes are big and the consequences real. The exhibition is free and open to the public Tuesday - Friday, 12 - 4 p.m. through November 25. Face masks are required at all times. Social distancing is required. For groups of 3-6 people, please email exhibitions@newberry.org to schedule your visit at least one day in advance. Newberry Library is located at 60 W. Walton St. Phone: (312) 943-9090.

Art with Heart

YOU BE MY ALLY

The University of Chicago (UChicago) will debut a new public art commission by world-renowned artist and alumna Jenny Holzer “YOU BE MY ALLY,” premiering October 5 on the UChicago campus and worldwide through a web-based augmented reality app. The text-based artwork is Holzer’s first augmented reality (AR) project using virtual projections in the United States and her first work created in collaboration with the university’s students and faculty. “YOU BE MY ALLY” features 29 excerpts from historically significant readings from UChicago’s Core curriculum, including works by distinguished writers W. E. B. Du Bois, Helen Keller, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Friedrich Nietzsche, Plato, Mary Shelley, and Virginia Woolf. The title of the project itself is an excerpt from “If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho,” a translation by classicist Anne Carson that is among the Core readings. Viewers can access a free, web-based AR app to virtually project and animate these texts on the facades of architecturally significant UChicago buildings. In addition, app users will be able to project the title quote onto their surroundings anywhere in the world. On October 30, additional quotations will become available to project anywhere. Text selections from the Core curriculum will also be featured on LED trucks driving throughout the UChicago campus, South Side, and downtown communities October 5 and 6, bringing the experience to diverse audiences in an unexpected manner. Another component of Holzer’s work will incorporate original texts in support of nonpartisan get-out-thevote efforts. They will be displayed on LED trucks driven throughout the city on October 24 and 30. Visit arts.uchicago.edu to learn more and download the app.

German History!

“The Rocket’s Red Glare”

Raised in Cologne, Germany, and now based in Chicago, Barbara Diener explores the complicated legacy of Wernher von Braun in “The Rocket’s Red Glare” at DANKHaus German American Cultural Center. Von Braun was a German scientist who developed the V2 rocket for the Nazis and was brought to the United States after the war under the controversial Operation Paperclip, a government initiative to secure and extract German scientists. Diener’s photographs follow von Braun’s life in Huntsville, Alabama, where he developed the Saturn V, the rocket used to travel to the moon. Rather than presenting a complete view of this complex part of German-American history—classified for decades—"The Rocket’s Red Glare” poses questions. How has von Braun’s history been passed on through generations? How are facts distorted, embellished, and undermined? Viewers are invited to draw their own connections. The exhibit runs through October 23 in the 4th floor gallery of the DANKHaus, located at 4740 N. Western Ave. To make this exhibit as COVID-19-safe as possible, advance registration is required with rosa@dankhaus.com There is a suggested $5 donation. Full information and registration page can be found at www.dankhaus.com/events