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

Trailblazing Women!

Chicago Avant-Garde: Five Women Ahead of Their Time

This new gallery at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., celebrates five Chicago women who took radical risks to benefit their lives and their art between the 1930s and the 1950s. Given the political and social context of the time, the exhibit explains how artist Gertrude Abercrombie, poet Gwendolyn Brooks, choreographers Katherine Dunham and Ruth Page, and dealer-curator Katharine Kuh turned contemporary challenges into inspiration, be it racial segregation and violence, anti-communist rhetoric, sexism, or the Great Depression. The gallery experience includes a catalog filled with photographs and essays to help detail the lives and work of these women. Admission is free for the public and the show runs from September 10 through December 30, Tuesdays - Fridays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturdays noon - 4 p.m. More information can be found at newberry.org/chicago-avant-garde-exhibition.

US History!

'Thirteen Days'

Join City Lit Theater Company, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., for the premier of the stage adaptation of Robert F. Kennedy’s Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis “Thirteen Days.” City Lit received permission to incorporate transcripts of John F. Kennedy’s strategy sessions from the 13 days following the discovery of Soviet missiles pointed at the US in Cuba. The show tells the story of how JFK navigated conflicting counsel on military response during this tense era of the Cold War. As with many of City Lit’s productions, the cast will be a diverse ensemble of women performing a story that originally consisted only of white men. The show runs September 10 through October 24 and showtimes vary by day. For more information or to reserve tickets (beginning at $28 with discounts for students and seniors), go to citylit.org. Full vaccination is required for attendance.

Good Reads!

36th Annual Printers Row Lit Fest

Presented by the Near South Planning Board, the Printers Row Lit Fest is coming to Dearborn between Polk and Ida B. Wells this Saturday and Sunday, September 11 & 12, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. This event is the largest free outdoor literary showcase in the Midwest and it’s complete with all sorts of attractions for readers of all ages including readings by national and local authors, writing workshops, and other live performances and interactive activities as well as food and music! Programming for the festival spans all genres, so there’s something for everyone. A full schedule as well as other information and guidelines is available at printersrowlitfest.org.

Cool as Ice!

Free Summer Screening - 'The Ice King'

The Chicago International Film festival is back with another virtual summer movie! "The Ice King" tells the story of John Curry, the first openly gay Olympian. The sport? Figure skating! Curry took to the ice again and again blending traditional techniques of the sport with softer elements of modern dance and ballet. The film brings together archival video footage with more current commentary from friends and experts into a thorough overview of Curry’s art and impact. This FREE film experience will be available to stream beginning at 6:30 p.m. on September 8, with a 24-hour watch window. Register online at chicagofilmfestival.com/film/the-ice-king.

Sassy Comedy!

Femmes the Rules

Come to the Lincoln Lodge, 2040 N. Milwaukee Ave., on September 8 at 8 p.m., for a night of comedy with a unique twist! Los Angeles-based comedians Sammy Mowrey (Adult Swim [pictured]) and Bailey Norton (Reductress) host this show where female and nonbinary comedians are paired with male comedians and the men get interrupted - all in good fun, of course. During the male comedian’s set, his counterpart can interrupt him with jokes, commentary, and arbitrary strikes. Three strikes and he’s out and the female/nonbinary comedians get to take over and do their set uninterrupted! Tickets are only $5, so get them while you can through eventbrite.com.

Chicago History!

Book Talk: Chicago, an Illustrated Timeline

Join Chicago Architecture Center Director Hallie Rosen at noon on September 8 for a virtual discussion of Ellen Schubart’s book “Chicago, an Illustrated Timeline” as she details the rise of Chicago into the metropolis we see today. Schubart’s work follows Chicago’s evolution, beginning with first settlement on Potawatomi communities, through its time as a more simple midwestern outpost, all the way through to its standing as a modern megacity. Complete with comprehensive illustrations and photography, this book and Zoom conversation is a perfect option for anyone interested in Chicago’s political, economic, and architectural history. Admission is free for CAC members and $8 for the general public at www.architecture.org/programs-events/ detail/book-talk-chicago-an-illustrated-timeline.

Photojournalist Impact!

Through the Lens of Arthur Rothstein: Beyond Shanghai

The Illinois Holocaust Museum presents a virtual educational program about the life and legacy of Arthur Rothstein, a photojournalist widely recognized for his coverage of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. He also headed a lesser-known project photographing a Jewish refugee community in Shanghai during World War II. The virtual program will explore this project within the context of Rothstein’s career at large. Come history buffs, come journalists, come photographers for this unforgettable presentation of a long-forgotten gallery of work. It will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on September 9 by Rothstein’s daughter and her husband, who has a history in urban planning and affordable housing work. Register for FREE at ilholocaustmuseum.org/events.

A Bronzville Landmark tour!

Wabash YMCA Historic Tour

The Wabash YMCA at 3763 S. Wabash Ave. is regarded as the birthplace of Black History Month and lauded more generally as an important center for community and economic progress for African Americans in Bronzeville for over 50 years. Given the location's historical and cultural significance, The Renaissance Collaborative is offering FREE tours of the facilities on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at 10:30 a.m., complete with vintage photos and newspapers to provide historical context for the building’s importance. Reservations must be made at least a day in advance, and though admission is free, there is a suggested donation of $20 to help support The Renaissance Collaborative’s community work and programming. More information is available on the eventbrite.com.

Free Concert!

Baroque in the Park

Music of the Baroque (MOB) is celebrating 50 years of orchestral music with this outdoor concert at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St. Bring your family and friends to the Great Lawn September 10 at 6:30 p.m. to hear the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra perform testaments to the era. The program includes Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks,” Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” and the Baroqueinspired “Spectacle of Light” by Chicago-based composer Stacy Garrop, specially commissioned for MOB’s 50th anniversary. Ifetayo Ali-Landing will also be making her MOB debut with the final movement of Haydn's “Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major,” making this show a wonderful celebration of new and established Chicago talent! Admission is free for the general public. To learn more about the show, go to baroque.org/BITP2021, and to learn more about guidelines for attending concerts in Millennium Park, visit chicago.gov.

-Compiled by Audrey Champelli