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20 events found.

Cultural Festivals and Fairs

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  • February 2024

  • Sat 17
    February 17, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

    2024 Argyle Lunar New Year Celebration

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Chinese Museum Aid Association 1016 W. Argyle St., Chicago

    TimeLine Theatre - Year of the Dragon Exhibit Saturday, February 17th, 12:00pm - 4:00pm CMAA, 1016 W. Argyle St. FREE Join TimeLine Theatre at the CMAA for a journey through the historical highlights of past years of the Dragon - with dramaturgy by Irene Hsiao, Resident Artist at the Heritage Museum of Asian Art - and reflect […]

    Free
  • Thu 22
    Featured February 22, 2024 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts

    UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Exhibitions and Gallery Events

    Homes Away From Home: Black Students’ Activism and Belonging at U of I Thursday, February 1st Bus Departs: 12 pm Bus Returns: by 12 am Sign up: https://go.uic.edu/homeaway This is a FREE trip to the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) to learn more about our Cultural Centers, connect with students from UIS and the University […]

  • Wed 28
    Featured February 28, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts

    UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Exhibitions and Gallery Events

    Homes Away From Home: Black Students’ Activism and Belonging at U of I Thursday, February 1st Bus Departs: 12 pm Bus Returns: by 12 am Sign up: https://go.uic.edu/homeaway This is a FREE trip to the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) to learn more about our Cultural Centers, connect with students from UIS and the University […]

  • Thu 29
    Featured February 29, 2024 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts

    UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Exhibitions and Gallery Events

    Homes Away From Home: Black Students’ Activism and Belonging at U of I Thursday, February 1st Bus Departs: 12 pm Bus Returns: by 12 am Sign up: https://go.uic.edu/homeaway This is a FREE trip to the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) to learn more about our Cultural Centers, connect with students from UIS and the University […]

  • March 2024

  • Tue 12
    March 12, 2024 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm

    Get Lit: Pub Night

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Food and Drink
    American Writers Museum 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Raise your glasses and don your finest green attire because we're bringing the heart and soul of Irish pubs to life at this month’s Get Lit! At this event, we’re celebrating the works of Irish-American writers and the stories told every day in pubs across the country. Play a few rounds of classic Pub Trivia, […]

  • Sun 17
    March 17, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

    St. Patrick’s Day 2024 with The Screaming Orphans this March!

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Music, Film, and Theater
    Irish American Heritage Center 4626 N. Knox Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this unbelievable show! Chicago favorites The Screaming Orphans will be in the Mayfair Theatre at the Irish American Heritage Center on Sunday, March 17th! Screaming Orphans, a genre-breaking, chart topping all sister band from Donegal, Ireland, are known worldwide for their award-winning sound, combining their original pop songs with a […]

  • Sat 23
    March 23, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

    Easter Delight: Pisanki Workshop at the PMA

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Workshops and Classes
    Polish Museum of America 984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    Easter is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than by diving into the beautiful tradition of Pisanki, or Polish egg decorating! Join us on Saturday, March 23, 2024, for an immersive workshop led by the talented instructor Christine Frankowicz-Burd. During this two-hour session starting at 10:00 a.m., you'll learn the intricate […]

  • Sat 23
    March 23, 2024 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

    Holi at Kalapriya

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Dance

    Kalapriya welcomes you to celebrate the Indian festival of Colors, Love, and Spring on March 23, 2024 at the Chicago Women's Park & Garden. 5:00 PM | Doors Open 5:15 PM | Opening Performance Kalapriya Dancers Food and beverage service commences; Arts and Crafts table opens 5:45 PM | Dance Along! Kalapriya Dancers 6:00 PM […]

  • April 2024

  • Wed 10
    April 10, 2024 Arab American Heritage Month

    UIC Arab American Heritage Month April 2024 Programming

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Arab American Cultural Center UIC UIC 701 S Morgan, Chicago, IL, United States

    The Arab American Cultural Center is partnering with a diversity of institutions at UIC and outside to celebrate and educate about Arab American history, culture, diversity, joys, pains, and identities. At UIC, this year we are partnering with the Global Middle East Studies Working Group of the Institute for the Humanities, the Gender and Sexuality […]

  • Thu 11
    April 11, 2024 Arab American Heritage Month

    UIC Arab American Heritage Month April 2024 Programming

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Arab American Cultural Center UIC UIC 701 S Morgan, Chicago, IL, United States

    The Arab American Cultural Center is partnering with a diversity of institutions at UIC and outside to celebrate and educate about Arab American history, culture, diversity, joys, pains, and identities. At UIC, this year we are partnering with the Global Middle East Studies Working Group of the Institute for the Humanities, the Gender and Sexuality […]

  • Mon 15
    April 15, 2024 Arab American Heritage Month

    UIC Arab American Heritage Month April 2024 Programming

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Arab American Cultural Center UIC UIC 701 S Morgan, Chicago, IL, United States

    The Arab American Cultural Center is partnering with a diversity of institutions at UIC and outside to celebrate and educate about Arab American history, culture, diversity, joys, pains, and identities. At UIC, this year we are partnering with the Global Middle East Studies Working Group of the Institute for the Humanities, the Gender and Sexuality […]

  • Tue 16
    April 16, 2024 Arab American Heritage Month

    UIC Arab American Heritage Month April 2024 Programming

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Arab American Cultural Center UIC UIC 701 S Morgan, Chicago, IL, United States

    The Arab American Cultural Center is partnering with a diversity of institutions at UIC and outside to celebrate and educate about Arab American history, culture, diversity, joys, pains, and identities. At UIC, this year we are partnering with the Global Middle East Studies Working Group of the Institute for the Humanities, the Gender and Sexuality […]

  • Wed 17
    April 17, 2024 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Arab American Heritage Month

    Arab American Heritage Month Storytime and Craft

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Field Museum 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, United States

    For this week's PlayLab PlayDate, families with 2-6 year olds are invited to a free, drop-in storytime session hosted by the Arab American Cultural Center and the Chicago Public Library. Zeina Zaatari, Director of the Arab American Cultural Center, will lead this interactive, bilingual storytime session featuring books and crafts honoring Arab American Heritage Month. […]

  • Wed 24
    April 24, 2024 Arab American Heritage Month

    UIC Arab American Heritage Month April 2024 Programming

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Arab American Cultural Center UIC UIC 701 S Morgan, Chicago, IL, United States

    The Arab American Cultural Center is partnering with a diversity of institutions at UIC and outside to celebrate and educate about Arab American history, culture, diversity, joys, pains, and identities. At UIC, this year we are partnering with the Global Middle East Studies Working Group of the Institute for the Humanities, the Gender and Sexuality […]

  • Sun 28
    April 28, 2024 Arab American Heritage Month

    UIC Arab American Heritage Month April 2024 Programming

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Arab American Cultural Center UIC UIC 701 S Morgan, Chicago, IL, United States

    The Arab American Cultural Center is partnering with a diversity of institutions at UIC and outside to celebrate and educate about Arab American history, culture, diversity, joys, pains, and identities. At UIC, this year we are partnering with the Global Middle East Studies Working Group of the Institute for the Humanities, the Gender and Sexuality […]

  • May 2024

  • Sat 18
    May 18, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    APIDA Arts at HAIBAYÔ, Argyle AANHPI Block Party

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs

    Get ready to celebrate AAPI Heritage month this May. This year, APIDA Arts is participating in an indoor/outdoor mini-festival at the recently revamped plant and gift shop Qideas (1134 W. Argyle), in collaboration with HAIBAYÔ, an organization centered on energizing the Asia on Argyle corridor of Uptown. We'll be producing a musical cabaret, featuring local […]

  • Sat 18
    May 18, 2024 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

    A Springtime Musical Cabaret

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Music, Film, and Theater

    Argyle Street, at the center of Chicago's premiere Southeast Asian business and entertainment district, will play host to a one-day event on Saturday, May 18 to celebrate Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. The inaugural "Argyle AANHPI Block Party" will bring vendors, artists, cultural organizations, and people together in celebration of the […]

  • Sun 19
    May 19, 2024 @ 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

    American Writers Festival

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    American Writers Museum 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Join us as writers from around the country and across genres and disciplines converge in Chicago to celebrate the power of the written word and the joys of reading. The Festival will feature in depth conversations with diverse writers including sci-fi authors, game writers and designers, journalists and poets. From labor history to true crime […]

  • June 2024

  • Thu 6
    June 6, 2024 @ 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm Chicago’s Puerto Rican Festival 2024

    Chicago’s Puerto Rican Festival 2024

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Division & California Entrance of Humboldt Park Division St & California Ave, Chicago, IL

    Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas will traditionally be held on the beautiful grounds of Humboldt Park located in “Puerto Rico Town” on Division Street where the Annual Puerto Rican Day People’s Parade will take place. After the parade, you will flow right into the Festival & Carnival and continue the festivities! About the Event June 6-9 in […]

    $10 – $20
  • Fri 7
    June 7, 2024 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Chicago’s Puerto Rican Festival 2024

    Chicago’s Puerto Rican Festival 2024

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Division & California Entrance of Humboldt Park Division St & California Ave, Chicago, IL

    Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas will traditionally be held on the beautiful grounds of Humboldt Park located in “Puerto Rico Town” on Division Street where the Annual Puerto Rican Day People’s Parade will take place. After the parade, you will flow right into the Festival & Carnival and continue the festivities! About the Event June 6-9 in […]

    $10 – $20
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J. Gibran Villalobos

Board Member

J. Gibran Villalobos is an arts administrator, educator, and cultural worker. He has served as Senior Program Officer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as the Interim Executive Director of the Chicago Artists Coalition, and faculty lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Previously, he has held posts as Assistant Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Partnerships and Community Engagement Manager for the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Cultural Liaison for the Chicago Park District, and Curator-in-Residence for the Chicago Cultural Center. In 2016 he attended the Advocacy Leadership Institute and was invited to the White House Office of Public Engagement, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to speak to issues affecting Latinos in Chicago. In 2017 he launched an inaugural summit of Latinx artists and administrators across the U.S; for this project he was awarded the Act Up Award by the Chicago Community Trust. His work has been presented at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano during the 2017 Havana Biennial. In 2019 he was an inaugural recipient of the Field Foundation’s Leaders for a New Chicago Award as well as the Americans for the Arts 2019 Leaders of Color Fellowship. In 2020, he joined the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy where he worked with government and nonprofit sector participants to think about effective policy for Chicago’s cultural industries. He helped establish the Auxiliary Board at the National Museum of Mexican Art. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Department of Arts Administration & Policy.

Gibran holds a BA in Art History and a BS in Public Relations from Northern Arizona University and an MA in Arts Administration & Policy and MA in Modern Art History & Theory from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

He has contributed to exhibitions such as Direct Message, presenting the artwork of Chicago artistic collectives and their relation to language and civic engagement. As part of an international project, he has convened the MCA Chicago with the Tate Modern, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Queens Museum and other institutions to create dialogue on civic engagement within contemporary art institutions. He has written catalog entries for Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Rodrigo Lara Zendejas, and Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford. In 2021, he is contributing to the upcoming retrospective on the work by artist Andrea Bowers focusing on the activism and archives of Emma Lozano. He is curator of the symposium Fractures: Creating Around Devastation focusing on water ecology, civic engagement, activism, and architecture.

Loreal Robertson

Board Member

Loreal Robertson is a native Chicagoan who recently returned home in 2021 where she began working at the University of Chicago. In her role she oversees and monitors a range of programs, services, and resources to support the retention, wellness, belonging, and success of graduate students. Additionally, her role includes informing strategic priorities, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, professional development, student advancement and the support of students who may be experiencing financial academic, or personal challenges, including students with disabilities and international students.

Loreal has over 10 years of experience in higher education and student affairs. In 2021 she received the Inclusion and Diversity Champion Award from Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), where she was previously employed. Loreal’s personal and professional philosophy is creating and promoting spaces and opportunities where everyone can see themselves as part of an experience and feels represented.

Loreal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from TAMUK.

Loreal is a financial and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, an avid reader, and enjoys traveling with family and friends.

Warren Frank

Treasurer

Warren Frank is a retired CPA and CFO, and current Adjunct Professor at Columbia College.

Warren worked at such CPA firms as KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte, and Not For Profit organizations as National Association of Realtors, Chicago Associations of Realtors, Anixter Center, and Chinese American Service League.

Warren is a Chicago resident in the Lakeview neighborhood. He attended Loyola University of Chicago for his bachelor degree and Northwestern University for his master degree.

Colleen McGaughey

Board Member

Colleen McGaughey (she/her) is the director of development at the National Public Housing Museum, where she leads the strategic direction of the museum’s fundraising efforts with a focus on creative and community-centric approaches.

Mario Longoni

Board Member

Mario Longoni is a cultural anthropologist (“Lead Environmental Social Scientist”) in the Keller Science Action Center at the Field Museum. For over 20 years, he has worked with individuals and organizations to surface and activate cultural and natural assets (specific strengths and characteristics) to help communities meet the challenges they face.

Rob Fojtik

Board Member
Rob Fojtik is Vice President for Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism and convention promotion bureau. In this capacity, Rob oversees efforts to promote and support Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods to visitors from near and far. Programs include the award-winning Neighborhood Content Creator program that leverages resident-made digital content, and Chicago Alfresco, a $2.5 million placemaking initiative created in partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation to transform public spaces into community plazas for outdoor enjoyment.

Before coming to Choose Chicago, Rob was a Senior Advisor to Mayor Lightfoot on economic development and international relations at City Hall, as well as LGTBQ+ affairs and the expanded outdoor dining program. In this role, he also worked to recommend and place over 150 civic leaders and residents onto City boards and commissions. Prior to government service in the Lightfoot administration, Rob ran her winning campaign in the crowded 2019 Chicago mayoral race as Chief of Staff. In past lives, Rob has worked as a public affairs manager for a Fortune 500 company downtown; had misadventures in management consulting, art sales, and personal cheffing; and spent time in Washington DC working for former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Rob also served a one-year appointment at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence as a policy advisor on Central and Eastern Europe. In this role, he was part of the NSC’s interagency process to develop a comprehensive sanctions regime on Russia as a consequence of its 2014 invasion of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.

After receiving his BA in Slavic Languages and Literature at Northwestern University, Rob lived and worked in the Czech Republic teaching English and tending bar before moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue a MA from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES). He enjoys cooking, learning foreign languages, hiking with his partner and their dog, and visiting Chicago’s many neighborhoods.

Paul Durica

Board Member

Dr. Paul Durica is the Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museums and worked in a similar capacity at The Newberry Library. From 2015-2020, he served as the Director of Programs and Exhibitions with Illinois Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Prior to that he drew upon his work as a writer, researcher, and teacher to produce a series of free and interactive talks, walks, and reenactments focused on narratives from Chicago’s past that resonate with its present.

These public history programs led to collaborations with cultural institutions in the city such as the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago History Museum, Newberry Library, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center among others.

Each program made use of both his original research and the skills of the arts organizations, community groups, local businesses, and publications that acted as my partners. Some of these programs, such as the full-scale reenactment of the Haymarket Affair in 2011, involved recruiting and directing over 300 volunteers and 1,000 participants.

To produce these programs successfully, he wrote grants; managed budgets; generated web content; worked closely with program partners of varying sizes and resources; and identified, engaged, and sustained a diverse multi-generational audience.

Lynessa Rico

Board Member

Dr. Lynessa M. Rico is the Associate Chair of the Business Psychology Department at the The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Chicago campus. She is also a business mentor at 1871.

Lynessa is a results-driven Strategic Consultant with over 25 years of experience enabling leaders to meet strategic business objectives by identifying and aligning business growth opportunities with strategic direction of culturally diverse organizations. By leveraging her strategic experience in identifying and impacting business growth opportunities and maximizing profits in retail firms and higher education institutions, Lynessa leads workshops focused on the creative mindset, women’s entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and the value and application of design thinking within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her services also include consulting with and educating leadership on emotional intelligence, the power of design thinking and the creative mindset, and leadership styles to support inclusive, creative workplaces. She has presented to leadership and innovation teams in small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 companies.

Lynessa received her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Management from Wichita State University. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in Business Administration from Wichita State University with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After earning her master’s degree, Lynessa received her doctorate in Business Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she successfully completed her dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Personality Types and Color Preference for Color Combinations.” Her current research interests include women’s entrepreneurship, design thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship self-efficacy.

Outside of work and research, Lynessa enjoys mentoring start-ups and judging pitch competitions. Lynessa currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with her four cats. She is an avid long-distance runner, having completed 5 full marathons (and counting), and enjoys watching musical theater.

Briana Thomas

Board Member

Briana Thomas is the Museum Associate at the Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education (a core member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance). She wears many hats including developing exhibition content, facilitating community programs (children and adults), liaising with visitor artists, and other responsibilities. Her previous experience in the nonprofit space includes her tenure as the Financial Empowerment Coordinator at AMERICORPS Sharing Life Center as well as engaging with the public at the Dallas Arboretum. Her past professional experience has remained rooted in marginalized communities. It is their needs, discourse and histories that she has routinely been tasked with protecting and showcasing in the face of poor infrastructure, and willing ignorance. Creating safe spaces is an ancestral practice she has inherited.