Soprano Tessan-Maria Lehmussari has been named this year’s Jenny Lind Scholar of the Royal Swedish Musical Academy and Folkets Hus & Parker in Sweden. With this, this large scholarship is re-launched in a new collaboration during the celebration of Jenny Lind’s 200th anniversary in 2020. ”I feel extremely honored and touched to have been selected […]
Join OPEN Center for the Arts as we celebrate our 8th anniversary with an open house. Free and open to the public, come by the gallery as we remember the creativity that has filled the last 8 years and dream about what is still to come! An evening of music, friends, and all around good […]
As part of the International Latino Cultural Center's year-round programming, The Reel Film Club features the most popular films from past Chicago Latino Film Festival editions. The event opens with a networking reception followed by the film presentation and concludes with a discussion. Each presentation highlights a specific country and takes place at Instituto Cervantes. […]
Learn about the Swedish heritage in Andersonville Chicago with a guided tour led by the Swedish American Museum. Cost is $7 per person and includes admission to the Museum and a copy of the walking tour booklet. Members pay $1 for the booklet. Guided tours will start and end at the Museum on last Thursday […]
Enjoy summertime Chi with our annual Film in the Park/Cine en el Parque! In partnership with the Chicago Park District, the series runs family-friendly films projected on large screens in various citywide parks for FREE. The goal is to bring Latino films to various communities in Chicago to showcase diverse storytelling and talent. All films […]
The LAWNDALE Block Party hosted by Sinai Chicago is meant to bring people from North Lawndale and South Lawndale together to promote Wellness and Unity in our community. The event is FREE and open to the community! We invite you to join us on July 9th from 10am to 2pm at Ogden Commons Parking Lot […]
Organizers: OPEN Center for the Arts, Sinai Chicago
We will have 10 Cooks compete in our First Annual Fritura Cook-Off. Our Special Guest Judges will be Boricua Influencers Ivelissa, Omi and Rebeca. We will have a meet and greet with them prior to the Cook-Off. (Just in case you did not know, Frituras are Puerto Rican fried foods that you could easily eat […]
Organizers: The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
Join us for a family-friendly art project in creating a community Haitian flag! Come learn about the history and significance of Haiti's flags, with a presentation by Historian William Leslie Balan-Gaubert and create a piece of a soon-to-be flag with Haitian, Chicago Artist Cindy Lys! Special thanks to the Hyde Park Art Center for hosting […]
Artist Discussion and Q&A with Mohegan Director, Playwright, and Actor, Madeline Sayet Join us on Sunday, July 10 at 6:00 p.m. as we welcome award-winning Mohegan director, writer, actor, and educator Madeline Sayet to the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian. We invite you to this in-person conversation and Q&A to celebrate Sayet’s work and the production of […]
Organizers: Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
Through a generous grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC) was able to hire a Collection Specialist, Eve Mangurten, to catalog the museum's Haitian-specific Collection of art and artifacts. Join HAMOC and Eve in two events: July 12: Presentation - Learn about Eve's process of cataloging the […]
Enjoy summertime Chi with our annual Film in the Park/Cine en el Parque! In partnership with the Chicago Park District, the series runs family-friendly films projected on large screens in various citywide parks for FREE. The goal is to bring Latino films to various communities in Chicago to showcase diverse storytelling and talent. All films […]
¿Sabías? Los camaleones cambian el color de su piel por una variedad de razones, ¡pero no para mezclarse con su entorno! ¡Únase a nosotros mientras exploramos más sobre los camaleones con nuestros amigos de Lincoln Park Zoo! Contáctese aquí: https://bit.ly/ArtecitoCamaleo ____________________________________ Did you know? Chameleons change their skin color for a variety of reasons- but […]
Through a generous grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC) was able to hire a Collection Specialist, Eve Mangurten, to catalog the museum's Haitian-specific Collection of art and artifacts. Join HAMOC and Eve in two events: July 12: Presentation - Learn about Eve's process of cataloging the […]
Thank you for joining us for the 8th Annual Gathering of Veterans, which honors all veterans and military personnel of all cultures, eras and branches in a Native Way that is open to all. This event is a 3-day event that will be held from Friday, July 15th to Sunday, July 17th at Cantigny Park […]
A three-person exhibition featuring new and recent works from Chicago-based artists Ajmal ‘Mas Man’ Millar, Lola Ayisha Ogbara, and R. Treshawn Williamson exploring homeplace through sculpture, self-imaging, & materialism. …of the land: acts of refusal and ratification features new and recent works from Chicago-based artists Ajmal ‘Mas Man’ Millar, Lola Ayisha Ogbara, and R. Treshawn Williamson […]
A three-person exhibition featuring new and recent works from Chicago-based artists Ajmal ‘Mas Man’ Millar, Lola Ayisha Ogbara, and R. Treshawn Williamson exploring homeplace through sculpture, self-imaging, & materialism. …of the land: acts of refusal and ratification features new and recent works from Chicago-based artists Ajmal ‘Mas Man’ Millar, Lola Ayisha Ogbara, and R. Treshawn Williamson […]
Dance Styles of Palenque Traditional Dance Dance in San Basilio de Palenque is an artistic and cultural activity where the people of Palenque express feelings emotions and basic sentiments of everyday life. Themes and styles covered: A brief explanation of the traditional dance Styles of dance: El Mapale Cumbia Culebra Catalina El pavo The traditional […]
Renowned physician, scientist, and author, Dr. Azra Raza, recites a selection of Mirza Ghalib's powerful poetry. She translates and interprets the powerful lyrics in her very distinctive style that has endeared to her audiences all over the US and overseas.
Reading of poems by Afro-Puerto Rican writer Mayra Santos-Febres in dialogue with the Alejandro Salazar Quartet. This multimedia event will feature video projections by Jose Arturo Ballester Panelli. The Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center invites you to share with our resident artists and learn about the work of one of the most critically-acclaimed and influential […]
Save the date for our upcoming exhibit "Te Hokinga Mai, Return of the Ancestors" an exhibit honoring the 2007 repatriation of 14 Māori remains back to New Zealand. We will have a special preview showing at our 8th National Gathering Sunday, July 17th (registration here: https://bit.ly/Tng2022). The exhibition will be open to the public July 21st.
Since time immemorial, Chicago has been a meeting place for Native peoples. With words of wisdom, stories, and histories old and new, we expand traditions of performance with an evening of music, dance, and spoken word, featuring local artists in a program curated by Vincent Romero (Laguna Pueblo).
Organizers: Goodman Theatre, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
Join MALA for a fireside discussion centered on the leadership of women in the philanthropic and entrepreneurial space. Our special guest, Khitam Masoud, will sit down with MALA Co-Founder Zainab Khan to discuss her journey in philanthropy and social enterprise and share advice for other women navigating these fields. _______________ About Khit: Khit is a […]
Organizers: MALA: Muslim American Leadership Alliance
In collaboration with El Gran Festival Colombiano, we are excited to present "Viva Colombia" - Colombian Independence Day Concert as part of the Chicago Latino Music Series. Headlined by Ceferina Banquez, one of the most celebrated and recognized voices of Afro-Colombian music, the evening features the beautiful music of the plains of Colombia and Venezuela […]
Enjoy summertime Chi with our annual Film in the Park/Cine en el Parque! In partnership with the Chicago Park District, the series runs family-friendly films projected on large screens in various citywide parks for FREE. The goal is to bring Latino films to various communities in Chicago to showcase diverse storytelling and talent. All films […]
Livewire is your Open Mic platform to jam, tell us a story, act your heart out, enthrall with a verse, drop the mic... You bring the talent we’ll bring the cheers! You'll have 3 minutes for any kind of spoken word performance- poetry, storytelling, comedy, acting, essay reading, singing, and even music! Not ready to […]
The LAWNDALE Peace Party hosted by the MSRN Peace Committee is an event to bring people from North Lawndale and South Lawndale together to promote Peace, Love and Unity in our community. We invite you to join us on July 23rd from 11am to 2pm at Douglass Park (2950 W 19th St, Chicago) for an […]
The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in partnership with the Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and St. Kateri Center of Chicago Join us for an afternoon of summer fun featuring crafts, food, native artists, and so much more! Free with Regular Museum Admission; Mitchell Museum Members Free. Full Schedule of Events coming […]
Organizers: Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
As part of the International Latino Cultural Center's year-round programming, The Reel Film Club features the most popular films from past Chicago Latino Film Festival editions. The event opens with a networking reception followed by the film presentation and concludes with a discussion. Each presentation highlights a specific country and takes place at Instituto Cervantes. […]
Enjoy summertime Chi with our annual Film in the Park/Cine en el Parque! In partnership with the Chicago Park District, the series runs family-friendly films projected on large screens in various citywide parks for FREE. The goal is to bring Latino films to various communities in Chicago to showcase diverse storytelling and talent. All films […]
¡Los caballos tienen 10 músculos diferentes en las orejas y esto les permite girar casi 180 grados! ¡Únase a nosotros mientras exploramos más sobre los caballos con nuestros amigos en Lincoln Park Zoo! Contáctese aquí: https://bit.ly/ArtecitoCaballo ____________________________________ Horses have 10 different muscles in their ears and this allows them to rotate nearly 180 degrees! Join […]
" Isla que vuela" es una instalación fotográfica de José Arturo Ballester Panelli. Trabaja la geometría sagrada , escogiendo el hexágono, símbolo que representa el perpetuo movimiento de la creación y el camino que siguen los procesos de transformación a través de la renovación y el cambio. Ballesta Nueve escoge las chiringas, papelotes o cometas, […]
TIES is excited to announce DEVOURING EMPIRES, an evening of poetry by Demian DinéYazhi' @heterogeneoushomosexual and Joss Barton @ganjacum_! Join us Thursday, July 28 at 7 pm CDT for this virtual event hosted by TIES and @centernativefutures. Register for free at the link in our bio or bit.ly/devour7 _______________ Devouring Empires is a Trans, Non-Binary, and […]
The Museum is taking part in the Andersonville Sidewalk Sale. Participating businesses from 4800 to 5800 N. Clark St. and the adjacent side streets will expand their storefronts to line the sidewalks with summer sales, bargain antiques, one-of-a-kind merchandise, fashion apparel and local treasures. The Museum Tantalizing Treasure Sale will stretch from the sidewalk into […]
Chicago’s most popular used-book sale is back! Browse through thousands of books in dozens of genres, including fiction, philosophy, history, art, cooking, children’s literature, and much, much more. With many items priced at $3 or less, you can stock up on new reads and expand your own personal library on the cheap. Admission is free. […]
Pop by the Museum today or tomorrow for fika in our main gallery space on the first floor. Enjoy some Swedish coffee and cinnamon rolls while you relax and enjoy the photos of famous Blues musicians taken by Hans Ekestang or go outside and sit in our courtyard. We will be having weekly Pop-Up Cafés […]
Chicago’s most popular used-book sale is back! Browse through thousands of books in dozens of genres, including fiction, philosophy, history, art, cooking, children’s literature, and much, much more. With many items priced at $3 or less, you can stock up on new reads and expand your own personal library on the cheap. Admission is free. […]
The Museum is taking part in the Andersonville Sidewalk Sale. Participating businesses from 4800 to 5800 N. Clark St. and the adjacent side streets will expand their storefronts to line the sidewalks with summer sales, bargain antiques, one-of-a-kind merchandise, fashion apparel and local treasures. The Museum Tantalizing Treasure Sale will stretch from the sidewalk into […]
Pop by the Museum today or tomorrow for fika in our main gallery space on the first floor. Enjoy some Swedish coffee and cinnamon rolls while you relax and enjoy the photos of famous Blues musicians taken by Hans Ekestang or go outside and sit in our courtyard. We will be having weekly Pop-Up Cafés […]
Chicago’s most popular used-book sale is back! Browse through thousands of books in dozens of genres, including fiction, philosophy, history, art, cooking, children’s literature, and much, much more. With many items priced at $3 or less, you can stock up on new reads and expand your own personal library on the cheap. Admission is free. […]
The Museum is taking part in the Andersonville Sidewalk Sale. Participating businesses from 4800 to 5800 N. Clark St. and the adjacent side streets will expand their storefronts to line the sidewalks with summer sales, bargain antiques, one-of-a-kind merchandise, fashion apparel and local treasures. The Museum Tantalizing Treasure Sale will stretch from the sidewalk into […]
Enjoy summertime Chi with our annual Film in the Park/Cine en el Parque! In partnership with the Chicago Park District, the series runs family-friendly films projected on large screens in various citywide parks for FREE. The goal is to bring Latino films to various communities in Chicago to showcase diverse storytelling and talent. All films […]
Join the Japanese American Service Committee for a free screening event on Thursday, August 4th, 6:00-7:30 p.m.! Our amazing Legacy Center interns will be premiering their audio and video projects as a culmination of their eight-week experience at JASC. Come to meet these talented young people, learn what resonated with them in the Legacy Center’s […]
Pop by the Museum today or tomorrow for fika in our main gallery space on the first floor. Enjoy some Swedish coffee and cinnamon rolls while you relax and enjoy the photos of famous Blues musicians taken by Hans Ekestang or go outside and sit in our courtyard. We will be having weekly Pop-Up Cafés […]
Through experiential art installations “Unbearable Memories, Unspeakable Histories” investigates the Partition of India in 1947. This year marks 75 years since the Partition of India in 1947, which created Pakistan, and eventually, Bangladesh in 1971. Pritika Chowdhry’s experiential art installations are temporary 'anti-memorials' to the Partition. Often described as the Holocaust of South Asia, the […]
The LAWNDALE Arts Festival hosted by the NLCCC Arts and Culture Committee is a festival to bring artists and entrepreneurs from North Lawndale and South Lawndale together to showcase the Culture, Commitment and Creativity in our community. We invite you to join us on August 6th from 11am to 7pm at Douglass Park Community and […]
All are welcome to join residents, families and staff on Saturday, August 6th for our 106th Annual Summer Picnic. Live music, food, Highland Dancing, bagpipes, kids games and much more!
Pop by the Museum today or tomorrow for fika in our main gallery space on the first floor. Enjoy some Swedish coffee and cinnamon rolls while you relax and enjoy the photos of famous Blues musicians taken by Hans Ekestang or go outside and sit in our courtyard. We will be having weekly Pop-Up Cafés […]
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.