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20 events found.

Talks and Gatherings

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  2. Talks and Gatherings

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  • February 2024

  • Fri 9
    February 9, 2024 - February 11, 2024

    The Museum at Andersonville Fika Fest

    • Food and Drink
    • Talks and Gatherings
    Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, United States

    Join as we and other Andersonville businesses unite for food, warm beverages and shopping (coffee grounds in our Store will be 15% off!). There will be fun ways to become […]

  • Sat 10
    February 10, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am

    Scottish American History Forum

    • Talks and Gatherings
    Chicago Scots 2800 Des Plaines Ave, North Riverside, IL, United States

    Date: February 10 | 10:00 am - 11:30 am Location: Topic: The Burning Land: One Family’s Passage Through the Civil War and into the West  Speaker: David O. Stewart, Historian and […]

  • Wed 14
    February 14, 2024 @ 12:00 am

    German Citizenship Forum with the German Consulate

    • Talks and Gatherings
    DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Date: When Saturday, April 06, 2024 Time:   10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Location: Location DANK Haus Skyline Lounge, 6th Floor German Citizenship Forum with the German Consulate Saturday, April […]

  • Wed 14
    Featured February 14, 2024 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm Black History Month

    Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon at the Newberry

    • Talks and Gatherings
    Newberry Library 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    The Newberry Library and the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities (CTSDH) at Loyola University invite you to a birthday party for Frederick Douglass on February 14, 11am-2pm. Alongside […]

  • Fri 16
    February 16, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - February 17, 2024 @ 12:00 am Stammtisch Open Haus, Every 3rd Friday

    Stammtisch Open Haus, Every 3rd Friday

    • Food and Drink
    • Talks and Gatherings
    DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Feiern Sie mit uns! Our monthly Open Haus Stammtisch is a great way to meet new friends and enjoy a little Gemütlichkeit over some delicious German food and drink! Theme […]

  • Sun 18
    February 18, 2024 @ 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

    Immense Journeys: Art, Nature, Science and Beyond Artist Talk

    • Exhibitions and Gallery Events
    • Talks and Gatherings
    2320 W Chicago Ave 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    Join us Sunday, February 18th at 1:30 pm for Immense Journeys: Art, Nature, Science and Beyond Artist Talk with Melissa Jay Craig, Lisa A. Frank, and Anne Hughes. This artist […]

    Free
  • Mon 19
    February 19, 2024 @ 4:08 pm

    A Talk By Richard Tellstrom ONLINE Swedish Food History and Signature Dishes, Then and Now

    • Food and Drink
    • Online Events
    • Talks and Gatherings
    Online Event

    A broad exposé of what characterizes Swedish food culture in flavors, dishes and eating, both before the great American migration whit the spice roads to Sweden throughout history, and how […]

  • Sat 24
    February 24, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 4:30 pm

    Teotlecuilli Aztec Dance

    • Dance
    • Talks and Gatherings
    Trickster Cultural Center 190 S Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, IL, United States

    Teotlecuilli Aztec Dance invites all indigenous people, Aztec dancers, and followers of these beautiful teachings and traditions that commemorate the birth of Huey Tata Cuauhtémoc. May your sun shine brightly!

  • Sat 24
    February 24, 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

    万珺: 玉器入门讲座 Lecture by Jun Wan: “Intro to Jade”

    • Talks and Gatherings
    3500 S Morgan Street 3500 S Morgan St 3F, Chicago, IL, United States

    Jade holds profound significance in Asian culture, symbolizing purity, beauty, and status. Integral to rituals and art, jade's influence permeates Asian history, embodying spiritual and cultural values and signifying not […]

    $30 – $50
  • Sat 24
    February 24, 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Lunar New Year

    万珺: 玉器入门讲座 Lecture by Jun Wan: “Intro to Jade”

    • Talks and Gatherings
    Heritage Museum of Asian Art 3500 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL, United States

    讲座内容:玉器系列课程第一课(本次讲座为中文讲座) About the Lecture: Jade Series Lesson 1: Intro to Jade (Please note that this lecture is in Mandarin) 玉器入门 玉在世界艺术收藏中的地位 玉在中国文化历史中的特殊地位 玉的起源 什么是玉,玉和宝石的区别 玉质之美:玉料的形成和甄别 Intro to Jade Jade's status […]

  • Mon 26
    Featured February 26, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

    The First Black Archaeologist: John Wesley Gilbert

    • Talks and Gatherings
    Virtual Chicago, IL, United States

    Join NHM Online Discussions for an extraordinary evening with Professor John W.I. Lee from UC Santa Barbara as we delve into his groundbreaking biography, "The First Black Archaeologist: A Life […]

  • Wed 28
    February 28, 2024 @ 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

    Night of Ideas

    • Talks and Gatherings
    Chicago Architecture Center 111 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL, United States

    Night of Ideas: Outside the Lines - Shaping Narratives and Urban Futures Villa Albertine’s signature Night of Ideas will take place from February 24 to March 3 across 20 US cities. The event invites […]

    Free
  • Thu 29
    February 29, 2024 @ 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm

    NOTES FROM OUR COMMUNITY

    • Music, Film, and Theater
    • Talks and Gatherings
    • Workshops and Classes
    Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts 915 E 60th St., Chicago, IL, United States

    NOTES FROM OUR COMMUNITY is a series of events inspired by TimeLine’s production of Notes from the Field by Anna Deavere Smith. Join us at The Logan Center for a […]

    Free
  • March 2024

  • Sat 2
    March 2, 2024 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

    Community Insights: Awareness and Well-Being in the South Asian Community

    • Talks and Gatherings
    South Asia Institute 1925 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

    In South Asian communities, mental health issues are often swept under the rug. Because it is culturally stigmatizing to talk about one's feelings, some people are denied or have no […]

  • Wed 6
    March 6, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

    Chicago’s Most Endangered Buildings 2024

    • Talks and Gatherings
    Chicago Architecture Center 111 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL, United States

    Join the Chicago Architecture Center and Preservation Chicago as we reveal Chicago's 7 Most Endangered Buildings for 2024. Since 2003, the Chicago 7 Most Endangered has sounded the alarm on […]

    Free
  • Fri 8
    March 8, 2024 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

    Soup & Rice

    • Food and Drink
    • Talks and Gatherings
    Japanese American Services Committee 4427 N. Clark, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    The next Soup & Rice is on Friday, March 8, 2024, 6:00 – 8:00 pm. This will be our last Soup & Rice on Clark Street!  Come to JASC for […]

  • Sat 9
    March 9, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am

    Scottish American History Forum

    • Talks and Gatherings

    Date: March 9 | 10:00 am - 11:30 am Location: Topic: Ulster Scots, Princeton University and Founding of the University of North Carolina in1795: Role of William R. Davie, War Hero […]

  • Fri 15
    March 15, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - March 16, 2024 @ 12:00 am Stammtisch Open Haus, Every 3rd Friday

    Stammtisch Open Haus, Every 3rd Friday

    • Food and Drink
    • Talks and Gatherings
    DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Feiern Sie mit uns! Our monthly Open Haus Stammtisch is a great way to meet new friends and enjoy a little Gemütlichkeit over some delicious German food and drink! Theme […]

  • Sun 17
    March 17, 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

    Spotkanie z Regin? Wasiak-Taylor (Meet-the-Author with Regina Wasiak-Taylor)

    • Talks and Gatherings
    Polish Museum of America 984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    Biblioteka Muzeum Polskiego w Ameryce serdecznie zaprasza na spotkanie z Reginą Wasiak-Taylor Regina Wasiak-Taylor polska pisarka, prezes Związku Pisarzy Polskich na Obczyźnie redaktor naczelna londyńskiego pisma „Pamiętnik Literacki”, czasopismo to […]

  • Thu 28
    March 28, 2024 @ 7:00 pm

    The Book of Prague: Ten stories by Czech authors in first-ever English release

    • Talks and Gatherings
    T. G. Masaryk Czech School 5701 W 22nd Pl, Cicero, IL, United States

    Petr Hruška, one of the Czech Republic’s leading contemporary poets, will introduce Everything Indicates: Selected Poems – an invaluable introduction to his work for English-speaking readers, gathered in a translation […]

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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.