Talks and Gatherings

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Talks and Gatherings

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No events scheduled for April 3, 2022.

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No events scheduled for April 4, 2022.

1:00 pm

April 5, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Online Curator Talk: Tova Brandt

Online Event

FREE

Notice

No events scheduled for April 6, 2022.

Notice

No events scheduled for April 7, 2022.

7:00 am

April 8, 2022 @ 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

Homer-athon: A Reading of Homer’s Odyssey In Its Entirety

National Hellenic Museum 333 S. Halsted St., Chicago

FREE

1:00 pm

April 8, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Kulturküche | German Pretzels Cooking Class

DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago

$25 – $30

2:00 pm

April 8, 2022 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Frühling Feierabend | Celebrate The Weekend!

DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago

Free admission and snacks; drinks available for purchase

5:00 am

April 9, 2022 @ 5:00 am - 11:00 am

Homer-athon: A Reading of Homer’s Odyssey In Its Entirety

National Hellenic Museum 333 S. Halsted St., Chicago

FREE

April 9, 2022 @ 5:00 am - 6:00 am

Author Talk: Dr. Don Grossnickle – My Maja: A Grandson’s Tribute

Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago

Free

6:00 am

April 9, 2022 @ 6:00 am - 7:00 am

First People’s Poetry Reading: A tribute to the Living Nations, Living Words Project

Newberry Library 60 West Walton Street, Chicago

FREE

7:00 am

April 9, 2022 @ 7:00 am - 10:00 am

Kaffee, Kuchen, und Kino

DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago

$4 – $6

9:00 am

April 9, 2022 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Author Talk: Gordon Mott, Lithuanian Lullaby

Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture 6500 South Pulaski Road, Chicago

Free – $12

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April 5, 2022 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Online Curator Talk: Tova Brandt

April 5, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Online Curator Talk: Tova Brandt

New Nordic Cuisine is currently on display at the Swedish American Museum. In this virtual talk we get to meet with Tova Brandt who is the Executive Director of the Museum of Danish America in Iowa. The Museum of Danish American curated the exhibit. About the exhibit: The cooking traditions and innovations of the Nordic […]

FREE

April 8, 2022 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

Homer-athon: A Reading of Homer’s Odyssey In Its Entirety

April 8, 2022 @ 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

Homer-athon: A Reading of Homer’s Odyssey In Its Entirety

Please join us as we read the ancient tale of Odysseus’ journey home from war. Like him, each of us is also adjusting to new circumstances in our lives as we emerge from the pandemic. What better way to begin our journey home together? Each reader will be assigned a specific passage that is approximately 3 […]

FREE

April 8, 2022 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Kulturküche | German Pretzels Cooking Class

April 8, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Kulturküche | German Pretzels Cooking Class

The Pretzel Blitz is back! We are hosting 5 pretzel making classes in April. Why? We LOVE pretzels! These pretzel-making classes will be offered in-person. We will host up to 20 students in our industrial kitchen at the DANK Haus. These 20 students will get hands on training from Reinhard Richter, our resident Pretzel Meister, […]

$25 – $30

April 8, 2022 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Frühling Feierabend | Celebrate The Weekend!

April 8, 2022 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Frühling Feierabend | Celebrate The Weekend!

Frühling Feierabend 6. Stock in unserer Skyline Lounge Freitag, 8. April um 19 Uhr Genießen Sie den zweiten Feierabend des 2022 am 8. April um 19 Uhr mit uns. Es gibt Snacks umsonst so lange der Vorrat reicht! Getränke können vor Ort gekauft werden. Dieses Event findet auf dem 6. Stock in unserer Skyline Lounge […]

Free admission and snacks; drinks available for purchase

April 9, 2022 5:00 am - 11:00 am

Homer-athon: A Reading of Homer’s Odyssey In Its Entirety

April 9, 2022 @ 5:00 am - 11:00 am

Homer-athon: A Reading of Homer’s Odyssey In Its Entirety

FREE

April 9, 2022 5:00 am - 6:00 am

Author Talk: Dr. Don Grossnickle – My Maja: A Grandson’s Tribute

April 9, 2022 @ 5:00 am - 6:00 am

Author Talk: Dr. Don Grossnickle – My Maja: A Grandson’s Tribute

My Maja, A Swedish-American Proud Grandson’s Tribute by Chicago’s Dr. Don Grossnickle Maja, a young roaring twenties Swedish adventurer set sail on a luxury steamship to New York and on to Chicago in 1922 for a visit to relatives. Maja fell in love and spent the rest of her life pursuing the American Dream. Adversity […]

Free

April 9, 2022 6:00 am - 7:00 am

First People’s Poetry Reading: A tribute to the Living Nations, Living Words Project

April 9, 2022 @ 6:00 am - 7:00 am

First People’s Poetry Reading: A tribute to the Living Nations, Living Words Project

Join us for a morning of First Peoples poetry with American Indian poets Kimberly Blaeser, Elise Paschen, Mark Turcotte, and Gwen Westerman, moderated by poet Gordon Henry. This reading will be dedicated to the work of Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate and editor of Living Nations, Living Words, an anthology of poems by American Indian poets reflecting on themes of place […]

FREE

April 9, 2022 7:00 am - 10:00 am

Kaffee, Kuchen, und Kino

April 9, 2022 @ 7:00 am - 10:00 am

Kaffee, Kuchen, und Kino

Join us on twice a month on Saturday for a German language film screening! Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee & cakes) will be served at 12:00 PM and the film will begin at 1:00 PM. Stick around after the credits roll to discuss the film and flex your German language skills. Upcoming Dates & Films: 9. […]

$4 – $6

April 9, 2022 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Author Talk: Gordon Mott, Lithuanian Lullaby

April 9, 2022 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Author Talk: Gordon Mott, Lithuanian Lullaby

Balzekas Museum book talk and signing featuring Canadian writer Gordon Mott, author of Lithuanian Lullaby and The Angels of Klaipeda About this event On Saturday, April 9, 2022, at 2pm, the Balzekas Museum Book Club welcomes Canadian writer Gordon Mott, the author of the historical fictions, Lithuanian Lullaby and The Angels of Klaipeda. He has […]

Free – $12

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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.