Chicago Cultural Alliance

Beyond the Headlines: Haiti in Music
2022-11-15 19:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Online Event
New Music Chicago presents Crossing Borders Music celebrating its first decade with a return to its first-ever program, “Beyond the Headlines: Haiti in Music”! Featuring music highlighting Haiti’s rich history and cultural traditions, the Haitian diaspora, and the accomplishments of its young artists, this program remains as relevant as ever!
View the concert online at their Facebook page.
Pictured: a poster for “Beyond the Headlines: Haiti in Music” from 2012.

UIMA Annual Fundraising Gala: Ukraine, My Love
2022-11-12 18:00 | Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Over the past year, everyone including UIMA, has been affected by the war in Ukraine. Since February, the Institute has shifted focus to providing mutual humanitarian aid through fundraising and educational initiations, while still honoring our core mission of bridging cultural diversity through artistic expression.
To maximize the fundraising efforts we’ve been functioning off of our operational reserve funds as a result of our Ukrainian aid efforts. We are asking for your help now, to support us as we venture into the new year and hope to continue serving the Ukrainian community.
Please consider supporting UIMA’s efforts by buying a ticket, or making a donation. Along with an exceptional program for the evening featuring acclaimed Ukrainian-American artist Ola Rondiak as the keynote speaker, Serhiy FOMA Fomenko, a Ukrainian fusion folk singer from the band Mandry, as a special musical guest.
Along with cocktails and dinner, an online auction will be held, featuring pieces from our archive as well as an Ola Rondiak original.

Posted in Annual Fundraiser
Tagged Open

Film screening: "SOUTHEAST: a city within a city"
2022-11-12 17:00 - 19:00 | Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 756 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States
A screening of the film “SOUTHEAST: a city within a city” followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Steven J. Walsh and artist Roman Villarreal.
The Southeast side of Chicago is an often overlooked and stigmatized neighborhood, blocked by an overcast of misguided interpretation. In the documentary SOUTHEAST: a city within a city, filmmaker Steven J. Walsh strives to shed light on this neighborhood’s near-mythic tale.
This community once produced more steel than any other place in the world. It had neighborhoods full of life and culture—many different cultures—but that all ended once the steel mills left. The film brings together builders, soldiers, scholars, gangsters, musicians and politicians from the Southeast side’s past and present to help explain what happened after the area’s deindustrialization. This film is more than just history; it is a hands-on exploration of what it felt like to live in the neighborhood. See how the streets were then and how they’ve evolved to what they are now.
The film screening will take place in the performance space at Intuit and feature a musical performance by Walsh’s grandfather Roger “Coco” Gomez, whom the film centers on. The program will conclude with a Q&A with filmmaker Steven J. Walsh, Roger “Coco” Gomez and artist Roman Villarreal, who is featured in the documentary.
Please contact Courtney Thompson at courtney@art.org with questions related to accessibility accommodations.
The film screening is free! To show your support to Intuit, please consider the pay-what-you-can option when you complete your reservation. Your contributions help ensure the sustainability of our public programs and support guest lecturers and teaching artists.

The Spirit of Vodou: Understanding the Cosmos
2022-11-12 16:00 - 18:00 | IL, United States
Did you know that African religions — some of the 3,000 practiced in the U.S. — are the fastest growing systems in this country? Learn more and about the theology that underpins the Vodou religion.

TRACING OUR PATH THROUGH BRONZEVILLE - FILM PREMIERE 3PM Nov. 12, 2022
2022-11-12 15:00 - 18:00 | Bronzeville Historical Society, 4455 S King Dr. - Suite 103, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States
About the event: Bronzeville Historical Society welcomes Film maker Reginald Rice to premier his
documentary of personal interviews with artists in Bronzeville and their important mark in the art world.
The event is supported in part by the Bronzeville Historical Society.
SEATS are LIMITED.
RSVP TODAY.

42nd Annual Holiday Delight & Kodomo Matsuri
2022-11-12 10:00 - 16:00 | Japanese American Service Committee, 4427 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Family fun for all ages at the 42nd annual Holiday Delight. The festival hosts a wide variety of vendors selling one-of-a-kind goods such as fine art, jewelry, fabric arts, pottery, and Japanese collectible items. Homemade baked goods donated by community bakers will be for sale as well as craft kits, raffle tickets, and a silent auction.
Cultural performances include Tsukasa Taiko (traditional Japanese drumming at 11:30 am and 3 pm), Toyoaki Shamisen (Japanese lute at 2:30 pm), and Shubukai (Japanese classical dance at noon). Official Welcome followed by Visit with Santa at 12:30 pm

"Lithuania in 1922" - A Symposium
2022-11-12 10:00 - 16:00 | Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL, 60629, United States
Balzekas Museum presents “Lithuania in 1922 – a Symposium
Lithuanian American contributions during the first formative years of Lithuania’s statehood is the subject of “Lithuania in 1922,” a symposium on Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago, 6500 S. Pulaski Rd.
NEWS RELEASE:
From Meat Packers and Coal Miners to Nation Builders: How Lithuanian American immigrants helped their beleaguered homeland achieve freedom, independence, and U.S. recognition a century ago
Chicago, Oct. 22, 2022 — Lithuanian American contributions to Lithuania’s freedom, independence and diplomatic recognition by the United States is the subject of “Lithuania in 1922,” a symposium at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago on Saturday, November 12, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
These first-wave immigrants, many of humble beginnings, who toiled in Pennsylvania and Illinois coal mines, East Coast factories, and Midwestern farms — the so-called “big shoulders” of Chicago’s stockyards and steel mills — heeded the call of their beleaguered homeland and helped lift it from over a century of Russian subjugation and oppression.
Their actions were pivotal to the success of Lithuania’s independence struggle in 1918 and to the United States’ de jure recognition of Lithuanian statehood in 1922. In effect, they helped lay the cornerstone for the freedom and democracy Lithuania enjoys today.
The aspirations, tactics, and accomplishments of Lithuanian Americans then hold many lessons for our own turbulent times, according to Irena Brokas Chambers, curator of the Balzekas Museum’s For Freedom about Lithuanian American support of Lithuania’s struggle for independence and freedom and No Home To Go To exhibitions about World War II Baltic refugees.
“What Lithuanian Americans did was not only pivotal to Lithuania’s struggle for freedom,” said Chambers, in her presentation to the American Association of Baltic Studies conference in Seattle this past May. “Their success in gaining independence and [U.S.] recognition is a singular exemplar of what must be done in the continuing struggle to end oppression and champion freedom throughout the world.”
Formerly the curator of collections at the Library of Congress, Chambers will present “A Case for Lost Causes: Lithuanian American Support of Freedom, Independence, and Recognition for their Ancestral Homeland” at the November 12 symposium.
“Lithuanian Americans’ Final Contribution to the Recognition of Lithuania by the United States on July 28, 1922” is the subject of a presentation by guest scholar Piotr Szlaužys, a PhD candidate from the Institute of History and Political Sciences at the University of Białystok, Poland. His research interests include Lithuanian Americans’ efforts towards U.S.’ recognition of Lithuania after World War I, U.S. policy towards the Baltic States from 1918 to 1922, and Lithuanian immigration to the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Other presenters include Balzekas Museum film consultant, filmmaker Arvydas Reneckis, who will discuss and share sourced material including archival film footage, photographs, and interviews, for his current project, Lithuanian Americans: Envoys of Nation, a film premiering in 2023, and his recent film about the Lithuanian Liberty Bell, a gift of Lithuanian Americans to their ancestral homeland, also in 1922.
Guest speaker Ramunė Račkauskas, granddaughter of Lithuania’s second president, Aleksandras Stulginskis, who was in office when U.S. President Warren B. Harding conferred de jure diplomatic recognition to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia on July 28,1922. She will speak about President Stulginskis’s term and his legacy. The Museum’s numismatic exhibitions curator, Frank Passic, will speak about the history of the Litas, Lithuania’s first unit of currency, introduced in 1922.
Symposium attendees will have an opportunity to numismatic collections, the For Freedom exhibition, and other related items of the period in the Museum’s collections and exhibitions. Of special interest is “The Ploughman” (1922), Lithuanian sculptor Petras Rimša’s iconic bronze sculpture, symbolizing the spirit of the Lithuania nation and its resilience and resolve—then and now—in setting the course for Lithuania’s future. This sculpture is on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
IN-PERSON AND/OR ON ZOOM, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS
This is an in-person event at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago IL 60629. Those unable to attend, can watch scheduled presentations over Zoom. Registration is required for all participants. (Pre-registered Zoom participants will receive links to each presentation a couple days before the event.)
REGISTER THROUGH EVENTBRITE: https://lithuania1922.eventbrite.com  or by phone: 773.582.6500.
FEE: $20 Non-Members; Members $10; Students: $5. Light refreshments will be provided.
For co-sponsorship opportunities or media inquiries, please contact Sigita Balzekas at 773.582.6500 or email admin@balzekasmuseum.org.
Everyone is warmly welcome to attend!
This event is sponsored in part by the Members and Private Donors of the Balzekas Museum as well as the following grantors: the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the City of Chicago Department of Culture and Special Events and CityArts. The For Freedom exhibition and the Lithuanian Americans: Envoys of a Nation film project has also received funding from the Lithuanian Foundation. The Balzekas Museum gratefully acknowledges all contributors for their generosity in support of Museum programming and activities.

Neighborhood Nights
2022-11-10 19:00 - 23:00 | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
COME ENJOY A BEVERAGE WITH A SPECTACULAR EXPERIENCE IN OUR ICONIC 6TH FLOOR SKYLINE LOUNGE & TERRACE
A perfect place to meet your neighbors and socialize!
Each 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month from 7-11 PM. Proceeds support the DANK Haus Museum

"Al Fil or Bishop?" Lecture + Public Chess Tournament
2022-11-10 19:00 - 21:30 | Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education, 55 W Van Buren Street, Suite 220, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
The Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education and The Chicago Chess Foundation are proud to present: Al-Fil or Bishop? a free public event in which ACCE will give a brief presentation about the origins of chess and the Muslim influences over the game throughout history! We will then open the floor to the Chicago Chess Foundation who will run multiple games of chess: blitz style tournaments for those that interested in timed competition and casual games for those that are interested in playing for fun. Winners of games will be given 2 free tickets to Brookfield Zoo! (limited to 1 prize [2 tickets] per person regardless of how many games are won. These are a courtesy of the Brookfield Zoo in partnership with the Chicago Cultural Alliance). Attendees will be given the opportunity to take home chess books for FREE as a courtesy of the Chicago Chess Foundation. All skill levels are welcome to register.
Program Details:
7:00-7:45 – Self guided tours of ACCE / light refreshments
7:45-8:15 – ACCE and CCF Welcome and Presentation
8:15-9:30 – Tournaments, Social Hour, Giveaways
*The Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education (ACCE) is an art gallery and resource center dedicated to promoting the understanding of Islam and Muslims in the community by working with individuals and academic, religious, public, and private institutions. ACCE supplements existing educational programs at schools and universities with training sessions, presentations, and other resources to help our community raise more culturally competent generations. Our two main services are educational presentations and visits to our exhibition space.  ACCE is an initiative of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®), a global leader in halal certification. For more information, visit our website at www.abrahamiccenter.org.
**The Chicago Chess Foundation (CCF) believes that chess can fundamentally change the lives of youth and families and contribute to the betterment of our community. Chess serves as a vehicle to transmit intangible social-emotional and leadership development skills. Our mission is to give all youth of Chicago – with a focus on underserved communities – the opportunity to learn, play and compete in chess at no cost.

In-Person Master Class - Lithuanian Threaded Straw/Paper Ornament Making
2022-11-10 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-11-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL, 60629, United States
The Balzekas Museum presents an in-person 3-Thursday Lithuanian Straw Ornament Making Master Class with artist/educator Laura Lapinskas

About this event

In order to preserve and perpetuate Lithuanian traditions, the Balzekas Museum is launching a series of traditional Lithuanian Folk Arts Master Classes. The first Master Class – on making traditional Lithuanian straw Christmas ornaments– will be conducted by artist/educator Laura Lapinskas, who in 3 successive Thursday evening classes, will introduce students to the fundamental steps and techniques of making threaded Lithuanian straw Christmas ornaments.
Participants will also have an opportunity to view examples of paper, plastic, and natural straw ornaments from the Museum’s exhibits and collections, and to learn about the origin and significance of ornaments and sodai, their pagan predecessors. The history of decorating Lithuanian Christmas trees in the United States will also be highlighted.
Classes will run for 3 consecutive weeks, starting Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM and ending on Nov. 17, 2022. All classes will take place in person at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago IL 60629. These class demonstrations by the instructor will be filmed and subsequently available for Museum members to view on the Museum’s Vimeo channel. Ornament Kit may also be purchased through the Museum’s gift shop.
For purposes of instruction, paper straws will be used; however, natural straw will also be available for those who want to try the medium. All materials will be supplied to registrants, including straws, detailed instructions, thread and needles for threading ornaments and for making the decorative dangling “fringe” pendants.
Registration includes supplies: (straws, thread, needles, instruction sheets) and light refreshments.
Enrollment is limited to so please register early. This class is not recommended for children under 12 years of age.
This project was supported in part by the Members and Donors of the Balzekas Museum as well a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and from the U.S. Department of Treasury funds through the City of Chicago (DCASE and CityArts.) The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this program are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Treasury or the City of Chicago.

The Greek Diner and the Making of American Cuisine
2022-11-10 10:00 - 11:00 | Online, IL, United States
In this hour-long class, we will explore the history of the Greek diner and its profound influence on American food culture. On the eve of World War I, Greek immigrants began buying up the diners abandoned by German Americans facing anti-German persecution brought on by the war. In these kitchens, the new Greek owners would adapt traditional German travelers’ fare with a touch of the Mediterranean and a pinch of entrepreneurial spirit. The result: A truly American way of cooking and eating.

Scandinavian Jam ONLINE
2022-11-06 13:30 - 15:30 | Online, IL, United States
Scandinavian Jam, where we practice what we teach. Join Mary Allsopp and Paul Tyler online on the first and third Sunday of every month. Enjoy an afternoon of traditional roots music. We teach by ear, review and share tunes. We are happy to take suggestions and love meeting new people. It’s a friendly group and we have folks joining in from across the country.
Contact Scandi.Fiddler@yahoo.com or PTyler@ameritech.net with any questions and to get a zoom code. This is a free event.

Native American Artisan and Craft Fair
2022-11-06 08:00 - 17:00, 2022-11-05 11:00 - 16:00 | West Lake Forest Train Station, 911 Telegraph Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Native American Heritage Month
The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce, Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and North Shore Chapter NSDAR
Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
This program honors Indigenous entrepreneurs and brings together innovative Native artists, business owners, leaders, and creators with community members, buyers, and potential clients. Participating Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs will have the chance to share their arts and crafts, contributions, accomplishments, and professional services with the public, allowing guests to support these Indigenous-owned companies by purchasing items or fostering future business opportunities.
For more information, visit https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.com/

24th Annual National Cuatro Festival!
2022-11-05 19:00 | Harris Theatre for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive, Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
The Cuatro is regarded as the national instrument of Puerto Rico and is revered by the Puerto Rican community as an important part of our history. It is recognized and acknowledged as “our guitar” and holds important traditional and historical value. The Emmy Award-winning Annual National Cuatro Festival (NCF) is a unique music event that brings the best Cuatro musicians “Cuatristas” from Puerto Rico and the mainland to Chicago for a one-of-a-kind concert experience. This cultural event highlights the national instrument of Puerto Rico as an important part of our heritage and history.
Each year there is a special dedication and one of the highlights of the concert is an opening performance showcasing students from the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance’s Latin Music Project Ensemble. It is more than a concert, it as a gathering of Chicago’s most long time Latino residents, the Puerto Rican community, and an opportunity to join together with pride to celebrate the beauty of the Chicago’s diversity. Preserving Puerto Rican traditions is at the heart of PRAA’s work and the National Cuatro Festival is a key part of our cultural and educational initiatives.
Over the years the National Cuatro Festival has presented great cuatristas like Yomo Toro, Pedro Guzman, Alvin Medina, Luis Sanz, Prodijio Claudio, Christina Nieves, Manny Trinidad, Emma Colon Zayas, Madibel Delgado, Juradito, Quique Domenech, Javier Mendez, among others. Additionally, great iconic popular and folk music singers/groups such as Victoria Sanabria, Tavin Pumarejo, Odilo Gonzalez, Felito Felix, Andy Montañez, Yolandita Monge, Charlie Aponte, Ismael Miranda, Jose Nogueras, Los Cantores de Bayamon, Mapeye, La Rondalla de Humacao, Puerto Rico Philharmonic, Angel Cucco Peña, Jose Luis Ortiz, Los Hermanos Olvarria, Andres Jimenez, Modesto Nieves, Angel Luis Torruellas, Los Hermanos Sanz and Danny Rivera have graced our stage.
This year due to the pandemic COVI9 19, the Harris Theater has instituted some audience safety protocols.

Film screening: "Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts"
2022-11-05 17:00 - 19:00 | Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 756 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States
Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts is a feature documentary film exploring the life of a unique American artist, a man with a remarkable and unlikely biography. Bill Traylor was born into slavery in 1853 on a cotton plantation in rural Alabama. After the Civil War, Traylor continued to farm the land until the 1920s. Aging and alone, he moved to Montgomery and worked odd jobs in the thriving segregated Black neighborhood. A decade later, in his late 80s, Traylor became homeless and started to draw and paint, both memories from plantation days and scenes of a radically changing urban culture. Traylor devised his own visual language to record the stories of his life, translating an oral culture into something original, powerful and culturally rooted. He made well over 1,000 drawings and paintings between 1939–1942.
Traylor witnessed profound social and political change during his life spanning slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws and the Great Migration. The transcendent surprise is while Traylor kept to himself, leading an unassuming life, he was nurturing a remarkable creative gift that would not be expressed for decades.
Using historical and cultural context, Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts brings the spirit and mystery of Traylor’s incomparable art to life. Making dramatic and surprising use of tap dance and evocative period music and spoken word, the film balances archival photographs and footage, insightful perspectives from Traylor family members, and Traylor’s striking drawings and paintings to reveal one of America’s most prominent artists to a wide audience.
The film screening will take place in the performance space at Intuit and conclude with a Q&A with Jeffrey Wolf, director of Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts; Juelle Daley, Assistant Director of University Arts Engagement at the University of Chicago; and Lisa Stone, independent curator and consultant. The panel will be moderated by Payton Head, DEI strategist and member of the museum’s Young Professionals Board.
Please contact Courtney Thompson at courtney@art.org with questions related to accessibility accommodations.
Please check your junk folder for event reminders. Unfortunately, these emails are sent there sometimes.

All film screening attendees must follow the museum’s health and safety procedures. Intuit is closely monitoring COVID-19 guidelines established by local, state and federal authorities and will promptly share information that affects the event.

This program is funded in part by the Alphawood Foundation, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Illinois Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Prince Charitable Trust, Terra Foundation for American Art, and individual donations from Intuit members and supporters.

Image: Photograph by Horace Perry courtesy Alabama State Council on the Arts

BILL TRAYLOR: CHASING GHOSTS (2018), 75 min
Watch the trailer
Directed by Jeffrey Wolf / Produced by Sam Pollard, Jeffrey Wolf, Daphne McWilliams, Jeany Nisenholz-Wolf and Fred Barron

Celebration Dia de los Muertos Y Mercado Artesanal
2022-11-05 15:00 - 20:00 | Trickster Cultural Center, 190 S Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, IL, 60193, United States
Join us, in our collaboration with the Teolecuilli Aztec Dance Group, for a cultural and educational series.
Join us with ofrenda y altares, traditional pan de muerto, dances from Peru y Mexico. Bring an element to display in our traditional ofrenda for your loved ones. Free event

Opening Reception of "Guanyu Xu: to be seen"
2022-11-05 15:00 - 18:00 | Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
The Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) is excited to announce the fifth exhibition of the Spotlight Series, featuring artist Guanyu Xu. Please join us on Saturday, November 5, from 3pm-6pm CT for the opening reception.
In a new body of work centered on an imperial robe on display in the museum, Chinatown, and the New York Times repeated coverage of COVID featuring Asian faces, photographer Guanyu Xu challenges the viewer to reconsider the parallel instances of colonization, objectification, fetishization, and racism in three temporalities. Guanyu Xu: to be seen will run from November 5 through December 17.
The Spotlight Series is a new initiative to showcase recent and past work by emerging and mid-career artists of Chinese descent locally. Curated by Larry Lee (Molar Productions), the project aims to introduce, promote and celebrate the divergent artistic visions and experiences of being Chinese in America looking at and reflecting upon our relationship to contemporary visual culture to a wider audience within our community and Chicago.

About the artist:
徐冠宇 Guanyu Xu (b.1993 Beijing) is an artist currently based in Chicago and a lecturer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Influenced by the production of ideology in American visual culture and a conservative familial upbringing in China, Xu’s practice extends from examining the production of power in photography to the question of personal freedom and its relationship to political regimes. He negotiates this from the perspective as a Chinese gay man. In his work, Xu migrates between mediums like photography, new media, and installation. These movements operate similarly to his displaced and fractured identity.
He is the recipient of the Chicago DCASE Artist Grant (2022), CENTER Development Grant (2021), Hyéres International Festival Prize (2020), PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai Exposure Award (2020), Philadelphia Photo Arts Center Annual Competition (2019), Lensculture Emerging Talent Award (2019), and Kodak Film Photo Award (2019). He has received artist residencies including ACRE (Chicago, IL), Light Work (Syracuse, NY), and Latitude (Chicago, IL). His works have been exhibited and screened internationally including the Aperture Foundation, New York; International Center of Photography, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; New Orlean Museum of Art, New Orleans; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Wesleyan University, Middletown; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland; Mint Museum, Charlotte; 36th Kasseler Dokfest, Germany, and others. His work can be found in public collections including San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums, Museum of Contemporary Photography Chicago, and New Orleans Museum of Art. His works have been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, ArtAsiaPacific, The New Yorker, W Magazine, Harper’s Magazine, Dazed, and China Photographic Publishing House.

Conversations at SAI: At the Intersection of Faith, Culture and Music
2022-11-05 15:00 - 16:30 | South Asia Institute, 1925 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
AT THE INTERSECTION OF FAITH, CULTURE AND MUSIC
is a conversation between Sonny (Artistic Director of Riyaaz Qawwali) and Aaron Cohen (award-winning Chicago music writer) exploring the role of faith, spirituality and heritage through musical expression.
Sonny is the Artistic Director of Riyaaz Qawwali, the only Qawwali ensemble in the US. A Qawwal with over 29 years of classical music training, he has spent half of that time devoted to understanding and growing awareness of qawwali. He grew up learning from his family and went on to receive classical music training.
Aaron Cohen is the author of “Move on Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power” (University of Chicago Press), which looks at the social and musical changes that shaped R&B in Chicago during the 1960s and 1970s. Cohen teaches humanities at City Colleges of Chicago and is an award winning music writer. (Chicago Tribune, DownBeat, Washington Post, The Nation, NPR and Chicago Reader.)

Interview and Book signing: ATTORNEY JAMES MONTGOMERY
2022-11-05 13:00 - 14:30 | Bronzeville Historical Society, 4455 S King Dr. - Suite 103, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States
About the event: Bronzeville Historical Society welcomes Attorney James Montgomery to reveal his own story in a personal interview with a live audience.
The event is supported in part by the University of Illinois Black Alumni Network and the University of Illinois Student Success Inclusion and Belonging.
Autographed books will be available for purchase at the event. SEATS are LIMITED.
RSVP TODAY.

Scottish American History Forum: Scottish Settlement of Prince Edward Island and Its Implications for Island Society and Culture
2022-11-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Online Event
November 5 | 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Free

Topic: Scottish Settlement of Prince Edward Island and Its Implications for Island Society and Culture
Presenter: Professor Edward MacDonald, PhD, Department of History, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada
This event is complimentary. To attend, please register below.

JUAN CARMONA WITH YOUBA ADJRAD AND THE ANDALUSIAN TRAIL
2022-11-04 19:00 - 22:00 | Instituto Cervantes, 31 West Ohio Street, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Juan Carmona was only ten years old when his father gave him his first guitar. His passion for the instrument grew and his virtuosity was quickly remarked by professional musicians. Juan’s journey as a professional guitarist took him back to his roots: Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia. For 9 years, he absorbed as much as he could in the purest flamenco tradition, rubbing elbows with some of its biggest names, like Joaquín Grilo, Agujetas, Duquende, Antonio Canales, Chano Domínguez and many others. A self-taught musician, he can boast of having composed his Sinfonía Flamenca and Orillas, today performed by many orchestras in the world, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Australia), the St Louis Symphony Orchestra (USA), and the Russian Philarmony. His albums Alchemya, Orillas, Sinfonía Flamenca and El Sentido del Aire were nominated for the Latin GRAMMY. His new album, Zyriab 6.7, retraces the journey of the musician-poet Zyriab, stopping off along the Mediterranean, from oasis to caravanserai, covering 6,743 km from Baghdad to Cordoba.
The Andalusian Trail: From Rajasthan, India to the Middle East, from North Africa and across the Mediterranean into Andalusia, Spain, musical ideas and instruments were exchanged and have contributed to the foundation of Andalusian and flamenco music. Through music, dance, and storytelling, members of Las Guitarras de España and Surabhi Ensemble take to the trail and tell the tale of this shared cultural history from medieval Andalusia to the present. The performance includes original and traditional repertoire of Spanish guitar, Arab-Andalusian poetry and music, as well as Rajasthani, Middle Eastern, and flamenco folk music and dance.
Presented by the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, Intercultural Music Production, and the Old Town School of Folk Music as part of the Ojalá project funded by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts.

Three Lithuanian Threaded Straw Ornament-Making Master Classes
2022-11-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL, 60629, United States
Join us at the Balzekas Museum for a special three-evening Master Class on making traditional Lithuanian straw ornaments. Classes will be conducted by artist/educator Laura Lapinskas. Traditionally, ornaments were made from natural straw, but resourceful city-dwellers began to use more easily available paper and plastic straws for this purpose.
Participants will also have an apportunity to view examples of paper, plastic, and natural straw ornaments from the Museum’s exhibits and collections, and to learn about the origin and significance of ornaments and sodai, their pagan predecessors. The history of decorating Lithuanian Christmas trees in the United States will also be highlighted.

Night At The Museum | Paint & Sip!
2022-11-03 18:00 - 20:00 | The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division Street, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
An Intimate Night At The Museum | Paint & Sip!
Painting and art made easy for everybody!
Learn how to paint on a canvas with Featured Artist Lorimar Matos.
This art session Includes a Sangria Flight of 4 Flavors Guava, Pomegranate, Pear & Berry.
Welcome / Check In 6pm-6:30pm Taste our New Fall! Blood Orange Sangria
Vejigante Canvas Paint Session Starts at 6:30pm-8pm
*All guest must purchase tickets to attend this event

Ausiàs Parejo
2022-11-02 00:00 | IL, United States
Don’t miss 16-year-old guitar prodigy Juan Ausiàs Parejo from Valencia on Thursday, November 17.
$10 SUGGESTED DONATION AT DOOR
PARKING VALIDATION AT 33 W ONTARTIO ST ($10)
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in 2006 into a family of musicians, Juan Ausiàs Parejo began playing the guitar at the age of 4 at the hands of his father, the guitarist Rubén Parejo. The 16-year-old guitarist has won 35 first prizes in national and international competitions, performing with a virtuosity and sensitivity that does not leave anyone indifferent. In 2018, he recorded his first CD Con tanta tenerezza accompanied by his father and with the collaboration of important jazz figures such as Ximo Tébar and Víctor Mendoza. Ausiàs has performed concertos for guitar and orchestra and the composers Eduardo Morales-Caso and Juan Erena have dedicated works to him. Ausiàs’ way of interpreting is rich in nuances: virtuous, brilliant and entertaining.

Craft Convening
2022-10-30 13:00 | Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Please join us for a conversation on Chicago craft in the 1970s-80s with some of the city’s long-standing artists and activists, including Lourdes Guerrero, artist and educator; Indira Freitas Johnson, artist, educator and community activist; Arlene Raconcay, former director of the Chicago Artists Coalition; Fern Shaffer, artist and former director of Artemisia Gallery. Starts at 1pm Sunday October 30th at UIMA. Masks optional. The program is generously supported by the Terra Foundation Art Design Chicago.
We’ll be discussing the barriers marginalized artists faced and had to break through; the city’s art scene; craft’s increased attention, the importance of ‘making a difference’ to society, How are these issues connected to current art practices as makers, crafters and artisans? How are they different?

Film Screenings: Mother's Heart and Thavary Meas Bong
2022-10-30 10:00 - 17:00 | Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL, 60602, United States
Join us for a double feature screening of two classic prewar films: Mother’s Heart and Thavary Meas Bong. Screening for the first time in Chicago, these films are a celebration of early Cambodian filmmakers’ ingenuity, craftsmanship, and talents. These early filmmakers’ aim was to make films that Cambodian audiences would be proud to watch but never did they imagine anything beyond the regional screening. As with many Asian Americans, especially Southeast Asian communities, there are many stigmas attached to their parents’ generation of war and related trauma. These films highlight a positive cultural production of their own heritage.

Not So Scary, Scary Halloween
2022-10-29 13:00 - 15:00 | Bronzeville Children’s Museum, 9301 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago, IL, 60617, United States
Get ready! Our annual “Not So Scary, Scary Halloween ”celebration is BACK! Bring your kids for a great time. Saturday October 29 from 1pm to 3pm! We can’t wait to see you then.
