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  • September 2024

  • Thu 26
    September 26, 2024 @ 12:00 am

    23rd Annual Kilted Classic Golf Tournament ? Save the Date

      Date: September 26 | 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Location: 27W270 Mack Rd Wheaton, IL 60189 United States Thursday, September 26, 2024 Cantigny Golf Club, Wheaton 27W270 Mack Rd. 11 […]

    • Thu 26
      September 26, 2024 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

      Journey to Czechia Experience

      • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
      • Exhibitions and Gallery Events
      • Food and Drink
      OPEN Center for the Arts 2214 S. Sacramento Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

      OPEN Center for the Arts is honored to present the "Journey to Czechia Experience," an event in collaboration with the Czechia Consulate, Západočeská Univerzita v Plzni, and T. G. Masaryk […]

      $40
    • Thu 26
      September 26, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Neighborhood Nights

      Neighborhood Nights

      • Food and Drink

      Date: Start Thursday, January 11, 2024 Time: Location: Location DANK Haus, 6th Floor Skyline Lounge enjoy a beverage with a spectacular EXPERIENCE in our haus A perfect place to meet your […]

    • Fri 27
      September 27, 2024 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

      Kuchipudi Master Class with Kasi Aysola

      • Dance

      Date: Friday, September 27, 2024 Time: 10:30 AM 12:00 PM Location: The Dance Center Columbia College Chicago 1306 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL, 60605 United States (map)

    • Fri 27
      September 27, 2024 @ 8:00 pm - September 29, 2024 @ 5:00 pm

      10th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley

      • Music, Film, and Theater

                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mike Houlihan 312-431-8700, [email protected]   IRISH AMERICAN MOVIE HOOLEY RETURNS FOR 2024   When a party gets rowdy, the Irish call it a […]

    • Sat 28
      September 28, 2024 @ 10:30 am Kino, Kaffee und Kuchen

      Kino, Kaffee und Kuchen

      • Music, Film, and Theater
      DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

      Date: Start Saturday, January 06, 2024 Time: Location: Location DANK Haus Room 206, 2nd Floor KINO, KAFFEE UND KUCHEN  Saturdays at the DANK Haus in Room 206 10:30 - 11:00 […]

    • Sat 28
      September 28, 2024 @ 10:30 am - 2:30 pm Puerto Rican Arts Alliance: Studio Arts Program

      Puerto Rican Arts Alliance: Studio Arts Program

      • Workshops and Classes

      El Rinconcito is a free open art space for creative expression for people ages 12-25. You can meet people like you who are interested in arts, painting, drawing, printmaking, and […]

    • Sat 28
      September 28, 2024 @ 11:00 am - 3:00 pm FREE Guided Tours at the National Hellenic Museum

      FREE Guided Tours at the National Hellenic Museum

      • Exhibitions and Gallery Events
      National Hellenic Museum 333 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, United States

      Join us for our FREE, limited-time offer guided tours every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. These one-hour tours offer a comprehensive journey through the museum's rich exhibitions and […]

    • Sat 28
      September 28, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

      Bharatanatyam Master Class with Mythili Prakash

      • Dance

      Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024 Time: 12:00 PM 3:00 PM Location: Kalapriya Studio 2101 S Wabash Chicago, IL, 60605 United States (map)

    • Sat 28
      September 28, 2024 @ 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm Constructing Jathi Choreography with Harini Nilakantan

      Constructing Jathi Choreography with Harini Nilakantan

      • Dance
      Kalapriya Studio 2101 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, United States

      Weekly Saturdays 1:15 - 2:15 PM Harini Nilakantan is a student of Aacharya Choodamani Guru Smt. Roja Kannan, and has over two decades of experience in this art form. In […]

    • Sun 29
      September 29, 2024 @ 12:00 am

      CAICC Education Committee Game Day Fundraiser

      • Member Events
      1060 W Addison St

      Date: 2024-09-29 Location: 1060 W Addison St. Chicago, IL 60613 United States   The CAICC Education Committee invites you to our Game Day Fundraiser. Join us for the last game […]

    • October 2024

    • Tue 1
      October 1, 2024 @ 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

      Designing Futures Gala

      • Formal and Black Tie Events
      Ramova Theatre 3520 S Halsted Street, Chicago

      Join the CAC at the beautifully restored Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. Proceeds from the event will benefit CAC's learning and community engagement programs. The festivities at the annual Designing Futures […]

    • Tue 1
      October 1, 2024 @ 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

      Designing Futures Gala

      • Formal and Black Tie Events
      Ramova Theatre 3520 S Halsted Street, Chicago

      Join the CAC at the beautifully restored Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. Proceeds from the event will benefit CAC's learning and community engagement programs. The festivities at the annual Designing Futures […]

    • Thu 3
      October 3, 2024 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Artecito Virtual

      Artecito Virtual

      • Online Events
      Online Event

      Artecito es un proyecto criado por OPEN Center for the Arts y Lincoln Park Zoo para explorar diferentes temas de la naturaleza y conservación del medio ambiente a través de […]

    • Thu 3
      October 3, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

      History Course: The Germanen At the Crossroads of Antiquity

      • Talks and Gatherings

      Date: Start Thursday, October 03, 2024 Time: Location: Location DANK Haus: 2nd Floor, Brauhaus Room The Germanen: At the Crossroads of Antiquity History Course presented by Mike Haas Begins October […]

    • Fri 4
      October 4, 2024 @ 12:00 am

      Navaratri @ Kalapriya

        Date: Sunday, October 6, 2024 Time: 4:00 PM 6:00 PM Location: Kalapriya Studio 2101 South Wabash Avenue Chicago, IL, 60616 United States (map)

      • Fri 4
        October 4, 2024 @ 12:00 am

        Thursday Night Music Sessions

          Date: September 19 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Join session leaders Michael Austin and James Conway this Thursday for an unforgettable evening of Irish traditional music! Bring your instrument […]

        • Fri 4
          October 4, 2024 @ 12:00 am

          Scottish American History Forum

            Date: November 9 | 10:00 am - 11:30 am Location: Topic: TBD Speaker: TBD Register Now 

          • Fri 4
            October 4, 2024 @ 12:00 am

            Thursday Night Music Sessions

              Date: September 26 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Join session leaders Michael Austin and James Conway this Thursday for an unforgettable evening of Irish traditional music! Bring your instrument […]

            • Fri 4
              October 4, 2024 @ 12:00 am

              Telmary & Habanasana

                Date: October 6, 2024 19:00 Location: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Center Venue: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center Organizer: International Latino Cultural CenterSegundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center Address: 4046 W Armitage Ave, […]

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              600 W. Jackson Blvd, Suite 100 | Chicago, IL 60661 | 312-846-6814
              501(c)3 | © 2025 Chicago Cultural Alliance | Website by David Carling – FutureNotion

              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.