DuSable Heritage Association's 26th Anniversary Celebration Gala
2026-03-21 18:30 - 23:30 (America/Chicago) | Palmer House Hotel, 17 E Monroe St, Chicago, 60603, United States
Join the DHA on March 21st, 2026 for the DuSable Heritage Association’s 26th Anniversary Celebration Gala at the historic Palmer House Hotel in Chicago!
Celebrate a quarter century of informing, educating, and illuminating the legacy of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, founder of the city of Chicago over 200 years ago, during an evening filled with elegance and inspiration. Guests will enjoy Exciting live and silent auctions featuring unique items and experiences and a thrilling raffle with fantastic prizes to win. This milestone event will honor their past achievements while paving the way for future initiatives to ensure that the rich legacy of the DuSable Heritage Association continues to thrive.
Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference and be part of a night to remember!
On the verge of our nation’s 250th anniversary, let us make DuSable’s role in creating Chicago and contributing to the fabric of our nation. Let us ensure that his life story ceaselessly inspire countless immigrants to accomplish greater feats.
For the past twenty-five years, the DuSable Heritage Association (DHA) has been enhancing the image and legacy of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, born of a black mother and a French father, circa 1745. Around 1778, he immigrated to the US, married Kitihawa of the Potawatomi tribe, and established the first trading post at the junction of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan (today’s Apple Store location). This settlement later became Chicago, and the rest is history.

Neighborhood Nights
2026-03-26 19:00 - 23:00, 2026-04-23 19:00 - 23:00 | IL
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 neighbors and socialize! All proceeds support the DANK Haus Museum
WHEN
Each 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month from 7-11 PM.
Location
Winter months – Brauhaus Room (2nd floor)
Summer/Fall months – Skyline Lounge/Terrace (6th floor)
Subject to change. Be sure to check elevator signs when arriving!

Kino, Kaffee und Kuchen
2026-03-28 10:30, 2026-04-04 10:30, 2026-04-11 10:30, 2026-04-18 10:30, 2026-04-25 10:30, 2026-05-02 10:30, 2026-05-09 10:30 | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, 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 AM | Kaffee und Kuchen
11:00 – 12:00 PM | Vorfilm
12:00 PM | Feature Film Begins

Join us each Saturday at the DANK Haus in Fall, Winter, and Spring for Kaffee, Kuchen, und Kino. Each week guests will choose the film they want to watch
DANK Members: $5 | Non-Members: $7

Puerto Rican Arts Alliance: Studio Arts Program
2026-03-28 10:30 - 14:30, 2026-04-04 10:30 - 14:30, 2026-04-11 10:30 - 14:30, 2026-04-18 10:30 - 14:30, 2026-04-25 10:30 - 14:30, 2026-05-02 10:30 - 14:30, 2026-05-09 10:30 - 14:30 | IL
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 others. El Riconcito provides a safe and welcoming studio for art making. An artist and a counselor in the studio can guide you in creative experiences, but you can opt to do your own artwork.
Join us! We provide the art supplies, and you bring your creativity.

Constructing Jathi Choreography with Harini Nilakantan
2026-03-28 13:15 - 14:15, 2026-04-04 13:15 - 14:15, 2026-04-11 13:15 - 14:15, 2026-04-18 13:15 - 14:15, 2026-04-25 13:15 - 14:15, 2026-05-02 13:15 - 14:15 | 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 this 90-minute class, dancers will learn new choreography – both how to piece together combinations and increase retention with her for advanced
rhythmic patterns or Jathis.
Class focus: execution, technique, creativity, retention

Neighborhood Nights
2026-04-09 19:00 - 23:00 | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, United States

Get Lit: Speakeasy Rhymes
2026-04-14 17:30 - 19:30 | American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
Step back into the glittering, shadowy world of the Roaring Twenties at Get Lit: Speakeasy Rhymes, an evening of clandestine charm, jazz-age flair, and unfiltered artistic expression.

Share an original piece of poetry or song during our open mic. Don’t have anything to share? We’ll have pieces from notable American poets and songwriters that you can select.
Stop by the Blackout Poetry Bar to create a unique blackout poetry inspired by works of the 1920s.
Uncover the Secret Password hidden in clues around the museum to earn a special prize.
Enjoy beer, wine, and the night’s specialty cocktail, the Giggle Water. Non-alcoholic options are available as well.

Slip through our secret door, raise a glass, and lose yourself in a night where every whispered word keeps the spirit of the speakeasy alive.

This is 21+ event. Attendees must show a valid photo ID at the door to enter.
Get Lit is your way to enjoy evenings in the Loop. Meet friends and fellow book nerds for an early evening treat. Each month, the AWM serves drinks, games, special experiences, and fun activities to get you lit! Funds raised at this event go towards the AWM’s Write In Youth Education Program, which serves middle and high school students from under-resourced schools. See our other upcoming GET LIT events here.

Haitian Heritage Month Konpa Sware
2026-04-16 19:00 - 23:00 | IL
Join the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC) at its monthly Konpa Sware! The museum is excited to continue this immersive event which includes an evening of Haitian dance and music. Join us at Room43. Food will be available for free and the FIRST 50 GUESTS will recieve 1 FREE DRINK!
FEATURING MUSIC BY: DJ Frantz!
This is a recurring event on the Third Thursday of each month. Keep an eye out for future event registration!
* TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR*

3rd Fridays Free Admission Museum Night
2026-04-17 17:00 - 20:00 | Heritage Museum of Asian Art, 3500 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL, 60609, United States
Free Admission Museum Nights take place every third Friday of each month from 5 pm to 8 pm! The tour will start at 6 PM on time. All tours depart from the reception desk, and please be sure to arrive on time. The event offers wine and appetizers.
This Friday at 7-7:40 PM, our Resident Artist 2024 – Irene Hsiao will perform at the Heritage Museum of Asian Art as part of the project If The Sky Could Dream.
About the Tour –
Learn about Asian Art in the Heritage Museum of Asian Art with a guided hour-long tour around the gallery. Museum-trained interns and volunteers will give a talk on selected artworks. Each word is packed with fascinating insights, information, and stories. During this participatory experience, you’ll connect with works from across the collection and get a close look at highlighting artworks. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Please note tours may be canceled or postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
About the project –
IF THE SKY COULD DREAM focuses on the Chinese dragon as a powerful being that fosters harmony. This creature is emblematic of China as well as a mythological being for many Asian and Western cultures and thus evokes a sense of mysticism, and intrigue in many communities. Representing the Chinese Dragon as a water deity, the installation series will feature images and projections of the weather and local bodies of water in Chicago.
If The Sky Could Dream is supported, in part, by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant
About Irene Hsiao
Irene Hsiao creates performances in conversation with visual art in museums, galleries, and public spaces, a practice that includes site-specific interaction with visual artworks and experimental engagement with artists, institutions, and the public. Find out more through our website.
Accessibility
The Heritage Museum of Asian Art’s Entrance is on West 35th Street. Take the elevator to the third floor and turn right to the Museum Reception Desk. Accessible and standard toilets are located on the same floor. Free parking space is available next to the museum via West 35th Street.
If you have any programming questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with info@heritageasianart.org or 312-842-8884.

Stammtisch Open Haus, Every 3rd Friday
2026-04-17 19:30 - 2026-04-18 00:00 | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, 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 TBD
Food and drink will be available for purchase.
Free parking at 5/3 Bank after 6:00 PM located at Western and Gunnison

Water to Water: Gaza Renga – Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (ONLINE)
2026-04-20 18:00 - 19:00 | American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
Award-winning poets Marilyn Hacker and Deema K. Shehabi visit the American Writers Museum to read from their powerful new book Water to Water: Gaza Renga, a poetry collaboration in the call-and-response form of Renga during the conflict in Gaza. The pair will have a conversation on their writing journey and share how the collaboration came to be.
This is the livestream of an in person program at the American Writers Museum. When you register for this event, you will receive access to the livestream link. If you would like to attend the program in person at the AWM, get your tickets here.
This program is presented in conjunction with the AWM’s special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture, a powerful new exhibit that takes you on the ultimate exploration through spirituality and storytelling. American Prophets is supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
More about Water to Water:
From the publisher: “In 2009, prompted by the Israeli siege of Gaza, poets Marilyn Hacker and Deema Shehabi started a correspondence. It took the form of responding to each other’s poems. They resumed their poetic dialogue by email after Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
Their project involved an alternate call and response between them in the tradition of the Japanese renga form, each poet picking up a word, phrase, or image from the poem preceding. The result is a fascinating poetic conversation. The two poetic voices are beautifully meshed together, so that it actually reads as one long poem.
The poetry is very rich in imagery, and these images stay with you, as do feelings the poems generate, for example, of unrest, of being in exile. Television and social media show you the pictures in the streets, this poetry takes you into the homes and minds of people. You can read it very much between the lines, and therefore it seems to speak to people about their own experiences.
Water to Water: Gaza Renga is a dignified celebration of humanity in and among atrocities. Although triggered by events in Gaza, it weaves in other conflicts past and present.”
Praise for Water to Water:
“[A] stunning sequence of renga… We celebrate these two voices, bleeding in and out of each other, quicksilver, mercurial, eloquent in song and silence, even as they celebrate the human spirit in a ruptured world.”
—Mimi Khalvati
“This book’s revolutionary form is most revolutionary of all in making serious political engagement and sophisticated poetic pleasure inseparable.”
—Fiona Sampson, Professor of Poetry, University of Roehampton

MARILYN HACKER (left) is the author of twenty-one books of poems, including three collaborative books, and twenty-two collections of translations from the French. Over the course of her career, she has received numerous honors, including the National Book Award, the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, the PEN/Voelcker Award, the Argana International Poetry Prize, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, editor of the Kenyon Review, and editor of the French literary journal Siècle 21. She lives between Paris and New York.
DEEMA K. SHEHABI (right) is a Palestinian American poet and editor. She is the author of Thirteen Departures from the Moon and the co-editor (with Beau Beausoleil) of Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here, for which she received NCBR’s recognition award. She is also the winner of the Nazim Hikmet Poetry Prize in 2018 and a recipient of Best of the Net nomination in 2021 as well as several Pushcart Prize nominations. Her poems have been widely published in literary journals and her work has been translated into Arabic, French, and Farsi.

Water to Water: Gaza Renga – Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (IN PERSON)
2026-04-20 18:00 - 19:00 | American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
Award-winning poets Marilyn Hacker and Deema K. Shehabi visit the American Writers Museum to read from their powerful new book Water to Water: Gaza Renga, a poetry collaboration in the call-and-response form of Renga during the conflict in Gaza. The pair will have a conversation on their writing journey and share how the collaboration came to be. Books will be available for purchase and the poets will sign them following the program.
This is an in person program at the American Writers Museum. This program will also be livestreamed, and you can register for the link to the online broadcast here.
This program is presented in conjunction with the AWM’s special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture, a powerful new exhibit that takes you on the ultimate exploration through spirituality and storytelling. American Prophets is supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
More about Water to Water:
From the publisher: “In 2009, prompted by the Israeli siege of Gaza, poets Marilyn Hacker and Deema Shehabi started a correspondence. It took the form of responding to each other’s poems. They resumed their poetic dialogue by email after Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
Their project involved an alternate call and response between them in the tradition of the Japanese renga form, each poet picking up a word, phrase, or image from the poem preceding. The result is a fascinating poetic conversation. The two poetic voices are beautifully meshed together, so that it actually reads as one long poem.
The poetry is very rich in imagery, and these images stay with you, as do feelings the poems generate, for example, of unrest, of being in exile. Television and social media show you the pictures in the streets, this poetry takes you into the homes and minds of people. You can read it very much between the lines, and therefore it seems to speak to people about their own experiences.
Water to Water: Gaza Renga is a dignified celebration of humanity in and among atrocities. Although triggered by events in Gaza, it weaves in other conflicts past and present.”
Praise for Water to Water:
“[A] stunning sequence of renga… We celebrate these two voices, bleeding in and out of each other, quicksilver, mercurial, eloquent in song and silence, even as they celebrate the human spirit in a ruptured world.”
—Mimi Khalvati
“This book’s revolutionary form is most revolutionary of all in making serious political engagement and sophisticated poetic pleasure inseparable.”
—Fiona Sampson, Professor of Poetry, University of Roehampton

MARILYN HACKER (left) is the author of twenty-one books of poems, including three collaborative books, and twenty-two collections of translations from the French. Over the course of her career, she has received numerous honors, including the National Book Award, the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, the PEN/Voelcker Award, the Argana International Poetry Prize, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, editor of the Kenyon Review, and editor of the French literary journal Siècle 21. She lives between Paris and New York.
DEEMA K. SHEHABI (right) is a Palestinian American poet and editor. She is the author of Thirteen Departures from the Moon and the co-editor (with Beau Beausoleil) of Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here, for which she received NCBR’s recognition award. She is also the winner of the Nazim Hikmet Poetry Prize in 2018 and a recipient of Best of the Net nomination in 2021 as well as several Pushcart Prize nominations. Her poems have been widely published in literary journals and her work has been translated into Arabic, French, and Farsi.
