Chicago Cultural Alliance

Film screening: "Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts"
2022-11-05 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | 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.

Native American Artisan and Craft Fair
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/

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.

In-Person Master Class - Lithuanian Threaded Straw/Paper Ornament Making
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.

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.

Art After Hours
2022-10-28 19:30 - 23:00 | Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
We are so excited to continue our Art After Hours series!
Featuring performances by:

Stafford
milkweed b2b loma
Alejandro Marenco

Sound by Signal Clearance
Lighting and environmental design by Nix
Doors open at 7:30 pm
$15/ $20 at the door
21+
Halloween costumes are encouraged!
Price of the ticket includes admission + beer and seltzer donated by Solemn Oath Brewery (while supplies last).

BOMBA Lab en el Centro
2022-10-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4046 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL, 60639, United States
BOMBA is the oldest musical tradition of Puerto Rico and one of the greatest expressions of the Island’s African ancestry.

Since its establishment in Chicago in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, enthusiasts, practitioners and teachers of Bomba had come through SRBCC to develop, share and cultivate their craft and honor this ancestral art form from Puerto Rico.

Created in and for the community SRBCC offers BOMBA LAB en el Centro, an intergenerational space to learn, practice and engage with the history and ever-lasting healing rhythms, dance and songs of Bomba.

To enjoy en familia! ALL ages and experiences are welcomed.
Free of cost. No registration needed. Every other Friday starting in September.

Kick off: Friday, September 16, 2022 | 6PM to 8PM

BOMBA Open Lab Dates:
SEPTEMBER 16 & 30th
OCTOBER 16 & 30th
NOVEMBER 18th
DECEMBER 2 & 12

¡Los esperamos! Para más información se puede comunicar a info@srbcc.org o llamarnos at 773.698-6009

For more information feel free to contact us at:
info@srbcc.org or phone at 773.698-6009

Photo by: Herminio Rodriguez
Dancer: Tai Ramirez
Subidor: Quincy Raggs

Seeking Sonder by Akina Curley
2022-10-28 08:00 - 2023-01-31 17:00 | American Indian Center, 3401 West Ainslie Street, Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
Please join us to celebrate the art of Akina Curley. A very impressive show by a talented young Native artist.
Seeking Sonder showcases work by Akina Curley (Ojibwe/ Diné) to explore other capacities/disciplines of expression that missions to challenge audiences about Native art today through a contemporary aesthetic. These new works by Akina will perform, teach, and culturally share

Neighborhood Nights
2022-10-27 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

Journey Chicago: Stories that Travel: Mythology, Folklore, and Diaspora
2022-10-27 18:30 - 20:00 | National Hellenic Museum, 333 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60661, United States
This event is part of Journey Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Alliance’s annual citywide festival of cross-cultural events.
A panel discussion focusing on the varied relationships different Diaspora communities have with the mythological & folklore stories of their culture of origin. We are specifically interested in interrogating the ways in which different communities invest in or distance themselves from their ancient/classical mythology and folklore in the American Diaspora, and how those relationships have shifted over time. We will examine this question through both an academic & artistic lens.

Our Panel:
Anna Cai (they/them) is a queer Indonesian Chinese American community-driven artist currently living in Chicago who explores the futurities of Asian diasporic identity through relationships, textiles, costume, performance, film, graphic design, and print media. At the center of their creative and social practice is a desire to steer their community into a future that embraces a transformation of fiction and reality and rejects outdated constructs of nation, gender and capital.
Cai has received multiple awards for their work in art, design, and community engagement. They were a finalist in Lesotho Fashion Week of 2018 and their work in film has been selected for Lesotho Film Festival between the years of 2018-2020. Most recently they were a recipient of the 2020 New Artist Society scholarship, the 2022 Caxton Book Club grant, and Graphic Design USA’s 2022 Students to Watch Award. They are also a member of the 2022 Spring Tanda Artist Research fellowship program hosted by Chuquimarca Art Library in Chicago, Illinois. They have collaborated with several organizations internationally including the Morija Arts Centre, The Hub in Morija, Lesotho Girls in Tech, the Public Housing Authority of Residents in Charlottesville, the White House Kitchen Garden initiative, and the Chinese Historical Society of Memphis & the Midsouth. They have initiated numerous independent publications and initiatives such as The Morija Makers (2018), Stories from Westhaven (2016), and the upcoming Chicago-based independent magazine Tongues (2022).
They received a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia. In 2016 to 2018 they served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho. Upon leaving the organization, Cai apprenticed with a local textile artist and began exploring identity expression through wearable sculpture and performance. During this time, they gained invaluable experience on how to build trusting relationships and engage in art-making that embraces an art practice at the intersection of community building, education, and design. They recently completed an MFA Visual Communication program at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago where they were immersed in rituals that combine mythology, pleasure, play, historical fabulation, and the reclaiming of archives.
Dr. Katherine Kelaidis is the Director of Research and Content at the National Hellenic Museum. She has held research appointments at the American University in Cairo, Oxford University, and the Free University Berlin. She is also a Senior Editor at Religion Dispatches. Dr. Kelaidis holds a B.A. in Classical Languages from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Classics from the University of London.

Cori Nakamura Lin a midwest-based Japanese//Taiwanese-American illustrator and designer specializing in movement art and culture-centered storytelling. By visualizing narratives and illuminating concepts, Cori makes art that fuels action. Some current projects include illustrating curriculum covering Japanese American Resettlement to Chicago in partnership with Katherine Nagasawa, JASC, and the JACS Grant, and illustrating Cori’s sister, Jami Nakamura Lin’s, forthcoming book The Night Parade.
Website: https://corilin.co/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoriLinArt
Instagram: @cori.lin.art

Jami Nakamura Lin is the author of the illustrated speculative memoir The Night Parade (Mariner/HarperCollins and Scribe UK, 2023). A Catapult columnist, she’s been published in The New York Times, Electric Literature, Passages North, the anthology What God is Honored Here? (U. Minnesota Press) and other publications. She received a 2016 National Endowment of the Arts and the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, and a 2015 Walter Dean Myers Grant from We Need Diverse Books. Her work interrogates mythology, monstrosity, mental illness, and motherhood.
Website: https://jaminakamuralin.com/
Book updates/newsletter: https://rokurokubi.substack.com/
Instagram: @jami_lin
Twitter: @jaminlin

Moderator: Cairo Dye, NHM Programs & Events Manager

Syria: The Frontlines of Displacement
2022-10-27 17:00 - 19:30 | 625 North Kingsbury Street Chicago, IL 60654, 625 North Kingsbury Street, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
ABOUT THIS EVENT:
Join the co-editors of Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria, Karam Foundation, ART WORKS Projects, and event sponsor, Howard Conant, Jr., for a discussion and exhibition of acclaimed photojournalist Bassam Khabieh’s nearly decade long project, Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria.
Khabieh (joining via live feed) and Lina Sergie Attar, CEO and Founder of the Karam Foundation, will be in conversation to discuss Khabieh’s unique and personal perspective, the impact of the ongoing war in Syria on children, and the ongoing challenges facing the 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey as well as those living in other parts of the globe.
Globally, we have surpassed 100 million refugees worldwide, most recently due to the war in Ukraine. While attention has been shifted to supporting Ukrainian refugees, we welcome this opportunity to connect with our Chicago-land community members to draw lessons learned from different contexts and treatments of refugees, and how we can take action.
ABOUT WITNESSES TO WAR: THE CHILDREN OF SYRIA
Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria – book and exhibition – provides an insider’s account of the impact that the war in Syria has had on children.
From the rebel held area of Eastern Ghouta, Witnesses to War illustrates, through photographs and stories, the incredible resilience of Syria’s young in the face of violence. Children and their families held onto fragments of normalcy through schools conducted in basements, street games played in the temporary lull of battle, and events and holidays celebrated under tenuous conditions.
Khabieh did not start out as a photographer. When the war broke out in Syria, he was studying computer science at Damascus University. As the violence escalated there and around the country, it was clear that there was an urgent need for Syrian photographers to ensure that the world knew what was happening in his increasingly isolated and dangerous homeland. Throughout the conflict—until mid-2018, when the Syrian regime captured Douma, his hometown—he remained in the region, working as a photojournalist for many international media outlets and gaining international acclaim.
In this 11th anniversary year of the Syrian Arab Spring, Syria remains in crisis. There are still millions of displaced people who are living in refugee camps either inside Syria or in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Thousands of missing detainees are suffering inside security interrogation centers. And, the economic situation in Syria is deteriorating daily as poverty and hunger spread.
Books will be available for sale during the event. 100% of the proceeds go to outreach, advocacy, and the support of Syrian refugee youth and communities through Karam Foundation.

Reset on the Road at Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
2022-10-26 11:00 - 13:00 | Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, 800 S Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60607, United States
About this event

What’s your favorite scary story? And what makes it scary? Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons will explore all things fearsome at the historic (and plausibly haunted) Jane Addams Hull-House Museum on Wednesday, October 26. Join us for this spooky live broadcast to learn about the cultural significance of creepy tales told throughout Chicago.
Perhaps better known as a place of hope and social progress, the paranormal past of Hull-House has long been hushed, despite continued interest from ghost hunters. But current stewards of the institution are now reclaiming and celebrating its folklore, including stories of the Lady in White, the infamous Devil Baby and even a portal to hell. This free Reset on the Road event is crawling with opportunities to experience these urban legends firsthand!
Come celebrate Halloween and watch radio happen in this notably eerie landmark. Wear a costume and you’ll get a treat!

Night of Terror: Storytelling Event
2022-10-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 central street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Terror awaits you at the Mitchell Museum’s first ever scary stories told by witnesses of horror within Chicagoland’s Native storyteller community!
Immerse yourself and your family in our evening of fear and bone chilling stories moderated by Negwes White from our friends at St. Kateri Center. The event is free for Mitchell Museum Members and $10 for non-members. Admission for Native citizens is always free. Tickets can be purchased onsite, light snacks and refreshments will be available. This event will be located at 3009 Central Street, located just next door to the museum.

Unveiling Nichols Tower Vertical Gallery
2022-10-24 16:00 - 19:00 | 906 S Homan Ave, Chicago, 906 S Homan Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Join us for the Unveiling of the Nichols Tower Vertical Gallery, a project brought forth by a collaboration between The Foundation for Homan Square, Elevated Chicago, SAIC, and OPEN Center for the Arts.
TRANSFORMATION is a project created by The Foundation for Homan Square
to transform the interior stairwell of the
Homan Square Tower, a historical building, into a vertical gallery which would support local artists, engage local residents, encourage physical activities and highlight the architectural features of the building.
Through art projects like this, we not only
transform spaces but also perspectives
and how people/residents see themselves in and through the Arts.

Dominican American Midwest Association: Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony 2022
2022-10-22 19:00 | Biagio Banquet Hall, 4242 N Central Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Join the Dominican American Midwest Association (DAMA) for their Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony 2022. Featuring a presentation of the DAMA & Ramón García Educational Awards.
_____________
Saturday October 22, 2022
7pm
Biagio Banquet Hall | 4242 N Central Ave
COVID Protocols are observed

Journey Chicago: Navigating Borders: A Creative Collaboration
2022-10-22 14:00 - 17:00 | South Asia Institute, 1925 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
This event is part of Journey Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Alliance’s annual citywide festival of cross-cultural events.
South Asia and Korea share a common history of being divided by an arbitrary line that gave rise to new nations, India and Pakistan and North and South Korea. This year is the 75th. anniversary of the Partition of British India and the current exhibition at South Asia Institute revolves around the aftermath of the event. The collaborative program that will be presented by SAI and KCCOC will highlight the experiences of the people of the two nations with talks by South Asian and Korean academicians: Dr. Hardeep Dhillon and Dr. Ji-Yeon Yuh, followed by a musical collaboration by South Asian and Korean musicians: Sandeep Bharadwaj, Woosung Jung, Suwan Choi, Chansoo Lee, Yun Sil Jang, Deokhwan Kim. Food from South Asia and Korea will be served. Attendees will have access to the exhibition at SAI following the event.

Truths as We Speak Them: A Storytelling Open Mic
2022-10-22 13:30 - 15:00 | Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
Please join us at CAMOC for the first gathering of Truths As We Speak Them: A Storytelling Open Mic on Oct 22! This open mic storytelling gathering, hosted by Ada Cheng, is co-sponsored by the Bronzeville Historical Society, Chinese American Museum of Chicago, and People Matter.
The open mic will rotate between Bronzeville and Chinatown neighborhoods. The inaugural event is on Saturday, October 22, at the Chinese Museum of Chicago and our next event is Saturday, November 19, at Bronzeville Historical Society.
We welcome everyone to participate in these two upcoming events and share their stories.
Open mic rules:
– In-person sign up at 1pm.
– Arrive early for seats.
– All open spots are given 7 minutes with a courtesy warning at 6 minutes to perform and can perform more than once if time permits.
– This is a safe space for all regardless of race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability.

About the producer and host:
Ada Cheng is a professor-turned storyteller, solo performer, and storytelling producer. She has been featured in storytelling shows and done her two solo performances all over the country. She is the producer and the host of multiple storytelling shows, including Pour One Out: A Monthly Storytelling Series, Am I Man Enough?, Talk Stories: An Asian American/Asian Diaspora Storytelling Show, Speaking Truths Series, and This Is America: Truths through My Body.
Her motto: Make your life the best story you tell.
Check out her website here.

Truths As We Speak Them: A Storytelling Open Mic in Bronzeville/Chinatown
2022-10-22 13:30 - 15:00 | Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
I am very happy to present Truths As We Speak Them: A Storytelling Open Mic in Bronzeville/Chinatown.
This open mic storytelling gathering, hosted by Ada Cheng, is co-sponsored by Bronzeville Historical Society, Chinese American Museum of Chicago, and People Matter.
Our first event will take place in-person on Saturday October 22 from 1:30-3:00pm CT.
Please mask up for safety.
This open mic will rotate between Bronzeville and Chinatown neighborhoods.
We will have our inaugural event on Saturday October 22 at the Chinese Museum of Chicago and our next event on Saturday November 19 at Bronzeville Historical Society.
We welcome everyone to participate in these two upcoming events and share their stories.
Open mic rules:
In-person sign up at 1pm.
Arrive early for seats.
All open spots are given 7 minutes with a courtesy warning at 6 minutes to perform and can perform more than once if time permits.
This is a safe space for all regardless of race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability.

Producer and host:
Dr. Ada Cheng is a professor-turned storyteller, solo performer, and storytelling producer. She has been featured in storytelling shows and done her two solo performances all over the country. She is the producer and the host of multiple storytelling shows. Dr. Cheng uses storytelling to illustrate structural inequities, to raise critical awareness, and to build intimate communities.
Her motto: Make your life the best story you tell.
Check out her website: www.renegadeadacheng.com.

Oktoberfest Stammtisch | Open Haus
2022-10-21 19:30 - 23:00 | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
Cap off your Oktoberfest season at the best fest in town! Our indoor Oktoberfest features live music from Paloma Band of Chicago, authentic German food and drinks, and more! Attendees will enjoy plenty of yodeling, dancing, and pretzel eating starting at 7:30 PM.

Our historic Marunde Ballroom, located on the 5th floor, will be decorated in traditional festival style and our signature vintage bar will feature imported German Spaten Oktoberfest, Würzburger and local Festzelt Oktoberfest beers on tap. Come hungry and enjoy Thüringer, Bratwurst, Leberkäse, potato salad, sauerkraut, pretzels and Landjäger!

Guests can enter our famous “Stein Holding Contest” and dance to the music of Paloma Band of Chicago. Come wearing your finest Dirndl and Lederhosen to the Oktoberfest of the Season at the DANK Haus!

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Email dank@dankhaus.com
