Chicago Cultural Alliance

Conversations at SAI: At the Intersection of Faith, Culture and Music
2022-11-05 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Chicago) | 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.)

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.

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

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

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.

Native American Artisan and Craft Fair
2022-11-06 08:00 - 17:00 | 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/

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.

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.

In-Person Master Class - Lithuanian Threaded Straw/Paper Ornament Making
2022-11-10 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-11-17 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.

"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.

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

"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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Beyond the Headlines: Haiti in Music
2022-11-15 19:30 - 20:30 | 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.

Bold Byzantine Women: Empress Theodora, Anna Komnene, and St. Kassia
2022-11-16 17:00 - 18:00 | Online, IL, United States
Join NHM Discussions as we explore the lives and legacies of three of the Byzantine Empire’s most influential figures: Empress Theodora, Anna Komnene, and St. Kassia. Theirs are stories of palace intrigue, spiritual seeking, and intellectual vibrancy. In the man’s world of the Byzantine Empire, these three women left a legacy for us today.

WBEZ Presents: Mortified Chicago
2022-11-16 20:00 - 21:30 | Music Box Theatre 3733 North Southport Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60613, Music Box Theatre, 3733 North Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60613, United States
Join us for a night of humorous storytelling from everyday people in Chicago. Share the shame.

About this event

Join us for a night of humorous storytelling from everyday people in Chicago. We’ve all experienced some kind of embarrassment in our lifetime. Come out and commiserate over some cold beverages at the historic Music Box Theatre.
WBEZ is presenting three Mortified shows in the upcoming months, and two of them have special themes. In February we’ll celebrate the pinnacle of humiliating holidays, Valentine’s Day. After that, prepare to break out your lightsabers for a Star Wars edition of Mortified on May 4 (the second most embarrassing holiday).
Witness “personal redemption through public humiliation” in a refreshing show that is equal parts comedic, cathartic and voyeuristic. Mortified is the largest and longest running project of its kind featuring a cast of Chicago’s bravest souls. Share the shame.
Mortified stars everyday people reading aloud their most embarrassing, pathetic and private teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, lyrics and locker notes… in front of total strangers.
Mortified Chicago is generously sponsored by Goose Island.

VIP
Selecting the VIP add-on during check-out allows you access to the pre-show reception – complimentary drinks provided by Goose Island. As well as priority seating / early access to the theatre.
Get the bundle!
Mortified Live will also take place at the Music Box on February 12, 2023 for a special Valentine’s Day edition and May 4, 2023 to celebrate the inner Star Wars nerd in all of us! Purchase your tickets ahead of time or bundle all three to save!
Covid-19: Masks strongly recommended.

Art After Work: Marvin Tate
2022-11-17 17:00 - 18:30 | Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 756 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States
Join Intuit for Art After Work, a free series of facilitated art-making workshops inspired by outsider and self-taught art and artists from the museum’s collections and exhibitions. This month, Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist and educator Marvin Tate will facilitate a workshop inspired by one of his pastimes: birdwatching. In the in-person workshop titled “Come Fly With Me,” participants will make an artful bird from found objects.

Materials at Intuit

Wire clothing hangers
Plastic forks
String in various colors
Painters tape in various colors
Cotton balls
Beads
Hot glue

Art After Work is for everyone, including beginners and people who say they “are not artists.” We can all be artists! It is a guided workshop, and instruction will begin at 5 p.m. in the museum’s performance space.
Please contact Courtney Thompson at courtney@art.org with questions related to accessibility accommodations.
Art After Work is free to join! 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.
Please check your junk folder for event reminders. Unfortunately, these emails are sent there sometimes.

All Art After Work participants 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.

Art After Work 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.

Meet Marvin Tate
Marvin Tate is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. His works have been heard and seen locally as well as nationally. His most recent works include a ten-week play with Theater Y, a stint with Theaster Gates Jr. in London, and a triple vinyl boxset record release on American Dream Records. Tate finds inspiration for his visual art in time and space via found objects.

LIVEWIRE NIAM's Monthly Open Mic
2022-11-17 17:30 - 20:00 | National Indo-American Museum, 815 S Main St, Lombard, IL, 60148, United States
Livewire is your Open Mic platform to jam, tell us a story, act your heart out, enthrall with a verse, drop the mic… You bring the talent we’ll bring the cheers!
When? Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 5:30 PM
Where? National Indo American Museum, 815 S Main St, Lombard, IL 60148
You’ll have 3 minutes for any kind of spoken word performance- poetry, storytelling, comedy, acting, essay reading, singing, and even music! Not ready to take the mic? Come join the audience and enjoy the show! Your $5 ticket includes light refreshments.
If you would like to sign up for the Open Mic, email us at info@niam.org. We recommend advance sign-up and will schedule based on first come first served!
This month’s spotlight performer: IndRani Mondal
IndRani Mondal writes in English and Bengali. Fluency in both language and exposure to both kinds of literature. It gives an inclusive dimension and comparative edge to her writings. The author brings her gamut of people’s experiences, existential struggles, and triumphs of life relationships into her writings. Her poems are alive with sensual color and warm with sensitivity and emotions. They reflect social and cultural issues, sometimes with immigrant perceptions, always with the universal human appeal. As a caregiver, she crafts medically challenging times into poetic expressions with skill and heart.
IndRani Mondal has co-authored two novels of (Medical science Fiction: Bugging Cancer and Three Daughters, Three Journeys); and two books of Bengali poems, Protidin Sati and Raater Sarir ( Body Of Night)

ONLINE BOOK & AUTHOR: “LIGHTNING DOWN: A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL”
2022-11-17 18:30 | Online, IL, United States
Join us in discussion with #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin as he makes his literary return to the aerial battlefields of WWII to tell a harrowing and unforgettable story of heroism and human endurance in his latest book, Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival.
Based on a true and largely untold story, Lightning Down is an inspiring saga of American WWII fighter pilot Joe Moser who endured unspeakable horrors when his plane was shot down over Nazi-occupied France. Captured immediately, Moser’s journey into hell began with imprisonment in Buchenwald concentration camp. Only a desperate plan would save him and his courageous comrades.
Reservations required.

NHM Virtual Book Club – The Greeks: A Global History
2022-11-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Online, IL, United States
Join the National Hellenic Museum’s Virtual Book Club!
In November, we will be discussing The Greeks: A Global History by Roderick Beaton, a sweeping history of the Greeks, from the Bronze Age to today. This title was selected by members of NHM Virtual Book Club
Book Club is free to join and meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7 PM CST

More about The Greeks: A Global History:
More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek city-states, led by Athens and Sparta, laid the foundation for much of modern science, the arts, politics, and law. But the influence of the Greeks did not end with the rise and fall of this classical civilization. As historian Roderick Beaton illustrates, over three millennia Greek speakers produced a series of civilizations that were rooted in southeastern Europe but again and again ranged widely across the globe.
In The Greeks, Beaton traces this history from the Bronze Age Mycenaeans who built powerful fortresses at home and strong trade routes abroad, to the dramatic Eurasian conquests of Alexander the Great, to the pious Byzantines who sought to export Christianity worldwide, to today’s Greek diaspora, which flourishes on five continents. The product of decades of research, this is the story of the Greeks and their global impact told as never before.

Muslim Women in Technology Networking Social
2022-11-17 19:00 - 21:30 | Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education, 55 W Van Buren Street, Suite 220, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
Are you interested in connecting with other young professionals in the field of tech? Would you like to learn more about advocating for yourself in the field of tech as a minorty? If you answered yes to these questions, you do not want to miss this FREE event!
ACCE is proud to host Muslim Women in Tech (MWT) for a special evening of networking and discussions around salary negotiations, asking for promotions, and more. MWT is proud to present (TBD) as a keynote speaker to touch on these topics followed by a short Q & A. This evening is being sponsored by Airblox, a logistics start up that will have a booth available to visit and connect with.
Evening Schedule:
7:00-7:45PM – Welcome: Self guided tour of ACCE and light refreshments
7:45-8:30 – ACCE + MWT welcome, Keynote Speaker (TBD) with Q & A, Airblox pitch
8:30-9:30 – Networking and social hour
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.
Muslim Women in Technology aims to create a network for current and future female leaders across all industries by developing connections, learning together, and sharing opportunities for career advancement. Our vision is to support, empower, and increase the confidence of Muslim women and other marginalized groups in a tech-centric world. We aim to do this by providing educational, mentorship, and career opportunities. With these opportunities we envision an inclusive, diverse, and safe space that paves the way for high retainment of female leaders in the workforce. We plan to expand our organization across various cities with the intent of growing and supporting a larger network of women. For more information visit our website at: www.muslimwomenintechnology.com
Airblox is an online marketplace that enables freight forwarders (buyers) and airlines (sellers) to trade cargo capacity in the form of standardized electronic block space agreements (eBSA). For more information, visit our website at: www.airblox.com

BOMBA Lab en el Centro
2022-11-18 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

BETWEEN RELIEF & PAINTING – vernissage
2022-11-18 19:30 | Polish Museum of America, 984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States
He was born in Żywiec, Poland. He studied at the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (the Katowice branch). He received a diploma with honours in 2001 from the Studio of Industrial Design supervised by Professor Jerzy Wuttke. In 2010, he was conferred the degree of doctor of fine arts, and in 2018 – the degree of habilitated doctor. In 2004, he began working in the Department of Design as an assistant at the Drawing and Painting Studio supervised by Professor Jan Dubiel. Since 2015, he has held the position of head of the Visual Arts Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. He also teaches drawing and painting at the University of Technology in Katowice and the Drawing and Graphics Studio at the Municipal Cultural Centre in Jastrzębie-Zdrój. He is the co-author of numerous polychrome works in churches. He has taken part in about 100 collective exhibitions in Poland and abroad and has had 24 individual exhibitions. He has also participated in several plein-air and post-plein-air exhibitions and numerous competitions and post-competition exhibitions

G to G Coaching Session: How To Balance Creative Work & Multiple Projects
2022-11-19 08:00 - 17:00 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60653, United States
SSCAC is thrilled to partner with ILA Creative Studio for their G-to-G Coaching Sessions in a 3-part series of artist development resource workshops that intend to help close the gap of limited, sustainable business resources, specific to the needs of Black artists.
ILA Creative Studio’s G-to-G Coaching Sessions are an opportunity for professional practicing artists (18+) to have space to learn and grow in their respective fields – led by a mentor or coach that provides specific insights on a specific topic. These sessions help to translate effective ways for Black artists to achieve sustainability in their fields.
So much of our time as practicing artists goes into actually creating our wonderful art, but we MUST create time where we learn about the necessary business etiquette. Each session will be led by coaches and teaching artists who will provide insight on a specific topic, with the intention of assisting Black artists to work toward achieving sustainability in their field.
Second up, “How To Balance Creative Work & Multiple Projects”, led by Adia Sykes and Tiffany Johnson! Where they’ll cover all things project management, artist development strategies, and self-care advocacy within the arts.
Snacks and sponsored coffee will be provided by Sip & Savor. Very limited spots are available. Stay tuned for remaining sessions!

Artists First Conversations: Symposium 2
2022-11-19 10:00 - 12:30 | Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL, 60602, United States
Symposium 2: “The Ethics of Exhibiting Artists with Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Disabilities”
Artists First Conversations: Inclusivity for Artists with Disabilities is a three-part symposium series held in tandem with the Chicago Cultural Center exhibition Artists First: Twenty-five Years of Studio Art at Thresholds. The primary goals of the symposium series are to increase scholarship in the field of self-taught art made by artists with neurodevelopmental and mental health disabilities, with a focus on community receptivity historically and currently, and to strengthen partnerships nationally and internationally in continuing the exchange of art and ideas.
The symposium’s panels will delve into 1) the relationship between art making and mental health, 2) the ethics of exhibiting artists with neurodevelopmental and mental health disabilities, and 3) how artists with disabilities fit into the greater art world.
“The Ethics of Exhibiting Artists with Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Disabilities” will be hybrid with an in-person panel at the Claudia Cassidy Theater at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602); the symposium will conclude with a Q&A with the panelists. Light refreshments will be available before (10–10:30 a.m.) and after (12–12:30 p.m.) the panel. Attendees from afar can tune into the livestreamed 90-minute discussion from 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. (noon) central on Zoom.
The Chicago Cultural Center is wheelchair accessible and offers accommodations for attendees who are D/deaf or hard-of-hearing and or are blind or low-vision. American Sign Language interpretation will be available for in-person attendees, and closed captions will be available for virtual attendees. Please contact Eva Baldinger at eva@art.org with questions related to accessibility accommodations at the symposium series.
The Artists First Conversations symposium series is free!
Please check your junk folder for event reminders. Unfortunately, these emails are sent there sometimes.

COVID-19 information
Attendees are encouraged to wear face coverings if they feel comfortable, but they are not required to do so. Before attending the symposium, attendees are encouraged to self-identify whether they exhibit symptoms and stay home if they feel tired, ill or symptomatic.

Supporters
Artists First Conversations is supported in part by Kiyoko Lerner and the Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Thresholds, and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art.

Symposium series co-chairs

Leslie Baum, Director of the Open Art Studio at Thresholds Bridge South
Michael Bonesteel, Contributing Editor at Raw Vision and independent writer, scholar and curator
Dr. Scott J. Hunter, developmental neuropsychologist and curator of Artists First: Twenty-five Years of Studio Art at Thresholds
Debra Kerr, President and CEO at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

Panel moderator

Savneet Talwar, professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Panelists

Laura Bickford, Curator at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Irene Haynes, artist
Katherine Jentleson, Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art at the High Museum of Art
Vincent Uribe, Director of Exhibitions and External Relations at Arts of Life and Director at LVL3
