Chicago Cultural Alliance

Book Talk with Kara Eng: Not Just a Simple Chinese Girl
2023-03-25 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States

Book Talk with Kara Eng
2023-03-25 14:00 - 15:30 | Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
A Free Event! Come meet the author of “Not Just a Simple Chinese Girl” , Kara Eng and discuss her book. RSVP HERE or at the link below!
Date: March 25, 2023
Time: 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Venue: Chinese American Museum of Chicago
Address: 238 W 23rd Street, Chicago, IL 60616
Book Synopsis:
Living in the outskirts of Chicago’s Chinatown, Vanessa Jade Lee always believed that she knew the truth about herself and her family. Her days have been filled with nothing but bliss and joy…or so it seems… For the past ten years, she had set her eyes forward, determined to forget, trying desperately to flee from the pain of the past.
But all efforts to avoid such memories slowly unravel when she encounters a mysterious photograph that threatens to tear apart her family and the reality of its troubled past. Forced to distinguish between truth and, sometimes unintentional, lies and deception, Vanessa realizes that she must be willing to break through the glass of her own little world and consider the sacrifices she must make in order to get to the bottom of this.
About the Author:
Kara Eng is a teen author and has been influenced by her Chinese-American family, culture, and community to write ever since she was a little girl. Her love for Christ has led her to found her Inspire Club to involve, impact, and inspire others in Chicago. When she is not writing or engrossed in books, you will find her playing volleyball, babysitting, or hanging out with friends.
Register on Eventbrite

Authentic Voice: A Writing Workshop
2023-03-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Haymarket House, 800 W Buena Ave, Chicago, IL, 60613, United States
Join us for a writing workshop with writer, photographer, scholar, and former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Kimberly M. Blaeser presented in conjunction with the NEA Big Read: Indigenous Stories.
Since November, Illinois Humanities has partnered with book stores and non-profit organizations to support free statewide book groups and public conversations around the experiences and stories of Native people in North America.
This workshop, in collaboration with the Center for Native Futures, will engage emerging writers in the process of developing their own authentic, creative voices.

A Passport to Haiti: Haitian Cuisine & Beverages
2023-03-26 13:00 - 15:00, 2023-03-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Haitian American Museum of Chicago, 4410 N Clark St, Chicago, 60640, United States
A Passport to Haiti: An Immersive Cultural Workshop Series is a four-part program happening at HAMOC from March – June, 2023. Each month will feature a different part of Haitian culture.
In March we will highlight Haitian cuisine and beverages. This specific program is a 21+ event, ID’s will be required and checked upon entry.
During the program learn about Pikliz, a traditional Haitian dish, and make your own to bring home! Then, hear a presentation about Haitian drinks and enjoy a Haitian Rhum and Spirits tasting. Come be in community with us!
FREE EVENT | LIMITED SEATING | HAMOC MEMBERS GET PRE-SALE ACCESS TO ALL 4 PROGRAMS
A Passport to Haiti: An Immersive Cultural Workshop Series is made possible by the generous support of the Chicago Community Foundation.

"What Color Am I?" Exhibition Opening
2023-03-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
Join us for the opening of our new Spotlight Series exhibition “What Color Am I” by Sarah Whyte.
RSVP HERE
Date: March 26, 2023
Time: 1-4pm
Venue: Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 4th Fl
Address: 238 W 23rd Street, Chicago, IL 60616
Statement About the Art
Where does the paradox of being called a China doll and then being told that color does not matter leave you? What Color Am I? Is a series of artworks that talks about the complications of racial understanding as a person of color raised by white parents.
Through captivating embroidered slurs on fake Chinese silk and breathtaking self-portraits that are obscured with layers of text, imagery, embroidery, and gesso, this visual story explores the struggles between the duality of racial identity and relationship.
The embroideries and paintings start separately but merge as a visual representation of both the artist’s Asian ethnicity and their white upbringing being a part of who they are. In the embroidery pieces when people see the shiny brocade-style fabric with dragons and phoenixes on it oftentimes they think that’s what Chinese silk is, but the material Sarah is using is actually 100% polyester. Synthetic fibers like polyester melt whereas natural fibers like 100% silk burn. This detail reveal can be seen on the edges of most of the embroidery pieces. Sarah chose this material as a play on her labeled identity as a “fake Asian”.
For the paintings, Sarah creates colorfully rendered self-portraits and then covers up most of the image in a gray-white gesso wash. She obscured the portraits with layers because so much of her own identity is obscured by layers of racial ambiguity. Then she hands embroidered poems she wrote in relation to the piece onto the painting. After the embroidery was finished she would cover up the words with a block of paint. Physically the words are there but unless you take a close look at the painting the words are easy to miss. It’s almost like she is highlighting and yet also erasing the embroidered words, sharing and yet also not making it easy for the viewer to read.
So often the question of race in transracial adoption is the elephant in the room because remember it doesn’t matter what you look like you are my child. But Sarah believes it’s essential that we acknowledge the issue of racism and systematic oppression that coincides. Through her work, Sarah poses the question of perception. Do you understand the material, the body, and the form as authentic or inauthentic? How do we label and choose what belongs and does not belong to these categories of race, identity, and community? What are the lines of the social construct that are flexible and fluid? After all, what is and is not considered to be a part of these groupings can change depending on the narrator and the social climate we live in. Does it matter if you perceive yourself differently than the general public?
What does it mean to be Asian? To be Chinese? To be “yellow”? To be “white”? To be American? Where do people draw the racial lines and how do they categorize race?
So, tell me What Color Am I? and What Color Are You?
Artist Bio
Sarah Whyte is an interdisciplinary fiber artist and painter whose work questions her identity. As a Chinese American, woman adoptee who grew up in a white family Sarah’s identity is complicated. Through her experience with both transracial and transnational adoption, She examines the hierarchy of race, gender, and culture within her artwork.
Sarah was born in China and lived in an orphanage at the beginning of her formative years. Sarah was then adopted and brought to the United States where she grew up in Virginia and Texas before moving to Chicago for school. She holds a BFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and is currently getting her MFA in Studio Arts at The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and is expected to graduate in 2024.
Register on Eventbrite

Trickster Ziigwan (Early Spring) Camp
2023-03-27 10:00 - 2023-03-29 14:00 | Rolling Knolls Nature Center, Chicago, IL, United States
Join us for this all ages, free Trickster Ziigwan (Early Spring) Camp with cultural teaching, crafts, storytelling, outdoor games, etc. Registration required: http://bit.ly/3Y1Cbcf Thanks to our sponsor Administration for Native Americans (A.N.A.)

Saving the Unsaved Stories: Doing Oral History in Chicago
2023-03-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Haitian American Museum of Chicago, 4410 N Clark St, Chicago, 60640, United States
Join HAMOC on March 29th, 2023 as Dr. Courtney Joseph completes a live oral history interview. Dr. Joseph is a professor at Lake Forest College and has been a longtime supporter of HAMOC. Admission to this event is by a suggested $10 donation or free for HAMOC members.

Demotic, Kathourevousa, and the Making of Greek Nation
2023-03-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Virtual, Chicago, IL, United States
The debate as to whether Demotic (the spoken language of ordinary people) or Katharevousa (a cultivated recreation of Ancient Greek) should be the official language of Greece was a major political and cultural issue throughout the 19th and 20th century. A question of identity, class, and history, the language question has much to tell us about Greece, the Greek people, and the weight of history. This NHM Discussion explores what the debate over the official language of Greece tells us about the past and future of Greece.

Bilingual Yoga at the Haus
2023-03-30 19:00 - 20:00 | IL, United States
Enjoy gentle indoor Yoga classes at DANK-Haus. The class will be taught primarily in German, with the intro and outro in English. Those with little or no German experience are encouraged to come and follow along!
In this class we will be flowing from pose to pose and linking movement with breath. We will combine elements of Hatha and Yin-Yoga as well as Meditation.
Hatha Yoga focuses on postures that practice to align, strengthen, and promote flexibility in the body.
Yin poses are passive stretches held for minutes at a time, preparing the body for stillness by releasing deep-rooted tension.
Breathing techniques and meditation are also integrated.
All Yoga postures will be introduced through step-by-step verbal description and demonstration.
All levels- BEGINNERS WELCOME!
This class requires a minimum of 5 pre-registered students to run.
Minimum 5 students required for class to run

Immigrants Got Talent! Community Noraebang Fundraiser
2023-03-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Haymarket House, 800 W Buena Ave, Chicago, IL, 60613, United States
Join us at the amazing Haymarket House to dance, cheer on fellow singers, and take the stage to sing for our community fundraiser!
Sign up and have your name drawn and maybe you’ll be chosen to sing your favorite song on the stage!!!
Tickets are now available and also raffles, drinks, and ticket bundles.
Let us know if you have any questions, and we hope to see you there!!!

We Love the Boils!
2023-03-31 20:00 - 23:00 | Fifth Province, Venue Fifth Province 4626 N Knox Ave., Chicago, IL, 60630, United States
We love it when the Boils are here! Join us for the fun traditional and contemporary sounds of the Boils on Friday, March 31st, as they play for us in the Fifth Province. Enjoy our all-you-can-eat Friday Fish Fry with a pint of Fifth Province Ale! Fish Fry opens at 6:30pm, the Boils are on at 8:00pm.

Newberry 101: An Introduction to Research at the Newberry
2023-04-01 09:30 - 10:30 | Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, IL, 60610, United States
This workshop will be held in-person at the Newberry.
Interested in exploring the Newberry’s vast collection of rare books, maps, manuscripts, and primary sources but not sure where to start? Then this session is for you.
In an informal orientation, Newberry librarians will introduce you to the Newberry and break down how to use our collection. If you’re new to the Newberry, new to research libraries, or an occasional visitor ready to take your humanities research to the next level, “Newberry 101” is a must.
The session will last approximately an hour. Following the orientation, you’re welcome to stick around for a guided tour of the library. You can also begin exploring our collections in the General Reading Room, where a reference librarian can provide assistance.
In order to maximize your research time, please register in advance as a Newberry Reader. Click on https://requests.newberry.org and select “Create an Account.”

Frühlingsflohmarkt | Spring Flea Market
2023-04-01 10:00 - 17:00 | IL, United States
Ready to start your Spring Cleaning? Don’t throw those old items away! Bring them to the DANK Haus and let them become another family’s treasure!
You can donate items to the DANK Haus to sell in the Flohmarkt (Flea market), or you can rent your own table for $25 to sell your items. Tables are limited, so claim yours soon! Bring dishes, small appliances, books, collectibles, coins, jewelry, whatever will fit into your space!
Looking for some gently used treasures? Come shop the market from 10 am-5 pm.

St. Nicholas Cathedral School Spring Benefit Concert
2023-04-01 18:00 | Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States

D211 Sustain'd
2023-04-01 19:00 | IL, United States
Township High School District 211 will showcase their Advanced Placement Artists in the first ever capstone show titled, Sustain’d. April 20 at 7pm is a reception. Each student artist works for 1 school year to create a body of work around a sustained investigation of a concept.

Children’s Books from Mexico / Libros infantiles de México
2023-04-02 | Virtual, Chicago, IL, United States
This virtual program will be presented in Spanish and English, with English subtitles. The program will be available to view on our YouTube channel starting on 4/2; we will send the URL to registrants.
In celebration of International Children’s Book Day, join us for insight into the Newberry’s little-known collection of Spanish-language books for children and youth, and learn about the importance of children’s literature in facilitating discussions about critical social and emotional issues. For caregivers and educators, these books serve to open conversation about serious topics affecting children across the world, including migration, forced marriage, and gender diversity.
The conversation will take place between representatives of the Newberry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Chicago, and book publisher Ediciones El Naranjo.
En Español
Este programa se presentará en español e inglés, con subtítulos en inglés.
En celebración del Día Internacional del Libro Infantil, únase a nosotros para conocer la poco conocida colección de libros en español para niños y jóvenes de Newberry, y aprenda sobre la importancia de la literatura infantil en la discusión de temas sociales y emocionales críticos. Para los cuidadores y educadores, estos libros sirven para abrir la conversación sobre temas serios que afectan a los niños de todo el mundo, incluida la migración, el matrimonio forzado y la diversidad de género.
La conversación se llevará a cabo entre representantes de Newberry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Chicago, y la editorial Ediciones El Naranjo.

Scandinavian Jam ONLINE
2023-04-02 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual, Chicago, 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.

Greek Americans and the American Labour Movement
2023-04-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual, Chicago, IL, United States
In this NHM Discussion we will explore the often forgotten role of Greek Americans in the formation and success of the American Labor Movement. From the coal mines of the Rocky Mountains to the factories of the Rust Belt, Greek Americans were at the frontline of the fight for a fair and safe workplace. In the story of the American Labor Movement, we see one of the first moments where the Greek American story intersected with the broader American story.

The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross
2023-04-05 19:00 | Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
UIMA invites you to hear Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross which he wrote in 1786 in response to a commission from the bishop of Spain’s Cadiz Cathedral. The bishop requested music to accompany the cathedral’s Good Friday service that year. In addition to introductory and concluding sections, Haydn wrote a movement for each of Jesus’ last sayings or utterances during the crucifixion.
The work has nine movements sometimes referred to as “sonatas” or “meditations”: seven Adagios, each based on Christ’s last utterances, framed by an Introduction and a dramatic conclusion in Il terremoto (The Earthquake). Each one is in a different key and remarkably varied. Haydn’s work will be performed by the Village Strings at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Cathedral on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 7 pm .

Free Day April 2023
2023-04-06 10:00 - 17:00 | Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 central street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Thursday, April 6, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Stay tuned as we announce more free days in the coming months!
For more information about this program, please contact: info@mitchellmuseum.org | (847) 475-1030

April Free Day
2023-04-06 10:00 - 17:00 | Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 central street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States

Dinner & The Emigrants
2023-04-06 17:00 - 19:30 | Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Dinner will start at 5 p.m. followed by the movie at 5:30 p.m.
We have the great opportunity to be able to show the new “The Emigrants” movie at the Museum.
Produced by SF Studios, “The Emigrants” is a big-budget epic drama based on Vilhelm Moberg’s story about Swedes who left misery behind for a new life on the other side of the Atlantic in the mid-19th century. The film’s cast includes Lisa Carlehed (“In Your Arms”) and Gustaf Skarsgård (“438 days”), who star opposite Sofia Helin, Lena Strömdahl and Swedish pop sensation Tove Lo. In Swedish with English subtitles.
Watch the trailer here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15518656/
Cost for dinner and movie is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Movie only is $10 for all. Prepaid reservations are required for the dinner with no refunds available for cancellations within 5 days of event. Last day to reserve dinner tickets is Wednesday, April 5.

Reservations

Dinner & Movie member $20.00 USDDinner & Movie non-member $25.00 USDMovie only $10.00 USD

Artecito Virtual Jirafas
2023-04-06 18:00 - 19:30 | Virtual, Chicago, IL, United States
https://bit.ly/ArtecitoJirafa

Did you know that giraffes are the tallest land mammals?
Join us as we explore more about Giraffes with our friends at Lincoln Park Zoo!

¿Sabías que las jirafas son los mamíferos terrestres más altos?
¡Únase a nosotros mientras exploramos más sobre las jirafas con nuestros amigos en Lincoln Park Zoo!

https://bit.ly/ArtecitoJirafa

What is Virtual Artecito?
Artecito is a free online workshop in Spanish developed by OPEN Center for the Arts and Lincoln Park Zoo that uses the arts to engage families with nature in ways that resonate with local holidays, culture, and wildlife. With a related art activity, workshops highlight wildlife and nature to encourage children and families to think about nature and their relationship to it in creative ways.

¿Qué es Artecito Virtual?
Artecito es un taller gratuito en español bimensual gratuito en linea desarrollado por OPEN Center for the Arts y Lincoln Park Zoo que utiliza las artes para involucrar a las familias con la naturaleza de maneras que resuenan con las festividades locales, la cultura y la vida silvestre. Con una actividad artística relacionada, los talleres destacan la vida silvestre y la naturaleza para alentar a los niños y las familias a pensar sobre la naturaleza y su relación con ella de manera creativa
https://bit.ly/ArtecitoJirafa

Sing Me O Muse: Why Homer Matters: A Special NHM Discussions
2023-04-06 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, Chicago, IL, United States
The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the world’s oldest pieces of literature and the foundations of much of the Western literary tradition. For centuries, primary education focused on the memorization of Homer. Written in a composite dialect of Ancient Greek, Homer’s work has been translated into hundreds of languages. In this special NHM Discussion, we will explore the history and impact of the Homeric corpus. From the well-known epics to lost poems, we will explore why Homer matters today more than ever.

We are American Test Run
2023-04-07 - 2023-04-16 | Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Staff is working hard to get our new permanent exhibit “We Are America” ready to open in the fall! While we are developing the exhibit, we want your feedback! Come to the Museum for a test run of “We Are America” in our Main Gallery from April 7-16. This will be a smaller version of the exhibit and will include interactives and never before seen artifacts from the Museum’s collection. We hope you will come by and share your thoughts with us!

where the light corrupts your face...
2023-04-07 - 2023-06-24 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60653, United States
Artists Andres L. Hernandez, Tonika Lewis Johnson and Roland Knowlden consider the many definitions of space, site, and home.

"where the light corrupts your face..." | Opening Reception
2023-04-07 17:00 - 20:00 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60653, United States
Spatial griots Andres L. Hernandez, Tonika Lewis Johnson and Roland Knowlden invite you to
consider how socio-economic and geographic oppressions impact the way we see (or don’t
see) our environments. Hernandez uncovers embedded histories and systems of power within
built and speculative landscapes to imagine these spaces otherwise. Social justice artist Lewis
Johnson advocates for urban communities by documenting the disparities among Chicago
residents who live on opposite ends of the same streets across the city’s racial and economic
divides. Knowlden critically deconstructs the elements of our urban fabric and its architectural
histories to reassemble them as cartographic abstractions and imagined landscapes.
Gwendolyn Brooks, a brilliant author, poet, and life-long resident of the historic neighborhood
of Bronzeville, becomes the Mecca of these stories as this exhibition interrogates dilapidation,
buried histories, and what it could mean to be Black in space.
Architecture is an ever-present form of storytelling. The architectural historiographies of Black
space have often been written by poets who have elegantly told our stories of spatiality. Brooks
gave us a voice we didn’t know we needed while underlining the importance of Black
interiority.

Ukraine Will Resurrect!
2023-04-07 19:00 - 2023-04-30 17:00 | Ukrainian National Museum, 2249 W. Superior St., Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
We invite you to the exhibition UKRAINE WILL RESURRECT!
April 7-30, 2023.
Opening: Friday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m.
For over a year, each event in the Ukrainian National Museum is a reminder of the war against Ukraine by russian terrorists, which takes the best, killing children, schoolchildren, students, civilians, and soldiers who defend the whole world from Putin’s aggression.
The international exhibit titled “Unissued Diplomas and their unwritten Easter eggs” showcases posthumously issued diplomas to students from Ukraine. The photos of students, the spiritual meaning of Easter, and the unwritten Easter eggs tell a sacred story of deceased people. These students died from rocket attacks and shelling during the evacuation, while on a volunteer mission, or during fierce battles on the front line.
“Unissued Diplomas” is a documentary in memory of those Ukrainian students who perished as a result of russian aggression against Ukraine and will never become graduates.
February 24, 2022, is written in history as the day when Ukraine woke to air raid sirens, rockets, and shelling.
The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy exchange program at the University of Toronto and the Ukrainian-Canadian Union of Students (SUSK) were the organizers of the project – “We want to honor the memory of Ukrainian students who sacrificed their education, life goals, aspirations, and dreams for the sake of our country.”
The international exhibition is presented in 45 universities and many Ukrainian embassies in 22 countries.
The Ukrainian National Museum supports Mark Tomashek’s initiative, a student from Lviv, and community activist Liliia Popovych from Chicago, and presents this project within the exhibition “UKRAINE WILL RESURRECT!”. The show was previously displayed at the University of Illinois.
Museum visitors will enjoy a fantastic palette of Pysanky (Easter Eggs). The exhibit will include pysanky created by Anna Chychula, Pysanka Artist (Pysankarka), from Oleg Kurylo’s private collection, and paintings from the museum’s collection. Anna Chychula learned the art of writing pysanky from her mother, Parania Dudycz, who survived World War II as a young woman and came to the US as a refugee from the Displaced Persons Camps with her husband Ivan and their young children. Anna’s pysanky are amulets embedded with prayers for the Victory of Ukraine and faith in its Armed Forces. Symbols for Easter eggs are carefully selected. The octagonal star symbolizes the unity of two crosses and creates harmony and peace; oak leaves are symbols of strength.
Together to Victory!
Curator Maria Klimchak, co-curator Anna Chychula.

Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion
2023-04-07 20:00 - 22:00 | South Asia Institute, 1925 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
Join South Asia Institute in welcoming Ustad Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion on Friday, April 7th at Symphony Center!
Hussain is the “indisputable tabla maestro” (Gramophone), taking his instrument to the frontiers of Indian classical music while vastly expanding its presence on the world stage. For his long-running Masters of Percussion program, Hussain is joined by drumming virtuosos representing multiple cultures, genres, ages, and instruments.
