Chicago Cultural Alliance

3rd Fridays Free Admission Museum Night
2024-01-19 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Heritage Museum of Asian Art, 3500 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL, 60609, United States
Free Admission Museum Nights take place every third Friday of each month from 5 pm to 8 pm! The tour will start at 6 PM on time. All tours depart from the reception desk, and please be sure to arrive on time. The event offers wine and appetizers.
This Friday at 7-7:40 PM, our Resident Artist 2024 – Irene Hsiao will perform at the Heritage Museum of Asian Art as part of the project If The Sky Could Dream.
About the Tour –
Learn about Asian Art in the Heritage Museum of Asian Art with a guided hour-long tour around the gallery. Museum-trained interns and volunteers will give a talk on selected artworks. Each word is packed with fascinating insights, information, and stories. During this participatory experience, you’ll connect with works from across the collection and get a close look at highlighting artworks. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Please note tours may be canceled or postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
About the project –
IF THE SKY COULD DREAM focuses on the Chinese dragon as a powerful being that fosters harmony. This creature is emblematic of China as well as a mythological being for many Asian and Western cultures and thus evokes a sense of mysticism, and intrigue in many communities. Representing the Chinese Dragon as a water deity, the installation series will feature images and projections of the weather and local bodies of water in Chicago.
If The Sky Could Dream is supported, in part, by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant
About Irene Hsiao
Irene Hsiao creates performances in conversation with visual art in museums, galleries, and public spaces, a practice that includes site-specific interaction with visual artworks and experimental engagement with artists, institutions, and the public. Find out more through our website.
Accessibility
The Heritage Museum of Asian Art’s Entrance is on West 35th Street. Take the elevator to the third floor and turn right to the Museum Reception Desk. Accessible and standard toilets are located on the same floor. Free parking space is available next to the museum via West 35th Street.
If you have any programming questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with info@heritageasianart.org or 312-842-8884.

LEGO® & LIBATIONS
2024-01-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Right Bee Cider, 1830 N Kostner Ave, Chicago, Chicago, 60639
LEGO aren’t just for kids. Join CAC staff at Right Bee Cider to learn about the Design Process and construct your very own LEGO build with a design challenge.

Spieleabend | Game Night Stammtisch Open Haus
2024-01-19 19:30 | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
Our January Open Haus will be the best game night in town! Bring your friends and your competitive spirit and celebrate Germany with a night of German food, drink, games, and Gemütlichkeit!

Immense Journeys
2024-01-20 - 2024-03-03 | Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Immense Journeys: Art, Nature, Science and Beyond
Featuring Melissa Jay Craig, Lisa A. Frank, Anne Hughes
On display until March 3rd, 2024
Melissa Jay Craig, Lisa A. Frank, and Anne Hughes lead lives rich in creative experiences informed by nature. Day by day, art practice and the natural world awaken shoots of imaginative reflections and actions. This exhibition brings together varied, visual art forms to stand on their own and resonate off the others through surprising interconnections (just like nature itself). A purposeful confluence provides many pathways into appreciation of process and range. It allows for thoughtful exploration of the infinite ways in which nature affects our lives and we affect nature. Presented here are works by three artists who, over decades, have embraced the wonders of nature and witnessed results of human actions and inactions. Deepfelt desires, to share their personal artworks and stir the passions of others to engage, reside at the heart of this exhibition. There is no one-way in. Creativity and nature inspire, confound, amaze, and amuse.

FREE Guided Tours at the National Hellenic Museum
2024-01-20 11:00 - 15:00, 2024-01-27 11:00 - 15:00 | National Hellenic Museum, 333 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60661, United States
Join us for our FREE, limited-time offer guided tours every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. These one-hour tours offer a comprehensive journey through the museum’s rich exhibitions and artifacts.

3831 HOLIDAY POP-UP!
2024-01-22 00:00 | IL
3831 Holiday Pop-Up is a mini pop-up market hosted in SSCAC’s historic Burroughs gallery, that features vendors working across a variety of businesses from jewelry to candles, books, and more!

Fundraiser: The Negotiator: Billy Caldwell Documentary
2024-01-22 12:18 | IL
Date: 2024-06-20
Location:
9603 Woods Drive
Skokie,
IL
60077
United States

A Fundraiser for Mitchell Museum of the American Indian: The Negotiator: Billy Caldwell Documentary
Thursday, June 20 | 7 PM film showtime

As one of the treaty signers in 1829 and 1833, Billy Caldwell and others negotiated the sale of 5,000,000 acres of land in northwest Illinois, resulting in the removal of all Native American tribes in the state of Illinois. Billy Caldwell, son of a Mohawk woman, Rising Sun and British Army Captain, William Caldwell was a leader in early Chicago. Although he was not a blood relative of the Great Lakes tribes in the area in 1833, Caldwell worked to negotiate the safe passage of the United Nations of Chippawa, Ottawa and Potawatomi out of the state of Illinois and west to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Today, Caldwell’s Band of Prairie People now live in Mayetta, Kansas as the federally-recognized tribe of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. This documentary explores these actions through research and interviews with local subject experts.

Get Your Architectural Kitsch on Route 66
2024-01-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Online, IL, United States
Called the Mother Road, U.S. Highway 66 has been a fixture in American history since its inception in 1926. Join us for a trip along the highway – known simply as Route 66 – as we look at the best examples of what has been called Roadside Architecture: the visual reflections of the American regions the road crisscrossed.
Route 66 was an exploration trail to America’s west, became a migration trail from the Dust Bowl to California, a military transport road during World War II, and later reverted to a tourism trek. Typically, the vernacular architecture along the way was suited for its purpose as gas stations, eateries or souvenir shops, all new building types in the 1930s. Over the years, the architectural styles illustrated what many would call “kitsch,” defined as cheaply made, disposable, accidental or even tacky. Have some fun, get your kicks – and kitsch – on Route 66.
Presenter: Ellen Shubart
A lifelong Chicagoan, CAC docent Ellen Shubart spent more than two decades as a journalist, taught at the college level and ended her career as an advocate for sustainable city planning. A historian by training, with advanced degrees in U.S. History and Historic Preservation, she has written four books all with an emphasis on the history of the City of Chicago: What’s With Chicago?, Images of America: Glencoe, Illinois, Taylor Street, Chicago’s Little Italy and most recently, Chicago: An Illustrated Timeline.

Forever Free: Frederick Douglass Tours
2024-01-25 15:00 - 2024-02-29 00:00 | American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” —Frederick Douglass
Discover the incredible legacy and enduring impact of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, as well as other Black writers who came before and after him. This 15-minute tour introduces you to all areas of the American Writers Museum, with a special focus on our special exhibit Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice. Following the tour, you can explore all of our exhibits more in depth and at your own pace.
Forever Free: Frederick Douglass tours are offered daily at 3:00pm when the AWM is open. We are open Thursdays to Mondays, from 10 am to 5 pm. We are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The tour is included with museum admission and no advanced registration is required. Tours begin at the Museum front desk.

Join the Chicago Scots at Martyrs’ Live for a very special Burns Supper!
2024-01-25 19:00 - 21:00 | IL
Date: January 25 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Location:
3855 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago,
IL
60613
United States

Join the Chicago Scots at Martyrs’ Live for a very special Burns Supper!

Neighborhood Nights
2024-01-25 19:00 - 23:00 | IL
Date:
Start
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Time:
Location:
Location
DANK Haus, 6th Floor Skyline Lounge

enjoy a beverage with a spectacular EXPERIENCE in our haus
A perfect place to meet your neighbors and socialize! All proceeds support the DANK Haus Museum
WHEN
Each 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month from 7-11 PM.
Location
Winter months – Brauhaus Room (2nd floor)
Summer/Fall months – Skyline Lounge/Terrace (6th floor)
Subject to change. Be sure to check elevator signs when arriving!

Splinter: A Romantic Comedy
2024-01-26 19:00 - 20:30 | The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
A play for those held captive by theater itself. On the border of illusion and reality, the only constant is human feeling.
After a glorious Chicagoland premiere of Splinter: A Romantic Comedy in Wheeling and Evanston, IL, the play will be performed again at The Edge Theater at 5451 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640 on Friday January 26th at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday January 27th at 6:00 p.m.
Splinter is a kind, light romantic comedy, based on French drama masterpieces. You will laugh and be a little sad. You will get a huge boost of optimism. The play is about love of the theater, about friendship and fidelity, and about the ability to dream. It is a sensitive and touching story about the theatrical world, where it is difficult at times to distinguish what is an illusion and what is reality. The only constant is human feeling.
Learn more about Splinter Theatre – www.splintertheatre.com
Follow us on Facebook – https://fb.me/e/3673fzYtE
About Splinter
The aging actress dreams of returning to the theater, making new friends and losing old ones. Elizabeth is unrestrainedly devoted to her only passion – the stage. In it, she finds the strength to live, feel, love and hope. Theater is in her blood. It is like a splinter that does not let you forget about yourself…The action of this poetic and poignant performance takes place in a small run-down hotel. Next to the former (or maybe just failed) actress are two men. One is a lover to whom a girlfriend is already a burden. The other is an uncouth bellboy. With the help of the main character, he can approach the alluring and hitherto inaccessible world of theater. In the fictional world of Elizabeth, touching, naive and magnificent dreams are born and die, and the soul of a delightful dreamer and woman blossoms.

Scottish Genealogy Group
2024-01-27 10:00 - 11:30 | IL
Date: January 27 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Location:
2800 Des Plaines Avenue
North Riverside,
IL
60546
United States

Kino, Kaffee und Kuchen
2024-01-27 10:30 | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
Date:
Start
Saturday, January 06, 2024
Time:
Location:
Location
DANK Haus Room 206, 2nd Floor

KINO, KAFFEE UND KUCHEN
Saturdays at the DANK Haus in Room 206
10:30 – 11:00 AM | Kaffee und Kuchen
11:00 – 12:00 PM | Vorfilm
12:00 PM | Feature Film Begins

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

American Desi Family: A Comical Urdu/Hindi Play (Late Show)
2024-01-27 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-01-27 19:00 - 21:00 | South Asia Institute, 1925 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60616, United States
South Asia Institute and Thespianz Foundation Present “American Desi Family”, A Comical All Urdu/Hindi Play
Second Show Added due to High Demand!
About the Play
American Desi Family is a satirical comedy about a South Asian family that migrated to the United States. Wajeh is dissatisfied with his wife, Naima, while their family friend Aashiq, who is a bandmaster, always looks for local Desi marriages to perform. Noreen, a character who enjoys playing games, frequently makes false promises to Aashiq regarding marriage.
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM sharp
Venue: South Asia Institute,
1925 S Michigan Ave, Chicago IL 60616
Tickets price
Student Ticket: $15 per person
Regular Ticket: $25 per person
VIP Ticket: $50 per person
VIP Ticket guarantees first two rows seating.
*Students need to show ID at check-in.
Play credits:
Directed by: Faisal Malik
Associate Director: Sheikh Sameer Nadeem
Playwright: Injila Hamesh

Nicht Wi' Burns
2024-01-27 17:00 - 20:00 | IL
Date: January 27 | 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location:
9333 S. Cicero Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL 60453 United States

5:00 pm – Cash Bar
5:45 pm – Pipe Band
6:00 pm – Program Start
Complete details will be included with your emailed invitation.
Email nichtwiburns@gmail.com to be added to our invitation list.

Shubukai Presents: Revitalizing Tradition XVI Fujima Style Japanese Classical Dance
2024-01-27 19:00 - 21:00 | AIRMW Cultural Arts Hub, 4875 N Elston Ave, Chicago, 60630, United States
Shubukai Presents: Revitalizing Tradition XVI
Fujima Style Japanese Classical Dance
Saturday, January 27th, 2024 | AIRMW Cultural Arts Hub | 7:00PM
4875 N Elston Ave Chicago, IL 60630
The “Revitalizing Tradition” Series is a performance series created to introduce Japanese Classical Dance concepts and themes such as gender presentation and Kabuki character archetypes. This year we welcome Fujima Kikuri from Tokyo, Japan. She will be dancing “Uchiwa Uri”/ The Fan Seller” a Tokiwazu piece, Asian Improv aRts Midwest is excited to host the inaugural performance at our new building on the new dance stage.
Special Guest Fujima Kikuri
Free Admission Registration Required

Scottish Genealogy Group
2024-01-29 00:00 | IL
Date: July 27 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Location:
2800 Des Plaines Avenue
North Riverside, IL, 60546, United States

80. rocznica bitew pod Falaise i Arnhem
2024-01-31 00:00 | IL
In collaboration with the historical reenactment group, 10th Dragon Regiment.

Notes from the Field
2024-01-31 00:00 - 2024-03-24 00:00 | IL
Witness the powerful stories of 19 individuals fighting to overcome and transform America’s education and criminal justice systems.
THIS STRIKINGLY INTIMATE PIECE presents snapshots from a variety of real people, documenting their intersections with the American dream and the obstacles that work to block them from it. Utilizing verbatim dialogue pulled from more than 250 accounts from students, faculty, prisoners, activists, politicians, and victims’ families, Notes from the Field takes audiences on an emotional journey through the faults and injustices of an American criminal justice system that seems more focused on incarceration over education. Deeply human, profoundly moving, and full of moments of humor, compassion, and resilience, it’s a masterful work that asks you to observe, be present, and join the call for urgent and necessary change.
Originally performed by creator Anna Deavere Smith as a one-woman show, in TimeLine’s Chicago premiere, three actors weave together narratives of change makers, activists, and those caught within the system for an evening of theatre unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

What You See Is What You Get By Johan Wahlstrom
2024-01-31 - 2024-03-30 | Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Wahlstrom is a 5th generation Swedish artist from Stockholm. He began his artistic career in music and transitioned to painting in 1998. He often pulls inspiration from his previous career as a musician and from his experiences traveling the world. Wahlstrom continuously looks to critique and re-frame society through his comedic, abstract style. In “What You See Is What You Get” Wahlstrom reconnects with the artists who originally inspired him such as Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Karel Appel, and Asger Jorn. Pieces in this series comment on political and social concerns such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and current Swedish politics.

Architecture & Design Film Festival
2024-01-31 08:00 - 2024-02-04 17:00, 2024-01-31 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-02-01 18:00 - 22:00, 2024-02-02 18:00 - 22:00 | Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
Join us at the CAC for a film line-up that includes 15 feature films and more than a dozen free film shorts from all across the world, each sharing a unique story of innovation and sustainability in architecture, design and fashion.

Black History Month
2024-02-01 - 2024-02-29 | IL

UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts
2024-02-01 12:00 - 2024-02-02 00:00 | IL
Homes Away From Home: Black Students’ Activism and Belonging at U of I
Thursday, February 1st
Bus Departs: 12 pm Bus Returns: by 12 am
Sign up: https://go.uic.edu/homeaway
This is a FREE trip to the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) to learn more about our Cultural Centers, connect with students from UIS and the University of Illinois of Urbana Champaign (UIUC), and discuss the Black experience within the University of Illinois system. There will be an exhibit showing, panel, lunch and dinner.
Round trip bus transportation to the campus of the University of Illinois Springfield will be provided. The bus will be leaving from Student Center East (SCE) at 12 PM and returning by 12 AM. Excusal letters for courses on this day will be provided.
Seating is reserved for the first 25 students who sign up.
Art Moves: The Chicago Footwork Experience! Lecture, Performance, and Dance Workshop
Wednesday, February 7th
Lecture- BCC Gallery, Addams Hall 207. 3:30 PM-4:30 PM
Performance/Workshop- Student Center East (SCE) Illinois C. 6:30 PM-8:30 PM
Explore the history, politics, and Afro-Diasporic spiritual roots of Chicago footwork. Footwork is an embodied and creative form of resistance to state-sanctioned violence and environmental racism. Following the lecture and performance, dancers will teach the foundational moves of Chicago Footwork, culminating in a full routine.
What’s Going On? The Healing Power of Creativity
Friday, February 9th
BCC Gallery, Addams Hall 207. 10 AM-11 AM
Creativity is essential for emotional and mental well-being. Join us as we reduce stress through collaging, coloring, bracelet-making, and writing. Supplies and light refreshments will be provided.
Black Table Talk: Love in the Arts
Wednesday, February 14th
BCC Gallery, Addams Hall 207. 12 PM-1 PM
Join our conversation! We will discuss how “Black Love” is portrayed in the arts and popular culture.
Art Moves: Open Mic
Thursday, February 15th
BCC Gallery, Addams Hall 207. 6:30 PM-9 PM
Come out for a night of music and spoken word! Hosted by UIC’s very own DJ John West!
Tracing Our Path Through Bronzeville. A film screening and discussion
Thursday, February 22nd
BCC Gallery, Addams Hall 207. 6 PM-8 PM
This documentary by Reginald J. Rice highlights the contributions of various cultural institutions in Bronzeville. Local Chicago artists will be featured and present for the discussion.
Film description: he Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago has been a creative hub that cultivated the artistry of some of the most influential artists and authors of the twentieth century. To name a few, Margaret Burroughs, Richard Wright, William Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, and members from AfriCOBRA have all established a creative foundation in Bronzeville. Nevertheless, the significance of their contribution is not only the artwork they produced, but also the aesthetic tradition that they established. This aesthetic tradition was founded to reframe the fraudulent historical narrative of African Americans. Today, there are a number of artists who are following this aesthetic tradition. This documentary will introduce its audience to the cultural traditions that emerged from the Bronzeville community. This tradition challenged the status quo through activism, visual arts, literature, and academic research.Tracing Our Path Through Bronzeville will highlight the contributions of various cultural institutions in Bronzeville, and contemporary African American artists that attempted to redefine the image and voice of black culture. This documentary will generate a new perspective on the significance of the cultural legacy of African American art from the perspective of artists who have exhibited their paintings in the Bronzeville art galleries.
Black Table Talk: Visualizing Black Culture
Wednesday, February 28th
BCC Gallery, Addams Hall 207. 12 PM- 1 PM
Join our conversation! Images of Blacks in photography have a profound impact on how we interpret black experiences and identities. We will be exploring the power of Black visual imagery through the camera lens.
Art Moves: Can You Feel It? Celebrating 40 years of House Music
Thursday, February 29th
BCC Gallery, Addams Hall 207. 6:30 PM-9 PM
Come and celebrate the history and worldwide impact of Chicago’s own House Music with DJ John West.
UPCOMING EVENTS

Awa-Odori
2024-02-01 18:00 - 19:30 | Japanese American Services Committee, 4427 N. Clark, Chicago, Illinois, 60640, United States
We plan to take a picture wearing Awa-odori costume.
For male dancers, please bring tabi and white pants or black pants.
For female dancers, please bring Hadagi of white and Koshi ‐maki, Tabi. If you have Hoso-Bari and Futo-Bari, Himo, please bring it with you. Female dancers wear straw hats, so please tie your hair into a bun.
To Register Email: ASAKAWA.USA@gmail.com
