Chicago Cultural Alliance

The Museum at Andersonville Fika Fest
2024-02-09 - 2024-02-11 | Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join as we and other Andersonville businesses unite for food, warm beverages and shopping (coffee grounds in our Store will be 15% off!). There will be fun ways to become better acquainted with the Museum and Swedish culture! We’ll have a popup cafe, treats for the Coffee and Cocoa Crawl, and we’ll be hosting the Andersonville puzzle exchange. We hope to see you for this fun winter activity!
POP-UP CAFÉ
Friday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
COFFEE AND COCOA CRAWL
Saturday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
As part of Andersonville’s Fika Fest, the Coffee and Cocoa Crawl invites visitors to indulge in cozy beverages along a fun Andersonville route. Try special cocoa and a delicious treat from the Swedish American Museum, along with offerings from nearby locations. Check in begins at 9 a.m. at the Museum. Purchase tickets here.
PUZZLE EXCHANGE
Sunday, Feb. 11

Neighborhood Nights
2024-02-08 19:00 - 23:00 (America/Chicago) | DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
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!

UIC Black Cultural Center: Black Heritage Month⁠ African Americans and the Arts
2024-02-07 15:30 - 16:30, 2024-02-01 12:00 - 2024-02-02 00:00
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

"Unearth" at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art
2024-02-07 11:00 - 2024-03-10 17:00 | Cleve Clarney Museum of Art, 425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL, 60137
“Unearth” is on display now through March 10 at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, featuring three Chicago-based painters who find beauty and meaning in everyday urban scenes, drawing back to the tradition of early 20th century painters.

Karen Perl, Emily Rapport and Gwendolyn Zabicki similarly capture the buildings, streets, neighborhoods and casual interactions that make up the backdrop of everyday, urban life and reflect on how we live, while echoing the Chicago community’s history. Each featured artist delves into perceived reality to unearth a moment or interaction that, when painted, reveals an intensely present experience. Pieces including Perl’s “5400 N. Clark,” Zabicki’s “Man Watching Baseball” and Rapaport’s “Damen Ave Nocturne.”

Entry to the museum is free and visiting hours are 11am – 5p on Wednesdays – Sundays.

Architecture & Design Film Festival
2024-02-04 14:00 - 20:00, 2024-02-03 13:00 - 22:00, 2024-02-02 18:00 - 22:00, 2024-02-01 18:00 - 22:00, 2024-01-31 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-01-31 08:00 - 2024-02-04 17:00 | 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.

“Nan San” Exhibition at the Haitian American Museum
2024-02-03 15:00 - 17:00 | Haitian American Museum of Chicago, 4410 N Clark St, Chicago, 60640, United States
We are happy to announce our very own first Father – Daughters exhibition “Nan San” opening this Saturday 3-5pm.
Come see contemporary paintings, drawings as well as sculptural works and join us for an artist talk with the exhibition‘s artists. Looking forward to see you there !

The Making of Mahalia Jackson Court Screening & Talk Back
2024-02-03 15:00 - 15:30 | Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
The Making of Mahalia Jackson Court (2023) / US
Director: Christopher Hoerdemann
Runtime: 9:48
Architects, artists, craftspeople, and community stakeholders work together to rapidly transform a vacant lot on the South Side of Chicago into a vibrant community gathering space.
On Saturday, 2/3 at 3 PM there will be a special free screening of The Making of Mahalia Jackson Court followed by a talk-back and audience Q&A with Gerald Griffin (sculptor, Bordeau Griffin Design Center), Mark Sexton (Founding Partner, Krueck Sexton Partners), and Nedra Sims Fears (Executive Director, Greater Chatham Initiative) about their work on the project and plans for its future of the space.

Art Smart Series: Black Women in Clay: Legacies and New Directions
2024-02-03 13:00 - 15:00

Bronzeville in Reel Time with South Side Home Movie Project
2024-02-03 13:00 - 15:00 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60653, United States
In partnership with South Side Home Movie Project, with support from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation and University of Chicago’s Arts and Public Life, SSCAC is thrilled to host a special screening showcasing select cinema reels of Ramon Williams! Ramon Williams, Black IBEW electrician and film hobbyist, was an early adopter of amateur filmmaking and invested in documenting the Bronzeville community in which he lived — filming major Bronzeville social and civic events between the 1940s and 1960s.
We’re honored to show a selection of these films during Black History Month, to highlight Ramon Williams’s commitment to documenting Black life on the South Side, and the lasting legacy of Black cinema’s power to visualize Black life in real time.
We’ll be joined by SSHMP Assistant Director, Saroop Singh (fka Justin Williams), Bronzeville Historical Society President Sherry Williams, and PhD student in Cinema and Media Studies at UChicago, Avery LaFlamme for a live dialogue about Ramon’s cinema work and legacy in the Bronzeville community.
Donated to South Side Home Movie Project in 2020, the Ramon Williams Collection encompasses 302 film reels, their largest donation yet, representing never-before-seen visual records of Bronzeville authored by one of its few citizens with a movie camera! What was Black social life like during that time? How did Black folks present and fashion themselves? What were significant events that took place in the Bronzeville community? We hope you’ll join us to find out!
SSHMP presents a uniquely successful model for encouraging local residents to recognize the value of their personal archives, to preserve original film prints in optimal conditions, and to digitize home movies for public access, creative projects and scholarly research. Their film vault currently houses over 600 film reels (8mm, Super 8, 16mm) from 33 South Side families. The Project offers a robust line-up of public programs that invite students, neighbors, artists and partner organizations to explore and activate the archive in imaginative new ways.
This program is generously supported by Arts and Public Life at the University of Chicago and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation

FREE Guided Tours at the National Hellenic Museum
2024-02-03 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.

Kino, Kaffee und Kuchen
2024-02-03 10:30, 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

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

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

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.

Notes from the Field
2024-01-31 00:00 - 2024-03-24 00:00
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.

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

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

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

American Desi Family: A Comical Urdu/Hindi Play (Late Show)
2024-01-27 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-01-27 15:30 - 17:30 | 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
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.

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