In this new exhibition, the Chicago-based Greek American photographer presents 80 historic works showcasing Chicago’s Greek American celebrations alongside other ethnic and cultural festivals and parades, primarily from the 1970s and 1980s. Depicted events include the Greek Independence Day Parade, Bud Billiken Day Parade, Chinese New Year Parade, Mexican Civic Society Parade, Jewish Festival and […]
Please join us to celebrate the art of Akina Curley. A very impressive show by a talented young Native artist. Seeking Sonder showcases work by Akina Curley (Ojibwe/ Diné) to explore other capacities/disciplines of expression that missions to challenge audiences about Native art today through a contemporary aesthetic. These new works by Akina will perform, […]
Rock in the New Year with us and Chicago favorite, The Rolling Clones! The Fifth Province Pub will be rocking with the sounds of Mick & the boys. The Rolling Clones are so good that you’ll swear you’re hearing the Stones live! Join us as we ring in 2023 with the Rolling Clones in a rare […]
While the youth are out of school, have them join us for a few days full of cultural learning activities and fun! This year's winter camp is called Niijii Camp which translates to Friend Camp. Please RSVP here: https://bit.ly/niijiicamprsvp Location: American Indian Center of Chicago, 3401 W Ainslie, Chicago, IL 60625 Dates: December 28-30th and January […]
JASC's Children's Program Donguri Kai invites 1st through 6th graders to a day camp celebrating Japanese New Year traditions. Campers will learn the basics of calligraphy (kakizome) and flower arranging (ikebana) and the cultural significance of these practicing arts at the new year. Everyone will showcase their creations at the end of camp.
Through the years, the land and water around Chicago have been radically altered. In 1900, the river was reversed. Meanwhile, Michigan Avenue by Grant Park used to be lakefront property! Join us for a virtual presentation as we explore the ebb and flow of our celebrated lake and river. Standing at upper Wacker Drive and […]
While the youth are out of school, have them join us for a few days full of cultural learning activities and fun! This year's winter camp is called Niijii Camp which translates to Friend Camp. Please RSVP here: https://bit.ly/niijiicamprsvp Location: American Indian Center of Chicago, 3401 W Ainslie, Chicago, IL 60625 Dates: December 28-30th and January […]
While the youth are out of school, have them join us for a few days full of cultural learning activities and fun! This year's winter camp is called Niijii Camp which translates to Friend Camp. Please RSVP here: https://bit.ly/niijiicamprsvp Location: American Indian Center of Chicago, 3401 W Ainslie, Chicago, IL 60625 Dates: December 28-30th and January […]
Exhibition Opening - Semillas: Artwork by Raul Ortiz Bonilla Our Resident Artist, Raul Ortiz Bonilla, will unveil his first exhibition, Semillas, at the National Puerto Rican Museum’s 2nd Floor Gallery on Friday, January 6th. Ortiz Bonilla utilizes pointillism, in which he meticulously paints small dots to create areas of color that together form these colorful, large masterpieces. […]
*english below* ¡Estás invitado a celebrar la Rosca con nosotros! Únase a nosotros para nuestra Rosca gigante acompañada de una taza de chocolate caliente. Este mismo día tendremos nuestro Sorteo, donde podrás ganar premios en efectivo así como premios sorpresa. Un Premio de $ 1000 Un Premio de $ 750 4 Premios de $250 cada […]
Topic: Anglo-Scottish Borders – Violence, Custom and Laws Broken Presenter: Professor Cynthia J. Neville, PhD, FRHistS, FSAScot, Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Adjunct Professor, Department of History, University of Guelph, Canada This event is complimentary. To attend, please RSVP below or email [email protected].
We are thrilled to partner with the Chicago Philharmonic and the Chinese Fine Arts Society for a free event centered on Chinese-American composer Tan Dun’s work! This panel discussion is in advance of the January 14 concert featuring the North American Premiere of Tan Dun’s Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (Yi2) with Sharon Isbin. Leading […]
Join IAHC historian Theresa Choske for a program about Belfast artist Paul Henry, as part of our “Saturday in the Library with Theresa” series. Trained in Belfast and Paris, Henry is best know for his sketches of the people, scenes and landscapes of western Ireland. “Launching the Currach,” “Lakeside Cottages,” and “The Watcher” are some […]
In April 1944, Rudolf Vrba became the first Jew ever known to engineer his own escape from Auschwitz and make his way to freedom. He did it to reveal the truth of the death camp to the world, and to warn the last Jews of Europe what fate awaited them at the end of the […]
This program will be held in-person at the Newberry and livestreamed on Zoom. Free and open to all. Advance registration required. In-Person Registration Livestream Registration Join us as historian Kaya Şahin, author of Peerless among Princes: The Life and Times of Sultan Süleyman, and art historian Elizabeth Rodini discuss the sixteenth-century ruler, during whose reign the Ottoman […]
Please join us in welcoming the Year of the Rabbit at our annual Chinese New Year Celebration. This year's event will be in person. We have many performances including Chinese traditional music, singing, folk dance, QiPao fashion show, poetry, Chinese calligraphy, food, and more. Same-day walk-in availability is not guaranteed, and there will be a […]
Come to the JASC and experience Kakizome(書初め – calligraphy)and Hatsuike (初生け – ikebana/flower arranging)at our New Year Kids Camp! This cultural event is a full day, in-person, drop-off day camp for children in 1st – 6th grades. Kakizome and Hatsuike are annual traditions for the New Year in Japan. People write the first calligraphy of their resolution for the new year in Kakizome. Hatsuike is […]
Join us for a screening of Chicago director James Fotopoulos's film "Two Girls." This is the story of young sisters in the American Midwest left alone with their increasingly unstable mother while their father is fighting in the Civil War. The film traces the girls’ naturally fraught sibling dynamic and the ways that their father’s […]
Organizers: DANK Haus German American Cultural Center
Our January Open Haus will be the best game night in town! Did you know that Germans invented the jigsaw puzzle and board games? Bring your friends and your competitive spirit and celebrate Germany with a night of German food, drink, games, and Gemütlichkeit! We'll have games of all types - board games, card games, […]
Organizers: DANK Haus German American Cultural Center
Free admission; food and drinks available for purchase
This program will be held in-person at the Newberry and livestreamed on Zoom. Free and open to all. Advance registration required. In-Person Registration Livestream Registration Join us as historian Kaya Şahin, author of Peerless among Princes: The Life and Times of Sultan Süleyman, and art historian Elizabeth Rodini discuss the sixteenth-century ruler, during whose reign the Ottoman […]
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, in association with MGM Television, SIPUR, Toluca Pictures, Alice Communications, and Menemsha Films, will host the North American premiere of The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes on January 19, 2023. The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes unearths secret recordings of Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust’s […]
Eleven artists with ties to North and South of the Mason-Dixon Line respond to just how much Black life has always been in transit. The Great Migration was one of the largest movements of people in United States history. It has transformed cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York and Pittsburgh between 1916 and 1970. […]
This exhibit discusses the exploitation of Indigenous land and how imposed borders of nation-states have erased the natural land borders used by Indigenous peoples. Nine Sami artists and three Indigenous artists from Canada and the United States want to use this exhibit to start a dialogue, raise questions, and establish waypoints between their culture and […]
Please join us for our second conversation on Chicago craft in the 1970s-80s with some of the city's long-standing artists and activists, including Lourdes Guerrero, artist and educator; Indira Freitas Johnson, artist, educator and community activist; Arlene Raconcay, former director of the Chicago Artists Coalition; Fern Shaffer, artist and former director of Artemisia Gallery. Starts […]
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 […]
Join us for a roundtable conversation exploring ideas for a renewed LaSalle Street corridor, which currently finds itself at a crossroads. How does an austere financial district transform into a vibrant 24-hour neighborhood, and who will call this neighborhood home? In many ways, the fate of the LaSalle Street corridor and the broader downtown are […]
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, gather with us on-site at the Museum for a live opera performance of the first act of Two Remain: Out of Darkness, in partnership with Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. Her Jewish identity hidden, Krystyna Zywulska was a political prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau. In secret, she composed […]
Join us for a screening of Chicago director James Fotopoulos's film "Two Girls." This is the story of young sisters in the American Midwest left alone with their increasingly unstable mother while their father is fighting in the Civil War. The film traces the girls’ naturally fraught sibling dynamic and the ways that their father’s […]
Organizers: DANK Haus German American Cultural Center
Please join us Saturday, January 28th at 1 pm for a curatorial conversation with Margot McMahon (Resist! curator and daughter of Franklin McMahon) and UIMA Curator Adrienne Kochman regarding the exhibit of acclaimed Chicago artist, Franklin McMahon’s fifty years of protest in vibrant drawings and paintings.
“Има картини, които те карат да се замислиш, да се разходиш из миналото или да се размечтаеш за бъдещето. Има такива, които ти говорят, разказват истории за хора, места и събития, шепнат за неизживяни любови, крещят за исторически несправедливости...или просто разказват приказки... А има и такива, които сякаш те прегръщат и те поглъщат, просто потъваш […]
“The Negro Motorist Green Book” guided Black Americans to thousands of businesses for over thirty years. When the first “Green Book” was published, the American road was a metaphor for freedom: freedom to change your present situation, determine your destiny, and travel. Yet, in 20th-century America, this same road was a dangerous place for Black travelers. The […]
After some delays we are excited to finally open “Arctic Highways.” Admission to see the exhibit is free between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. This exhibit discusses the exploitation of Indigenous land and how imposed borders of nation-states have erased the natural land borders used by Indigenous peoples. Nine Sami artists and three Indigenous artists […]
For the price of one ticket join us for a night of Film and Food from Colombia. A reception with food and a glass of wine starts at 1800 and "Crazy About You" by Director Felipe Martinez will begin at 1900. Lucas and Simón, friends who work in a creative agency in Bogotá, throw a […]
Join 3G Chicago, a newly formed group made up of grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors, for its inaugural virtual event. As antisemitism is on the rise, sharing stories about the Holocaust and its Survivors is more important than ever. Join us for an intimate conversation with one of the Holocaust’s youngest concentration camp Survivors, Sam Harris, and […]
This winter the CAC will be transforming our galleries into a temporary cineplex and welcoming the New York City-based Architecture & Design Film Festival. The line-up 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 […]
For this Black History Month, we're thrilled to partner with photographer Seen Lynn to offer free family portrait to our community! The Black family portrait, throughout history to the present, has always been an accessible, but vivid practice of self-representation that offers a more genuine and realistic portrayal of Black identity and dignity. Whether being […]
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.
Thursday, Feb. 2, 5 p.m. dinner and 5:30 p.m. movie We have the great opportunity to be able to show “Historjà – Stitches for Sápmi” at the Museum. The movie has won numerous awards in Sweden. Britta Marakatt-Labba is part in “Arctic Highways” on display in the main gallery. It is in Swedish and Sami […]
This program will be held in person at the Newberry and also livestreamed on Zoom. Free and open to all. Advance registration required. In-Person Registration Livestream Registration Join us for a conversation with historians Tara Zahra and Kevin Boyle about Dr. Zahra’s new book, Against the World: Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics Between the World Wars. They will […]
Let's welcome spring together! JASC hosts a day camp for children to experience traditions for the Japanese holiday of Setsubun (節分). February 3 is Setsubun (節分); the last day of winter in the 24 solar terms that divide a lunar calendar year. Campers will learn about traditions for bringing good luck. They will do a […]
Come celebrate La Candelaria Day with us!!! Food and Art Workshops! We are waiting for you this February 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. In 2017, parent leaders from 4 local schools, (Kanoon Elementary Magnet, Saucedo Scholastic Academy, Spry Elementary Community and Hammond Elementary), came to us for support on recreating the Traditional Mexican Winter […]
The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago presents a variety of traditional Korean games and crafts. Learn to play Ddakji Making, Jegi-chagi or Tuho or make a mask or kite. Drop in to participate anytime between 2-4 pm. Registration not required. All ages.
The Chicago Scots are partnering with the Gorton Center and the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff to host the celebration of 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns! Click Here To Purchase Tickets
Среща с Богдан Дарев/ Bogdan Darev - продуцент, сценарист и режисьор на филма. "Кавал парк" преплита в себе си документалното кино с художествено произведение. Прожекцията в Чикаго е част от световното турне на филма. Документален, САЩ, България, 100 мин., цветен, HD, английско и българско аудио, български и английски субтитри. КОГА: 4-ти февруари @ 19 ч. […]
J. Gibran Villalobos is an arts administrator, educator, and cultural worker. He has served as Senior Program Officer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as the Interim Executive Director of the Chicago Artists Coalition, and faculty lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Previously, he has held posts as Assistant Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Partnerships and Community Engagement Manager for the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Cultural Liaison for the Chicago Park District, and Curator-in-Residence for the Chicago Cultural Center. In 2016 he attended the Advocacy Leadership Institute and was invited to the White House Office of Public Engagement, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to speak to issues affecting Latinos in Chicago. In 2017 he launched an inaugural summit of Latinx artists and administrators across the U.S; for this project he was awarded the Act Up Award by the Chicago Community Trust. His work has been presented at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano during the 2017 Havana Biennial. In 2019 he was an inaugural recipient of the Field Foundation’s Leaders for a New Chicago Award as well as the Americans for the Arts 2019 Leaders of Color Fellowship. In 2020, he joined the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy where he worked with government and nonprofit sector participants to think about effective policy for Chicago’s cultural industries. He helped establish the Auxiliary Board at the National Museum of Mexican Art. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Department of Arts Administration & Policy.
Gibran holds a BA in Art History and a BS in Public Relations from Northern Arizona University and an MA in Arts Administration & Policy and MA in Modern Art History & Theory from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
He has contributed to exhibitions such as Direct Message, presenting the artwork of Chicago artistic collectives and their relation to language and civic engagement. As part of an international project, he has convened the MCA Chicago with the Tate Modern, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Queens Museum and other institutions to create dialogue on civic engagement within contemporary art institutions. He has written catalog entries for Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Rodrigo Lara Zendejas, and Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford. In 2021, he is contributing to the upcoming retrospective on the work by artist Andrea Bowers focusing on the activism and archives of Emma Lozano. He is curator of the symposium Fractures: Creating Around Devastation focusing on water ecology, civic engagement, activism, and architecture.
Loreal Robertson
Board Member
Loreal Robertson is a native Chicagoan who recently returned home in 2021 where she began working at the University of Chicago. In her role she oversees and monitors a range of programs, services, and resources to support the retention, wellness, belonging, and success of graduate students. Additionally, her role includes informing strategic priorities, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, professional development, student advancement and the support of students who may be experiencing financial academic, or personal challenges, including students with disabilities and international students.
Loreal has over 10 years of experience in higher education and student affairs. In 2021 she received the Inclusion and Diversity Champion Award from Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), where she was previously employed. Loreal’s personal and professional philosophy is creating and promoting spaces and opportunities where everyone can see themselves as part of an experience and feels represented.
Loreal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from TAMUK.
Loreal is a financial and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, an avid reader, and enjoys traveling with family and friends.
Warren Frank
Treasurer
Warren Frank is a retired CPA and CFO, and current Adjunct Professor at Columbia College.
Warren worked at such CPA firms as KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte, and Not For Profit organizations as National Association of Realtors, Chicago Associations of Realtors, Anixter Center, and Chinese American Service League.
Warren is a Chicago resident in the Lakeview neighborhood. He attended Loyola University of Chicago for his bachelor degree and Northwestern University for his master degree.
Colleen McGaughey
Board Member
Colleen McGaughey (she/her) is the director of development at the National Public Housing Museum, where she leads the strategic direction of the museum’s fundraising efforts with a focus on creative and community-centric approaches.
Mario Longoni
Board Member
Mario Longoni is a cultural anthropologist (“Lead Environmental Social Scientist”) in the Keller Science Action Center at the Field Museum. For over 20 years, he has worked with individuals and organizations to surface and activate cultural and natural assets (specific strengths and characteristics) to help communities meet the challenges they face.
Rob Fojtik
Board Member
Rob Fojtik is Vice President for Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism and convention promotion bureau. In this capacity, Rob oversees efforts to promote and support Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods to visitors from near and far. Programs include the award-winning Neighborhood Content Creator program that leverages resident-made digital content, and Chicago Alfresco, a $2.5 million placemaking initiative created in partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation to transform public spaces into community plazas for outdoor enjoyment.
Before coming to Choose Chicago, Rob was a Senior Advisor to Mayor Lightfoot on economic development and international relations at City Hall, as well as LGTBQ+ affairs and the expanded outdoor dining program. In this role, he also worked to recommend and place over 150 civic leaders and residents onto City boards and commissions. Prior to government service in the Lightfoot administration, Rob ran her winning campaign in the crowded 2019 Chicago mayoral race as Chief of Staff. In past lives, Rob has worked as a public affairs manager for a Fortune 500 company downtown; had misadventures in management consulting, art sales, and personal cheffing; and spent time in Washington DC working for former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Rob also served a one-year appointment at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence as a policy advisor on Central and Eastern Europe. In this role, he was part of the NSC’s interagency process to develop a comprehensive sanctions regime on Russia as a consequence of its 2014 invasion of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.
After receiving his BA in Slavic Languages and Literature at Northwestern University, Rob lived and worked in the Czech Republic teaching English and tending bar before moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue a MA from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES). He enjoys cooking, learning foreign languages, hiking with his partner and their dog, and visiting Chicago’s many neighborhoods.
Paul Durica
Board Member
Dr. Paul Durica is the Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museums and worked in a similar capacity at The Newberry Library. From 2015-2020, he served as the Director of Programs and Exhibitions with Illinois Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Prior to that he drew upon his work as a writer, researcher, and teacher to produce a series of free and interactive talks, walks, and reenactments focused on narratives from Chicago’s past that resonate with its present.
These public history programs led to collaborations with cultural institutions in the city such as the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago History Museum, Newberry Library, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center among others.
Each program made use of both his original research and the skills of the arts organizations, community groups, local businesses, and publications that acted as my partners. Some of these programs, such as the full-scale reenactment of the Haymarket Affair in 2011, involved recruiting and directing over 300 volunteers and 1,000 participants.
To produce these programs successfully, he wrote grants; managed budgets; generated web content; worked closely with program partners of varying sizes and resources; and identified, engaged, and sustained a diverse multi-generational audience.
Lynessa Rico
Board Member
Dr. Lynessa M. Rico is the Associate Chair of the Business Psychology Department at the The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Chicago campus. She is also a business mentor at 1871.
Lynessa is a results-driven Strategic Consultant with over 25 years of experience enabling leaders to meet strategic business objectives by identifying and aligning business growth opportunities with strategic direction of culturally diverse organizations. By leveraging her strategic experience in identifying and impacting business growth opportunities and maximizing profits in retail firms and higher education institutions, Lynessa leads workshops focused on the creative mindset, women’s entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and the value and application of design thinking within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her services also include consulting with and educating leadership on emotional intelligence, the power of design thinking and the creative mindset, and leadership styles to support inclusive, creative workplaces. She has presented to leadership and innovation teams in small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 companies.
Lynessa received her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Management from Wichita State University. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in Business Administration from Wichita State University with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After earning her master’s degree, Lynessa received her doctorate in Business Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she successfully completed her dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Personality Types and Color Preference for Color Combinations.” Her current research interests include women’s entrepreneurship, design thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship self-efficacy.
Outside of work and research, Lynessa enjoys mentoring start-ups and judging pitch competitions. Lynessa currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with her four cats. She is an avid long-distance runner, having completed 5 full marathons (and counting), and enjoys watching musical theater.
Briana Thomas
Board Member
Briana Thomas is the Museum Associate at the Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education (a core member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance). She wears many hats including developing exhibition content, facilitating community programs (children and adults), liaising with visitor artists, and other responsibilities. Her previous experience in the nonprofit space includes her tenure as the Financial Empowerment Coordinator at AMERICORPS Sharing Life Center as well as engaging with the public at the Dallas Arboretum. Her past professional experience has remained rooted in marginalized communities. It is their needs, discourse and histories that she has routinely been tasked with protecting and showcasing in the face of poor infrastructure, and willing ignorance. Creating safe spaces is an ancestral practice she has inherited.