Talking Timber: Can Wood Save Us?

Talking Timber: Can Wood Save Us?

Join us for a special panel discussion exploring the wide world of mass timber design and construction, coinciding with the opening of our new exhibition, ReFramed: The Future of Cities in Wood.

This program is FREE with advanced registration. Both In-Person & Virtual options are available. Following the panel discussion, attendees will be able to view the new exhibit.

Mass timber brings many advantages to architecture and construction by virtue of its prefabricated versatility, relative light weight, low embodied carbon, and natural beauty. It is the only commonly used building material that grows back and has shown to provide health and wellness benefits for those who spend their days immersed in wooden environs. Best of all, the United States and Canada have abundant forestlands that are managed for long-term sustainable harvest. What else can wood do? Find out at this presentation and spirited discussion with leaders in mass timber design, engineering, construction, and testing.

ReFramed: The Future of Cities in Wood and associated “Talking Timber” lecture series are created in partnership with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and with the support of presenting sponsor the Softwood Lumber Board.

AIA/CES Credits: 1 LUs

Starkbierfest Open Haus

Starkbierfest Open Haus

Friday March 17th is a night of fun at our Open Haus! This month’s theme is Starkbierfest! We will have German Bier on tap and food for purchase! 

After the debauchery of Faschingszeit (carnival season), we have started into Fastenzeit (lent). Fortify yourself for this time of austereness by trying some “liquid food” – the genius invention of 17th century Paulaner monk Salvator who decided to help his fasting brothers by brewing a batch of “strong beer” which was rich in nutrients and calories.

To this day, all of Bavaria’s breweries create a version of Starkbier during lent. Just like the originator, Salvator from the Paulaner Brewery, most varieties end with the “-ator” appendix: Optimator, Triumphator, Maximator, Terminator, and countless others. During our March Stammtisch Open Haus you can taste some of those delicious brews.

Our Open Haus is a great way to meet new friends, or bring your friends and introduce them to the Haus! This event is located in our popular 2nd Floor Brauhaus.

Free parking at 5/3 Bank after 6:00 PM located at Western and Gunnison

Wagner’s Nightmare: A Piano & Violin Recital

Wagner’s Nightmare: A Piano & Violin Recital

Join us on Saturday, February 25th for Wagner’s Nightmare. Wagner’s Nightmare is a tongue-in-cheek send-up to the most controversial and influential artist of all time, Richard Wagner. It’s culmination is here, in an album of music Wagner would not like.

For better or for worse, incendiary opinions, vitriolic identity politics, and polarizing depictions of national identity are some of the most prevalent themes in today’s discourse. Whether we are enthralled by this mania or exhausted by it, we cannot escape it. In this emaciated public landscape, depleted of empathy and nuance, artists are in a unique position to comment both as insiders and observers to this arena.

With this in mind, we are proud to present this recital tour as the culmination of a nearly two year project in which we reveled in one of classical music’s most incendiary, vitriolic, and polarizing figures: Richard Wagner. The man and his music are iconic, absurd, and influential…and so are the controversies and outrage that have surrounded him since he set pen to paper. Through essays, podcasts, videos on special themes, and a full length album (released on February 16, 2023) Wagner’s Nightmare explores in a light-hearted manner, the reasons why Wagner is so widely admired and roundly derided. There is one theme which unites all these varied activities: whatever we do somehow always circles around a something Wagner famously hated.

We hope that by approaching Wagner with equal amounts of praise and pot-shots, respect and ridicule, sincerity and satire, our audiences will reflect on how they themselves regard today’s polarizing, overwrought, and sometimes absurd social climate.

Musical Program will Include:

Music by…Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Erik Satie…and more!

Daniel Orsen is a violist in the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, prior to which he freelanced in Boston where he performed with A Far Cry, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Fermata Chamber Soloists, and the Phoenix Chamber Orchestra, and was the artistic dire ctor of Jamaica Plain Chamber Music. Daniel has performed Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and appeared as soloist with the Fermata Chamber Soloists and Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble. His festival credits include Krzyzowa, Ravinia, Prussia Cove, Verbier, and the Perlman Music Program. Daniel has an interest in cultural and intellectual history, which is manifesting itself here, in Wagner’s Nightmare. His writing has also been published in The Anglican Way and The Journal of the American Viola Society

Daniel is a native of Pittsburgh, PA. He was taught and mentored by members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Credo, and the Perlman Music Program before his Conservatory with Kim Kashkashian. He plays on a 2013 Philip Injeian viola and a 2014 Benoit Rolland bow, both specially made for him.

With regular engagements in festivals, concert series, and competitions in both Europe and the United States, French-American pianist Pierre-Nicolas Colombat has been recognized by audiences and international juries alike for his collaborative artistry. After publishing his doctoral dissertation (Boston University), he moved to Basel, Switzerland to continue his studies with Jan Schutsz. Through his work as a concert organizer, writer, and performer Colombat actively seeks out creative ways to bring the living heritage of classical music into the 21st century. His main duo partners include Daniel Orsen (violist), Kathrin Hottiger (soprano), and Vinicius Costa (bass-baritone).

Cost
Friends of DANK Haus (what is this?): $15
General Public: $20

Please Note: Free parking is located at 5/3 Bank located at Western and Gunnison Avenue.

Operations Specialist (Full-time, hybrid)

Chicago Cultural Alliance Job Announcement
Operations Specialist (Full-Time/Hybrid)

Position: Operations Specialist
Salary range: $45,000 to $50,000/year + benefits
Reports to: Executive Director
Type: Full-time, 40 hrs/week. *Note: This is a hybrid position (2 days/week in-office; 3 days/week remote).
How to apply: If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected] with “Operations Specialist” as the subject. Only complete applications will be considered. Applications can be addressed to Mónica Félix (Executive Director).
Process: We will accept applications until the position is filled. 1st interview: 30-min Zoom call; 2nd interview: in person in office.

About Us

The Chicago Cultural Alliance’s mission is to connect, promote, and support centers of cultural heritage for a more inclusive Chicago. We are an active consortium of over 40 cultural heritage museums, centers, and historical societies that span 28 neighborhoods and 7 suburbs in the Chicagoland area and represent over 30 different cultures from around the world. Our programs include the annual Activating Heritage conference, World Dumpling Fest, Journey Chicago, knowledge sharing opportunities, and support services. Learn more about our mission, programs, and members at https://www.chicagoculturalalliance.org/

About the Position

The Chicago Cultural Alliance (CCA) is seeking a full-time Operations Specialist. This role is essential to ensuring that the CCA team is meeting project deadlines while enforcing practices that reinforce organization and efficiency standards. The ideal candidate is someone with an eye for detail and the ability to adapt to the various needs of a nonprofit environment. We are seeking applicants who will embrace operations and administration with an understanding that this role is central to our organization’s ability to support centers of cultural heritage efficiently and with the greatest impact.
The ideal candidate should expect to commit a minimum of 3 years to this role. This role is not a good fit for anyone preparing to transition to graduate school or transition to another professional role. We encourage applications from serious candidates looking to join a team of dedicated nonprofit professionals who are passionate about advocating for Chicago’s cultural institutions and fostering a deeper sense of cross-cultural understanding through our work.

Click to read the full job announcement and instructions on how to apply:

CCA Operations Specialist – Job announcement 2022