Chicago -
By J.J. Tindall
Flight of the Iguana
“They stalk more silently,/And crouch on the limbs of trees,/And their descent/Upon the bright backs of their prey/May take years/In a sovereign floating of joy.” – James Dickey, “The Heaven of Animals”
I didn’t know iguanas
Lived in trees and I didn’t know
They fall when they freeze.
I did not know iguanas
Lived in climates which froze
Nor where they’d doze.
Why would trees
In Florida freeze?
Why would January thunder
Posted on January 29, 2018
By Steve Rhodes
Welcome to this Chicago zine queen’s ass-kicking life of ever-evolving freakdom.
Posted on January 25, 2018
By Urban Gateways
Each year, all too many Chicago youths and their families are struck with traumatic incidents stemming from exposure to gun violence, domestic abuse, sexual assault, substance abuse, and other forms of violence and loss; 2016 was the city’s most violent year in nearly two decades with 762 murders, 3,550 shooting incidents, and 4,331 shooting victims.
Urban Gateways often engages the very same youth and families who have been exposed to trauma and has witnessed firsthand the importance of combating this trauma. Without intervention, the life expectancy of youth trauma victims decreases by 20 years.
The city of Chicago is in desperate need of healing and of positive, impactful experiences. Arts intervention can provide a tool for recovery and mitigate the impact of trauma on our city’s youth.
This is why Urban Gateways has partnered with Artists 4 Israel and Chicago Survivors to pilot the distribution of A4I’s Healing Arts Kits throughout the city.
Posted on January 25, 2018
By The Spertus Institute For Jewish Learning And Leadership
The Spertus Institute presents a new, commissioned, site-specific installation by artist Ellen Rothenberg.
Rothenberg prompts visitors to consider connections between past and contemporary issues of migration. The project is inspired by objects and documents Rothenberg uncovered in the Spertus collection – as well as research she pursued in Berlin at Germany’s largest refugee camp, housed in the monumental Tempelhof Airport, a disused site that was designed and built by the Nazis.
Posted on January 24, 2018
Performing “More Dead Than Alive”
Brightyn Brems at Jump Chicago over the weekend.
Posted on January 22, 2018
By The Art Institute Of Chicago
“How does what you see in an artwork tell you how to look? Using three artworks from the Art Institute’s collection, this video unpacks a central theme and uses innovative visual storytelling to highlight the choices artists made to shape form and meaning in their works. Ultimately, it shows that each of us already possesses a powerful tool for making sense of art: looking closely.”
Posted on January 19, 2018
By The Illinois Holocaust Museum
The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center presents the Midwest debut of Speak Truth to Power, a major touring exhibition based on the book, Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World, by Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.
The photographic exhibition – which will highlight the experiences of more than 40 courageous “Upstanders” and urges visitors to take action against human rights violations – is on display from Sunday, February 4 – June 24.
Through stunning black-and-white portraits by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams featured in Kennedy’s book, Speak Truth to Power highlights activists who have worked tirelessly to defend justice in the areas of political rights, freedom of expression, honor killings, demilitarization, environmental activism, mental health, children’s rights, national self-determination and more.
Nearly 50 Upstanders will be featured from more than 40 countries across six continents, including Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic, Baltasar Garzon of Spain, Nobel Prize laureates His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, Oscar Arias, Rigoberta Mencha, Jose Ramos-Horta, Bobby Muller, and Wangari Maathai, in addition to everyday heroes.
Posted on January 18, 2018
By J.J. Tindall
Sick
I still have a crush on you, still
comparing thee
to a summer’s day:
more lovely, longer lease,
this kind of thing.
Posted on January 16, 2018
By The Chicago History Museum
The Chicago History Museum commemorates Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact in 2018, the 50th anniversary of his assassination, with an exhibition that explores his work in Chicago and around the nation.
“King’s work in Chicago illustrated that racism and racialized discrimination were not just southern problems but American ones,” said Joy Bivins, director of curatorial affairs at the Chicago History Museum. “We’re proud to host this exhibition as King’s work in our city, the nation and around the world continues to speak to us today.”
Remembering Dr. King: 1929-1968, opens on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 15. The exhibition opening coincides with the Museum’s annual family-friendly event that takes place from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Museum admission is complimentary for Illinois residents on this day.
Posted on January 8, 2018
