Art Sat Aug 30 2008
When not performing music under the name Lucky Dragons, Los Angeles-based artists Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Anderson run a drawing collective called Sumi Ink Club. Wielding brushes dipped in ink, they lead group art-making sessions to create intricately detailed, collaborative projects (drawings, murals, wearable art). Anyone and everyone can attend these meetings. According to the collective's official website, Sumi Ink Club is non-hierarchical--open to "all ages, all humans, all styles"--and uses group drawings "as a means to open and fortify social interactions that bleed into everyday life." In other words, pick up a brush and you might just keep, keep bleeding love.
On Sunday, August 31, Sumi Ink Club will host a free group drawing meeting at Golden Age in Pilsen. The lazy Sunday afternoon art session starts at 1 p.m., and Golden Age encourages interested participants to bring "friends, brushes, brains, ears, eyes, and positive attitudes." Afterward, you can catch a Lucky Dragons show at Berry UMC in Lincoln Square. Visit the Lucky Dragons website for more info.
Golden Age / 1744 W. 18th St.
— Laura Pearson
Laurence Booth of local firm, Booth Hansen, is featured in an article in this month's Chicago Magazine highlighting his ongoing career of applying his design method to whatever project may enter his door.
Among discussing his controversial project in Evanston or his high profile Joffrey Tower project downtown, the article asks the question, "why turn on your previously professed disliking of high-rise buildings?" Booth, soundly inline with sustainable environmental policy, expresses his concern at the way growth in this country has drained resources and increased consumption. He continues that the increased density that efficient uses resources spurred him into the high-rise market.
The article continues to explore his evolving career in the context of the scale of his projects. Status quo in architecture, the article states, is that residential architects work in anonymity and everyone else fights for commissions. However, Laurence Booth's path to the elite group of Chicago architects features his residential work as predominately as his later, larger projects.
The article also highlights a few of Booth's projects that have been unequivocal success, such as recently completed, 30 West Oak Street.
— Carl Giometti
News Wed Aug 27 2008
The complete program for this year's Chicago Humanities Festival was released yesterday and there's some great stuff in store. This year's theme is "Thinking Big" and the organizers certainly seem to be by tackling issues like cosmology, globalization, and the future of urban living. There will even be a few panels on the results of the presidential election that will take place just before the festival concludes.
The CHF technically begins in early October with a couple of big ticket fundraisers and gala events, but the good stuff really kicks off on October 11 and continues until November 16. Unless you're a CHF Member, you won't be able to buy tickets until September 15. But in the meantime you can browse the programs and set up an account on the CHF website to create an itinerary that will allow you to purchase multiple event tickets at once when the ticketing office opens to the general public.
— Jamie Smith
In case you missed it last weekend, Trump Tower was topped out.
While the concrete is done being poured, the building will stretch skyward a bit more once the "spire" is installed. In the meantime, check out this cool panorama video from Fox News Chicago.
— Carl Giometti
Feature Mon Aug 25 2008
Dan Telfer, co-producer of Chicago Underground Comedy, stand-up, writer and so forth, will be staging a reading of a spec script of "The Office." Performing will be a host of strong local comedy talents, ranging -- or, "ranging" depending on your point of view, I guess -- from stand-ups to improvisers and actors to fellow writers. Telfer is a veteran of stand-up and theatrical comedy in Chicago, a description that can sound like an insult in the wrong context, or if said with quotes around veteran. But I don't mean it that way; I mean that he has written, performed in and produced well-received shows, and helps propel one of the best stand-up nights in the city.
Continue reading this entry »
— Ramsin Canon
Dance Sun Aug 24 2008
We could get into a long conversation on the subject of why I'm not usually drawn to dance that promises to "de-mystify" and "de-titillate" the "objectification of women." But when Breakbone DanceCo promises to mock themselves, mock a lot of the heavy-handed social commentary out there, and encourage the audience to laugh during this de-titillation, my interest is piqued. The "De-evolution of MUDWOMAN (an evening of dance exile, fashion, and humor)" begins with a "superficial poptart diva"--representing today's female role models--who de-evolves into the primordial female, complete with head-to-toe mud. The show is filled with entertainment, including a couture fashion show and videography, and is punctuated by commentary from three "expositors" who critique the goings-on throughout the evening.
Breakbone uses a unique, athletic style, and the MUDWOMAN choreography explores a movement-as-language standpoint with diverse sources, from sign language to "primal body posturing" to more standard dance techniques. The concert features work by award-winning choreographers Colleen Halloran and Atalee Judy, and former Hubbard Street Chicago dancer Cheryl Mann.
So if you want to participate in a high-energy and humorous journey toward the appreciation of the female form in its "most beautiful, raw, and primal state," go check out Breakbone at the Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago. It's running for two more weeks: August 28, 29, 30, and September 4, 5, 6, all shows at 9:00. $18 ($15 students and seniors). Click here for tickets or visit Breakbone's website for more information.
— Rachel Zanders
Theatre Fri Aug 22 2008
This weekend, some of Chicago's most beloved local stand-ups will be getting together to throw a farewell and benefit show for Angelica Busque and the Illinois chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. Busque is a local artist and stand-up superfan well known to the many who comics who make their bones in Chicago's backroom stand-up comedy scene. Ms Busque suffers from chronic lupus and is leaving our lovely city and her adopted home to convalesce among family in Michigan. And local luminary stand-ups like Ricky Carmona, the screamingly funny C.J. Sullivan and Sean Flannery (who host the best sports-in-quotes, or "sports" talk show on the internet, Visitor's Locker Room), among others like recent emigre Renee Gauthier are all coming out to honor a super fan and have some fun raising money for a good cause. So what're you gonna do on Saturday?
Doors for "Angel's Farewell Show" open at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. on August 23, 2008, in the back of the Lincoln Restaurant (4008 N. Lincoln Ave.). Suggested donation is $10; all proceeds go to benefit the Lupus Foundation of America, Illinois Chapter. Raffle tickets for tons of good swag from Early to Bed, the Comic Vault, the Lincoln Lodge, 42 Degrees N. Latitude, The Amazing Tomas, Adventure Stage Chicago (Vittum Theater), and Michelle L'Amour will be available for purchase. Angel will also be raffling off an original piece of her art. This particular work was featured as the main promotional piece for Artwalk Ravenswood 2007.
— Ramsin Canon /
Music Fri Aug 22 2008
Tonight Chicago Sinfonietta will be performing Gustav Holst's "The Planets" in Millennium Park while photographs from NASA are projected onto a screen behind them. The show was a big hit when it was originally performed two years ago and they've decided to bring it back for a repeat performance in a venue where you can actually see the stars. To help you do that, they're sitting up telescopes along the lawn and making docents available to assist and explain what you're viewing. The performance is free and begins at 7:30.
— Jamie Smith
After a mistaken picture in an earlier post (oops) the media relations manager with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs was kind enough to correct me and send along some photos of the completed dome. Both domes are stunning, but only one is the real Tiffany!
(Click on the pictures for the full size)
Click here for the corresponding press release.
(Thanks Meg!!)
— Carl Giometti
Looking for something to do tonight? Check out the lecture "The History of Architecture and Culture on 63rd Street" at the Hyde Park Arts Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave., starting at 6pm. Presenting will be Lee Bay, architecture critic and city planner and artist Theaster Gates. The presentation will focus on history of art and architecture in Hyde Park and how art can mediate neighborhood rejuvenation and link the future with the past.
If you miss it, don't worry: Chicago Public Radio will be recording the event in its entirety for permanent posting on their website as part of their "Chicago Amplified" series.
— Carl Giometti
Feature Mon Aug 18 2008
Many people know Eric Bartholomew as "that potato guy," or some variation thereof, thanks to Uber Tuber Enterprises: his potato-focused craft business. However, Bartholomew has many other interests, including collecting valuable items from people's trash -- documented in his "Junk Days" zines. Recently GB asked Bartholomew to discuss his curbside adventures.
Continue reading this entry »
— Lauri Apple
This month's Architectural Digest features the recently restored Art Moderne home of photographer Michael Marientha. It's one of the magazine's features acquired through the new open auditions process.
— David Schalliol
Art Thu Aug 14 2008
Walking by St. Paul's Cultural Center on North Avenue, it's hard not to notice the steady stream of bike messengers decked out in brilliantly pink attire flowing in and out of the cathedral basement. Ducking in, a voice booms out from the back:
"WELCOME TO PINK! ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH OUR SERVICES?"
Created by Austin artist Jaclyn Pryor, Pink: A (Love) Courier Service is a community-based, interactive art installation that encourages Chicagoans to share their love with one another through hand typed, hand delivered love letters delivered around Chicago by an army of pedaling volunteers.
"I wanted to create something that engaged people in an unexpected way," says Pryor, who first began the service as a public art project in 2006. "People go to museums and decide they want to see this or that, and it's very one-sided. I wanted to get people involved without their knowing it, as well as to encourage communication and expression."
The expressions are loud and clear: participants sending off their love letters hook their messages up to a revolving clothesline and, with the aid of a jumpsuited "Lovefactory" worker, scream out "LOVE ON THE LINE!" as their typed letter is sent down to be bottled, bowed and biked out to its lucky recipient.
The 85 volunteers who keep Pink running work in full view of the visitors, hand sewing tags and mapping out routes as the Lovefactory churns along. "I wanted people to see the process behind the product," says Pryor, who is known as Heffi McHefferson while on duty. Core members work about five days a week, though residing at the Cultural Center can make it difficult for factory workers to remove themselves from the environment. "We checked out sixty poetry books from the Chicago Public Library," says Pryor, "but now there are only fifty-seven...we really needed to get ourselves some movies."
"It's pink everywhere, always," says messenger Tuesday, nee Emily Jantzen, part of the core Austin group working and living at the Lovefactory. "I love it, though. I've gotten some interesting reactions from people, going out in my jumpsuit trying to find local businesses willing to support us. Riding in elevators in these outfits has been particularly fun. Chicago's been pretty receptive to us, though. It's been great."
With only one day left before the Lovefactory closes up shop, Pink was still taking on volunteers, training newbie Untitled 2008 (Whitney) at 5:00pm on Thursday afternoon. "They found me at the farmer's market in Logan Square," she says, pulling on a hot pink vest and smiling for her courier headshot. "All I could think was, oh, I want to do this."
Pink: A (Love) Courier Service will be open from 11am - 10pm tomorrow, after which it will close its doors to Chicago - but not before a massive potluck dinner, to which any and all are invited. Bring a dish, open your heart and share the love as fast as you can - Pink is here to help you put your love on the line.
Pink is stationed at the St. Paul's Cultural Center, 2215 W North Ave. Hours at 11am - 10pm. Potluck dinner will take place on Friday, August 15th. Bring a dish, share the love.
— Jaime Calder
Art Thu Aug 14 2008
Local artist Jeff Zimmerman's Living Art series adds a rare element of audience interaction at the Ravinia Festival's annual summer concerts. Zimmerman's specialty is in interactive art----specifically in murals that require observers to actively influence the art itself. Tanishq, a jewelry retailer in Schaumburg, sponsors Zimmerman in the next two events of the series. Tanishq and Zimmerman hope to meld their creative spirit with that of the concertgoers by communally creating a mural before the concerts begin. The first communal event featuring Zimmerman and Tanishq takes place on Saturday, August 16th from 5pm to 7:30pm. Their time together continues during the Tony Bennett concert on August 23rd.
— Laura Mayer
Dance Wed Aug 13 2008
There are so many opportunities to see dance in Chicago, but the Chicago Dancing Festival really stands out. As if by magic, the Chicago Dancing Company pulls together some of the country's most renowned dance companies and presents them to the Chicago public for free. No strings attached. The founders of CDC believe that "good dance cultivates more dance," and that a free performance of some of the best dancing out there will create a greater audience for the art form. Regardless of the philosophy, get out there and take advantage of the opportunity!
The first night of this three-night festival is already sold out (er, "reserved out"), although there's a way to get stand-by vouchers. It just might be worth it, since some of the greatest dance companies in U.S. history (including the Limon Dance Company and the Martha Graham Dance Company, as well as Chicago's own Joffrey Ballet) are performing on the same stage.
Monday, August 18, 7:30 p.m., Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr. (See link above for stand-by vouchers.)
If you're interested in learning about the origins of modern dance from some people who would really know what the heck they're talking about (imagine learning physics from Einstein's #1 student), reserve your spot for Artists Up Close, where dancers and the respective artistic directors of the Limon and the Martha Graham Dance companies will present a multimedia lecture and demonstration exploring the birth of modern dance.
Tuesday, August 19, 6 p.m., Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Call 312-397-4010 for reservations.
On the third and final night, "A Celebration of American Dance" in Millennium Park is an evening of performances by some fantastic companies, including the American Ballet Theater (performing the Black Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake--you can't get any better than that), Chicago's Hubbard Street Dance, and Muntu Dance Theater. It's not often you get the opportunity to see all of this dancing in one night, for free, while taking advantage of the best part of Chicago summers: sitting outside with your friends and a bottle of (ahem) grape juice with the skyline rising above you.
Wednesday, August 20, 7:30 p.m., Pritzker Pavilion, Michigan Ave. and Randolph St. No reservations necessary, but get there early for a good spot!
— Rachel Zanders
News Tue Aug 12 2008
• Poynter's Sara Quinn interviews Ron Reason about his new gallery space, within(Reason).
• Wicked is closing in Chicago January 25. Chris Jones interviews producer David Stone.
• The Chicago Journal takes a look at the threatened Commonwealth Edison substation in Wicker park.
• The Chi-Town Daily News examines how the Art Institute's Benin exhibit re-raises the issues surrounding museums owning colonial antiquities.
• Artadia, "the Fund for Art and Dialog," is accepting applications for its 2008 Artadia Awards. It's open to any artist residing and working in Cook County. Apply by Aug. 29.
&bull Kris Vire at Storefront Rebellion has kindly rounded up a ton of theatre news, so we don't have to.
— Andrew Huff
Two projects of note in the preliminary phases for Congress Parkway:
Queen's Landing, the spot where, in 1959, the British monarch stepped off her boat on her way to Buckingham Fountain has since been closed to pedestrian access from west of Lakeshore Drive, much to the despise of Chicago Tribune's Blair Kamin. The loss of access becomes especially evident every Wednesday and Saturday night when people sit on the steps of the fountain's plaza and the Navy Pier fireworks compete with racing headlights and honking traffic. However, as the article states, there is hope to reclaim this space in the name of good urban design. The plan quietly being passed around proposes another, soon to be ubiquitous, bridge in Grant Park spanning the Drive. Supported by the Grant Park Conservancy the renderings show a vast improvement over the current conditions. Instead of the broken concrete slabs that detract from the lakefront experience a new plaza, on axis to the fountain, would allow panoramic views of the lake and the skyline.
The second of two Congress Parkway-related projects is a general streetscape improvement from the post office to Buckingham Fountain. Introduced at a Grant Park Advisory Council meeting, the project would consist of upgrading all the sidewalks to the exposed aggregate type, as seen on Michigan Avenue, installing new street lighting and furniture, and installing planted medians to correspond with some minor lane realignments. However, the most interesting idea proposed was synchronized street lighting effects that would use LED's to "link" the whole parkway to its eastern terminus at the fountain. This would be especially welcome at stretches such as the one under the Chicago Stock Exchange that now are a vital link to new West Loop developments and the lakefront. Some more information can be found in this Chicago Journal article.
There is no timeline yet on either of these two projects but, like all recent urban design proposals, expect a significant amount of attention in Chicago is chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
— Carl Giometti
Feature Sun Aug 10 2008
Located at 3327 N. Broadway in Lakeview, and open since early July, Homeboy is a design store and art gallery that promotes only Chicago-area artists, designers, and businesses. Featured artists include photographer Barry Wolf, designer Amanda Vance and metal sculptor Beth Kamhi. Recently GB stopped by Homeboy to talk to owner Ripley Worthy about his dual role as proprietor and curator.
Continue reading this entry »
— Lauri Apple
The NY Times profiles Adrian Smith, the architect who was active on major projects at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill before moving on to his firm Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture.
— David Schalliol
Theatre Thu Aug 07 2008
In a couple weeks, the Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. will stage it's 20th annual free-spirited "performance mashup" known as the Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Theatre Festival. Beginning Friday, August 22, at 2 p.m. and ending late on Sunday, August 24 (or, let's be honest, Monday morning), this action-packed, pleasantly absurd theatre extravaganza pays tribute to the spirit of Woodstock. No, not this Woodstock. This Woodstock.
This year's lineup features more than 30 theatre companies and performers, including Mary-Arrchie, A Red Orchid Theatre, The Hypocrites, The Plagiarists, The Telepaths, Speaking Ring Theatre, Bruised Orange Theatre, and many more. The fest takes place at the Angel Island Theatre (kind of like the Yasgur's Farm of East Lakeview). Tickets range from $10-$20 and can be purchased on Ticketweb.
— Laura Pearson
Art Thu Aug 07 2008
While the final nail isn't yet laid in the Polariod coffin, a group of Chicagoans and New Yorkers are contemplating its and our demise in "Death + Extinction: A Polaroid Exhibition" at the Chicago Art Department. A selection of 250 of the 300 photographs taken for Before I Die I Want To, a project by Nichole Kenney and K.S. Rives, will be on display until the end of the month.
— David Schalliol
Art Thu Aug 07 2008
Earlier this year, Finestra Art Space -- a 125 square-foot exhibition and installation space that overlooks the elevator lobby of the fifth floor in the Fine Arts Building -- invited artists to conduct "visual research" by posing a hypothesis, then responding to it. Finestra's featured artist for August, Barbara Koenen, came up with Muse: an installation in which she explores what she perceives as the "sudden and simultaneous popularity of pomegranates in the U.S., and the declaration of the War on Terror."
Pomegranates, Koenen points out, are an ancient symbol of fertility, as well as the source of the word "grenade." ("The word for 'grenade' and the word for 'pomegranate' are the same in Hebrew, French, Spanish, Italian, Indonesian, and Russian," she adds.) They're also native to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran -- all countries with whom the U.S. government has had "issues" in recent decades. Koenen's installation includes imagery involving both the flavor-bursty fruit and its body-bursting namesake, in an effort to to attain her hoped-for result: "I hope I'm wrong."
On a related note: The War on Terror isn't the only newsworthy connection between pomegranates and conflict. Last month, POM Wonderful won a $1.5 million verdict in its suit against Purely Juice Inc., whom POM had accused of false advertising and misleading marketing. According to the opinion handed down by the U.S. district court in Los Angeles, Purely Juice had been trying to pass off impure (i.e., sugar-sweetened) pomegranate juice as "pure."
Opening reception 5-9 p.m. Through Aug. 30. 410 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 500. Open Wednesdays from 5-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 2-6 p.m., and by appointment.
— Lauri Apple
Theatre Wed Aug 06 2008
Metroblogging Chicago has posted an interview with one of the founders of the Chicago Theater Database, a site that aspires to be the IMDB of local dramatic endeavors. A labor of love since 2007, the site has gradually accumulated profiles on more than 200 companies and 700 productions, in addition to information about venues, reviews, awards, and all kinds of things that someone interested in theater may be interested in knowing about. The database recently went into Beta and its creators are working to develop an interface through which users can contribute content. Currently, however, it's only open for browsing. If you're interested in learning more about the creation of the CTDB and what's still to come, check out the blogs of founders Dan Granata and Nick Keenan.
— Jamie Smith
Film Wed Aug 06 2008
If you weren't able to catch the Chicago Film Archives earlier series on the 1968 Democratic Convention, or if you did and loved it, then you may want to check out what Facets Cinémathèque has in store for the end of this month. In a series entitled "40 Years After: Filming the '68 Revolution," they'll be showing at least two films every night for a week on the events of that tumultuous year. Some highlights include "Berkeley in the '60's," a documentary about the rise of student activism, and "Medium Cool," a film about a journalist who discovers that his work is being used for sinister governmental purposes. The series will culminate in a panel discussion with some of the filmmakers on their experiences documenting and drawing inspiration from a social and political revolution. Check out the Facets website for the full schedule of events beginning on August 22.
— Jamie Smith
WNEP Theater's latest venture, Metaluna and the Amazing Science of the Mind Revue will inject some good old-fashioned Dada into your buttoned-up, nailed-down, over-scheduled world. It's written by Joe Janes, a Chicago writer and teacher, and (while a plot summary is pretty much impossible) it's based around a European Dada troupe's psychological experiments on an unwitting group of small-town folk. If you're unfamiliar with the concept of Dada, here's Joe's list of how to add a little Dada to your own life.
— Lindsay Muscato
Last night, theater boosters gathered for a meeting to discuss a potential performing arts museum here in Chicago. In case you missed out on the action, Don Hall gives a quick round-up of the meeting on his blog and says most talks centered on finding funding rather than on making sure it's a museum that Chicagoans are actually interested in. Background here.
— Lindsay Muscato
A couple of events to bring you up to speed on greening your own place of residence:
The Chicago Architecture Foundation's exhibit "Green with Desire: Can We Live Sustainably in Our Homes?" is entering into its last month of display at the CAF's building at 224 South Michigan Avenue. One of the most engaging aspects of the exhibit are the case studies of eight typical Chicago housing types and how they employed green housing strategies. In addition, the CAF has a list of several upcoming events centered on architecture and environmental sustainability. Exhibit runs through September 5.
The Museum of Science and Industry is boasting the "greenest house in Chicago" with their Smart Home, Green + Wired exhibit. Resting the the museum's backyard, the sheik, modern structure examples various advances in prefabrication and buildings control systems. Ubiquitous green building measures such as solar panels and a vegetative roof are also highlighted. Exhibit runs through January.
— Carl Giometti
Art Mon Aug 04 2008
Lakeview has a new place to shop for interior accessories, Homeboy. Promoting only Chicago-area artist and designers such as SODA by Amy, Circa Ceramics and Susan Volk, this is just the place to find that unique one-of-a-kind item for any home.
Homeboy is located at 3327 North Broadway Street, and is open daily 12 noon to 7pm Monday thru Saturday, 8pm on Thursdays and 5pm on Sundays. 773-472-0548
— Christian Scheuer
Feature Mon Aug 04 2008
Based in Evanston, artist Lauren Levato expresses her fascination with insects by incorporating real-life specimens into her work -- as well as bones, horse hairs, and other organic materials. Recently we caught up with her and asked her about her critter-based creations, which she calls "insect assemblages."
Continue reading this entry »
— Lauri Apple
The Chicago Tribune architecture writer, Blair Kamin, features an article contrasting Beijing's Olympic architectural strategies to those proposed by the Chicago 2016 team.
Beijing's Olympic architectural identity can probably best be understood under the influence of some significant hallucinogenics. Seriously though, as Kamin explains, China's federal funding free-for-all has allowed the Beijing 2008 committee to complete some of the most aggressive building projects conceived. For instance, the swimming pavilion is appropriately nicknamed the "Water Cube" as it is covered by advanced plastics stretch of a metal frame. The various structures portray such a surreal quality that it is difficult to convince your eyes that the images is not a poorly executed photoshop project and are, in fact, real places. One has to wonder if the effort to display these buildings as evidence of an emerging "Chinese" style of modern life will play as anything more than a series of fantastical exhibits in what is, regardless of the Olympics, a growing center of urban culture.
Chicago's Olympic plans focus significantly on stitching patches into areas of a broken urban fabric. Rather than emphasizing marquee, sparkling buildings, the 2016 committee is taking its impetus from the Barcelona Olympic games well-documented rejuvenation. Infrastructure improvements, conversions to public housing and the expanding of access to the lakefront are all parallels to the highly successful Catalonian games. As Kamin correctly points out, these vital efforts are often completed without the pizzaz and architectural star-power of an abstract, net-like stadium.
While Beijing's Olympic operation is actually quite separate from the healthy collection of marquee buildings the city already possesses, the Chicago proposal calls for highlighting the existing beauty of the lakefront skyline. While the skyline would serve as a beautiful backdrop, the IOC's technical review of Chicago 2016's plan states, quite clearly, that the excitement factor for the Chicago 2016's building and transportation program leaves quite a bit wanting.
— Carl Giometti
Dance Fri Aug 01 2008
Some people watch a dance performance and wonder what it would be like to be on stage. And some people take it a step farther. Open House Dance Collective, a division of HouseHold Arts Collective, invites community members--regardless of training or skill level--to come rehearse with professional choreographers. They perform professionally every summer, and this weekend's "OHD 5" is this year's culmination.
The Collective has been successful for five years running--increasing the number of dancers from 30 in '04 to 70 in '07. Their shows keep on sellin' out, which is fantastic since a portion of the proceeds always go to charity. This aligns with the dual mission of HouseHold Arts: to bring Chicago artists together, and to use that art as a vehicle to educate audiences and further the causes of local charities. "OHD 5" will benefit Inspiration Cafe, which provides restaurant-style meals, life skills training, case management, and other services at their Uptown location to help men and women overcome the causes of their homelessness.
Want to come see your neighbors-cum-professional dancers? You'll also get to see an appearance by Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. Shows continue tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. Tickets are $15, and reservations are highly recommended. Click here or call 773-342-4141.
— Rachel Zanders
