Mac Design Conference & Expo

From the editors of Mac Design Magazine comes this week's Mac Design Conference & Expo, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. The second-year event describes itself as "three amazing days of hard-core, Mac-only training in Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Illustrator, QuarkXPress, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, After Effects, Mac OS X, and more." Don't know if this event is for you? Photos like this should turn you all atwitter. It runs June 2 - 4; pre-registration is closed, but you can still buy admission at the door.

Behind the Scenes @ The Field

The Field Museums presents three nights of Behind the Scenes, a look at the activity that goes into the exhibits and research that the museum does. Previously a members-only event, the Field Museum is now allowing the general public to attend. Behind the Scenes happens June 2, 3 and 4, from 5:00 to 10:00 PM. Pre-registration is required. Field Museum: 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. (312) 922-9410.

Thomas Frank @ Sem Co-op

Thomas Frank reads from his latest books Wednesday, June 2nd at 7 pm at Seminary Co-op in Hyde Park.

Tom Frank, founding editor of The Baffler and author of The Conquest of Cool and One Market Under God, offers a rollicking critique of contemporary political culture in What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America. To answer that question the former Republican returned to his home state, once a stronghold of grassroots progressive activism, and interviewed statesmen, business people, and common blue-collar workers. He discovered people voting against their own self-interest, widening economic inequality, doomed agricultural models, and a seemingly omnipotent myth about the difference between residents of "red" and "blue" states.

McSween Meets King @ DuSable

The DuSable Museum (740 E. 56th Pl) hosts McSween Meets King: A Civil Rights Story. The exhibit, which runs through Oct. 17, features a visual diary of the extraordinary life of Cirilo McSween, an activist and businessman who helped shape the civil rights movement. This exhibit is the first in a series of exhibitions honoring individuals selected by the Chicago African American History Makers. For more information, call 773-947-0600.