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Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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TODAY

Tuesday, March 19

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Merchandise Mart Sample Sale

Looking for a designer sofa, cheap? This might not be the place. But if you want a designer sofa for what a decorator would pay, you're in luck. The Merchandise Mart Design Center’s Sample Sale runs from 10 to 6 today, welcomes the general public for $5 admission, and offers a range of high-end home furnishings at factory direct prices. Merchandise Mart, eighth floor. For more information, call 800-677-6278 or visit the website.

Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest

From 11am-5pm, the streets of Rogers Park will be filled with art, theater, music, food and drink as the neighborhood celebrates the fourth annual Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest. Admission to the street festival is free and grants the opportunity to see many local artists and merchants while catching some live entertainment. In conjunction with the Fest, the Rogers Park Open Studio Walk show the neighborhood's many art studios on guided walking tours. Kids can also enjoy KidFest, featuring hands-on art activities and an outdoor stage with dancers and folksingers. Free and open to the public. Call 773-262-3790 for more information.

Chicago Flickr Meet-up

Get together with other Chicago Flickrers today at noon by the Bean in Millennium Park for a meet-up and photo fieldtrip. Free, of course. More info here.

2005 Fair Trade Conference

The Chicago Committee on Fair Trade is holding their 2005 Fair Trade Futures Conference and is inviting all interested individuals to attend. The 3-day conference begins with a welcoming event on Friday at 6pm with Kwabena Ohemueng Tinyase, managing director of a cocoa cooperative in Ghana. Workshops for the conference include "Common Threads in the Living Wage and Fair Trade Movements," "Building a Bandwagon: How to Make FT Hip" and "Building Bridges with the Zapatista Movement." Continue celebrating with the Fair Trade Futures Fiesta on Saturday night. It all goes down at the Holiday Inn, Chicago Mart Plaza at 350 N. Orleans. Call 202-234-6797 for more information or register here.

Take Back the Night

If you live in Naperville -- or feel like visiting Naperville for an evening -- be sure to check out Take Back the Night, a "rally and march to fight against rape and other forms of sexual and domestic violence." From 4-8:30pm in Central Park by the Bandshell at 104 E. Benton Ave., there will be exhibits, food, speakers, live music and the march itself. Sounds like a nice way to spend your time in the suburbs. Call 630-942-2103 for more information.

Intelligentsia Coffee Roasting Tours

Mmm, a tour that smells like Intelligentsia Coffee? That's because it is Intelligentsia's coffee, at least, it's at their Roasting Plant here in Chicago. Tours now operate once a month at 10:30am and 12:30pm on Saturdays (twice a month in November and December) at their plant at 1850 W. Fulton St. Tickets are $3 (less than a latte) but space is limited so make your reservations early. On the tour, you'll get complementary coffee and tea (thank goodness, they're not a tease) and you also get a free (and fresh) 1/2 pound of coffee beans at the end! A tour gets going today, so hop to it.

Urban, Rural, Wild Walking the North River Corridor

"Urban, Rural, Wild" is part exhibition and part platform to investigate the divisions between the urban, the rural and the wild and where these divisions break down. The exhibition presents workby eight artists focusing on the historical and modern relationships between the urban Chicago and the rural downstate Illinois. The show will run through October 22. Today, at 4:30pm, the exhibition will include a walk through the North River Corridor with participating artist Melinda Fries. Meet at I space, 230 W. Superior, to take part in the two mile walk and examination of the historical and current use of one of the city's first Planned Manufacturing Districts. For more information, contact Sarah Kanouse at kanouse[at]siu[dot]edu.

Lillstreet Art Center Open House

Celebrating its 30th anniversary and helping to kick off Chicago Artists’ Month, the Lillstreet Art Center hosts an open house today from 12 N till 6 PM. You can watch artists working in 40 studio spaces, take a free workshop, and peruse current exhibits. 4401 N. Ravenswood. For more information, call 773-769-4226, or visit the website.

Know Your Local Artists

As part of Chicago Artists’ Month, members of the Chicago Art Critics Association will give six slide talks about Chicago artists (including Ed Paschke, Heff Carter, and Indira Johnson, among others) at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Claudia Cassidy Theater starting at 3 PM today. 78 E Washington Street. For more information, call 312-744-6630 or visit the website.

Intuit Folk and Outsider Art Show

INTUIT: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art marks the beginning of Chicago Artists’ Month this weekend with the third annual Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art. The show, which is a key fundraiser for nonprofit Intuit, costs $10 and is located on the second floor of 847 W. Jackson. Hours are 11 AM to 6 PM. For more information, call 312-243-9088, or visit the website.

Pilsen Open Studios

Chicago’s 10th Artists’ Month begins this weekend with an open studios event in Pilsen, which runs from noon till 7 today and tomorrow. During the 35th Annual Pilsen East Artists' Open House, more than a hundred artists open their doors to the curious public. It’s a great opportunity to explore a vibrant neighborhood, see some edgy art, and eat some delicious and authentic Mexican food. For more information, call the Chicago Arts District at 312-377-4444 or check the website.

 

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