Bicycle Film Festival Kickoff Party

The Bicycle Film Festival kicks off tonight with a party at Beauty Bar, 1444 W. Chicago Ave., from 10pm till close. Enjoy free Brooklyn Beer and the company of fellow cycling/film enthusiasts. 21+

Martinis and Mutts @ Proof

Friends of Chicago Animal Care and Control host tonight's benefit for the stray pooches and kittehs of the city. From 7pm-9pm at Proof (1045 N Rush), your $50 admission ($75 at the door) gets you drinks, passed apps from an assortment of places (among them Rosebud, Mercadito, and Swirlz Cupcakes), and an opportunity to meet some hunky hockey players (Darren Haydar and Jason Krog of the Chicago Wolves) and journalist Bill Kurtis and wife Donna LaPietra (of Tallgrass Beef).

"Race and Photography in African-American Imagery" @ DuSable Museum

New York's Deborah Willis, Ph.D., presents "Race and Photography in African-American Imagery," tonight at the DuSable Museum of African-American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. Willis, also the curator of the museum's exhibit, "Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits," will give a lecture and multimedia presentation, as well as discuss and sign copies of her latest award-winning book, Michelle Obama: The First Lady in Photographs. The lecture is from 5:30pm to 8:30pm; general admission is $10, $5 for students and museum members. Contact (773) 947-0600 for more information.

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World Kitchen Learning Series: Make Mine Chicken

Put some cluck in your chicken! Learn more at 6pm through the World Kitchen Learning Series, held at Gallery 37 (@ 66 E Randolph). Admission $30; advance registration required.