Arcade Brewery Fundraiser @ Claddagh Ring

Arcade Brewery continues to raise funds for its Kickstarter with an event at Claddagh Ring, 2306 W. Foster Ave., tonight from 8pm to midnight. Celtic Rock band Flatfoot 56 and comedian Drew Frees perform, and there'll be a raffle. $20 suggested donation. More details on Facebook. 21+

Stories from the Bottom of the Glass @ Co-Prosperity Sphere

As part of Version Fest, the Co-Prosperity Sphere (3219 S. Morgan) sponsors a storytelling event this evening titled Stories from the Bottom of the Glass. Six readers will share stories on the theme of alcohol, with tales from GB's own J.H. Palmer, Story Club's Dana Norris, Essay Fiesta's Keith Ecker, Moth GrandSLAM Shannon Cason, Write Club's Ian Belknap, and Bitches Gotta Eat blogger Samantha Irby. Entry is $10 and includes food and drinks. Stories start at 7pm.

Walt Whitman & the Soul Children @ DuSable Museum

The DuSable Museum of African-American History, 740 E. 56th Pl., presents Walt Whitman and the Soul Children tonight from 7:00pm-9:30pm. This one-night only concert, featuring special guest choir Voices of Unity, will highlight the museum's "Spread the Word: The Evolution of Gospel to the World" exhibit. The evening also marks the premiere of Soul Stories, a documentary that explores the 30-year history of the Soul Children. Tickets are $10-$20; for more information, call 773-947-0600, ext. 236.

8 x 8 @ The Coop

In the spirit of artistic collaboration, The Coop and Gapers Block teamed up to produce 8x8, an experiment in writing and design. Eight Chicagoland designers (Jesse Hora, Andy Luce, Chad Kouri, Ina Weise, Letterform, Ryan Sievert, Paul Octavious and Kyle Fletcher) were paired with eight local writers (Patrick Somerville, Claire Zulkey, Ramsin Canon, Kevin Guilfoile, William Shunn, Veronica Bond, Wendy McClure and Scott Smith) to create collaborative works, with text informing and influencing art and vice versa. The results of this experiment are presented in limited edition poster form, with writing and design back to back. The posters make their debut at a reception tonight at The Coop, 230 W. Superior St., 2nd floor, from 6pm to 10pm. Limited edition sets of the posters will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting Open Books.

Cornelia Arts Building Spring Open House

Cornelia Arts Building, 1800 W. Cornelia Ave., holds an open house tonight from 6pm to 10pm. Visit the studios of more than two dozen artists. Free.

Comics Philosophy & Practice Conference

The Richard and Mary L. Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry and the Mellon Residential Fellowship Program for Arts Practice and Scholarship present the Comics Philosophy & Practice Conference at The University of Chicago's Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., May 18-20. Day one begins at 6pm with a presentation by Maus author Art Spiegelman entitled "What the %$#! Happened to Comics." More info including a complete schedule can be found here. Registration is free.

Blackout Fest

HoZac Records' annual Blackout Fest music festival happens at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., all weekend long. Tonight's lineup features Davila 666, Spider Fever, Video, Plateaus, Cozy, Screaming Yellow Zonkers and E.T. Habit. Doors open at 5pm. Tickets are $20 online or at the door. 21+.

Travis Dow Benefit @ Uncommon Ground

Travis Dow, singer, songwriter, guitarist, improviser, actor and all around good guy, is battling lymphoma. He and his wife Katie uprooted themselves from Nashville Tn. (where Travis was seeking the music gold) to receive treatment back in February. An event will be held this Friday at Uncommon Ground (1401 W. Devon) to raise funds for Travis' medical bills.

$15 donation at the door

Featuring: Music from Katie Todd, The Damn Hoovers and Al Rose.
Improv from Jeff Hedges, Nick Johne, Scott Levy, Mike Meyers, Laura Schneider Lazzara, Sarah Pfouts Sullivan, Kieran Sullivan, Kat Timmons.

More information here.