Chicago's mid-South Side boasts a lively arts and culture scene. Here are some upcoming events you won't want to miss.
Calendar
Big Bill Broonzy: Words and Music
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Author Bob Riesman (I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy) and guitarist/singer Chris Walz present the life and music of Big Bill Broonzy. Enjoy live and recorded music, commentaries and anecdotes, as we explore Broonzy’s influence on blues greats like Muddy Waters and the rise of the folk music scene in Chicago. Listen to the power of his words and music to spark social change.
Blackstone Library, 4904 S. Lake Park Ave., Chicago. Wednesday, January 25th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.
Magnificent Mesopotamia: Clay Crafts
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Come visit us at the Oriental Institute where you and your family can make beautiful coil clay pots and traditional Mesopotamian picture seals. Look at real ancient seals and pottery in the galleries for inspiration and then create your own take home with you. This is a great event for the kids!
Oriental Institute, 1155 E. 58th St., Chicago. Sunday, January 29th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Tickets are $7 for members; $9 for non-members. Includes guided tour, workshop instruction, and all materials. Suggested for ages 5 and up accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration required.
Gallery Tour with Jennifer Scappettone
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Jennifer Scappettone, Assistant Professor in the University of Chicago Department of English, will lead an informal discussion of Cathy Wilkes’ installation. Scappettone is the author of four collections of poetry, From Dame Quickly (2009), Beauty is the New Absurdity, (2007), Thing Ode (2007) and Err Residence (2007). She is also the author of several essays of criticism on figures such as Tan Lin and Jackson Mac Low. This event will take place in the gallery.
Renaissance Society, 5811 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. Saturday, February 11th at 1:00pm. This event is free and open to the public.
Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers
March 9 - 11, 2012
The Gondoliers -- a satiric tale of switched identities, mixed-up royalty, and the quest for true love – kicks off the 52nd season of the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company of Chicago. The comic opera was Gilbert & Sullivan’s last great success, opening in 1889 and continuing for 554 performances—at that time the fifth longest running piece of musical theatre in history.
Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St., Chicago. Friday, March 9th through the Sunday, March 11th. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8:00pm with a Sunday matinee at 2:00pm. Beginning March 1, tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket hotline, 773.702.9075, 12:00-4:00pm, Monday through Friday. Patron tickets are $50; general admission tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students and children under age 12.
Artisans21 Holiday Market
7 Days a Week
ARTISANS21 HOLIDAY MARKET is now OPEN! Fine Art & Crafts made by local artists. Buy American and Get the Country Back on Track.5548 Hyde Park Blvd - Windermere House (across the street from Museum of Science & Industry). Hours are Monday-Friday 12:00-7:00pm, Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm, and Sunday 12:00-6:00pm. Street parking is available. Enter on Hyde Park Blvd. entrance.
Sunday Jazz Series
Sundays in January 2012
The Hyde Park Jazz Society returns home to Room 43 on Sunday 1/8/12 with The John Burnett Orchestra featuring vocalist Frieda Lee. Ms. Lee will also be honored for her contributions to Chicago jazz. Patrons are asked to join us for our annual black & white evening, wearing black, white, or black & white attire. The Sunday schedule continues with Bernard Scavella, saxophonist (1/15); Marlene Rosenberg Quartet & her CD release event (1/22); and Charles Heath Quartet (1/29).
Room 43, 1043 E. 43rd St., Chicago. Sundays in January from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. Tickets: $10 general; $5 students.
Wiggleworms in Hyde Park
January 9 - April 28, 2012
In this unique early childhood music program, Wiggleworms teachers lead grownups and children in musical play with traditional and original songs while accompanying the class on acoustic guitar, autoharp or ukulele. Children sing, dance, learn finger plays and story songs, and explore rhythm instruments especially designed for little hands. Early childhood is the perfect time for exposing children to these significant experiences with the language of music. Classes are designed for developmental age groups and activities expand as the child grows. Classes are limited to 12 children with their parent or caregiver and are 45 minutes long.
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave., Chicago. January 9th through April 28th, Friday and Saturday mornings. For additional information, check out Wiggleworms at oldtownschool.org or call 773-728-6000 including classroom guidelines. Download classroom guidelines here.
Moving Forward: Life After the Great East Japan Earthquake
January 15 - February 7, 2012
A traveling installation coming to Rockefeller Chapel documents the Japan earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 and subsequent recovery efforts. Curated by the UCLA Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies and The Kahoku Shimpo newspaper (Sendai, Japan), the installation features images focusing on the stories of those who survived the disaster and who are now on their way to reconstructing their lives. It is offered in remembrance of the victims and in support for the survivors, illuminating the continuing efforts of a nation as it moves toward recovery.
Rockefeller Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago. Opening reception, Wednesday January 18, 7:30 pm. Installation is open daily during Chapel hours. For general information, contact Sarah Arehart, Associate Director for Japan at sarehart@uchicago.edu or call 773.702.2715.
Cathy Wilkes: I Give You All My Money
January 22 to March 4, 2012
Over the past five years, Irish artist Cathy Wilkes (b. 1966) has garnered international attention for her installations whose signature elements are set amongst, and outfitted with, accoutrements of an abject, quotidian nature. Wilkes’ highly subjective work consists of objects (strollers, soiled dishes, dolls, dried flower petals) that recur as symbolic leitmotifs. Her process of selection and arrangement of materials is measured and refined, drawing equally on a precise formal language and the most intimate of personal experiences to create a compelling autobiographical thread. The Renaissance Society will present "I Give You All My Money" whose title, like that of several other works, has a biblical reference regarding sacrifice. This exhibition has been made possible through generous support from The Henry Moore Foundation and The Nicholson Center for British Studies.
Renaissance Society, 5811 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. January 22nd to March 4th during regular museum hours. The opening reception will be on Sunday January 22nd from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. There will be a talk with the artist from 5:00pm to 6:00pm in Kent Hall room 107. This event is free and open to the public.
Wright Plus 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Join the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust for Wright Plus, an internationally renowned architectural housewalk featuring rare interior tours of eight private homes designed by Wright and his contemporaries, plus entry to three landmark Wright buildings. Enjoy interpretations based on in-depth research of the homes’ history and architecture, including discussions of the original occupants' lifestyles. Experience the extraordinary mix of famed architectural styles in Oak Park, IL and Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood.
Oak Park and Hyde Park locations. Saturday, June 2nd. Visit www.GoWright.org to buy one Wright Plus ticket at regular price and receive 10% off additional tickets (up to 4 total tickets). The offer ends December 19, 2011.