Chicago Amplified

Governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities, Access Living works to eliminate physical and social barriers to independence. Since 1980, Access Living has empowered tens of thousands of people with all types of disabilities with the skills and self-confidence to pursue choices, with the knowledge to fight for their rights, and with the strength to advocate for a fully accessible society. Today, Access Living continues to work toward one Chicago – an integrated, accessible community where everyone has equal access to the cultural, educational and employment opportunities this city has to offer.

The American Friends Service Committee carries out service, development, social justice, and peace programs throughout the world. Founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims, AFSC's work attracts the support and partnership of people of many races, religions, and cultures. Chicago area programs focus on peacebuilding, Middle East peace, youth and militarism and the rights of taxi drivers.

The Art Institute of Chicago houses an encyclopedic collection that contains nearly 300,000 objects, with an Impressionist collection considered to be one of the best in the world and masterpieces you've seen reproduced many times, including Hopper's Nighthawks, Grant Wood's American Gothic, and Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte-1884. Discover paintings, prints and drawings, sculptures, photographs, textiles, and architectural drawings that are complemented by a year-round schedule of special exhibitions. The museum also offers exceptional programming that informs and inspires, including lectures, workshops, performances, and guided tours.

Association for Women Journalists-Chicago supports women in journalism and promotes fair and accurate treatment of women by the media. We are a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization comprised of working journalists, academics and students from national, local and regional news outlets and all the major journalism schools in the area. AWJ-Chicago awards scholarships to Chicago area women studying journalism, runs a theatre criticism workshop for aspiring young critics in conjunction with the Goodman Theatre and facilitates a survey, Where We Stand, to keep tabs on what’s happening in the industry.

The Center for Black Diaspora at DePaul University was established in 1993. Its primary goals involve the promotion and support of the study of the Black Diaspora involving dislocation, dispersion, and migration of African and African descendant populations on the continent of Africa, to and from the Americas, Europe, the Caribbean, as well as other regions of the world, with attention to cultural, political, social encounters and exchanges. The Center's programming and activities focus on history, contemporary issues, culture, performative and creative works in global and transnational contexts. We organize and host invited talks, lecture series, colloquia, film series, photo exhibits, as well as conferences, and book discussions.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture and design. The Chicago Architecture Foundation pursues this mission through a comprehensive program of architecture tours, exhibitions, panel discussions, and youth and adult education programs. Home to the permanent exhibition: CHICAGO YOU ARE HERE, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is located at 224 South Michigan Avenue at Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604.

Chicago Global Donors Network’s mission is to increase knowledge about and resources directed toward international philanthropy and to deepen its impact. Our vision is to build an ever-expanding, vibrant network of institutions and individuals who believe that an inter-connected, equitable world is in the best interest of all humankind. Towards that end, CGDN seeks to create a community of giving that builds upon the knowledge and resources of donors who are young and old, beginning and experienced, rich or poor, US- or foreign born alike. Our common purpose is to work together to build a culture of giving in order to improve the quality and condition of human life.

The Chicago History Museum invites Chicagoans and visitors to explore the people, places, and cultures that transformed Chicago into the urban metropolis that has significantly shaped American history and society. The Museum cares for, showcases, and interprets millions of authentic pieces of Chicago and U.S. history, telling the story of the city and its people. A vital, active part of Chicago’s cultural and educational life, the Museum offers a range of popular programs and tours, as well as critical resources for Illinois educators. The Museum invites you to engage with their stories and make history yourself.

This fall, the Chicago Humanities Festival celebrates its twentieth season. This year’s festival, Laughter, takes place on October 17 (Hyde Park) and November 2-15, 2009. Dedicated to bringing the humanities to the widest possible public audience, CHF organizes an annual festival centered on a theme that changes each year. Lectures, discussions, performances, film screenings, exhibits, and author talks by some of the world’s foremost scholars, thinkers, artists, musicians, and performers take place at venues throughout Chicago’s Loop and Hyde Park.

Chicago Opera Theater’s mission is to provide first class productions of small to middle scale opera repertoire in the Chicago area, develop young artists, expand and diversify its audience, be one of the best mid-sized opera companies in the country and be an integral part of Chicago’s cultural landscape. Chicago Opera Theater fulfills this mission through careful planning of repertoire, affordable ticket prices for performances in the 1,400 seat Harris Theater, and in-depth arts education and community outreach programs. The strategic objective is to remain a mid-sized opera company that offers admission at modest prices and intimate settings reflecting their belief that opera should be widely accessible.

Since 1873, the Chicago Public Library has offered equal access to information, ideas, and knowledge through books, programs, and other resources. Modern technology has increased that access and the Library has kept pace, offering free Internet access, WiFi and over 80 online newspapers, magazines, and databases. The Library welcomes and supports all people in their enjoyment of reading and their pursuit of lifelong learning through free author talks and educational programs every month in each of the 79 locations throughout the city. Celebrate the freedom to read, to learn, and to discover.

From its humble origins 134 years ago, Chicago State University has evolved into an outstanding, nationally-acclaimed university that provides a value-added education for all who enter its hallowed halls. Consistently evolving to reflect state of the art trends in higher education, the university has always kept sight of its educational mission and enhanced its services to Chicago and its surrounding communities. In addition to the programs offered by the university's four colleges, Chicago State University has a Division of Continuing Education and Non-Traditional Programs that reach out to the community with extension courses, distance learning, and not-for-credit programs.

The story of Chicago is often seen as the Tale of Two Cities. Unfortunately, only one of these stories usually gets told in all its detail: the glitzy and glorious downtown, where problems are forgotten and escapist fantasy reigns. Then there's the other Chicago, where most residents live, where problems linger, and solutions are created by citizens noisily exercising their democratic rights. The Community Media Workshop is trying to link the two Chicagos by encouraging the media to report on the other Chicago, and by training people of that Chicago to tell their stories.

Community Renewal Society is a progressive, faith-based organization that works to eliminate race and class barriers. Founded in 1882, Community Renewal informs, organizes and trains both communities and individuals to advocate for social and economic justice, while providing investigative reports on issues of education, government, housing, criminal and social justice and economic conditions through its independent, award-winning publications: The Chicago Reporter, with investigations to engage leaders and residents in critical issues around race and poverty; and Catalyst Chicago, which serves as a watchdog and resource, fueling efforts to ensure that Chicago’s public schools serve all their children well.

Culinary Historians of Chicago studies the history of food and drink in human cultures. Why we procure, prepare and serve the food we do has cultural, sociological, geographical, financial and political influences. We encourage participation from all walks of life: from academics to home cooks, chefs to grill masters, farmers to heirloom gardeners, food scientists to students. Our programs, and those of our sister organization Chicago Foodways Roundtable, are supported by research, fieldwork and scholarship, though geared to an informed popular audience. We welcome everyone to gather at our table to share food, drink and their life's culinary experiences.

The Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago works to deepen understanding and appreciation of how issues relating to women, gender, creativity and community shape social policy, culture, and history. Within this framework, the Institute addresses ideas of access, representation, equity, and participation, as well as race and class, using the arts and media as a central means of research, engagement, public education, and advocacy. The Institute offers a wide range of public programs, including exhibitions, performances and discussions, as well as fellowships, research residencies, and student-based curriculum intersections within Columbia College.

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. Promoting knowledge of the German language abroad, and fostering international cultural cooperation, Goethe-Institut conveys a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life. The Goethe-Institut Chicago organizes and supports a broad spectrum of cultural events, chief among them the awarding of the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize. Along with being the focal point for the Institut’s work promoting German literature in translation, it serves as a connection point with American publishing as well.

Goodman Theatre, Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for-profit theater, has won international renown for the quality of productions, the depth and diversity of artistic leadership, and the excellence of its many community and educational programs. It has earned unparalleled artistic distinction, garnered hundreds of awards – including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992) – and moved dozens of plays from Chicago to stages in New York and abroad. CONTEXT: Discourse/Discussion, Goodman's newest series, engages audiences in conversations that both illuminate their productions and act as catalysts for deeper exploration.

The Highland Park Historical Society represents a community effort to preserve our past and present for the future. Our historical archives of photographs, city documents, maps and books dating back to the city's founding in 1869 are maintained for research and interpretation. The rich history and culture of Highland Park, Ravinia Festival and Fort Sheridan are revealed in programs highlighting local architecture, history, landscape and residents' personal stories. We often go beyond our city's borders to examine history of regional, state and national importance in order to provide information in a meaningful context.

Celebrating almost 70 years of success, the Hyde Park Art Center has been serving the Hyde Park-Kenwood community and surrounding neighborhoods as well as the metropolitan Chicago area with outstanding visual art exhibitions and education programs. Since its inception in 1939, the Center’s mission has been to stimulate and sustain the vitality of the visual arts in Chicago. To fulfill this mission, the Center actively pursues arts mentorship within the community it serves, fostering a collective spirit among artists, teachers and students, children and families, collectors, and the general public.