Art tips for August 13-19
Aug. 13, 2012Legendary DJ Atom™ makes his Chicago debut
Aug. 10, 2012
Chicago's never been afraid to wear its electronic heart beat on its musical sleeve. This is the city where house music was born, where Smart Bar, an epicenter of Chicago's DJ scene, just celebrated 30 years in business, where even Uncommon Ground, a venue best known for hosting folk or world music acts, is now entering the electronic scene with its new monthly "downtempo, chill, lounge DJ session."
That last event tells you — as if you need to be told — where electronica is now, which is just about everywhere. When Peaches performed at the Empty Bottle in the early oughts, indie rock types were too hip to listen let alone dance to her sound. Now everybody is dancing and electronica acts are on Pitchfork's main stage, instead of performing in in a tiny, tucked away DJ tent. If you're parent to a teenager you've probably chaperoned them to at least one local EMD festival this summer.
An Arts Roundup for August 6-12
Aug. 6, 2012
1. Lollapalooza set an attendance record this past weekend, but if it didn’t slake your thirst for outdoor music in general or electronica in particular, head to The Mid Tuesday night for the Toast of the Coast Finals. Local DJs and bands (The Palmer Squares, Second City Citizens, Supreme Regime and more) will compete to win a spot at this year's North Coast Music Festival, which takes place the final weekend of August. The show’s for those who like their music/culture in bite-sized chunks. Each act will play a 15-minute set.
What happened at the final Chicago Cultural plan meeting?
Aug. 1, 2012
The final town hall to review Chicago's draft Cultural Plan was quite a sonic event: 350 people (more or less) conversating in Preston Bradley Hall at the Cultural Center equals noisy!
Still people were paying deep attention to one another, and to the draft plan. There were a variety of responses to both the proposals and the process, from outright enthusiasm to deep cynicism.
I joined Tony Sarabia for a quick review of the proceedings.
Can you spare some time for Chicago's cultural plan?
Jul. 31, 2012
Tonight is the last town hall seeking public input on Chicago's draft cultural plan.
This is Chicago's first plan in about 25 years, which might explains its length. It has more than 200 initiatives, ranging from developing a South Side museum campus, to donating vacant land to arts and culture groups.
Any items that do make it into the final plan – due this fall – could well set the city’s cultural agenda for years to come.
So the city’s seeking input – Tuesday night is the last of four public meetings since a draft was released in mid-July.
The format is tight.
Celebrating Ramadan the healthy, well-hydrated way!
Jul. 31, 2012
I first met Yvonne Maffei when she came for an interview with Weekender. Normally those interviews are short — a quick ten minutes or so exploring the personalities behind the local events we spotlight each week.
I'd already checked out Maffei's blog, My Halal Kitchen, and was totally captivated. There are delicious-sounding recipes, great tips for keeping a green kitchen, and so much more — the woman's a font of nutritional information! But while researching Maffei I learned something else: Maffei grew up in a Puerto Rican and Italian household, and only converted to Islam in 2001, just prior to the events of 9-11.
What timing!
Cultural events for the dog days of summer.
Jul. 30, 2012
Wow, can you say August? It felt like every other store I hit up this weekend was having a half-off sale, clearing out the summer stock. As we enter the ninth and traditionally hottest month this week, it’s clear your opportunities for artsy outings are nowhere near done, but here are a few things to hit up while the summer’s still ripe.
Weekender seeks out Olympic-sized cultural fun
Jul. 27, 2012
This week and next, Chicagoans get another chance to help plan the city’s cultural future. After recently releasing a draft version of Chicago’s first cultural plan since 1986, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) kicked off four town halls at locations around the city.
The plan’s gotten some criticism, mainly that it’s more laundry list than a tangible set of priorities, with concrete timelines and budgets. But it’s also been praised, including by National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman. On a recent trip to Chicago, he called the plan “visionary,” saying it should be brought to “a hundred different cities in America.” Landesman also cited another way in which Chicago’s a model. Referencing the plan’s proposals to find funds for culture through public-private partnerships and from other government departments, Landesman made it clear that’s also the task before the NEA.