Making art about race is a thorny business. It’s usually beamed through the prism of the artist’s particular race, sex, age, geography – so it’s only a limited picture. A group from Evanston and Chicago’s North Side are trying to strip away some of those filters, and get to something more authentic. For five weekends, they gathered at Next Theatre in Evanston – black, white, Jewish, Asian, multiracial – all manner of people, talking together about race, and diversity. Eventually, they’ll produce an original play based on the conversations, and group members will come back to perform it.

Music Button: Robert Irving III, “New Momentum,” from the CD New Momentum, (Sonic Portraits)