Arts and Culture
Paradise Lost
For an Englishman living in Australia, artist Kit Wise has a lot to say about ecology and sprawl in America. In his new piece “Arcadia,” which is on display at the Hyde Park Art Center through April 8, he uses dynamic high-definition digital collages of aerial photos to explore the relationship between ecology and... »
Keeping it Simple, in an Ornate World
Sandwiched between a residential area and the section of the Chicago River called Bubbly Creek (so-named from the bubbles created by the blood and other byproducts of the meat-slaughtering process), Decorators Supply Corporation is easy to miss. The business may fly under the radar of many Chicagoans, but to industry insiders—including those in upscale... »
Good Grammar
“Did you bring anything to read?” author Brendan Detzner asked as guests walk into Bad Grammar Theater, which also happens to be his home. Detzner and fellow author Mike Penkas were standing behind a table where their books and T-shirts are displayed for sale. Behind them was an unmade futon with a partially eaten... »
Stitch in Time
“These two are my favorite,” artist Courtney Weber says, pointing to the back right corner of the small room at ACRE Projects. “I started drawing the pattern for this one at the Residency and to me the symmetry and colors are really beautiful.” The piece in question is untitled, as are all of the... »
Open Air
Several years ago in Viroqua, Wisconsin (pop. 5,079), a group of serious radio-heads started a community station. The station, Radio Driftless, is now on FM and broadcasts full-time, and since they hit the airwaves, Viroqua has had the radio bug. This Wisconsin town sounds like a sound guy’s fairy tale, but the story doesn’t... »
Polish Nights
Kids are always looking to the weekend to have a good time. That holds true on the South Side of Chicago as it holds true halfway across the world in Poland. Yet while the law restricts under-agers from having too good of time in the States, Poland allows a bit more leniency. A typical... »
Emerge and See
Imagine the shockwaves that would ensue if a slave ship docked at the feet of the Statue of Liberty in present times. Renaissance man Daniel Beaty’s dynamic one-man play “Emergency!,” which landed at the DuSable Museum for two performances this past weekend, attempts to capture that hypothetical moment. Standing alone on a stage set... »
Game, Set, Match
Bibiana Suárez’s latest exhibit—an installation piece that combines the voluptuous rear-end of Jennifer Lopez, three glittery cowboys, vintage maps, and hand-painted signage—is an exhibit that attempts to speak for the growing sentiment of latinidad. The notion of a pan-ethnic solidarity amongst people of all Latin American origin became pertinent to Suárez in 2000, when... »
