Pilsen
Body Image
What connects the cacophony of a basement punk show with the solidity of geometric shapes? Or a young suburban woman with thick green clouds of smoke? Seductive pastel nudes with gold coins? Matt Maniscalco, Jennifer Cronin, and Ian Mitchell Wallace all manage to harmonize these seemingly disparate concepts in “Embody,” a display of contemporary... »
Fill in the Blank
Walk along 18th Street in Pilsen and you’ll pass taquerías, cafes, clothing shops and liquor stores. But if you turn north at the intersection of 18th and Carpenter Street, the latest installation of Candy Chang’s interactive art piece “Before I Die” lies waiting, asking what you want to do before you die. »
Occupy’s Chicago Spring
Political movements can be hard to maintain—especially when they intend to publically bear the force of weather, police, and internal debate for as long as it takes to bring about change. In the earliest days of Occupy Chicago (OC) way back in September, thousands of people showed up at the city’s financial district in... »
A Vile Attraction
My companion Chris sits at a decade-old computer adorned with a webcam and surrounded by eight ornate red candles, patiently reading a blog post linked from the desktop: “Born like this / Into this / As the chalk faces smile / As Mrs. Death laughs / As the elevators break / As the political... »
Pretty Grotesque
“To dignify life is an underpinning of my work. You see a hare dead on the road, remember it had life to it once,” says Joan Goldin brightly from behind her thick blue spectacles. “Myself, I have a very normal life—a husband, three children. I’ve been fortunate not to have too many problems. So... »
Vintage Spirits
Whisky Ginger, the vintage shop Stevie Koerner and Dan Knispel run together out of their storefront apartment, allows the pair to carefully curate their own world. »
Third Coast Style
In October 2011, fashion designer Horacio Nieto opened his Pilsen storefront. Since opening, it has attracted clientele and attention both as a standout in the design field, and as somewhat of a hidden Pilsen gem. »
Peter Pan’s Shadow
“You have all these archetypical characters, and you look at them and wonder how they became what they are,” says Jeremy Menekseoglu, referring to the timeless tale of Peter Pan. J.M. Barrie’s story has been adapted and revised many times since its initial publication in 1902, but whereas most versions of the story are... »
