Pilsen
Domestic Nightmares
There’s a phrase often repeated among surrealists, Dadaists, and those attempting to explain the artistic oddities of those first two groups. Echoing André Breton’s sentiment, the surreal, they say, is “the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an ironing board.” By mixing totally disjointed objects and materials, these artists believed... »
Colombian Exposition
“What I love about cumbia is that it’s the music of the people,” said Tiff Itzi-Nallah. Itzi-Nallah spun last Thursday at Zhou B. Arts Center with the People’s DJs Collective, bringing the popular art form into a new context. Traditionally the music of the Colombian peasantry with a distinctive Afro-Caribbean beat, cumbia has begun... »
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... »
Head Pieces
The artist Theodore Homer slides impishly across the floor of Slow gallery, his polar-fleece footie pajamas providing little in the way of traction. »
Teacher-teacher conference
Rambunctious cheers, noisy chatter, and a fidgety audience filled the cafeteria of Pilsen’s Orozco Community School. This wasn’t the prelude to a mandatory assembly, but the beginning of the eleventh annual Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) Curriculum Fair. »
The Arcade’s Project
Chris Tourre co-founded a company based on what he calls the “untapped marriage of video games and beer.” This seemingly juvenile obsession with beer is misleading, though, because Tourre is into good beer, really good beer. He and his business partner Lance Curran are the two guys behind Arcade Brewery. »
Like a Flame
Wendy Clinard was trained as a professional flamenco dancer, drawing inspiration from her familiarity with the lines of the human body from years of painting. She now runs the Clinard Dance Theatre in Pilsen, which is home to a professional performance company and provides lessons for all levels of dancers. »
