Page Three
Cool and Collective
In its latest iteration, the Archer Ballroom is about two years old. Once a Lithuanian cultural center, the ballroom fell unto hard times until an architect bought the building and recognized its potential as an arts space. It cycled through residents until a group of students from Oberlin Conservatory saw the listing online during... »
The Local Board
For most Chicago residents, the lakefront is the last place you’d want to be caught on a blustery day. But the sharp winds and crashing waves off Lake Michigan beckon a small but dedicated group of surfers to the shore, donning wetsuits and ready to dive into the icy waters. It may seem... »
Viral Voices
In 2003, the University of Chicago professor began the Black Youth Project as a research project to capture the attitudes and social beliefs of African-Americans between the ages of 15 and 24. Now the online website and forum features content ranging from original hip-hop music videos and blog posts concerning census issues to... »
Let’s Talk about REX, baby
“Well…Ruben was my first kiss…” Alexis Mayoski says as she stamps puckering pink lips onto punch-cut tags. She points to a figurine of a kissing boy and girl atop a glittery teal counter top. ”So I sort of made a theme out of it,” she shyly giggles. Seven years after one quintessential teen dream... »
Weight of the World
Running in five minutes late to last Thursday’s monthly workshop meeting of all six chapters of the Deborah Movement, I was one of the first to arrive. The Deborahs (pronounced De-BOR-ahs) are a group that aspires to restructure the black community through the actions and spiritual development of women. Last week’s workshop theme was... »
Vinyl Destination
A few days past the November 1 opening of the Groove Store in a small basement space at 55th and South Hyde Park, the record store is still being unpacked: a wet/dry vac sits next to a bucket of caulk and a pile of sheet rock, and stacked crates of vinyl stand waiting to... »
Food is love
The late lunch crowd at the Quench restaurant on 79th between Martin Luther King Drive and Cottage Grove Avenue silently munched away on turkey burgers and fries last Friday afternoon, their seriousness belying the vibrant burnt orange and yellow interior of the building. Outside, equally somber faces trudged by buildings with “for lease” signs... »
The Crowd
“Read my lips…Obama won’t kill Grandma.” The slogan is printed over the image “Whistler’s Mother,” and the button-seller tells the small student crowd around her that this one was very popular during the President’s push for health care reform. There are salesmen like her all along the 59th street Midway, men and women vending... »
