At first glance, a casual visitor might not expect Bridgeport to be an emerging hub for Chicago’s art scene: streets are stark, shops are scattered, and the wind chimes that dangle from residential houses break the silence. But lo and behold, on the southeast corner of 32nd and Morgan is the Co-Prosperity Sphere, one of the motors behind Bridgeport’s art renaissance. Read the rest of this entry »

In 2006, the Salem Baptist Church in Pullman hosted a “Night of Terror”—one of those Halloween events some religious groups have to scare the crap out of kids. Only the things they use to scare them aren’t skeletons or ghosts, but abortions and homosexuals—because getting the former or being the latter presumably means you’re going straight to hell. You don’t even have to attend to take part in the horror.

This year, I hoped the event would once again take place—so that I could write about it in disgust, not because I actually support it—but alas, apparently negative publicity and public outrage have convinced the church to pull the plug (I don’t know for sure those are the reasons behind the move, but I’d like to think so). This left me without an article to write, but in retrospect, it’s much better this way. Read the rest of this entry »

Historically, Bridgeport has been known both as a working-class Irish neighborhood and a home to well-connected politicians, including both Mayors Daley. However, there is another side to Bridgeport: a diverse, artistic neighborhood that welcomes outsiders without losing its strong community feel. A study, conducted by the Chaddick Institute at DePaul University, ranked Bridgeport the fourth most diverse neighborhood in the city. In addition to the Polish and Lithuanian communities that have quietly coexisted with the South Side Irish for decades upon decades, Bridgeport is now home to Chinese, African-Americans, and hipsters. Mayor Daley has moved out, and the neighborhood has moved on. Read the rest of this entry »

“Chris” is 37 years old; he’s a high school English teacher, a husband, and a father. And last month, he added one more accomplishment to this already rather impressive list: zine maker. Granted, on first glimpse it might not seem like an achievement worth meriting—after all, the idea that “anyone can make a zine” is widespread, and is in fact often touted by zine makers and their fans as one of its most appealing features. But if anyone can make a zine, it nevertheless takes dedication and effort to meticulously craft the self-made booklets and shop them around to distribution centers—especially when you live in the southern pseudo-suburbs of Beverly, far from the zine haven of Quimby’s and other North Side hipster haunts, as in Chris’s case. And even that says nothing of the intellectual and emotional hand-wringing that often goes into creating such zines in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »

Lumpen’s eighth annual Version festival kicked off with a welcoming on Thursday night, with a one-night installation and show by Lumpen and Philadelphia-based artist collective Space 1026 at the Country Club gallery in West Town. It marked the launch of Version ‘08 with a union of the two art collectives that will continue at least throughout the arts festival. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave the pearls and Lily Pulitzer at home: Thursday evening, the Version festival begins at Country Club, a gallery in Wicker Park. According to the festival’s website, “Version is an annual springtime convergence that brings in hundreds of artists, musicians and educators from around the world to present some of the most challenging ideas and progressive art initiatives of our day.” Space 1026, a Philadelphia-based artist collective named after the address of their building in Philly’s Chinatown, will host Version’s opening show on Thursday evening. On Friday night, Version moves to the South Side’s Co-Prosperity Sphere for “The Dark Matter Group Show.” This former warehouse in Bridgeport was gutted and restored to reveal beautiful high copper ceilings, hardwood floors, and a fairly vast and, once preparations are complete, appealing contemporary gallery space. Music and theater performances are held in the basement, and an apartment complex occupies the second floor. Read the rest of this entry »

March 22 marked the end of the “Radar Eyes” exhibition hosted by Seripop and Reuben Kincaid, two Canadian printing hotshots, in the Lumpen art collective’s Co-Prosperity Sphere. This Canadian print duo sought to harbor a good portion of experimental printmakers’ works, which “depict distortions of perception” and “altered states of awareness.” On the whole, the concept seems pretty promising. After all, who wouldn’t want to experience drugs without having to actually pay for them? In relation to a select few of the prints, the artists’ work depicts what could be some of the best acid trips of all time. Cascades of bright colors highlighting arrangements of fantastical people and places emerge from the silk screens once used to promote shows by artists like Ben Kweller or MGMT, whereas others simply wash the brain over with color, generating a source of aesthetic elation. At other times, things just get bizarre. Read the rest of this entry »

Hyde Park Progress: When someone asks what Hyde Park Progress is all about, “chicago pop,” one of the blog’s three contributors, makes a plea for his community’s development. Hyde Park used to be pretty awesome when it was bustling with commerce and public transportation. Since World War II and the racial and social changes that followed, however, the Hyde Park Establishment (the blog’s collective term for organizations like the Hyde Park Herald and the Hyde Park Historical Society) has adopted a protectionist philosophy in order to protect its community from decline. In other words, this place is pretty boring. The blog’s proposed solution? Open the community’s arms to outside businesses and watch the magic happen. (Elise Biggers) Read the rest of this entry »