Cards Against Humanity Theater
On the corner of Elston and Homer in Bucktown stands a building the walls of which display a surprisingly intact mishmash of paintings by some of the city’s most notable graffiti artists, including Blake Jones, Matthew Hoffman of You Are Beautiful, Shawn Smith of Shawnimals and Keith Smith (aka Afrokilla). There’s a large mural by Tara McPherson, a painter from New York. One has to wonder what happens behind those walls, since the only visible sign displays random phrases, updated every Monday. Recently, it was “Got my 23 and Me test results. Turns out… I’m a hundred percent a sign.” To make matters worse, no one answers the intercom. Welcome to the Cards Against Humanity Theater. Created by a bunch of high school friends from Highland Park via Kickstarter, Cards Against Humanity became the best-selling game on Amazon only a month after its May 2011 release. Max Temkin—one of the original says that his team wanted to provide a free space for comedians and artists to perform. “We’ve hosted public forums, an aldermanic debate and an attorney general debate, fundraisers for various groups and elected officials, comedy shows, lectures, classes and more,” he says. As for the murals, they are protected by law. After having a mural by French street artist Blek le Rat, aka “the father of stencil graffiti,” erased from their building by the city of Chicago, Temkin and his colleagues worked with alderman Brian Hopkins to pass an ordinance protecting street art. Murals can now be registered with DCASE and identified by a special number and a QR code. So if that intercom isn’t answered, visitors are at least guaranteed to enjoy the art. (Isa Giallorenzo)
1917 N. Elston, 773.252.3244, public events listed at Chicago.CardsAgainstHumanity.com
Best of Chicago 2019
