On her June EP, “The Prelude,” King Marie proclaims “I already know I’m a queen, I’m gonna show ‘em why they call me king.” Marie doesn’t say anything she doesn’t mean, and in true fashion she spent the summer backing up that statement. Already one of the most celebrated DJs working the Chicago scene, she stepped from behind the turntables at Complexcon this year, returning to her first love of singing while releasing merch to match. If this year was any indication, we should experience her royalty for years to come. (Jake Krzeczowski)
Fine Arts Building Act Two: Depression and Decline, Charles Curtiss Dies The Fine Arts Building was not just a home for Chicago’s working artists and crafters but a performance showplace, the city’s most popular destination for musical instruction, and a hotbed of intellectual ferment where artistic ideas and social movements were born. But there were signs the building’s influence was starting to wane.
Fine Arts Building Act Three: Shabby Grandeur, Tom Graham to the Rescue Spoiler alert: the Fine Arts Building was not sold to a developer and demolished. On June 7, 1978, it was designated a Chicago Historic Landmark. And the following year, it fell into the hands of its next benevolent owner.
Fine Arts Building Act One: The Golden Age, A Building Reborn The building itself is actually 138 years old, opening its doors in 1885 as the Studebaker Brothers’ Lake Front Carriage Repository. But they quickly outgrew their showplace. When the Fine Arts Building reopened in October 1898, it had been staged as an artist-only space. The building was a hit. In its first few years, artists and crafters of every kind…
