If you’re waiting for Chris Ware to finish the second installment of his epic “Rusty Brown” (perhaps circa 2030 based on how long Volume One took?), you can get a fix, of sorts, in the most unlikely place: he created the cover of the “2019 North Suburban Reassessment Report.” In this riveting text—OK, in its defense, I only read the summary page—you’ll find the likes of “property tax analysis following the triennial reassessment of the north suburbs in 2019 (which affected property tax bills issued to homeowners in summer 2020).”
Newcity art editor Kerry Cardoza penned a 6,000-word-plus cover story for the Chicago Reader entitled, “Inside the fight for racial equity at SAIC: Current and former students, staff, and faculty at the top-ranked art school describe microaggressions, discrimination, and a failed anti-racism campaign.”
The nation lost its last video store chain, the 250-plus-location Family Video, when the Glenview-based company announced its end at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Post-production boutique Cutters has promoted David Rubin to editor. According to the publicist, “Rubin was the International Grand Prize Winner in Editing in 2015’s Camp Kuleshov competition, AICE’s (now AICP’s) annual contest for assistant editors, audio mixers and graphic designers. He is also a two-time winner of top editing honors in Camp Kuleshov Chicago.” We like his assist on Jeep’s “Groundhog Day” Super Bowl spot, but you might also dig, say, his Maytag work.
One of the more crushing business losses in the pandemic, the legendary Southport Lanes, might live after all thanks to a lifeline in the form of a $70,000 grant from the state. I wonder how much Blackbird would need…
High-end “corner store” Foxtrot has launched a business-incubator competition called the Up and Comers Small Makers Awards, which, according to their publicist, “with the purpose of finding and cultivating new consumer, food and/or beverage brands.” Cash, in-kind support and in-store distribution is promised. Plus, they have cool judges like Edmar and Carla Lalli Music. Entries are due January 10, so we won’t have ours fermented in time.
The indie-rock scene is mourning the loss of the Runners drummer who died suddenly at age forty-six. “In the eyes of his many friends, his generous spirit and boundless enthusiasm made him the beating heart of Chicago’s DIY rock scene, and his death hits especially hard,” the Chicago Reader writes.
Governor Pritzker suggested that Chicago’s museums, movie theaters, restaurants and bars might be able to partially reopen as soon as January 15. Dinner and a movie, anyone?
This Week in the Culture: January 29, 2021 DANCE Dancing with Words The Chicago Dance History Project is staging an interview marathon on January 31 from 11am-6pm to kick off its fifth anniversary. Subjects include a who's-who of local stalwarts like Ashley Wheater, Lou Conte and Meida McNeal, along with an impressive list of national figures such as Mark Morris and Robert Battle from Alvin Ailey. Minimum donation…
This Week in the Culture: January 20, 2021 ART Beckwith bolts for the big stage MCA curator Naomi Beckwith is leaving this summer to take on the role of deputy director and chief curator of New York City's Guggenheim Museum. Beckwith, who will be the first Black curator to hold that role, was the subject of a Newcity cover story in 2015, and most recently occupied the number-four…
This Week in the Culture: January 13, 2021 ART The atmosphere is improving Chicago art advisor Cortney Lederer of CNL Projects has curated a major new Olafur Eliasson installation on the Jackson Boulevard wall of Willis (Sears) Tower. Lederer writes: True to Eliasson’s style, the sculpture creates a dynamic experience that is activated by the motion of people walking, driving or biking past; by the motion of the…
This Week in the Culture: January 27, 2021 ART Covid strikes the museum The MCA cut eleven percent of its staff last week. According to the Tribune, "The organization is not expecting school group visits for at least the remainder of this school year and, like all public-facing businesses, is scrambling to deal with revenue lost when the businesses had to close because of COVID-19 and were able…
This Week in the Culture: January 15, 2021 ART Climate change and the art world A day after pubilicizing the postponement of the Expo Chicago art fair from April until later in the year, Expo announced a virtual symposium, "Alternate Assembly: Environmental Impact in the Era of Pandemic," to take place over three days next week, January 21-23. Click for a full schedule and list of participants. DESIGN…
