Sideshow Theatre Company’s new ensemble members include (top, left to right) Wardell Julius Clark, Greg Geffrard, Arti Ishak, Krystal Ortiz, Gabrielle Randle-Bent, Netta Walker. The company’s new artistic associates include (bottom, left to right) Patrick Agada, J. Nicole Brooks, Brynne Frauenhoffer, Jyreika Guest, Sarah Price.
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 to reopen at limited capacity, if at all.”
South Side native Jasmine Sanders wrote a fascinating look in Artforum at a completely overlooked art movement that had some of its most forceful proponents in the Chicago area.
“Established in 1985 in Lombard, Illinois, Artistic Impressions was among the slew of home-art distributors that proliferated in the late twentieth century. Personal Preference, Inc., founded in 1979 by former secretary Jan Madori Ferrin in nearby Bolingbrook, was another. Utilizing a direct-sales model, the companies hired independent contractors to host at-home sales events, or “demonstrations.” Paid on commission, the contractors would present their respective portfolios—arrays of silk screens, oil paintings, serigraphs, lithographs, and statuary by contemporary artists, priced between $69 and $250.”
Chef Doug Saltis, who left Lettuce Entertain You under something of a cloud, is teaming up with his wife, pastry chef Hsing Chen, to open a contemporary Greek restaurant in Logan Square, Andros Taverna, on February 14.
Chicago author Barack Obama’s best-selling new memoir, “A Promised Land,” is credited with single-handedly driving book sales up more than thirty-five percent in November, its publication month.
Neil Steinberg, the liberal columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, penned a spirited defense of the Tribune’s in-house conservative (if not his writing or ideas) that harkens back to his days penning the “Bob Watch” column.
Staking an unambiguous claim for diversification, Sideshow Theatre Company added six new ensemble members—Wardell Julius Clark, Greg Geffrard, Arti Ishak, Krystal Ortiz, Gabrielle Randle-Bent and Netta Walker—and five new artistic associates—Patrick Agada, J. Nicole Brooks, Brynne Frauenhoffer, Jyreika Guest and Sarah Price.
Artistic director Regina Victor says, in the press release, “This chapter of Sideshow has been about where the ensemble will take the company, and we have chosen a fresh and exciting direction, as is our prerogative. As a Black, trans leader of color, I always wondered if diversification of an ensemble was as hard as the leaders of our predominantly white field said it would be. It’s not. This list of innovators, game changers, and all around really talented artists represent the type of cohort building we need to move the theatre industry into the future. Sideshow is truly grateful to have these remarkable artists join our ensemble and associate family, and we can’t wait to see what this impressive team of artists is going to create.”
ARTS & CULTURE
Joy goes to Washington
Longtime executive director of Illinois Arts Alliance and more recently, a candidate for Illinois Lieutenant Governor, Ra Joy is joining the Biden administration as chief of staff at the National Endowment of the Arts. “Now more than ever, America’s artists & cultural organizations have a vital role to play in healing and uniting our communities,” he tweeted in announcing the new role.
Related Stories
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 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 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…
This Week in the Culture: January 6, 2021 DESIGN Macy's Jumps out of Water Tower Place This one causes some personal pain: one of my first summer jobs during college was selling men's clothing for the Marshall Field store that anchored Water Tower Place. I wrote about the store and my experience at length back in 2011. DINING AND DRINKING Two Other Brothers Start A Brewery in LaGrange…
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…
