Swedish American Museum Presents “Reality Check” by Swedish Artist
Andersonville’s Swedish American Museum presents Swedish artist Anna U Davis’ solo exhibition,“Reality Check,” through November 28. “Davis is known for her bold, colorful mixed-media works exploring social inequalities,” the museum says in a release. The exhibition “investigates the concept of diffusion of responsibility in regards to pressing global issues. Diffusion of responsibility is a socio-psychological phenomenon whereby an individual assumes that other people are responsible for taking necessary action. Davis juxtaposes mixed media paintings depicting diffusion of responsibility with works investigating gender inequality, racial discrimination and climate change. The work addresses our unwillingness to listen, our resistance to speak up and our inability to see the imminent consequences of our indifference.” More here.
DESIGN
Times Lists “The 25 Most Significant Works Of Postwar Architecture”
The Times’ T Magazine includes three Illinois edifices in a survey, with extensive commentary, of postwar architecture around the world. “Three architects, three journalists and two designers gathered over Zoom to make a list of the most influential and lasting buildings that have been erected—or cleverly updated—since World War II.” At number two, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House in Plano (1951); at twelve, John W. Moutoussamy’s Johnson Publishing Company Building in Chicago (1971); and at twenty-three, Amanda Williams’ “Color(ed) Theory” series in Chicago (2014-16).
Parkline On Randolph Converts To All-Rental
Apartments have been quick to lease at Parkline on Randolph Street, reports Crain’s, “but there have been no takers for the two dozen condos. Now the Loop residential tower will switch to all rentals.”
DINING & DRINKING
Steve Dolinsky Will Be NBC 5’s “The Food Guy”
Robert Feder reports: “Steve Dolinsky, whose savvy restaurant reviews have been tantalizing viewers for more than 25 years, is about to become a weekly special” on Channel 5. “His new segment, titled ‘The Food Guy,’ will air Thursdays on the 10pm newscast… His reports also will air on Friday afternoon newscasts and weekend morning newscasts.” Per Channel 5: “With his insider’s perspective on food and beverages, Dolinsky will explore the city and suburbs to discover the latest gastronomic trends, flavors and hidden gems.” Dolinsky tells Feder: “I’m really looking forward to getting back on the air and hoping to make NBC 5 number one at 10pm.”
Restaurants, Bars Turn To Serving Vaccinated-Only
A survey of bars and restaurants addressing the mask mandate, from Josh Noel at the Trib.”Several businesses have announced in recent days they will only permit customers who show proof of vaccination, including Hydrate Nightclub, Berlin Nightclub and Pilsen bar Skylark, which said simply on Facebook Friday, ‘Only fully vaccinated people are now welcome at the Skylark.’ Logan Square’s Cole’s Bar, which already required proof of vaccine, returned to a mask mandate Friday. City Winery said Thursday it would require patrons to wear masks… Humboldt Park bakery and soda fountain Spinning J announced it is once again closing indoor service. Its dining room had reopened in early June after fourteen months closed: ‘With so many breakthrough cases being reported by friends and colleagues, it just doesn’t make sense to expose even our fully vaccinated staff unnecessarily… This was not an easy decision to make, but with so many events and festivals in town this weekend, I want to protect our little pod of pastry people as much as possible.'” On the restaurant scene: “Spanish-inspired restaurant mfk, which has only admitted customers with proof of vaccine since reopening in late June, announced it would close indefinitely after a vaccinated staff member tested positive following a revelation that three vaccinated customers who dined at mfk Sunday also tested positive. ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen with the restaurant right now,’ mfk owner Scott Worsham said. ‘From a business standpoint, it is quite devastating.'”
Production Pressures For S. Rosen’s Poppyseed Bun
Five million buns a week! “The endless Chicago-style hot dog conversation never gets to the foundation, the one unsung actor who literally holds the whole show together: the S. Rosen’s poppyseed bun,” reports Neil Steinberg at length from Bun Zero. “This facility bakes only hot dog and hamburger buns, going through 600,000 pounds of flour a week — it has its own rail siding. That translates into about five million hot dog buns. The flour is mixed with water and yeast, allowed to proof for three and a half hours, then divided into little balls, rolled out by a conveyer into tubes of dough that fall into one of 2,900 4 x 6 metal trays stacked everywhere… If you think market dominance with a simple bread product translates into having an easy-to-run business easy, guess again. ‘The supply chain gets bigger and bigger every year; you’re playing more on international purchasing,’ [Mark Marcucci, president of Alpha Baking Co.] said. ‘We’re fighting with China for flour right now. China is driving our prices for flour right through the roof. You get a bad crop in Russia, and that affects our price. It becomes a more international supply chain as the world gets smaller.'”
MUSIC
Lightfoot Rejects Lolla Criticism
On the day after 2021 Lollapalooza, Block Club Chicago has an overview. “Mayor Lori Lightfoot again defended her decision to host Lollapalooza, the world’s biggest festival this year, during a news conference,” reports Kelly Bauer. “The mayor has faced increasing scrutiny for allowing the festival to be held. It typically attracts 100,000 people per day, fueling concerns it could turn into a super-spreader event as the Delta variant surges… Photos of the massive, tightly packed crowds at the festival, on the CTA and around the Downtown area have been widely shared online.” Lightfoot said she “remains confident in Lolla’s precautionary measures.The mayor said street festivals have been held and baseball games played at Sox Park and Wrigley Field without them turning into super-spreader events. Those events are significantly smaller than Lollapalooza, though… ‘I understand the fascination with Lolla, but the fact is, in this city… we’ve been able to open but do it with care because of the vaccinations,’ Lightfoot said. Only about fifty-two percent of all Chicagoans are fully vaccinated, according to city data.”
Adds CBS Chicago: Lightfoot said “We spent a tremendous amount of time working with the Lolla folks to make sure that we incentivize people to get vaccinated.” Lightfoot turned the subject to public transit overcrowding afterwards: “’Do not get on public transportation in this city without a mask. Do not,’” [she] said, adding that anyone who does so is putting themselves and everyone else at risk. ‘I hope that we don’t have to get to a point where we’re writing people tickets, but if we need to get to, to get the word out and to make sure that people are compliant, we absolutely will.'”
STAGE
Fine Arts Building Announces New Managing Artistic Director Of Theaters
Theater director and producer Jacob Harvey has been named the first-ever Managing Artistic Director of the historic theaters at the Fine Arts Building at 410 South Michigan, reports Broadway World. “Property owner Berger Realty Group is leading a projected $3 million-plus renovation of the Studebaker Theater and Playhouse Theater at Fine Arts Building… Harvey returns to Chicago, having served as artistic director of Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater Center from 2016-2018. ‘Investing in Chicago’s arts and culture sector is immensely important to me, especially after the drought of live performance we’ve experienced over the last year-and-a-half,’ Harvey said. ‘This building has always been a vital landmark of Chicago’s downtown artistic community. By upgrading the Studebaker into a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary performance space and rehabbing the Playhouse into a flexible theatrical event space, we pay homage to the ghosts of artists past with a clear eye into the future.'”
ARTS & CULTURE
Pritzker Signs Legislation That Says Illinois Is The Most Welcoming State
Governor Pritzker has signed legislation expanding protections for immigrant and refugee communities and “establishing Illinois as the most welcoming state in the nation,” according to a state release. “The new laws strengthen the TRUST Act and make Illinois the second state in the nation to require local officials to end partnerships with ICE, address hate crimes against immigrant communities, expand workplace protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and create the Illinois Immigration Impact Task Force to ensure state programs and policies best serve immigrant residents. Governor Pritzker also signed an executive order creating the Welcoming Illinois Office, to report to the office of the Governor and the secretary of the Department of Human Services. The office will work to coordinate, develop and implement policies and practices to make Illinois a more welcoming and equitable state for immigrants and refugees.
Thad Wong and Emily Sachs Wong Are 2021 Brushes With Cancer Honorees
Twist Out Cancer, an international nonprofit charitable organization that provides psychosocial support to individuals touched by cancer through creative arts programming, announces Thad Wong and Emily Sachs Wong as the 2021 Brushes With Cancer Honorees for the Midwestern Program. They are recognized for commitment to philanthropy, appreciation and love of art, and their personal connection to friends and family who have been touched by cancer, the group says in a release. Thad is the co-founder of @properties, which has become the number-one brokerage firm in Chicago. Thad and Emily will speak at the Virtual Midwest Brushes with Cancer Art Exhibition and event on Sunday, November 14. The 2021 Brushes with Cancer program in the Midwest includes thirty-five Inspirations, thirty-five artists, and eleven mentors, who come from ten states, Canada, Great Britain and India. More here.
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…
Fine Arts Building Staff Profile: A Job with Ups and Downs Press the doorbell-style button to call an elevator—a pleasingly mechanical BRRING!—and you’ll hear a soft rattle of chains as the car descends from above. Step inside, and the operator closes the heavy outer door with a crisp BANG, then lowers the rod that locks it in place. The elevator men (they are all men) navigate not by pressing buttons but…
Fine Arts Building Staff Profile: Stationary Engineer on the Move The term “stationary engineer” goes back to the days when sawmills, power plants, and factories were powered by steam engines mounted to the floor. In the 1800s, before safety was standard, a boiler blew up somewhere in the United States every thirty-six hours.
