Kanye West was spotted in Berlin, touring the city’s iconic art venues, reports The Art Newspaper. “These included the Pergamon Museum, the Julia Stoschek Collection, the Boros collection, an exhibition in Germany’s most famous club, Berghain and the KW Institute for Contemporary Art. West was first spotted with an entourage by a Bild photographer outside a hotel in Berlin’s Mitte district, wearing his… full-face mask with just two small slits for his eyes. During his tour at KW, West was photographed wearing merchandise from the museum bearing his initials. He was accompanied by two of the institution’s curators, Anna Gritz and Léon Kruijswijk, who led him through an exhibition of the Berlin-based artist Michael Stevenson.”
Gallery 400 At UIC Reopens
Gallery 400 has reopened with exhibits including “Young, Gifted and Black: The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art,” a nationally traveling exhibition of works by Black artists. “Including the work of fifty artists in two successive generations of Black artists, “Young, Gifted and Black” is a timely exhibition of the lines of lineage and association in contemporary Black artists’ explorations of social relations, sexuality, gender, identity and abstraction.” Hours for UIC and for the public and virtual events are here.
WNDR Museum Announces Three Interactive Installations
WNDR Museum, Chicago’s original immersive art and technology experience, announces the return of two fan favorites and the debut of an all-new installation. “Everbright” and “Try To Get Higher” will return with bigger and better interactive light exhibits alongside a reimagined, immersive video installation, “ANTIBODIES.” All three exhibits are open seven days a week in the West Loop at 1130 West Monroe. “At WNDR Museum, we want to continue pushing the boundaries of what typical museum exhibitions look like,” WNDR Museum spokesperson Jason Rubacky says in a release. “Combining the best of visual art, technology and creativity, these artists provide insight into our daily lives in a way that’s engaging, disruptive and poignant.” More here.
Engaged Artist-in-Residence Program Launches At Indiana University Bloomington’s Cook Center
The Arts and Humanities Council at Indiana University Bloomington will launch a new Engaged Artist-in-Residence program at the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities this fall. The Engaged Artist-in-Residence program will bring two working artists to the Bloomington campus each year to interact with students and off-campus community members with workshops, outreach programs and exhibitions. Residencies in the fall semester will be devoted to artists working in the Midwest, while residencies in the spring semester will feature artists with ties to the Global Remixed festival presented by the IU Arts and Humanities Council. The residencies are designed to advance a model of engaged artistic practice that supports artists whose careers can be significantly furthered by access to IU’s resources in curation, collections and research. Those artists can, in turn, activate those resources in new ways and demonstrate new engaged modes of artistic exchange for the campus’s largely rural, Midwestern community. “zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal [Newcity Breakout Artist 2019] will serve as the Cook Center’s inaugural Engaged Artist-in-Residence. najeebah dumas o’neal is a Chicago-based visual artist, educator and independent curator. Her work is most often initiated by personal and social histories related to family legacy, queerness, community making, and interiority.” More here.
DESIGN
Autograph Collection Announces The LaSalle Hotel For Early 2022
The Prime Group, Inc. and Aimbridge Hospitality will open The LaSalle Hotel in early February 2022, “offering travelers a true luxury destination with an unparalleled location in the center of Chicago’s Loop,” the group says in a release. The LaSalle Hotel will occupy the top five floors of the historic building at 208 South LaSalle, adjacent to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and will “offer business and leisure travelers the timeless elegance of the original LaSalle Hotel, which opened in 1909 to much acclaim as ‘Chicago’s finest hotel.'” “We are excited to bring the sophistication and luxury of the original LaSalle Hotel back to the center of Chicago’s financial district,” general manager Stefan Gruvberger relates in the release. Designed by DiLeonardo International and Chipman Design Architecture with an Art Deco sensibility perfectly befitting a landmarked historic building designed by Daniel Burnham in 1920, the hotel includes a signature restaurant and lounge, Grill on 21; 232 luxury suites and oversized guest rooms, featuring elegant furnishings, millwork, cabinetry and large, marble-clad bathrooms; a library retreat and a beautiful solarium adjacent to the hotel lobby; a state-of-the-art fitness center; and over 7,500 square feet of ballroom and meeting space. More here.
DINING & DRINKING
Korean Hot Dogs Coated With Crushed Fruity Cereal Wow Glenview
Suburban Glenview’s Holy Cow “makes the Chicago area’s best take on Korean hot dogs, a dish that’s far more imaginative than your standard wrapped-in-cornmeal dog and is all the rage on TikTok,” the Trib reports. “While word-of-mouth has helped spread the news about Holy Cow, [Andy] Kim credits one social media app in particular for the restaurant’s runaway success. ‘I don’t know who posted about it first,’ [the owner] said, ‘but some famous people on TikTok posted about it, and now we have a crazy amount of customers.’”
Takeout For The High Holidays
Eater Chicago compiles options for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur takeout here.
Event|Full Launches As Marketing Platform With Rick Bayless, Beverly Kim, Darnell Reed
Sarah Stegner and Green City Market board member Darren Gest, a principal at Deloitte Consulting, have created Event|Full, a platform and website “designed to promote unique events like backyard happy hours with One Off Hospitality’s Paul Kahan that discuss gardening… The chefs will get to keep all the profits from sales of their events,” reports Eater Chicago. “Stegner, a James Beard Award winner, pondered what she could do to help give farmers and chefs a new revenue stream.” Chefs “took to Instagram and Zoom for virtual events during the pandemic. But those events were lacking, and chefs couldn’t keep all the profits. [Gest] says chefs ‘play an elevated role in society’ and feels that diners want to hear the people who make their meals: ‘It’s not just the food and restaurant construct.'” The site is here.
Lincoln Square’s Apple Fest Is Back In Person
Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce’s annual Apple Fest will take place in-person this year for its thirty-fourth outing on Saturday, October 2 and Sunday, October 3, with themed food, drink and artisan goods. The fest footprint is expanding all along Lincoln Avenue from Lawrence to Wilson. “Apple Fest is always Chicagoans’ sign that fall is here and to stock up on their favorite fall goodies to ring in the season,” Rudy Flores, executive director of Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce says in a release. “Having the event back in person means so much to our local businesses and vendors and provides another opportunity for our community to come together and support one another.” There will be live music, kids activities and apple-inspired dishes, including Cobblestone’s Apple Bacon Cider Soup & Candied Apple Bacon; Jerry’s Spiced Apple Cider Donuts and Apple Cheddar Scones; Apple Tamales from Tamales Express; and an Apple Fritter from The Northman. More here.
MEDIA
The “Shadow Bank” That Assists The Takeover Of Local News
At Nieman Lab, Julie Reynolds writes about the “shadow bank” that—with the help of public pension funds—is aiding the destruction of local news. Among other deeds: Cerberus Capital Management made possible the takeover of Tribune Publishing. “Cerberus Capital Management, is a private equity firm that, like Alden Global Capital, specializes in acquiring distressed businesses—and, alongside Alden, it is now in the business of devouring newsrooms in the name of profit. Cerberus was Alden’s financial backer for [its] takeover of Tribune Publishing, but the two secretive companies have a shared history that goes back to at least 2015… The largest of Cerberus’s public retirement investments come from California and Pennsylvania, two of the regions most [affected] by diminishing news coverage at Alden papers. Cerberus’s founder and CEO Stephen Feinberg, like his colleague, Alden co-founder Randall Smith, is extremely press-averse… ‘We try to hide religiously,’ Feinberg once told investors. ‘If anyone at Cerberus has his picture in the paper and a picture of his apartment, we will do more than fire that person. We will kill him. The jail sentence will be worth it.'”
MUSIC
Riot Fest Adds Patti Smith and Her Band, Alkaline Trio, The Flaming Lips
Riot Fest organizers have finalized the first-ever Thursday Preview Party: Patti Smith and her band, and Alkaline Trio will join Morrissey, with additional sets from Joyce Manor and Kristeen Young. The Flaming Lips will return to Riot Fest on Sunday, replacing Pixies. Sunday attendees will also get into the Thursday Preview Party. More here.
“Broadway In Your Backyard” Comes To Seventeenth Floor Of Ambassador Chicago
Ambassador Chicago, in collaboration with Porchlight Music Theatre, announces a special performance at the hotel, part of Porchlight’s popular “Broadway in Your Backyard” series, on Tuesday, September 28. The ninety-minute show features Porchlight singers performing beloved Broadway standards celebrating family, friends, community and inspiration from shows including “In the Heights,” “The Music Man,” “The Wiz” and “Wicked.” The appearance stars Chicago performers Satya Chavez, Nik Kmiecik, Michelle Lauto and Lorenzo Rush Jr. “We are thrilled to join forces with our neighbor, Porchlight Music Theatre, on this engaging and entertaining community event,” says Jenna Haymond, director of sales and marketing for Ambassador Chicago in a release. “As we wrap up the summer season, we look forward to welcoming guests and community members in a safe way to this fantastic performance that’s sure to bring fun, laughter, and camaraderie.” The performance takes place on the hotel’s seventeenth-floor Astor Terrace, with both indoor and outdoor space with sweeping views of the city’s magnificent skyline. Attendance is limited to seventy-five people and guests. Tickets here.
Dance For Life Welcomed 4,000 To Millennium Park
Chicago Dancers United, which supports the health and wellness of Chicago’s professional dance community, celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of its primary annual fundraiser, Dance for Life, with a return to live performance August 26 on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage in Millennium Park. For the first time in the event’s history, admission was free. From a combination of contributions and sponsorships, Dance for Life raised more than $250,000—exceeding its expanded fundraising goal—to support The Dancers’ Fund, which provides financial support to any member of Chicago’s professional dance community diagnosed with a critical health need or requiring assistance with health and wellness expenses. Nearly 4,000 people viewed the performance from Millennium Park’s bowl seating and Great Lawn. More here.
Broadway In Chicago Box Office Reopens September 7
The Broadway In Chicago box office at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 West Randolph, will open at noon on September 7. Box office hours are Monday-Friday from noon-6pm. Hours will change as productions begin. “Our audience’s health and safety is our top priority and as such you will experience many changes,” Lou Raizin, president of Broadway In Chicago says in a release. “We have enhanced our air handling and filtration throughout the theatres, incorporated new sanitation technologies, and have reduced all touchpoints including initiating mobile ticketing and making mobile Playbills available. And together with our audience COVID 19 protocols, we are committed to audiences being safe and healthy.” More here.
ARTS & CULTURE
Chicago Pride Parade Cancelled For Second Year
The annual Chicago Pride Parade has been canceled for the second year. Organizer Tim Frye says the rising COVID-19 infection rate means that rescheduled October 3 is off. “We really wanted and hoped that there could be a parade in 2021,” Frye said in an open letter reported by Block Club Chicago. “We don’t feel, though, that we can do it safely for everyone in the parade and the people watching. We must cancel the parade for the second year.” “The parade, which attracts thousands to Chicago’s Northalsted neighborhood to celebrate LGBTQ pride, could still happen next year,” Frye said. The tentative date is June 26, 2022.
United Center To Require Proof Of Vaccination Or Negative Test For Bulls, Blackhawks Games And Other Events
“People going to events at the United Center will need to provide proof they’re fully vaccinated against coronavirus or have tested negative,” reports Block Club Chicago. The arena “will accept printed and digital proof of vaccination cards and negative test results once people arrive. People younger than 12 — who are currently not eligible to get vaccinated — can provide proof of a negative test to get in.” Full requirements here.
Capone Miami Beach Home, Dubbed “Piece Of Crap” By Owner, To Be Demolished
“The Florida house that gangster Al Capone owned for nearly two decades—and the place where he died—is facing demolition,” reports AP via the Sun-Times. “The new owners of the nine-bedroom, Miami Beach house plan to demolish it after buying it for $10.75 million… One of the owners, developer Todd Glaser, said the home, which is about three feet below sea level, has flood damage and standing water underneath it. ‘The house is a piece of crap,’ Glaser said. ‘It’s a disgrace to Miami Beach.'”
Chicago Tourism And Hospitality Rebounds in First Half Of 2021
Choose Chicago has released indicators of continuing recovery for Chicago’s tourism and hospitality industries. Key performance indicators for the first half of 2021 suggest that tourism’s post-COVID recovery has positive momentum, with Chicago undergoing a successful summer travel season. “Tourism and hospitality remain two of Chicago’s most critical industries, as they [affect] residents across every zip code and every neighborhood,” Mayor Lightfoot said in a release. “Business owners and employees within these industries have been at the frontlines of this crisis, making it all the more important that we leverage opportunities through organizations like Choose Chicago to uplift them. Thanks to this support, our tourism and hospitality communities have been able to not only remain laser-focused on ensuring a socially responsible and equitable recovery, but also generate revenue that bolsters our city’s overarching COVID-19 response.”
