“To identify ways in making the art and design world more inclusive and equitable, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago will host the second of a three-part series of virtual discussions with a panel of nationally renowned experts,” SAIC says in a release. “This discussion, part of ‘Toward an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem,’ will shift the dialogue from a local to a national perspective, and will feature Brendan Fernandes (artist), Allison Glenn (Senior Curator and Director of Public Art at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston), Nancy Marie Mithlo (Ph.D., Professor, Department of Gender Studies & Core Faculty Member, American Indian Studies Interdepartmental Program UCLA) and Deana Haggag (Program Officer in Arts and Culture at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation), and will be moderated by Sampada Aranke (SAIC Faculty, Art History, Theory and Criticism).” The discussion is Wednesday, November 3; reservations here.
St. Louis Art Museum Gets Pulitzer Promise
Philanthropist Emily Rauh Pulitzer has promised twenty-two works to the St. Louis Art Museum, where she was once a curator, including pieces by Picasso, Warhol and Brancusi, reports ARTnews. “SLAM director Min Jung Kim said that the organization ‘will forever be in her debt.’ The Pulitzer family has given 144 works to the museum over the years.” Details here.
Art Exhibit To Raise Awareness Of Bipolar Disorder
The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation will host “INSIGHTS IV: An Art Exhibition of Creativity and The Bipolar Brain,” featuring the work of artists who have Bipolar Disorder, at the Zolla/Lieberman Gallery from Friday, October 22-Sunday, October 24. INSIGHTS IV is the fourth exhibition the foundation has produced in Chicago and Palm Beach, but the first to exclusively feature artist self-portraits. “The INSIGHTS exhibition series is intended to raise awareness of Bipolar Disorder and to reduce the stigma associated with this serious illness of the brain by highlighting the creativity that can often accompany this illness.” More here.
DESIGN
Tag For One Central Development Near Soldier Field Starts At $3.8 Billion
“The developer behind the proposed $20 billion One Central development revealed details for the project’s first phase: a transit center surrounded by roughly 1.4 million square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space on a 35-acre site above the train tracks near Soldier Field,” reports the Trib. “The $3.8 billion first phase, which Landmark calls the ‘Civic Build,’ includes a transit center linking Metra, Amtrak and CTA trains and a new bus or tram route stopping at destinations such as Soldier Field, Navy Pier, the Museum Campus, Grant and Millennium parks and McCormick Place… Plans for a 275,000-square-foot ‘Neighborhood District’ north of the transit hub call for shops and restaurants, including a grocery store and public market for the ‘dramatically underserved South Loop neighborhood,’ Landmark president Bob Dunn said. South of the transit hub would be a 310,000-square-foot ‘Lifestyle District’ focused on health and wellness, including a fitness club, outpatient health center, spa and retail space, and a 435,000-square-foot ‘Entertainment District’ with live music and performance venues, nightclubs, bars and restaurants.” “What we’re focused on is building an urban ecosystem that will meet the demand of tomorrow’s residents and consumers,” Dunn told the paper.
Farnsworth House Renamed The Edith Farnsworth House
In celebration of its seventieth anniversary, Farnsworth House, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be renamed the Edith Farnsworth House. “This official rededication asserts the formative role of Dr. Edith Farnsworth (1903-1977) in the creation of the iconic structure, confirming her partnership in the home’s design and recognizing her many accomplishments as a research physician, poet, translator, classical violinist and patron of art and design. The Edith Farnsworth House, a symbol of architectural innovation, has been characterized as the achievement of one person: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969). Today, few admirers realize that the client and benefactor, Edith Farnsworth, was a visionary and a passionate supporter of the arts. Ahead of her time in the post-World War II era, Edith Farnsworth lived an independent life of cultural and intellectual exploration and discovery. For decades, her story, as well as her pivotal role in the creation of this landmark, has not received the prominence it deserves. This rededication serves to correct the narrative regarding the relationship between Edith Farnsworth and Mies van der Rohe and her role in the building’s creation. Edith Farnsworth’s abiding interest in artistic innovation introduced her to Mies’ talent and led her to commission his first residential project constructed on American soil. Thanks to her foresight, the architect was inspired to create a contemporary weekend home that was in concert with the natural environment of the Illinois countryside. Widely regarded as an architectural marvel, the Edith Farnsworth House helped establish Mies’ prominence in America.”
FILM & TELEVISION
Film, Television Workers Have Reservations About Proposed Contract
“As talks went down to the wire over the weekend of October 15 ahead of a strike deadline that would’ve resulted in an unprecedented industry walkout, studio negotiators and leadership at a major Hollywood labor guild said that they had a deal,” writes the Hollywood Reporter. “But, without seeing the fine print, some members of the union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, are concerned that the agreement doesn’t bring the sweeping changes they felt were needed. While IATSE and the studio negotiators of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a tentative contract deal… that narrowly averted a strike that had been scheduled to begin on Monday, the reaction was decidedly mixed, with some members already calling loudly for members to vote ‘no’ on ratification of the three-year Basic Agreement.” Reports Ryan Faughnder in his Los Angeles Times Wide Shot newsletter: “What’s happening in entertainment is similar to the dynamics unfolding more broadly across the U.S. labor force — people are reevaluating their relationship to work. They’re demanding more of their employers, even if it means potentially tanking their careers… It’s possible that those IATSE members posting online represent a small yet vocal minority. There’s no way to know until a vote occurs… Turmoil over working conditions and fair pay in streaming productions will persist in Hollywood no matter the outcome of the IATSE vote.”
LIT
A Headline Club Panel “Inside The Media-To-Author Pipeline”
Four Chicago authors will share “how they knew when they had a story to tell, stayed motivated during the writing process and navigated the publishing industry” in a Headline Club panel on Thursday. “They will also discuss balancing commitments with their full-time job and life after their book went live. This virtual event will be hosted on Zoom and livestreamed and recorded to the Chicago Headline Club Facebook page. The panelists: Natalie Moore, author of “The South Side” and WBEZ journalist; Jonathan Eig, author of “Ali: A Life” and Chicago magazine, New York Times journalist; Evan Moore, author of “Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It” and Gary Cole, playwright and author of “Newsboy.” Reserve here.
MEDIA
Sun-Times Appoints Lorraine Forte Editorial Page Editor
“I am thrilled and excited to report to be named the editorial page editor for the Sun-Times, effective October 28,” Lorraine Forte posts on Twitter. “I’m looking forward to the paper’s bright future and being part of that with [the opinion page].”
MUSIC
Bloodshot Records Co-Founder Rob Miller Exits After A Quarter-Century
“The future of Bloodshot Records is uncertain after co-founder Rob Miller announced he was stepping down from the label amid a public battle with former business partner and co-founder Nan Warshaw,” reports Block Club Chicago. From the Bloodshot Records Facebook account: “Regrettably, it is time for this phase of Bloodshot Records to come to an end. I will no longer be a part of the label I started over 25 years ago as an impossibly ill-conceived hobby. It’s not what myself, the staff or the artists wanted, but few get to write their final chapter. That we lasted as long as we did—an indie roots label, too rock for country, and too country for punk, in Chicago—was nothing short of miraculous. It has been a humbling privilege to be able to intuitively concoct a record collection I really loved and have so many follow along for the ride. You trusted us, and that always meant the world to me. I personally never took that for granted. Thank you for all the support and good cheer, for enabling this strange endeavor, for letting us be a part of your lives and communities, and for being—as a friend and former Hideout bartender characterized Bloodshot fans—polite, sloppy, and good tippers.”
Hey, YE
A Los Angeles judge “approved the request of the rapper, producer and fashion designer to legally change his name from Kanye Omari West to just Ye, with no middle or last name. ‘There being no objections, the petition for change of name is granted, Judge Michelle Williams Court said in court documents,” reports AP. “He has called himself Ye on his social media pages for years. He tweeted in 2018 that he wanted the change saying, ‘the being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE.'”
Tweedy Tours
Last year, Jeff Tweedy released “Love Is The King,” and now announces “Love Is The King/Live Is The King,” a deluxe edition out digitally and on CD on December 10, with vinyl to follow. There will be winter shows in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Tickets are on sale Friday, October 22, at 10am. “The Love Is The King/Live Is The King” expanded package features the original album plus a bonus disc of live versions of all eleven songs played by Jeff and a full band, and a cover of Neil Young’s “The Old Country Waltz.” The live versions were all recorded at Wilco’s Chicago studio, The Loft, Constellation and The Hideout, with Jeff, sons Sammy and Spencer Tweedy, Liam Kazar, James Elkington, and Ohmme’s Sima Cunningham. For most of the upcoming winter shows, Jeff will be accompanied by this band alongside Macie Stewart. Watch Tweedy cover Neil Young’s “Old Country Waltz,” shot in The Hideout as an abandoned locale.
Sarah Hicks Extends Contract With Minnesota Orchestra As Principal Conductor of “Live at Orchestra Hall”
The Minnesota Orchestra announced Sarah Hicks will continue to lead the Orchestra’s “Live at Orchestra Hall” series through the 2023-24 season, serving as principal conductor and overseeing artistic planning for the series. Hicks first joined the Orchestra in 2006 and assumed her current position in 2009. During the pandemic, she served as host of the Orchestra’s livestream and broadcast series, “This Is Minnesota Orchestra,” a role she will continue. “Sarah Hicks is such an important part of the Minnesota Orchestra team,” Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vänskä says in a release. “For over a decade she has taken great care of our ‘Live at Orchestra Hall’ series, building connections with audiences, creating innovative concert programs and leading the players with very fine musicianship. She has endless creative ideas, and I know she and the Orchestra will continue to do many exciting things together in the years ahead. These concerts are in great hands.”
STAGE
Stage Left Names Bobbi Masters New Artistic Director
Stage Left Theatre has announced Bobbi Masters as Artistic Director. Masters “has worked both in front of the house and backstage throughout her career in theater, and those roles have given her the insight, qualifications and well-earned expertise in preparation for this role. One of the guiding principles at Stage Left is to create and share artistic visions which inspire debate and curiosity within the audience.” “I believe that the best theatre challenges us and provokes thought—there’s nothing quite like that spirited discussion after a great show,” Masters says in a release. More here.
ARTS & CULTURE
Sun-Times Editorial Board Lays Chicago Postal Woes At “The Rot At The Top”
“The U.S. Postal Service, once the pride of this country, continues its appalling downward slide with Chicago deliveries — or lack thereof — helping lead the way,” the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board writes after last week’s Chicago congressional field hearing on local mail service. “According to testimony, Chicago remains the second worst-served postal district in America… As this editorial board has said for more than a year, the only way to improve the postal service is to first get rid of U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump-era holdover who has worked overtime to weaken the agency rather than fix it… DeJoy, who was handed the position in 2020 by a Trump-controlled postal service Board of Governors, threatens to gut the agency by slashing overtime, as he removed hundreds of mail sorting machines from postal facilities. And DeJoy enacted a measure this month that flies in the face of whatever gains the Chicago post office might have made: The postmaster’s 10-year plan includes raising postage costs and lengthening delivery times. ‘The notion of decreasing standards while increasing prices defies business logic,’ U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said at last Friday’s congressional field hearing. ‘It’s really a disservice to the American people.'”
Alphawood Foundation Chicago Names Chirag G. Badlani Executive Director
Alphawood Foundation Chicago has named Chirag G. Badlani its executive director, effective November 8. “Badlani is a partner at the Chicago law firm Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., where he practices in the areas of civil rights, constitutional law, immigration law, and labor and employment. During his diverse legal practice, he has worked extensively with nonprofit and advocacy organizations in Chicago on increasing access to justice, protecting immigrants’ rights, and reforming the pretrial system. Badlani was a law clerk to Judge Ann C. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and he worked at the Vera Institute of Justice on the expansion of legal orientation programs for immigrant detainees.” “We are thrilled to welcome Chirag to Alphawood,” chairman Fred Eychaner says in a release. “With his leadership, enthusiasm, and proven commitment to the Chicago community, we know the Foundation will be able to continue its important work supporting our many grantees.” Baldani, also in the release, says, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead an organization which has had an immeasurable impact on so many progressive issues I care deeply about. I am beyond excited to work with the Alphawood Foundation Board, founder Fred Eychaner, and Jim McDonough to advance justice, support the arts, and address new challenges facing our community.”
