Today In The Culture, October 3, 2022: Nora Daley To Chair Illinois Arts Council | Carrie Secrist Gallery Is Moving | Chicago Children’s Choir Gets a New Name
Carrie Secrist Gallery West Town-Bound To Hubbard And Wood
Carrie Secrist Gallery will move in early 2023 to a new home in West Town, joining the city’s latest gallery district. A double bow-truss, skylit space at the corner of Wood Street and Hubbard Street will provide over 10,000 square feet of space for new exhibition experiences. “Our reinvigorated programming will present a series of simultaneous exhibitions—the first premiering solo artist’s recent discoveries within their studio practice and the second, a curated salon survey of works by like-minded creators which elaborate and expand the dialogue around related topics. With additional programming to include performances, panel discussions, lectures, critical and curatorial invitationals, international gallery pop ups and other events, we intend to ring in the gallery’s thirtieth year by offering our revitalized mission as a gift to engage our art community,” the gallery relays. “During build out and development of new programming, the gallery will relocate to a nearby space in West Town, 1637 West Chicago.” Dubbed “CSG BTWXT,” the temporary space will open sometime in October. More here.
Chrissie Iles, Meg Onli To Curate Whitney Biennial
“Chrissie Iles and Meg Onli will curate the 2024 edition of the Whitney Biennial, a taste-making survey of the U.S. art scene… that is held once every two years at the Whitney Museum in New York,” reports ARTnews. “Both Iles and Onli have earned widespread attention for their cutting-edge shows, which have upheld the kind of conceptual art and heady ideas that most curators tend to shy away from.” A theme has not been announced. (Onli, most recently director and curator of the Underground Museum in Los Angeles, and before that associate curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, received a BFA from SAIC and was associate producer of “Bad at Sports” from 2006-2010.)
DESIGN
Metra Retiring French Connection
“Get ready to bid au revoir to Metra’s French connection,” writes Lee Bey at the Sun-Times. “The Grant Park entrance to the Metra Electric and South Shore line’s Van Buren station has given Chicago an added touch of Paris for the past two decades… Right off Michigan Avenue in Grant Park, a letter-perfect reproduction of the train station entrances designed by French architect Hector Guimard and built along the Paris Metro in 1900. The City of Lights, one of Chicago’s sister cities, gave us the Art Nouveau beauty, which was installed in 2003… The commuter agency is replacing the Guimard with a new and accessible entrance as part of a $100 million upgrade of the Van Buren station… Improvements at the station are certainly needed… but there are so few touches of whimsy in this often gray and sober city. You hate to lose one.”
Proposed Medinah Temple Gambling Design “Flawed”?
“Despite the concerns of the local alderman and neighborhood groups, Chicago officials say a new study—paid for by the city’s chosen casino developer [Bally’s]—gives them confidence that River North can handle increased traffic slated for the proposed Bally’s temporary casino at Medinah Temple,” reports the Trib. Longtime local alderman Brendan Reilly, “who said he’s read hundreds of traffic reports, described this one as ‘thin gruel’ and lacking ‘the credibility that an independent analysis would’ve provided.'”
Notice For Development Of Logan’s Milshire Hotel Posted
The eighty-year-old neon sign on the Mark Fishman-owned property at 2525 North Milwaukee in Logan Square is intact after public reaction to possible removal, as reported in June at Block Club Chicago. But amended public notice suggests renovations may be in the offing, posted around the same time as the news that the long-disused Grace’s Furniture building in Logan Square will no longer become a boutique hotel. The all-caps posting on the Milshire property is dated September 21: “Rezone the property into compliance and permit for residential use with 27 dwelling units which includes 2 commercial spaces which will consist of 2,530-sq ft on the first floor.”
“Gas Station With Purpose” On South Side
“’We’re about not only making a difference, but being a difference,’ said Lavaille Lavette, author of the children’s series ‘Adventures of Roopster Roux,'” reports the Sun-Times. Lavette “got businessmen Mohammed Abdallah and Naser Odeh interested in her idea to build a ‘gas station with purpose,'” named for her books. “It features gas pumps, a convenience store and a literacy center, where younger children can sit and read and where teens can enter programs to mentor others in reading.”
Plans For Logan Square’s Hollander Building Again Proposed
The mixed-use redevelopment of the Hollander Building in Logan Square is now proposed to expand into two adjacent lots, replacing a single-story commercial structure. “Developers GW Properties brings the latest attempt at revamping the vacant building with local architecture firm NORR responsible for the design,” reports YIMBY Chicago.
DINING & DRINKING
Levy Takes Minority Stake In Boka, Including Girl & The Goat
“Levy, the market leader for innovative food and beverage experiences at sports and entertainment venues, restaurants and events, and Boka Restaurant Group, one of the leading chef-driven restaurant groups in the country are partnering,” Levy announces in a release. Levy will hold a minority interest in Boka, which is run by restaurateurs and co-founders Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz and a group of culinary leaders who oversee a growing collection of restaurants. “I’ve been a huge fan of Kevin and Rob for a long time and the more I’ve come to know them, the more impressed I am with what they and their team have built,” Andy Lansing, CEO of Levy says. “They are among the best in the business, and I can’t think of a better partner to move forward with as we create the next chapter in our collective stories.” Kevin Boehm says, “Finding a partner that is both strategic and symmetrical to your values is difficult.” Levy was founded in 1978 with a single delicatessen in Chicago, D.B. Kaplan’s Delicatessen. The company grew its culinary identity with multiple Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning restaurants, and now has restaurants in over a dozen cities in North America. Levy serves more than 250 venues, including world-class arenas and stadiums including United Center, Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field.
Founded by Katz and Boehm in 2002, Boka Restaurant Group is anchored by partnerships with seven chefs: Giuseppe Tentori, Stephanie Izard, Chris Pandel, Lee Wolen, Gene Kato, Daniel Rose, and Michael Solomonov. Founders Boehm and Katz were named Best Restaurateurs in America by the James Beard Foundation in 2018. The group has become synonymous with their distinct culinary experiences, enlightened design, and exceptional hospitality. Katz and Boehm opened their flagship restaurant, Boka, in 2003, which has earned consecutive Michelin stars since 2011. Boka Restaurant Group has grown to more than twenty distinct concepts throughout Chicago, including Girl & the Goat, Swift & Sons, GT Prime, Alla Vita, Duck Duck Goat, Little Goat, Momotaro, GT Fish & Oyster, Swift & Sons Tavern, Boka Catering, Cira, Lazy Bird and Cabra. Most recently, the group has expanded to California with Girl & The Goat Los Angeles, Cabra and forthcoming Café Basque, and in New York with Laser Wolf Brooklyn.
The Meadowlark Is Open In The Back Alley
“From the group that brought you daytime cafe and salumeria Lardon (Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022) and beer-centric sister spot Union earlier this year, Meadowlark Hospitality announces the grand opening of its back-alley craft cocktail bar The Meadowlark” today in Logan Square. Tucked just behind Lardon and Union at 2812 West Palmer, “the intimate 825-square-foot bar helmed by longtime veteran of The Violet Hour Abe Vucekovich, will present themed craft cocktail menus set to change several times throughout the year. The Meadowlark’s debut menu takes flight with a nod to their namesake – Field Guide Vol 1: Birds of the Midwest,” the Meadowlark announces. “With sixteen eclectic cocktails crafted by Vucekovich, the immersive menu comes by way of a paper-bound field guide where each drink is named after a regional Midwestern bird and accompanied by a corresponding vintage ornithology illustration. Vucekovich takes an ingredient-driven approach to drinks with globally sourced, esoteric spirits and unique flavor combinations punctuated by the bar’s production of house-made syrups, liqueurs, infusions and bitters… Future cocktail menu concepts may draw from a broad spectrum of influences such as New York City’s CBGB punk music scene in the 1970s, to the cocktail revolution in Paris in the 1920s, to more abstract inspirations like movements in modern architecture in Chicago.” Reservations and more here.
FILM & TELEVISION
Regal Cinemas Doesn’t Expect Movie Houses To Right Themselves For At Least Two More Years
Debt-laden exhibition giant, Regal owner Cineworld Group, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S., predicts that cinema admissions in 2023 and 2024 will remain below levels seen before the pandemic, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
MEDIA
Could World’s Fourth-Richest Man Lose Interest In The Washington Post?
“What I have found as a reader of the Post is that though the paper will offer tough coverage of Amazon when warranted, it hasn’t gone out of its way to do any in-depth enterprise reporting on Amazon, as The New York Times has,” observer Dan Kennedy writes at Media Nation. “I suppose nothing would answer the question more thoroughly than if they suddenly unveiled a real ass-kicking story about Amazon — a real in-depth piece of enterprise reporting that reflected pretty harshly on their owner… But every newspaper owner has conflicts of interest. Before [Jeff] Bezos bought the Post and took it private, it was a publicly traded company owned by the Graham family, who also owned the Kaplan testing company. The Grahams were often criticized for the Post’s soft coverage of the education testing industry. Of course, John Henry is the principal owner of the Red Sox. Glen Taylor, who revived the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, is a sports owner as well. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who owns the Los Angeles Times, is a pharmaceutical entrepreneur. And on and on. All of these billionaires have improved their papers at a time when corporate chain owners and hedge funds like Gannett and Alden Global Capital are hollowing out their newspapers by the hundreds. Soon-Shiong’s ownership of the Los Angeles Times has been controversial, but he’s invested in the paper and he hired a fine newsroom leader, Kevin Merida, the most prominent Black editor in the country now that Dean Baquet has retired from the NY Times. Needless to say, none of these billionaires wields the sort of clout that Bezos does. But you have to ask: What is the alternative?”
Eric Zorn Approaches Crime Site CWBChicago
“The site doggedly reports on violence and curates troubling and often graphic video of disturbances. Browse around for a few moments, though, and you’ll notice that CWBChicago stories carry no bylines, and the publication has no directory,” writes Eric Zorn at his Substack newsletter, “The site has expanded its reach to cover crime throughout the city… It’s pretty much all mayhem all the time, fleshing out crime reports.” John Greenfield, co-editor of Streetsblog Chicago and a Chicago Reader columnist, refers to it as “a website that is largely covered with mugshots of Black and brown people.” Zorn emailed Tim Hecke, who identifies himself as the “managing partner” of the site and was told, “I haven’t heard a compelling reason to” grant an interview. “I have heard a lot of uncompelling reasons, however.” “The compelling reason is that accountability matters,” replies Zorn. “CWBChicago began as a crusade to hold police accountable, and it strikes me as hypocritical, not cowardly, for the people behind the publication today not to be willing to held accountable for their work, as true journalists are.”
MUSIC
Uniting Voices Chicago Reflects Longterm Mission Of Former Chicago Children’s Choir
Chicago Children’s Choir is now Uniting Voices Chicago, a name that reflects the organization’s longterm mission to inspire and change lives through the power of music over the course of the past sixty-five years, the group says in a release. “Uniting Voices Chicago has grown from a single choir in Hyde Park into an internationally renowned music nonprofit that has redefined the youth choral arts and transformed the lives of more than 50,000 young Chicagoans who have become leaders in a wide array of fields all over the world.” “Now more than ever, there is a dire need for unity and healing, and we are responding to this need by building upon our extraordinary legacy of providing the highest-caliber music education, an approach to divisiveness that we have seen work better than any other generation after generation,” Uniting Voices Chicago president Josephine Lee says. “Although our name has changed, our mission is the same: to inspire and change lives through the power of music.” Each year, the organization provides world-class music programming rooted in education, expression and excellence to thousands of Chicago youth. Program options are available to youth ages six to eighteen, including an in-school programming partnership with Chicago Public Schools, after-school programming, domestic and international tours, and collaborations with institutions like Lyric Opera and Ravinia. More here.
Numero Twenty
Numero Group is putting on a show. “Twenty years is a long time to do anything, let alone a record company. Especially in the twenty-first century,” Numero Group posts on Instagram. “Somehow Numero managed to survive downloading, the collapse of several distributors, streaming, vinyl, and the ever-evolving and particular tastes of the average reissue connoisseur, and has arrived in its second decade doing our most adventurous work. We were ten when we began looking at 90s indie as a potential source of artists ripe for rediscovery. We spent Numero’s teenage years making lavish box sets for Codeine, Unwound and Karate, just like we wished we had in our actual teenage years in the 1990s. Numero Twenty is a reissue of a feeling, of an era. Those beforetimes when we weren’t connected electronically and found out about cool shit through Letraset flyers and word of mouth; of mix tapes, and letters, and beat up atlases in the glove box. Spread out over two nights, Numero Twenty will bring to the stage ten dynamic combos from our 200-line universe, including Unwound, Codeine, The Hated, Karate, Ida, Chisel, Everyone Asked About You, Rex, and Ui. Headquartered at Downtown L.A.’s historic Palace Theater, Numero Twenty will sprawl out across all three floors, with multiple bars, food vendors, and a pop up record store located inside.” (Preview video at the link.)
STAGE
Blue Man Group Celebrates Twenty-Five Years in Chicago
Blue Man Group celebrates twenty-five years in Chicago with a range of offers throughout the month of October, including a birthday performance as part of its open run at the Briar Street Theatre, on Thursday, October 20. In addition to the birthday performance, Blue Man Group Chicago has partnered with Pretty Cool Ice Cream to launch a “Captain’s Marshmallow Crunch” ice cream bar, available at all Pretty Cool Ice Cream locations through the end of the month. The cereal milk ice cream bar features a blue vanilla shell topped with mini-marshmallows and blue sprinkles. Proceeds will benefit After School Matters, a nonprofit organization that provides Chicago teens the opportunity to explore their passions and develop their talents through free afterschool and summer programs across the city. Blue Man Group fans can also partake of a “Ka-BLUE-ie” cocktail in partnership with The Violet Hour through the end of October. The by-request off-the-menu cocktail is made with Corazon Blanco Tequila, Giffard Cacao, Cap Corse Blanc, Dolin Genepy, Blue Pea Flower, Lavender, Citrus and Orange Bitters. When a citrus solution delivered alongside the cocktail is added, the cocktail transforms from a Blue Man blue hue to violet. Since its debut at the Briar Street Theatre in 1997, Blue Man Group Chicago has entertained more than five million people with more than 12,000 performances; thrown more than 120,000 marshmallows and 36,000 gumballs; used 48,400 cakes of makeup (in their own proprietary color, Blue Man Blue). Illinois residents receive twenty-five-percent off select seats through December 1 here. More here.
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
Nora Daley Named Board Chair Of Illinois Arts Council Agency
Nora Daley will serve as the board chair of the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Governor Pritzker has announced, replacing interim chair Rhoda Pierce, who will remain on the board and continue to serve as Vice Chair. “Nora has devoted her life to educating others about the wonders of art and culture,” Pritzker says in a release. “Her vast experience and commitment to the arts will serve our state well as she takes on the responsibilities as the next chair of this vital council.” In addition to this role, Daley serves on the board and executive committee of After School Matters and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Daley also serves as the vice chair of the Terra Foundation for American Art and is the former chair of the City of Chicago Cultural Advisory Council. Says Daley, “The arts serve as a crucial component in the lives of every Illinoisan. I am thankful to Governor Pritzker for this appointment, and I look forward to partnering with him in enacting creative measures to continue our steadfast support for artists and the sector in Illinois.”
