3Arts Awards Grants $150,000 In Next Level/Spare Room Awards
In the program’s third year, 3Arts awards $150,000 in Next Level/Spare Room Awards to three women visual artists, A.J. McClenon, Pooja Pittie and Reveca Torres, who will each receive an unrestricted $50,000. The awards are supported by an anonymous donor at the Chicago Community Foundation. The award event is on YouTube here.
Security Increases Alongside Climate Activism In Museums
It hasn’t happened in Chicago… yet. “Even though the attacks have been concentrated in Western Europe, museums internationally are also starting to pay closer attention… Though most museums don’t share details about security matters as a policy, some measures… will be immediately obvious to the visiting public,” reports Artnet. As of earlier this month, “Berlin museums and the Barberini in Potsdam will require visitors to store all jackets and bags in lockers before entering, with exceptions for medicine and childcare. Previously, bags up to size A4 had been permitted. Now, Christina Haak, deputy director-general of the Berlin State Museum, explained, ‘We know from the incidents that some of the equipment that people carried in for the attacks was in very small bags.’ Beate Reifenscheid, chair of the International Council of Museums in Germany, speculated that phones and cameras may also eventually need to be confiscated. ‘The public awareness is mostly spread by the internet and social media.'”
Van Gogh and Goya are the most recent reported targets: “Three activists for Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) threw pea soup at Van Gogh’s ‘The Sower’ (1888) at the Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome… ‘Attacking art is a vile act that must be resolutely condemned,’ said Italy’s new right-wing culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano in a statement… ‘Culture, which is a key part of our identity, should be defended and protected and not used as a megaphone for other forms of protest.’ … Two activists taped themselves to the frames of two works by the Spanish master Goya at the Prado in Madrid…. The frames were slightly damaged and ‘+1.5 C’ was written on the wall between the paintings.” Protesters also vandalized Campbell’s Soup Cans by Andy Warhol at the National Gallery of Australia. The gallery said “that it did not wish to promote the actions of the protesters and had no further comment.”
Lubeznik Center Receives Two Unity Foundation Grants
Michigan City’s Lubeznik Center for the Arts has received two Unity Foundation of La Porte County’s Power for Good Grants – one to help support LCA’s art exhibitions, and the other to bolster LCA’s inclusivity, diversity, equity and access initiatives. “LCA’s mission is to integrate art, education and community to provide access to compelling exhibitions and programs that explore contemporary ideas. Unity Foundation’s grants will assure access to world-class art and its benefits for all members of our community.” More here.
Efroymson Family Fund Grants Ox-Bow School Of Art
The Efroymson Family Fund has given a $150,000, three-year grant to Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency. The funds will support Ox-Bow House, the school’s three-year pilot project, an adaptive reuse initiative for community engagement. “Ox-Bow House is a place for fellowship, art and education, falling in line with the mission that fuels the 112-year-old, independent summer art school that has been welcoming artists from around the nation and beyond to West Michigan since its founding in 1910. The project’s goals include programs in the former library; a retail space serving as a cultural anchor for residents and visitors to experience contemporary art; connecting our visiting artists, faculty and students to the local community; and providing space for administrative offices and archives that will be made available to the public in 2023.” The grant runs 2022-2024 with annual gifts of $60,000, $50,000, and $40,000. Over the duration of these years, a portion of these funds will be matched with support from other grants and individual contributions. The Efroymson Family Fund also supports the school’s Visiting Artists Program. More here.
DESIGN
Public Meeting Today On The Loop’s Century And Consumers Buildings
The General Services Administration is holding a public scoping meeting on the future of the endangered Century and Consumers Buildings today, November 10 from 4-7pm, with public comments welcome. Advance registration required here.
Damen Silos Sale Contested
The sale of Damen Silos to MAT Asphalt owner draws fire from McKinley Park activists, who want to stop the deal, reports WTTW. MAT Limited Partnership intends “to purchase the land as-is—and assume the cost of the environmental cleanup—for an amount stated only as ‘more than double’ the asking price of $3.25 million.” MAT’s involvement has “drawn the ire of activists in McKinley Park, who are calling on the state to postpone the sale and give the community an opportunity to weigh in on the decision.” Neighbors for Environmental Justice have sparred with MAT and its owner Michael Tadin Jr. “ever since Tadin opened MAT Asphalt in McKinley Park in 2017. The group has consistently complained about air pollution, truck traffic and odors from the plant.”
Redfin Fires 862 Workers And Exits Home-Flipping Biz
“Real estate brokerage Redfin is laying off another 862 employees and shuttering its home-flipping business as the housing market continues to slump,” reports Insider. “The latest layoff is expected to immediately [affect] approximately thirteen-percent of Redfin’s total workforce.” Two-hundred-eighteen employees “were offered other roles at the company.”
DINING & DRINKING
End Of The Line For Piccolo Mondo After Thirty-Seven Years
“Piccolo Mondo, a Hyde Park Italian restaurant institution and Argentinean bakery, will permanently close on Sunday, November 27 after nearly four decades at 1642 East 56th,” reports Eater Chicago. “Founded in 1985 inside an intimate space where diners could escape. Piccolo Mondo was originally owned by couple Anna and Dino Romanucci, who operated area restaurants Benvenuti’s and the Pasta Shoppe.” Owner Norberto Zas will retire, reports Block Club. The indoor dining room reopened only two months ago. “Piccolo Mondo serves Italian cuisine such as saltimbocca alla Romana, fettuccine apulliana and eggplant alla parmigiana. The restaurant’s menu also includes ‘a touch of tapas from Spain,’ like salmon con cabrales and empanadas.”
FILM & TELEVISION
Siskel Film Center Executive Director Jean De St. Aubin Exits
After nearly two decades at the Gene Siskel Film Center, executive director Jean de St. Aubin is leaving. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago will launch a search for a new director in early January. “During her time at the Film Center, Jean championed festivals to spotlight diverse films and directors while growing audiences and engaging community leaders; increased membership; and steered the Film Center through the pandemic, pivoting to streaming films and launching a virtual discussion series,” SAIC relays. “It’s been my honor to showcase important films, foster conversations with filmmakers from all over the world, establish the Film Center as a thriving part of Chicago’s cultural community and champion the art of cinema alongside the wonderful Gene Siskel Film Center team. I am so grateful for the last two decades I’ve spent at the Film Center, and I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and admiration for the talented and dedicated Film Center staff.”
Chicago Filmmakers Hiring Marketing And Partnerships Manager
Chicago Filmmakers is hiring “a dynamic and creative marketing professional who is passionate about the organization’s mission. The position is responsible for creating and managing the successful execution of a variety of marketing, promotional, and communications campaigns around Chicago Filmmakers’ programs, services, and fundraising, as well as developing community engagement and strategic marketing partnerships.” Learn more and apply here.
Emulsion Lab Releases Chicago Indie Scene Fiction Film
Director and Emulsion Lab co-founder Remsy Atassi describes “Bad Animal” as “a love letter to the Chicago indie music scene.” The fiction film stars Chicago artist, poet and actor Mykele Deville alongside Rivkah Reyes. Atassi’s directorial debut is now on streaming services, including Tubi, hoopla and Prime Video. “When a new producer shows up with a major record deal, Marlene and Sembré are forced to confront their past while navigating fame in the underground Chicago music scene.” Trailer here.
LIT
Sara Paretsky To Cut Ribbon At Old Orchard Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble returns to Old Orchard on Wednesday, November 16. The bookseller closed its previous location in the Center in 2021 after twenty-seven years when the site was redeveloped. The new bookstore covers two floors and 20,000 square feet, and the first floor will be home to a Paper Source store. The new Barnes & Noble is located in the Old Orchard Shopping Center next to The Cheesecake Factory, in the former Tom Price Furniture space. Sara Paretsky will be cutting the ribbon on opening day at 10am and signing copies of “Overboard,” the twenty-first V. I. Warshawski book.
MEDIA
Meta/Facebook Firing 11,000 Employees, Or Thirteen Percent Of Its Workforce
After spending tens of billions of dollars in pursuit of the meta verse, havoc is wrought on the metaverse: “Facebook parent Meta is laying off 11,000 people, about thirteen-percent of its workforce, as it contends with faltering revenue and broader tech industry woes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a letter to employees,” writes PBS Newshour. “The job cuts come just a week after widespread layoffs at Twitter under its new owner, billionaire Elon Musk. There have been numerous job cuts at other tech companies that hired rapidly during the pandemic. Zuckerberg also said that he had made the decision to hire aggressively, anticipating rapid growth even after the pandemic ended.” The Verge: “Meta reported some 87,000 employees in September, with today’s layoffs making the first broad cuts since the firm’s founding in 2004.”
MUSIC
Numero Group Clearing Warehouse
Numero Group is opening their warehouse on Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12 with about 7,000 pieces. “We are gearing up to build out a new tape vault and need to clear some space. We have priced these to move and probably have stock of over seventy-five-percent of the catalog, including a ton of mainline releases, box sets, CDs, loads of stuff from the 1200, 900, 800 and 200 lines.” 2533 South Troy. More here.
Further Contentious Commentary On The Hideout
Online commentary continues about John Greenfield’s Medium post about the firing of former booker Mykele Deville by The Hideout, as well as about the Reader cancelling a series it had assigned Greenfield. Iowa journalist professor and former Sun-Times pop critic Don McLeese posted, “The irony of all this is that he’s been punished for doing the reporting that the Reader refused to do—or at least to publish. This isn’t about taking sides—it’s about seeking truth, providing context and putting readers first… I’m generally a fan of Leor’s work, and I love the Reader. But media ethics insist that you owe your first loyalty to your readers, to your community and to the truth. Not to the person you’re writing about. Report what happened and trust readers to make up their own minds.” Brianna Wellen, associate editor of The Takeout and a former Reader editor, posts, “How remarkable that a journalist would have respect for a source and not move forward with an in-depth story without access to a primary source and get the guidance of an editor on both the initial reporting and the explanation as to why the story didn’t move forward.”
STAGE
Raven Theatre Names Sarah Slight Interim Artistic Director
The board of directors of Raven Theatre has named Sarah Slight as the theater’s interim artistic director beginning December 1, as the theater conducts a search to replace Cody Estle, who is leaving to be artistic director of Next Act Theatre in Milwaukee. Slight (she/her) is a Chicago-based dramaturg, literary manager and producer. Recent dramaturgy credits include “The Luckiest,” by Melissa Ross, directed by Cody Estle; “The Gradient,” by Steph Del Rosso, directed by Amelia Acosta Powell at St. Louis Rep and “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley,” by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, directed by Jessica Thebus at Northlight. Slight has served as associate artistic director at American Theater Company, artistic programs manager at Northlight Theatre, literary associate at Williamstown Theatre Festival and literary manager at Red Eye Theatre.
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
California Voters Approve Cool Billion For Music And Arts Education
Amid auspicious election results, “California schools will receive a boost of about $1 billion for music and arts education starting next year after voters approved Proposition 28 on Tuesday,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
