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ART
Hindman Post-War & Contemporary Art Auction Features Howardena Pindell
A pair of works by Howardena Pindell will highlight Hindman’s Post-War & Contemporary Art auction on April 19. Her dot collages anchor a group of artworks by prominent women artists, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Miyoko Ito, Gertrude Abercrombie and Alice Baber. Works by Kerry James Marshall, Leon Polk Smith, Jack Bush and Winfred Rembert are featured as well. “Beyond being dazzling objects, the dot constructions have compounded depth to them, both in the layers of material beauty and the levels of experiential meaning,” Zack Wirsum, Hindman vice president of Post War & Contemporary Art says. “The colorful chads, so particularly stacked, are like the many hats and scars Pindell wears. All of this informs her compelling and complex production.”
Pindell has become known for her abstract, mixed media and video artworks, and social justice is a key thread throughout her career. Hindman is presenting two archetypical examples of Pindell’s dot collages, her 1977 “Untitled #83” (estimate: $40,000-$60,000) and her 1974 “Kensington Series #3” (estimate: $30,000-$50,000). “While her colorful dot collages reflect her fascination with the concept of regeneration, they also stem from her own early experiences with racism. The circles first stood out to Pindell when she was at a root beer stand with her father as a child and noticed red dots stuck to the bottom of their mugs, which were markers of which glassware was appropriate for use by nonwhites in Jim Crow America.” More here.
2023 Chicago Artadia Awards Named
Artadia, a non-profit grantmaking organization and nationwide community of visual artists, curators, and patrons, has announced the recipients of the 2023 Chicago Artadia Awards: SaraNoa Mark, Nyeema Morgan, and Julia Phillips. Artadia partners with four foundations in supporting exceptional artists in Chicago: the Joyce Foundation, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation, and the Walder Foundation. These groups support Artadia’s $15,000 Awards in their respective names. Since its founding in 1999, Artadia has awarded over $6 million in unrestricted funds to over 380 artists nationally. Celebrating visual artists and their role in shaping society, the Artadia Award benefits three artists annually in each of seven major U.S. cities with high concentrations of creative workers including Chicago. More here.
“The Exhibit” Competition Includes Chicago Artist
The six-part MTV-Smithsonian Channel-Paramount Global series, “The Exhibit,” tracing the fortunes of several artists, ends Friday, reports the New York Times. “Seven rising artists have competed for a grand prize of $100,000 and a solo exhibition (which everyone seems obliged to call an exhibit) at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.” The hopefuls include Jennifer Warren,” a largely self-taught painter from Chicago who, according to her website, ‘explores themes around nature, beauty, and the Black body.'”
DESIGN
The Hyde Park Landlord Who Sold To UChicago For Millions After Holding Out For Years
“Ed Lin repeatedly told his tenants, onlookers, and all of Hyde Park that he would never sell his properties near 56th and Maryland. He and his wife owned many apartment buildings on the southwestern edge of Hyde Park over the years, dating back at least to the seventies, and theirs were the last three to be demolished in an area bordered by 56th, 58th, Cottage Grove and Drexel,” writes Soren Spicknall in “Leave The Seat Empty.” “By 2021, the only remaining buildings in the university’s zone of interest for [new medical] facilities not owned by UChicago were three in the possession of the Lin family, home to dozens of tenants… Lin finally decided to sell off most of his remaining rental portfolio—that is, the three buildings in the university’s path… The trio of structures fetched [an] astonishing sum of $14 million altogether, many times greater than fair market value for any similar set of buildings elsewhere in Hyde Park. The $2.5 million sale price for the smallest of the three buildings, a tired greystone two-flat at 5627 South Maryland, was the highest sum ever paid for a building of its kind anywhere on the South Side.”
CTA Stations Getting 2023 Refresh
Twenty-nine of the CTA’s 145 stations will get a “refresh” this year under the “Refresh & Renew” program, part of $6.5 million in improvements. Work can include painting, lighting upgrades, deep-clean power washing of all surfaces, improved platform amenities, renewal of finishes and fixtures, removal of outdated fixtures and equipment and updating of old or damaged signage. Details, including a list by line of stations, here.
DINING & DRINKING
Chef José Andrés Talks Chicago
“Well, my partners from Bazaar, the Gibsons Group, the Lombardo family. They’re amazing. They’re great at hospitality,” José Andrés tells Ari Bendersky at his Substack. “But typically [in Chicago], so many, right? I mean, I opened Jaleo across from one of the first restaurants I ever ate in Chicago almost thirty years ago, Topolobampo. Rick is a good friend. Over the years, I met many, many people here. I remember the days of Tru with Tromonto. I miss the days of my good friend, Charlie Trotter. Who else have I met? My God, so long ago, it’s crazy. The Paul Kahans of the world, which has always been amazing every time. And it’s very difficult, no, because Chicago has always been one of the top, I would say three, four cities in America. It’s always been very talented people, very talented chefs. In more ways than one, right? Old talent, young talent. Talent in between. Like Grant Achatz. Talented… Grant has been a joy to see shine and go through hardships, personal hardships later and still be there. That’s a story for the years. And then obviously, more mom-and-pop. I mean, so many restaurants, I’m blocked right now in my brain. I try to go to as many as I can. I used to go to more restaurants before, when I was younger.”
A European Buyer’s Got $35 Million For Time Out Market
“A European investor agreed to pay more than $35 million for a building in Chicago’s Fulton Market district that is fully leased to a Time Out Market food hall, extending a run of deals in the high-demand area,” reports CoStar. “The sale of the 49,089-square-foot building marks the latest step at the property leased to the London-based publisher of Time Out entertainment magazines and websites. Time Out Group in 2017 agreed to occupy the entire property as part of an expansion of its food hall concept that debuted in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2014 in which magazine staff curate food stations from local chefs. The concept has been brought to New York, Boston, Montreal, Miami Beach and Dubai.”
Ghost Kitchen Vanishes
“Epic Kitchens was part of a wave of operators reimagining delivery-only restaurants. But less than two years after opening, its two virtual food halls are closed,” reports Restaurant Business. “The company had two virtual food halls offering food from multiple brands, including BurgerFi, 800 Degrees Pizza and Pokeworks. Customers could mix and match items from each brand for delivery, pickup or dine-in.”
How McDonald’s “Breaks Up By Text,” Firing Hundreds Told To Stay Home
“McDonald’s last week asked corporate employees, who usually work from the office at least three days a week, to do the job from home. The plan was to lay off hundreds of employees—and the company preferred to deliver that news virtually,” reports the New York Times.
Fifth Toast of Uptown Wine Walk Hoisted
The fifth annual Toast of Uptown Wine Walk, “an afternoon of strolling and sipping through Uptown,” is set for Sunday, April 23, 1:30pm-5pm, reports Uptown Update. “All attendees will receive a wine tasting glass, which is your ticket to this event—present it at each stop along the route for delicious wine samples.”
MEDIA
State Journal-Register Editor Will Run Newsroom From Lakeland, Florida
The State Journal-Register of Springfield’s new editor, Leon Tucker, “will run the paper’s news operation from Lakeland, Florida, where he is executive editor of the Lakeland Ledger owned by Gannett, which also operates the SJ-R,” reports Illinois Times. “With more than 220 newspapers across the nation, including USA Today, Gannett has the largest circulation of any newspaper company in the United States… During an online meeting, Tucker told… staff that he hoped to bring new ideas to the paper… while also acknowledging that he’s not an expert on the Land of Lincoln… ‘I don’t know Springfield, I don’t know central Illinois, I’m not going to pretend I do–you guys are the Springfield people.'”
MUSIC
After Petition, The Warehouse On Thursday Chicago Landmarks Agenda
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks is considering saving The Warehouse, reports the Trib. “Preservationists said the three-story industrial building has no historical protections, which puts it at risk of being demolished. A petition was started to urge city officials to take action. Under landmark rules, owners would have to get permission to make any changes to the building.” CBS 2: “A petition drive helped put the matter on the commission’s agenda for this Thursday.”
Hyde Park Jazz Festival Announces Artist Corps Artist Fellows
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival has announced the second annual Artist Corps Artist Fellows, an initiative that expands artist-driven programs in neighborhoods. “Artists-in-neighborhoods programs facilitate storytelling and community building; provide opportunities for healing and resilience; and create connections to advocacy, mutual aid, neighborhood health and equity initiatives. Central to the mission of the Artist Corps program is bringing rich, engaging, artistic experiences to people where they live.” This year’s Artist Corps Fellows are vocalist Meagan McNeal, tap dancer Jumaane Taylor and multi-instrumentalist Adam Zanolini. More here.
STAGE
Broadway In Chicago Adds Attractions
Broadway In Chicago has added additional attractions, including “The Illusionists: Magic Of The Holidays”; “The Hip Hop Nutcracker”; “Stomp,” and Dr. Seuss’ “How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.” Current subscribers can add these to their season package when renewing. Single tickets for all off-season specials will go on sale later. More here.
Metropolis Names Artistic Director
Arlington Heights’ Metropolis Performing Arts Center announces a change in leadership as Brendan Ragan assumes the role of artistic director, replacing Robbie Simpson, interim artistic director, as he returns to New York. Ragan is the founding co-artistic director of the Urbanite Theatre, a Florida-based company. More on Metropolis here.
“Riot” Breaks Out In Manchester As Audience Won’t Stop Singing Along To “I Will Always Love You”
Could it happen here? Sky TV: Two women “were removed from Manchester’s Palace Theatre, police said, as theatergoers tweeted to say the performance of ‘The Bodyguard’ was stopped before the end because of people ‘singing over the lead during the final song.’ … The performance had already been briefly paused during its first act to evict a handful of people who would not refrain from singing.” A Twitter user: “A mini riot after the show was stopped because audience members were trying to sing over the cast. Police riot vans been called in. Chaos.”
The front-of-house supervisor posted: “Here’s what I ask you don’t lose sight of: The police were not called because of a few patrons singing along, they were called because of the UNPRECEDENTED levels of VIOLENCE asking them to stop caused. Don’t blame the cast. Don’t blame the staff. Their job is to ensure the safety of everybody inside that building which was compromised last night. Aim all your anger, frustration and fury at those who turned what should have been an enjoyable evening at the theatre into a riot.”
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
City Colleges of Chicago More Than Doubled the Statewide Average for Spring 2023 Enrollment; All Seven Colleges Experience Increases
City Colleges of Chicago’s spring 2023 enrollment is up 16.9 percent from spring 2022 to spring 2023, exceeding the Illinois community college average of an increase of 7.2 percent, according to a report released by the Illinois Community College Board. “Community colleges like City Colleges of Chicago are the heart of many communities because we provide an avenue to upward mobility by offering job training, professional certificates, two-year associate degrees and seamless transfers to four-year colleges and universities,” Chancellor Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago says in a release. “The uptick in enrollment is encouraging and inspires us to work even harder to create access and support our students as they fulfill their education goals.”
Enrollment in a combination of credit and adult education programs has increased at all seven City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College (+5.7), Harry S Truman (+26.4%), Kennedy-King (+21.4%), Malcolm X (+22.2%), Olive-Harvey (+30.1%), Richard J. Daley (+17.2%), and Wilbur Wright (+9.7%) for a total increase of 5,209 students for spring 2023, with Olive Harvey College having the largest percentage increase. This increase in enrollment comes after City Colleges has increased targeted efforts to enhance and expand college resources. “City Colleges continue to meet the needs of the Chicago economy with quality, in-demand programs in transportation, distribution, logistics, cannabis studies, manufacturing, IT, early childhood education, engineering, healthcare and more,” CCC relays.
NASCAR Traffic Closures For June And July Announced
Lake Shore Drive’s going to be at least partially shut down for three days: “The city revealed pre-race activity was extended an extra three days with parking restrictions along Columbus Drive starting June 2, but claimed the most significant closures don’t occur until June 25,” reports Block Club. “Some streets will begin reopening as early as 7am on July 3 while others are reopened in stages through July 15 as crews work to take down the track wall, fence and viewing structures.” NBC 5: “The impacts for drivers will be felt long before and after the race is done.”
American Tornadoes Evolving Rapidly
“Scientists are hesitant to blame climate change, but varying weather conditions are causing new and troubling tornado patterns,” reports WIRED. “At least five people died last week when a tornado tore through southeastern Missouri. It followed six in New Jersey and one in Delaware that killed a person and became the state’s widest on record. Batches of tornadoes killed more than thirty people in the South and Midwest over the weekend. And January saw 168 preliminary tornado reports, nearly five times that month’s average between 1990 and 2010. It’s been a busy and deadly start to tornado season, and the twisters have hit regions typically spared. We know that a warming climate is creating moisture and instability in the air—two factors that spur the formation of tornadoes. But experts caution that it’s too soon to link one major event—or even season—to climate change. What they are seeing is changes in when and where the tornadoes strike, which could expose more people to danger.”
The Man Who TKO’d A Young Cassius Clay Lives Here
Writes Rick Kogan at the Trib: Kent Greene, “the man who defeated Ali, lives here and talks about his life… ‘We fought at the old Chicago Stadium in the Golden Gloves. We had no idea what that fight would eventually mean to both of us.’ It would shadow both men.”
Illinois Humanities’ 2023 Public Humanities Awards Set
Illinois Humanities’ 2023 Public Humanities Awards will celebrate Illinois cultural leaders at an in-person event on May 17. The honorees include librarians, a journalist, and an educator who are all transforming communities across Illinois through the public humanities. The leaders to be honored include local resident Stephanie Manriquez, executive director of Contratiempo and producer of Lumpen Radio. More here.
Florida Teacher Fired For Assigning Students To Write Own Obits Before Gun Drill
“A psychology teacher made students write their obituaries [‘as if it were their last day alive’] before an active shooter drill,” reports Insider. “He said he felt the assignment would help students reflect on their lives. Jeffrey Keene was fired from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, hours after… ‘If you can’t talk real to them, then what’s happening in this environment? In my mind, I’ve done nothing wrong.'”
Colorado Terrorist Intel Agency Monitors Students Who Protest Gun Violence
“The Colorado Information Analysis Center alerted authorities to an activist group organizing walkouts in response to school shootings,” reports the Intercept. “These agencies started as counterterrorism hubs and in early years often singled out American Muslims,” Spencer Reynolds, counsel in the Brennan Center for Justice’s liberty and national security program, tells the site. “They’ve since doubled down, expanding to scrutinize racial justice, environmental, and pro-choice demonstrators.”
City Stocks Salt Despite Warm Winter
“Chicago’s 2023 winter season has been mild, with snowfall at the lowest it has been in twelve years. To clear the roads of the eighteen inches of snow that did fall, the… Department of Streets and Sanitation used 132,363 tons of salt, or less than a third of its annual inventory,” reports the Tribune. “Typically, the department buys salt in bulk [from Morton Salt], at $66 a ton, after the season ends to replenish its supply… So what happens to the salt that isn’t used?” According to the Streets & San spokesperson, “Salt does not expire.”
