Editor’s Letter: September 2023

Cover image: Bassim Al Shaker’s “Resurrection” 2022 | Cover Design: Dan Streeting

Sometimes you’re happy to sound like a broken record.

Once again, our September edition is the biggest Newcity issue ever in thirty-seven years, topping last year’s record by twenty-four pages.

Though reaching the finish line has pushed us to the edge of our physical and mental resources, our feeling is less exhaustion than gratitude. It takes so many people pushing themselves to the limit to make this happen: our writers, artists, photographers, editors, designers, drivers and account executives. And our advertisers, who continue to see the value in elevating the conversation around culture and the arts and believe in our core proposition that Chicago deserves a world-class magazine on par with anything created anywhere.

We cover a lot of ground in these 164 pages, yet we barely skim the surface of the remarkable range of Chicago’s cultural life. I personally oversee four sections of coverage right now—art, lit, music and stage—and keep lists of upcoming shows, books and events. I have 931 on the list as of today.

This is why you should treat the more than fifty pages of ads in this issue as additional content. For the most part, our advertisers are cultural creators, and your support of their efforts justifies their support of our efforts.

If you are a subscriber, thank you. Your support not only enables us to create editions like this, but you’re also a vital part of our long-term sustainability. And if you’re not a subscriber but reading this, if this issue does not convince you to join our ranks, I don’t know what will.

This edition includes the Art 50, profiles of the artists making Chicago one of the world’s great creative capitals. Next month, print subscribers will get a limited edition insert created by one of those artists as the next installment of our Folio series. If you still need convincing.

—BRIAN HIEGGELKE

Look for Newcity’s September 2023 print edition at over 300 Chicago-area locations this week or subscribe to the print edition at Newcityshop.com.

IN THIS ISSUE

The Privilege of Walking and Writing
A journey down the street and across the world

Fall Arts Preview 2023

After the Bombs: Bassim Al Shaker paints from experience in a war zone

Jerry and Mr. Joffrey: Celebrating Gerald Arpino, co-founder and “Architect of the Dancers” of one of America’s premier ballet companies

Question Everything: How David Allen creates Instagrammable Wndr Museum experiences without selling his soul

Going South And Upward: A conversation with Chicago Underground Film Festival’s Bryan Wendorf about an organization on the move

From Dust to Stardust: The dizzying and dazzling literary life of Kathleen Rooney

Soul Music Supernova: The unforgettable but almost forgotten saga of Maxx Traxx

A Safe Space: How Martyna Majok channeled her immigrant struggle into playwriting success

Plus seven sets of can’t-miss fall events

Art 50 2023
Chicago’s Artists’ Artists

AND

Comics
“Still Here, Still Weird”
A new comic by Anya Davidson

Poetry
“Solitude Breaks”
A new poem by Dipika Mukherjee

And so much more…