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A surprising new play about how families fall apart—and find each other again—amidst turbulent global and social change. In 2003, newly-wed Layal and her family prepare to immigrate from Baghdad, Iraq, to a Chicago suburb. Seventeen years later, Layal’s life looks unimaginably different from what she had envisioned two decades prior, as she and her […]
A surprising new play about how families fall apart—and find each other again—amidst turbulent global and social change. In 2003, newly-wed Layal and her family prepare to immigrate from Baghdad, Iraq, to a Chicago suburb. Seventeen years later, Layal’s life looks unimaginably different from what she had envisioned two decades prior, as she and her […]
LabE is a series of monthly cohort meetings addressing particular needs of disabled dance artists. The LabE gathering on April 2nd is designed to be a safe, disability-centric space where artists can come together to share a work-in-progress, try out new ideas, workshop concepts, and experiment with new scores. Hosted by Maggie Bridger, this inclusive […]
A surprising new play about how families fall apart—and find each other again—amidst turbulent global and social change. In 2003, newly-wed Layal and her family prepare to immigrate from Baghdad, Iraq, to a Chicago suburb. Seventeen years later, Layal’s life looks unimaginably different from what she had envisioned two decades prior, as she and her […]
Join us in person for a lecture by distinguished alum Athena LaTocha followed by an audience Q&A. Location: The Art Institute of Chicago, Fullerton Hall, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Athena LaTocha (BFA 1992) is an artist whose massive works on paper explore the relationship between human-made and natural worlds. The artist incorporates materials such as […]
Shamel Pitts and the Brooklyn-based arts collective TRIBE debut an electrifying new live performance in their ongoing Red Series exploring Black multiplicity and human connection. The new work, titled Touch of RED, is a duet for two Black men set inside a contemporary boxing ring—a space that might traditionally suggest an aggressive competition between male […]
Designed and led by Chicago artists, Family Day is a monthly program at the MCA for all families and youth. Enjoy FREE admission while taking part in workshops, open studio sessions, gallery tours, and performances. Artist-Led Performance Raíces to Roots 1–2 pm 4th-floor lobby Join Raíces to Roots for a performance that celebrates and examines […]
Join us for a talk between On Stage: Frictions artist Shamel Pitts and Jafari S. Allen, author of There’s a Disco Ball Between Us: A Theory of Black Gay Life (2021), for a wide-ranging conversation on Pitts’ practice and current project with the MCA, Touch of RED. This event will be held off-site at Wirtz […]
Join the College of Architecture’s Master of Landscape + Urbanism Program on April 12, 2023 at 5pm for the annual Alfred Caldwell Lecture and explore the intersectionality of public space, art, and social justice. Devon Henry, Franklin Cosey-Gay, and Makeba Kedem DuBose will discuss how memory and representation have expanded the narrative about the built […]
Susanna Hoffs is a legend in the music industry. As the co-founder of the Bangles, she produced three platinum-selling albums and is the voice behind indelible pop hit after pop hit. Now, this famed songwriter has ventured into a new kind of writing with her debut novel, This Bird Has Flown, a story of music, […]
Join us for a panel on art writing with Camille Bacon, Amarie Cemone Gipson, Daria Simone Harper, and Jessica Lynne during the weekend of EXPO CHICAGO. Taking up the question of “poetics in practice,” the panel will consider the function and responsibility of art writing in the contemporary moment, the lineages we draw from and […]
We are delighted to be hosting Maggie Bridger on April 15 as part of her Crafting Care series. In anticipation of her performance “Scale”, Maggie is holding open crafting sessions centered around collectively creating objects of care—including masks, blankets, and cushions. The culmination of our care work, made visible in the items we craft together, […]
The MCA Advisory Partner organization Bodies of Work invites you to Access Praxis, a collaborative and participatory event in The Commons. Combining theory and practice, “praxis” is ideas in action. For this iteration, we are joined by disabled artist-researchers Alana Ackerman, Stephanie Alma, Tommy Carroll, Justin Cooper, and Nic Wyatt as they explore their embodied […]
The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free, public monthly in-person reading series and generative writing workshop. Blue Hour is in-person for this season! Each event takes place at Haymarket House (800 W. Buena) on the third Wednesday of the month and includes a brief lottery-style open mic and two featured readers from Chicago […]
Join us for a reading and conversation with Renee Gladman, Eileen Myles, and Simone White as they celebrate their new book releases. In Renee Gladman’s Plans for Sentences, Eileen Myles’s a “Working Life,” and Simone White’s or, on being the other woman, longings and plans laid bare accumulate in staccato bursts of life, almost self-generatively. […]
Rainn Wilson–beloved comedic actor, producer, writer–brings his unique perspective and humor to the traumas of our modern world. Wilson is calling for a Soul Boom, a spiritual revolution that could help us solve some of today’s biggest issues, including mental illness, racism, sexism, climate change, and economic injustice. The Office star will sit down with […]
Join us for a reading and celebration of the diverse voices, rich experiences, and powerful words of poets from around the country, and the world. Poets working in the online poetry workshop and discussion, Forms & Features, will share work created in this online creative community. Poetry Foundation’s events are completely free of charge and […]
Kohl Children’s Museum was specifically designed to be inclusive of all children and adults regardless of ability. The Museum’s 17 exhibits and 2 acres of outdoor explorations are designed for […]
The exhilarating work of Chicago’s next generation of filmmakers is showcased in this eclectic collection that celebrates the vast array of creative expressions emerging from our city. These films will screen with Open Captions, and the Q&A will feature Live Captioning. Note: Films in this program contain themes or language that may not be suitable […]
The exhilarating work of Chicago’s next generation of filmmakers is showcased in this eclectic collection that celebrates the vast array of creative expressions emerging from our city. Note: Films in […]
Comedian Lane Moore wrote the book on How To Be Alone but building real, healthy friendships as an adult is ten times more difficult! In her new book You Will Find Your People: How to Make Meaningful Friendships as an Adult, Moore shares everything she's learned about how to finally make friends as an adult, […]
Join us for a reading celebrating new book releases by Poetry Foundation staff and friends: Adrian Matejka, Maggie Queeney, Charif Shanahan, and Patricia Smith. Get to know some of the people behind the Foundation’s programs, including Poetry magazine. This is a hybrid event, which will be offered in-person and via livestream. Adrian Matejka is the […]
Monique and her daughter Sam are on the run. From what, they will not say. Showing up on their family’s doorstep in Brooklyn, the surprise visit raises more questions than it answers. As the specter of their abandoned life in Georgia creeps back into focus, the family is forced to consider what must be sacrificed […]
A family verges on bankruptcy while their country stands on the brink of revolution. Endings and beginnings. Bittersweet departures. The comedy of life. When Madame Ranevskaya returns to her heavily-mortgaged estate on the eve of its auction, the aristocratic widow finds that the fate of much more than her beloved orchard hangs in the balance. […]
Congresswoman Katie Porter is known for challenging those in power and using her iconic whiteboard to demand answers on behalf of the American people. However, few know of her journey […]
In April 1952 Ralph Ellison published Invisible Man, his first and only finished novel and a work that is regarded today as one of the most important American literary works […]
As Minnesota’s Attorney General, Keith Ellison prosecuted the police officers in the murder trial of George Floyd and grappled with how to deliver justice to the Floyd family while putting […]
Democrat Beto O’Rourke rose to national prominence with competitive campaigning in Republican Texas. Now, the former El Paso Congressman is turning his energy toward voting rights, an essential part of […]