Calling ALL champions to Chicago Children’s Museum! Participate in event activities, including roller sled hockey, handcycling, wheelchair racing, bocce, Judo, group exercises, and See & Touch Prosthetics display. All of our inclusive, multisensory museum exhibits and programs will also be available during Play For All.
The first 500 children and families with disabilities who register will receive free admission.
The museum opens at 10 am for Play For All guests and members exclusively and at 11 am to the general public.
Accessibility: assistive listening devices, quiet spaces, wheelchair accessible
In January, artists A. Martinez and Gaby Martinez take over the MCA with their collaborative quilt making inspired by Faith Ringgold. Additionally, musician Ben LaMar Gay performs for families to interact with his music, and KIDO Chicago, the award-winning kids boutique in the South Loop, has a pop-up at the museum.
Designed and led by Chicago artists, Family Day is a monthly program that allows families and youth to connect and engage with contemporary art through activities and performances for all-ages. Enjoy FREE admission while taking part in workshops, open studio sessions, gallery tours, performances, and more.
Activities are facilitated in English and Spanish with ASL interpretation provided.
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/family-day-quilts-and-stories/
Join us for a conversation on how Faith Ringgold’s aesthetic and political practices continue to reverberate across generations of artists with artists Jamal Cyrus and Amanda Williams, and the MCA presentation Curator of Faith Ringgold: American People, MCA Manilow Senior Curator Jamillah James.
English/Spanish CART and ASL are provided.
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/talk-roundtable-on-faith-ringgold/
This is an opportunity for members of the TCA to enter into conversation with Christina and Cortney, the founders of #BlkGrlsWurld, about their growth and evolution as Black womxn publishers, event organizers, and lovers of punk, hardcore, and metal.
Coinciding with the Faith Ringgold: American People exhibition, this event highlights the creativity, influence, and impact of Black Femme creatives across generations.
ASL is provided.
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/youth-led-programming-tca-blkgrlswurld/
Strawdog Theatre Company in partnership with Chicago Loop Synagogue presents Hershel & The Hanukkah Goblins. In this musical adaptation of Eric Kimmel’s Caldecott Honor-winning book, a traveling troupe of actors comes to town to find no one celebrating Hanukkah. To save the holiday, they must tell the tale of Hershel of Ostropol & his quest to outwit the goblins who haunt the old synagogue!
Audio Description will be available for this performance in-person and via the live stream. Audience members must RSVP for in-person audio description by emailing accessibility@strawdog.org. There will be an in-person Touch Tour at 10:15am. Those tuning into the live stream will be able to watch a pre-show Audio Description.
Accessibility: Audio Description, Touch Tour, Sensory Friendly
https://www.strawdog.org/hershel
Run Time: 2 hours, including intermission
Child Policy: Recommended for ages 8+. To help determine whether this performance is appropriate for your child, we encourage you to seek additional information about the themes in this program. All children attending a performance must have a ticket and be seated next to an adult.
Audio Description will be available on Saturday, November 11 / 2:00PM
Choreographer and director Akram Khan’s eponymous dance company makes its long-awaited Harris Theater debut with the Chicago premiere of Khan’s Jungle Book reimagined, a deeply personal interpretation based on the original story of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale. Khan, whose background is rooted in classical Kathak training and along with contemporary dance, reinvents the journey of young Mowgli and her animal friends.
In a near future world, a family is torn apart as they escape their homeland, devastated by the impact of climate change. Arriving alone in a deserted modern city, and with wild animals claiming the streets as their own, Mowgli soon discovers unlikely allies in this strange new jungle.
Featuring an original new score and state-of-the-art animation and visuals, Jungle Book reimagined is a compelling and vital piece of storytelling about our intrinsic need to belong and bond with others while connecting with and respecting the natural world around us.
https://www.harristheaterchicago.org/performance/jungle-book-reimagined
Sensory-Friendly Night at ZooLights Presented by ComEd and Invesco QQQ
Wednesday, December 6
4:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Admission is $7 (or free with promo code SensoryFriendly23)
All ages
Lincoln Park Zoo is offering Sensory-Friendly ZooLights, in which guests with disabilities, sensitivities, autism, dementia, or chronic illness as well as members of the Deaf community can experience the zoo grounds, animal buildings, and holiday lights in a comfortable and inclusive environment.
Sensory-Friendly ZooLights is for all people who benefit from visiting the zoo without crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. Modifications include limited capacity, static light displays, muted attractions, and music at low volume.
During Sensory-Friendly ZooLights, the Gift Shop and food and beverage locations will be open around Main Mall with all of ZooLights’ regular offerings. The AT&T Endangered Species Carousel and Lionel Train Adventure will operate with music and noises muted. Not all animal buildings may be open, and as always, animals have the option to go to their indoor or outdoor habitats.
CLICK HERE to purchase ZooLights tickets. Use promo code SensoryFriendly23 at checkout for your complimentary tickets while supplies last.
View the zoo’s accessibility map and accessibility page to help plan your visit. For more information on ZooLights, visit lpzoo.org/zoolights.
Lincoln Park Zoo is certified Sensory Inclusive by KultureCity. Please download the free KultureCity app with Lincoln Park Zoo’s social narrative either on iOS or Android.
FAQs
Where can I enter?
You can enter from:
East Gate, located in the zoo parking lot at Cannon Dr., and Fullerton Ave.
West Gate, located at Webster Ave., and Stockton Dr.
Fisher Bridge Gate, located between the zoo’s parking lot and Stockton Dr., on the bridge over Nature Boardwalk.
Is parking available?
Paid parking is available at the zoo’s parking lot located at Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive (2300 N. Cannon Drive). The zoo is also accessible by train via the Armitage and Fullerton stations and by bus via the 22, 36, 151, and 156 routes.
What if it rains?
All Lincoln Park Zoo events take place rain or shine. Animal buildings will be open and the carousel is covered.
What can’t I bring to Sensory-Friendly ZooLights?
There is no smoking at Lincoln Park Zoo for the health of the animals in our care. See our Code of Conduct here.
Pets are not allowed at the zoo, but licensed service animals are welcome.
If you have questions, please email access@lpzoo.org.
Let’s reclaim and rewrite our stories as disabled people through writing and drawing together! Too often disabled individuals have their stories told to them by medical professionals and cultural norms. It’s time to get the power back and tell our own tales!
Rewritten Narratives is a workshop for participants who self-identify as disabled and/or chronically ill, whether the disability is apparent or non-apparent. This could mean anything from physical disabilities, learning disabilities, “invisible” disabilities, and disabilities caused by mental health concerns.
No art making skills or experiences required!
Attendees will receive transportation stipend (PACE vouchers).
Location:
Center for Mad Culture
410 South Michigan Avenue, suite 419
Chicago, IL 60605
In-person Rewritten Narratives session RSVP Link: https://tinyurl.com/rewrittennarrative
Access information:
Press Here is on the 4th floor in the Fine Arts Building. It is accessible by elevator. A wheelchair accessible restroom is available. For in-person sessions, please request ASL interpretation and identify any access needs when signing up for a session.
AI captioning will be available for virtual workshop sessions. For virtual sessions, contact B at brandolph@accessliving.org or (312) 640-2100 with access requests. Please allow 2-3 weeks’ advance notice for ASL interpretation requests, both virtual and in-person.
About the facilitator:
Brian “B” Randolph (they/them) is an art therapy graduate student from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Brian specializes in portraiture, drawing the human form, and the writing/drawing of comics. B is working with their supervisor, disabled artist and art therapist, Sandie Yi, to create disability culture and art at Access Living this year.
Sponsor Information:
This project is brought to you by the Arts and Culture Project at Access Living, an independent living center for people with disabilities, Bodies of Work: Network of Disability Art and Culture, and the Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL). DCAL, a teaching lab housed under the department of art therapy and counseling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and Shirley Ryan Abilities Lab. The contents of this project were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RTCP0005). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this project do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Let’s reclaim and rewrite our stories as disabled people through writing and drawing together! Too often disabled individuals have their stories told to them by medical professionals and cultural norms. It’s time to get the power back and tell our own tales!
Rewritten Narratives is a workshop for participants who self-identify as disabled and/or chronically ill, whether the disability is apparent or non-apparent. This could mean anything from physical disabilities, learning disabilities, “invisible” disabilities, and disabilities caused by mental health concerns.
No art making skills or experiences required!
Attendees will receive transportation stipend (PACE vouchers).
Location:
Center for Mad Culture
410 South Michigan Avenue, suite 419
Chicago, IL 60605
In-person Rewritten Narratives session RSVP Link: https://tinyurl.com/rewrittennarrative
Access information:
Press Here is on the 4th floor in the Fine Arts Building. It is accessible by elevator. A wheelchair accessible restroom is available. For in-person sessions, please request ASL interpretation and identify any access needs when signing up for a session.
AI captioning will be available for virtual workshop sessions. For virtual sessions, contact B at brandolph@accessliving.org or (312) 640-2100 with access requests. Please allow 2-3 weeks’ advance notice for ASL interpretation requests, both virtual and in-person.
About the facilitator:
Brian “B” Randolph (they/them) is an art therapy graduate student from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Brian specializes in portraiture, drawing the human form, and the writing/drawing of comics. B is working with their supervisor, disabled artist and art therapist, Sandie Yi, to create disability culture and art at Access Living this year.
Sponsor Information:
This project is brought to you by the Arts and Culture Project at Access Living, an independent living center for people with disabilities, Bodies of Work: Network of Disability Art and Culture, and the Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL). DCAL, a teaching lab housed under the department of art therapy and counseling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and Shirley Ryan Abilities Lab. The contents of this project were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RTCP0005). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this project do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
It’s just another (omg, wtf, lmfao) day at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. When a White House PR nightmare spins into a legit sh*tshow, seven brilliant and beleaguered women must risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble. POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive is a bawdy and irreverent look at sex, politics and the women in charge of the man in charge of the free world. Who knew that global crisis is always just a four-letter word away.
Dancing with Parkinson’s is a partnership program between The Joffrey Ballet and Northwestern Medicine built for people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers, friends, and family members.
This class offers a supportive space to explore the artistry of dance, ranging across the styles of ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and improvisation. In this class, we connect the mind to movement, inviting expression and exploration in where it may not have been before: moving the body in conjunction with others and with music, evoking creativity and connection. This program was built so everyone can experience the joy and freedom of dance, no matter age, status, or ability.
Accessibility: low lighting, quiet spaces, wheelchair accessible
https://joffrey.org/education/community-engagement/dancing-with-parkinson-s/
Free Dance Day brings together people of all ages and experience levels to enjoy a day filled with dance classes, performances, and festivities, all for free!
This annual open-house style event is a chance to try out dance classes in a relaxed, communal setting. Visit Synapse’s home studio as an Arts Partner in Residence with the Chicago Park District to try out a free movement class, bring kids to try ballet and hip hop classes, and see the Synapse Performance Troupe perform.
Come for Free Dance Day, then stay for the free Boo! Bash presented by Loyola Park, which includes a DJ dance party, crafts, snacks, and a Halloween-y photo booth.
Schedule and registration details available at www.synapsearts.com.
Accessibility: ASL interpreter, large print programs, quiet spaces
Experience Red: A Crayon’s Story like you never have before! This storybook video features Deaf American Sign Language master signer Crom Saunders signing the words to the animated book, with music and sound effects bringing the story to life. Then we’ll watch and play along with fun interactive games conducted by students and teachers from the Indiana School for the Deaf.
Crom will visit in person and play theater games with the kids after the video. This event will have a live interpreter.
Best for kids in preschool and elementary school and their family and friends.
More information at https://oakpark.librarycalendar.com/event/asl-storybook-red-crayons-story
Eurydice is a play about newlywed and newly dead Eurydice arrives in the underworld without memories or language where she struggles to recover her humanity with the aid of the father she lost years ago. When Orpheus arrives to rescue her, Eurydice must choose between staying with her father or escaping with her husband—between life and death. Pulitzer & Tony nominated North Shore native Sarah Ruhl infuses the ancient myth with humor, poetry, hope & sneaky surprises as this classic heroine finds her voice.
Run time: 1 hour and 20 minutes, no intermission
Accessibility: Assistive Listening Devices, Open Captions, Digital Document, Wheelchair Accessible
https://www.writerstheatre.org/eurydice
Join leading intellectual Farah Jasmine Griffin (Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature and In Search of a Beautiful Freedom) to talk about why book bans so often target Black literature. Griffin discusses the censorship of Black authors like Toni Morrison and the effort to preserve and share Black stories. This renowned author and Columbia University professor is joined by WBEZ Race, Class and Communities Reporter Natalie Moore for a chat about Black literature and our complex American history.
A book signing will follow this program
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/farah-jasmine-griffin/
Over the past year, language models have entered the popular consciousness as new apps like ChatGPT attract hundreds of millions of users. Bold claims have been made about the capabilities and future impact of such products. Researchers in the field of natural language processing (the scholarly field in which language models originated) have been somewhat taken aback by these developments; language models have been around for decades. Noah Smith, an expert in natural language processing, takes to the Chicago Humanities stage for a presentation that aims to demystify generative artificial intelligence with a focus on language models. By introducing historical context and a few key concepts and foundational ideas, he aims to narrow the gap between scientific and popular understanding of language models while avoiding the hype.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/language-ai/
Prepare to be dazzled by the transformative power of design with the Emmy-nominated host of Queer Eye, Bobby Berk. Why does the color of a room change how you feel? How can you decide what to get rid of or repurpose? And how can your home boost your mood? Berk’s new book, Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good For The Mind, shows us how the power of exceptional design can ignite joy, elevate our mental wellbeing, and optimize our lives. With practical tips and inspiring anecdotes, Berk sits down with Asad Syrkett, editor in chief of Elle Decor, to share invaluable insights on how to unlock the true potential of your home to create your personal sanctuary of serenity and a happier, more fulfilling life.
To meet and get a photo with Bobby after the event, add “Signed Book + Photo Opportunity” to your cart. Limited number of tickets available.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/bobby-berk/
Budmo!, meaning “cheers!” in Ukrainian, is the first cookbook presented by Ukrainian-born, California-based chef, blogger, and culinary instructor Anna Voloshyna. Celebrating classic Eastern European recipes with a modern, creative twist with bright flavors, Voloshyna presents vibrant ingredients that represent the rich culture and tradition of the people of Ukraine. Join Anna as she sits down with Chicago Humanities favorite award-winning chef Rick Bayless for a conversation on the food of her homeland and the unifying power of cuisine.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/voloshyna-bayless/
When the film debuted in July of 1980, Airplane! had a budget of only $3.5 million, and yet it went on to earn nearly $200 million, gathering a rabid fan-base, inspiring countless comedians, and providing perhaps the most quotable lines of any comedy in cinematic history. In their new book, Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! , ZAZ (filmmakers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams) share hilarious trivia and never-before-heard anecdotes about the creation of this classic movie. At Chicago Humanities, Mark Bazar of WTTW’s The Interview Show sits down with writer/director David Zucker (and a special zoom appearance from his brother and fellow Airplane! filmmaker Jerry) for a night of laughter and nostalgia, as we dive into clips, images, and stories from behind-the-scenes of this legendary comedic gem. For a special keepsake, books pre-signed by all three filmmakers will be available for purchase.
This event will have asl interpretation, open captions, and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/airplane/
A Cicero native, Erika Sánchez grew up in a Mexican American household and is a self-described pariah, misfit, and a foul-mouthed, melancholic rabble-rouser. She returns to the literary world with her witty, raunchy, insightful, unapologetic honest memoir, Crying in the Bathroom. She covers everything from white feminism to debilitating depression, and finding a life rich with ideas and self-awareness. Join the Chicagoland native for a night of laughter, comedy, and personal self-reflection that feels like talking for hours with your best friend.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/erika-sanchez/
Throughout history, museums and other cultural institutions have too often acquired their artifacts through conquest, imperialism and colonization. Today, these institutions are re-evaluating this “colonial looting” and facing increasing calls to return these artifacts to their rightful owners, aiming to rectify historical injustices and foster cultural healing. Join Chicago Humanities for a presentation on these stolen artifacts and the importance of returning cultural items to their rightful homes with Patty Gerstenblith, Director of DePaul University’s Center for Art, Museums and Cultural Heritage Law. Following her presentation, Gerstenblith will be joined by esteemed experts Victoria Reed, Curator for Provenance at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Shannon O’Loughlin from the Association of American Indian Affairs, and Dr. Helen Robbins, Repatriation Director at the Field Museum for a conversation about the ethical, legal, and cultural challenges and opportunities museums face when restoring cultural heritage.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/colonial-looting/
What constitutes a meaningful life in a violent world? Join celebrated author and essayist Teju Cole (Open City) as he considers this question through his most recent work of fiction, Tremor. This poetic exploration continues Cole’s masterful examination of colonial atrocities, casual racism, and “history’s own brutality.” Don’t miss this Chicago Humanities experience with one of the most vibrant voices on today’s literary scene.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/conversation-teju-cole/
Academy Award-winning movie Don’t Look Up and the big-budget streamer Extrapolations tell us that humanity is incapable of addressing climate change, even in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence. But is that true? Are human beings incapable of changing our ways to help the planet? Join astronomer and physicist Marcelo Gleiser (The Dawn of a Mindful Universe), climate scientist Michael Mann (Our Fragile Moment), and award-winning Chicago journalist Monica Eng for a thought-provoking discussion about why we need a new Enlightenment to forge a sustainable future for all. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with influential voices who are shaping the discourse around climate change.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/morality-climate-change/
For this Family Day, explore the overlap between art and science with educators from the Field Museum and artist Assaf Evron.
Designed and led by Chicago artists, Family Day is a monthly program that allows families and youth to connect and engage with contemporary art through activities and performances for all ages. Enjoy FREE admission while taking part in workshops, open studio sessions, gallery tours, performances, and more.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/family-day-natural-history/
Visual artist and creative designer Tacarra Sutton collaborates with wellness practitioner Cherish Hicks for three mediation and creative-centered workshops. This event suite is designed to promote self-care and wellbeing among K–12 educators. Join us as we combine wellness and art for an unforgettable experience.
This is the third and final Color Alchemy: An Immersive Meditative Art Experience, a sensory experience that invites educators to consciously create art through a meditative medium in order to explore wellness in a unique form. Color Alchemy is a mindful, intuitive, and emotionally cathartic way to engage with art and self-expression. In this guided painting experience, participants physically explore, express, and release emotions and energies through the creative act itself. For this workshop:
Cherish Hicks, well-being curator and founder of Beyond Wellness, guides you through breathwork, a guided meditation, and a sound bath that provide a deep state of relaxation and mindfulness, awakening your emotions and prepare you for the creative process. Then Chicago native, artist, and creative extraordinaire Tacarra Sutton guides you on the mat through a series of paintings that allow color and emotions to collide. Afterwards, take home the piece of art you created during this meditative state, which can serve as a reminder of the experience and insights gained.
Participants are encouraged to wear shades of blue. Please wear comfortable clothing due to the light stretches and painting activities that take place. Aprons are provided.
This workshop is open to educators at all levels of mobility and age and yoga mats are provided (though participants are invited to bring their own if possible). All educators receive ISBE credit hours for attendance.
Newark, NJ. Post-9/11. Two teenagers, brought to America as children, now face an unlikely foe: unexpected, unreciprocated love. Their friendship is no longer enough (for one of them) and their adopted country doesn’t love them back. Pulitzer Prize-winner Martyna Majok brings light to the sacrifices made by DREAMers, lovers and life-long friends in the heart-stirring and hopeful Sanctuary City—a story that fractures and transcends—crossing boundaries, borders and genres in search of a place to call home.
Sanctuary City will be the first Steppenwolf production that includes both a full membership series run, as well as a full run of student matinees as a part of the Steppenwolf for Young Adults series, providing a synergistic opportunity to cultivate more intergenerational audiences.
Audio-Described and Touch Tour:
Sunday, October 8 at 3pm
(1:30pm touch tour, 3pm curtain)
Open-Captioned Public Performances:
Thursday, October 12 at 7:30pm
Saturday, October 21 at 3pm
ASL-Interpreted Public Performance:
Friday, October 13 at 7:30pm
Relaxed/Sensory Friendly Public Performance:
Saturday, October 28th at 3pm
ASL-Interpreted Student Matinee:
Friday, November 3 at 10am
Spanish Language-Captioned:
Saturday, November 4 at 3pm
https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets–events/seasons-/202324/sanctuary-city/
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow returns to Chicago Humanities to expose the shocking truth behind subversive attempts to undermine democracy and the inspiring tales of those who rose to challenge the insurrectionists. Inspired by the research for her #1 Apple podcast, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra, Maddow’s latest book PREQUEL: An American Fight Against Fascism tells the World War II story of a committed group of public servants and courageous private citizens thwarting the far-right’s attempts to align our nation with the Nazis. Join Maddow as she sits down with historian, author and Northwestern University professor Kathleen Belew to explore the rise of this wild strain of American authoritarianism, the profoundly relevant insights about America today that can be drawn from its history, and her take on our own unprecedented times.
This event will have open captions, audio description, asl interpretation and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/rachel-maddow/
Fox News Channel’s Chief Political Correspondent and New York Times bestselling author, Bret Baier comes to Chicago Humanities to talk about his groundbreaking new biography of America’s first president. In To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment, Baier explores Washington’s remarkable decision to come out of retirement to preside over the Constitutional Convention and sacrifice himself to save the country. At Chicago Humanities, Baier sits down with Chicago Tonight’s Paris Schutz for a conversation about our country’s gritty past and the extraordinary divisions of early America that shed new light on the divisions and conflicts still haunting us today.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/bret-baier/
Naperville native and award-winning actor and comedian Bob Odenkirk has teamed up with his talented daughter, illustrator Erin Odenkirk, as they share original poems Bob wrote with his children when they were young, as well as dozens of new ones–beautifully brought to life by Erin’s whimsical drawings. Join Chicago Humanities for a hilarious and heartwarming night of laughter and nostalgia as this father-daughter duo sits down with the host of Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! Peter Sagal to take us on a journey through Bob’s legendary career, how his daughter felt about her father’s comedy and life in Hollywood and the imaginative and playful pages of Zilot and other Important Rhymes.
A book signing follows this program.
This event will have assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/bob-and-erin-odenkirk/
Why does the United States, one of the richest countries on earth, allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit citizens to live and die on the streets, and continue to pay poverty wages? Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond uses vivid storytelling and rigorous research to delve into the heart of wealth inequality in America and to call on all of us to become poverty abolitionists, ushering in a new age of shared prosperity. Join Chicago Humanities to learn about Desmond’s startlingly original and ambitious case for creating a more equitable society.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/matthew-desmond/
Since the NFT (Non-fungible tokens) exploded into the art world a few years ago, artists, collectors, arts professionals, art lovers, and museumgoers are still trying to understand what NFTs are and what they mean for the future. Author, Amy Whitaker, takes readers through the origins of NFTs, the connection to the history of artmaking and art collecting, and their potential to change the art world. Join the writer, artist, and researcher for a conversation on the age of digital records and how we build collaborative and equitable structures for the future.
This event will have assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/nft-art/
Comedian Sarah Cooper rocketed to fame during the pandemic with her lip-synched videos of Donald Trump’s speeches. Her face, his voice–it was social media magic. In her hilarious and honest debut memoir, Foolish: Tales of Assimilation, Determination, and Humiliation, Cooper tells witty and heartfelt tales of growing up as the youngest in a Jamaican family, disastrously using the internet as a marriage counselor, and overcoming a lifetime of oppressive perfectionism to throw herself headlong into the world of comedy. At Chicago Humanities, join Cooper, alongside Chicago Today co-host Cortney Hall, for an evening of uproarious laughter and heartfelt revelations as this iconic comedian proves once and for all that being foolish is actually the smartest thing you can do.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/comedian-sarah-cooper/
How does cancel culture impact our social, cultural, and political lives? With The Atlantic’s Caitlin Flanagan leading the discussion, join Johns Hopkins’ Yascha Mounk, out with his latest book The Identity Trap; and FIRE President Greg Lukianoff and journalist Rikki Schlott, co-authors of The Canceling of the American Mind, for a captivating conversation about the complexities of our current cultural landscape.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/cancel-culture/
During our era of COVID, many of us felt as if we were living through “unprecedented times,” but was our experience really that unique? Pandemics have been around as long as people. Join esteemed historian and bestselling author Simon Schama with author and Richard W. Leopold Professor of History Deborah Cohen for a conversation exploring the profound impact of pandemics on human history. From bubonic plague to COVID-19, Schama uncovers the intricate relationship between disease, vaccines, and the collective health of nations and shares the often-unheard stories of people whose pioneering work has changed the face of modern healthcare in the face of one of our most deadly enemies: the pandemic.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/simon-schama/
As one of the most historical buildings in Chicago, the Governor’s Mansion has hosted many legendary people, including Abraham Lincoln, FDR, and the current First Family. First Lady MK Pritzker and former interior designer for the Obama White House, Michael Smith, have teamed up to restore this iconic building and bring Chicago history to life, a project that is detailed in their book, A House that Made History. Join Chicago Humanities for an inspiring conversation with this duo and hear about their journey to transform the Governor’s Mansion into a timeless symbol of Illinois pride.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/mk-pritzker/
How can art engage people on climate change and environmental issues that are impacting our city and neighborhoods? Join Uzma Noormohamed, Program Director of the Illinois Science & Energy Innovation Foundation, Mike Dimitroff, Manager of Art initiatives at the Chicago Park District, and Cynthia Weiss, Delilah Salgado, and Citlalli Trujillo of the artist collective Rio de Bienvenida, as they discuss Earth Art Chicago, a new city-wide initiative that seeks to harnesses the power of public art as a means to raise awareness about issues related to environmental justice in Chicago while centering voices often left out of the climate conversation.
This event will have assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/environmental-justice-chicago/
In her long career in literature and teaching, Sandra Cisneros has shared her passion for creative writing and expressing her experience as a Mexican woman. After a 28 year break from poetry, she returns to her roots with her most recent collection of songs, elegies, and declarations that chronicle her pilgrimage toward rebirth and the recognition of her prerogative as a woman artist. The acclaimed writer takes the Chicago Humanities stage for conversation on her search for home—in the Mexico of her ancestors and her heart.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/sandra-cisneros/
Oliver Jeffers is an acclaimed storyteller and visual artist. His latest picture book, How We Got Here and Where We Might Go – Our Human Story. So Far., is written for adults and is an artistic exploration of humankind’s impact on itself and our planet. The renowned artist and writer takes Chicago Humanities audiences of all ages on a multimedia storytelling experience that follows humankind on its journey through history, sharing profound, sometimes poignant commentary on our present, while posing the question: Where do we go from here?
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on this link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/oliver-jeffers/
From the author of Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein and more, Walter Isaacson returns to Chicago Humanities with the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence—and took over Twitter. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. Join Chicago Humanities as David Axelrod, CNN contributor and host of Thee Axe Files, leads a live taping on Musk’s turbulent journey to the top of three worlds: science, business, and the public square. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on the link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/walter-isaacson/
A botanical journey of beauty and botany, myth and mayhem: Bestselling author Jonathan Drori takes a gloriously illustrated trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of trees by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. His journey includes self-mummifying monks, entrepreneurial resin diggers and the Venetian navy. From the seemingly familiar birch and beech, to the exotic moojar, kauri and gutta-percha, his stories are sometimes poignant, often funny, and always surprising. After the talk, explore the beauty of trees with specially curated a self-guided tour of The Morton Arboretum.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on the link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/morton-arboretum-trees/
Based on their critically acclaimed podcast of the same name, Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key are excited to share their new book with the Chicago Humanities audience: The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey through the Art and Craft of Humor. This book will take readers on a delightful and hilarious journey through the evolution of sketch comedy, stories of other comedic legends, and insights into the creative process behind crafting some of comedy’s most beloved masterpieces. Join Vice President of Second City, Kelly Leonard, for a live taping of his podcast “Getting to Yes, And” as he leads a masterclass in humor alongside the Keys.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets, press on the link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/keegan-michael-key/
Literary powerhouse Zadie Smith is back with a new, highly-anticipated historical novel, The Fraud, which centers around the unforgettable Eliza Touchet and a real-life, explosive trial that divided Victorian England and asks who deserves to tell their story and who gets to be believed. Join Chicago Humanities and experience Smith’s iconic voice in person as this beloved novelist and essayist with novelist and poet Chris Abani discuss the relationship between truth and fiction, fraudulence and authenticity, and the mystery of “other people.”
A book signing will follow this program
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets press on the link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/zadie-smith/
According to renowned social critic and author Naomi Klein, our world today is like a hall of mirrors, made up of conspiracy theories, AI-generated content blurring the lines between truth and fiction, and elusive digital doppelgangers. In this conversation about her newest work, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, Klein offers a map to this untethered moment in history by combining chilling political reportage, piercing cultural analysis of our modern world, and stories from her own life. Join Klein and award-winning playwright V (Eve Ensler) on a white-knuckled ride into the dark heart of our hyper-individualized culture, and get her thoughts on how we might escape this mirror world and chart a path beyond despair.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box Office.
To buy tickets press on the link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/naomi-klein/
Emmy-nominated actress Millie Bobby Brown can now add author to her list of accolades with her debut novel, Nineteen Steps. Set against the backdrop of World War II London in 1942, Brown’s main character, Nellie Morris, grapples with a world constantly threatened by conflict. Her chance meeting with American airman Ray broadens her horizons, yet tragedy strikes during an air raid, shattering her world. Brown sits down with Greta Johnsen (of WBEZ’s Nerdette podcast) to talk about her creative process both as an actor and writer, her evolving beauty brand florence by mills, and her new novel about a brave young woman who proves the enduring power of love in the face of adversity.
This event will have open captions and assistive listening devices with t-coil available at the Box office.
To buy tickets press on the link below: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/millie-bobby-brown/
On Sunday, September 24 from 8-10am, Lincoln Park Zoo is offering Sensory-Friendly Morning hours for guests with disabilities, chronic illness, or Deaf to experience the zoo grounds and animal buildings in a comfortable and inclusive environment. Modifications include limited capacity and muted attractions. This is a free event, but it does require advanced registration.
Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the zoo without crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes guests with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, and dementia to name a few.
During Sensory-Friendly Morning, Gift Shop will be open at 8am and Landmark Café will sell beverages starting at 8:30am. AT&T Endangered Species Carousel and Lionel Train Adventure will operate with music and noises muted. Not all animal buildings may be open, and some animals may not be in their public viewing spaces.
At 10am, the zoo will be open to the public and begin typical operations.
View the zoo’s accessibility map HERE and accessibility page HERE to help plan your visit.
Lincoln Park Zoo is certified Sensory Inclusive by KultureCity. Please download the free KultureCity app with Lincoln Park Zoo social story. iOS Android
Guests may only enter at West Gate and East Gate, and they need to present their registration email to zoo ushers.
Paid parking is available at the zoo’s parking lot located at Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive (2300 N. Cannon Drive). The zoo is also accessible by train via the Armitage and Fullerton stations and by bus via the 22, 36, 151, and 156 routes.
All Lincoln Park Zoo events take place rain or shine. We have some wonderful animal buildings you can still enjoy if it rains, and the carousel is covered.
There is no smoking at Lincoln Park Zoo for the health of the animals in our care.
Pets are not allowed at the zoo, but licensed service animals are welcome.
For any questions, please email access@lpzoo.org.
Accessibility: sensory friendly
https://sensory-friendly-morning-at-Lincoln-Park-Zoo.eventbrite.com
Join us for an evening of enchantment as the Poetry Foundation transforms into Herman’s Lounge, a one night only jazz cabaret named in honor of the magician Black Herman. Dee Alexander (with John McLean), Ben LaMar Gay, keiyaA, and Gabrielle Octavia Rucker will interweave Chicago’s unique relationship to improv, poetry, and jazz. Co-curated by Jared Brown, Janelle Ayana Miller, and Noa Fields.
Born on Chicago’s west side, Dee Alexander is one of the city’s most gifted and respected vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from gospel to R&B, blues to neo-soul, yet her true heart and soul are experienced in their purest form through jazz. Growing up in a household steeped in recordings of Dinah Washington, Ms. Alexander names Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Chicago saxophonist Henry Huff among her major influences, setting her on the path to becoming one of the most accomplished voice improvisers in the world today. Ms. Alexander is currently a WFMT Jazz Radio host. Her performance is accompanied by John McLean.
Ben LaMar Gay is an interdisciplinary composer who moves sound, color, and space components through folkloric filters, producing brilliant electro-acoustic collages. An explorer of many mediums who has been called a “visionary musician” by the New York Times, Gay has found a form of creative expression that begins with improvisation and expands beyond the limits of any single genre. With more than 20 years in vibrant experimental music scenes, Gay’s talents have earned him residencies globally, most recently as a Mellon Foundation Archival Fellow. He has been a member of the Association of the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 2010. Receiving accolades for a parade of more than seven albums, his release Open Arms to Open Us solidified his place in the firmament of the Chicago Jazz Renaissance and was revered as one of the best albums of 2021 by the Washington Post, Pitchfork, JazzTimes, and Digital Berliner. Gay is a beneficiary of the 2018 3Arts Award and the 2019 Worldwide Award from BBC DJ Gilles Peterson.
Chakeiya Camille Richmond, a.k.a. keiyaA, is a musician, writer, and performer from Chicago, living in NYC.
Gabrielle Octavia Rucker is a writer, editor, and teaching artist from the Great Lakes, currently living in the Gulf Coast. She is a 2020 Poetry Project Fellow and a 2016 Kimbilio Fiction Fellow. Her debut poetry collection, Dereliction, is currently available via the Song Cave.
Jared Brown (co-curator) is an artist born in Chicago. They consider themselves a data thief, understanding this role from John Akomfrah’s description of the data thief as a figure that does not belong to the past or present. As a data thief, Jared Brown makes archeological digs for fragments of Black American subculture, history, and technology. Jared repurposes these fragments in audio, text, and performance to investigate the relationship between history and digital, immaterial space. Jared Brown holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and moved back to Chicago in 2016 in order to make and share work that directly relates to their personal history.
Janelle Ayana Miller (co-curator) is a grandchild of the Great Migration, a Midwesterner with Southern inflection. Her practice is rooted within familial and communal aesthetics, looking deeply into bridging self and time as an act of place making.
Accessibility:
Masks are strongly encouraged and available at check-in for those who would like to wear one. Please note that some event performers may choose to perform without a mask. The Foundation reserves the right to update this policy if community levels of COVID-19 increase significantly. Read our full COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidelines. Guests are encouraged to register in advance.
The Poetry Foundation’s events are completely free of charge and open to the public. This event will include ASL interpretation. For more information about accessibility at the Poetry Foundation, please visit our Accessibility Guide.
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 and beyond, preceded by a generative writing workshop. All readings are also livestreamed! This month, we are thrilled to present two stellar featured readers: Maggie Queeney and Brittany Rogers.
About the Workshop:
The Blue Hour generative writing workshop begins promptly at 6 p.m., ends at 7 p.m., and is designed for writers and poetry fans of all levels. Each workshop includes discussion of a poem by one of the night’s featured readers, followed by guided individual writing using an exploratory prompt that draws on themes from the poem. Registration is required, and the workshop is sliding scale with a suggested donation of $10. To register for the workshop on 8/16, visit https://BHworkshopAug.eventbrite.com for more details.
About the Reading:
The Blue Hour reading includes a brief open mic followed by two featured poets from Chicago and beyond. Pre-registration is free and recommended. The open mic includes five readers drawn lottery-style from a hat that goes out at 7:15. The reading starts promptly at 7:30. Each open mic poet reads one poem or for three minutes, whichever comes first. To register for the reading session on 8/16, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/675666987147 for more details.
About the Space:
Haymarket House is a community space in the heart of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood committed to uplifting the work of writers, artists, thinkers, activists, and educators who are committed to all struggles for a better world. This event includes professional ASL interpretation. Haymarket House is fully ADA-compliant and wheelchair accessible. Please let us know if you have any specific accessibility questions; if you use a wheelchair, please contact marty@poetrycenter.org to coordinate use of the ramp. Masks are not required but are encouraged and will be available to anyone who needs it.
Accessibility: ASL interpreted, wheelchair accessible
Join us for an exhibition opening conversation between the curator of the entre horizontes, Carla Acevedo-Yates, and Puerto Rican writer and activist José E. López for a wide-ranging conversation on the past and present of Puerto Rican activism.
Accessibility: ASL interpretation, English captioning, Spanish Captioning, wheelchair accessible
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/talk-jose-e-lopez-carla-acevedo-yates/
WORLD PREMIERE BY NAMBI E. KELLEY
DIRECTED BY TASIA A. JONES
Civil rights activist Kwame Ture, born Stokely Carmichael, was a towering icon; a man of immense domestic and international importance. But he was also just that: a man. Blending the historical and the personal, Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution asks: how can you trust someone with a movement when you can’t trust them with your heart? Tasia A. Jones makes her Court directorial debut with playwright Nambi E. Kelley’s evocative world premiere.
This event will have ASL interpretation, assistive listening devices, audio description, and wheelchair accessible seating.
Touch Tour will begin at 12:30pm.
BY SOPHOCLES
DIRECTED BY GABRIELLE RANDLE-BENT,
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
As Antigone mourns her brothers, she must decide if she will sacrifice her life to balance the scales of justice. Associate Artistic Director Gabrielle Randle-Bent’s interpretation of Sophocles’ masterwork – featuring Aeriel Williams in the titular role and Timothy Edward Kane as King Creon – renders Antigone electrifyingly alive, situating this tale in our modern conversation about the price of democracy, and asking – crucially – if it’s a price we’re willing to pay.
This event will have ASL interpretation, assistive listening devices, audio description, and wheelchair accessible seating.
Touch tour will begin at 12:30pm.
Aida presents a riveting love triangle, which unfolds in an alluring Egyptian setting. At Lyric Opera of Chicago, each of the five principal artists boasts not only a sumptuously beautiful voice, but also the charismatic presence to bring these characters vividly to life.
This event will have audio description, braille programs, large print programs, assistive listening devices, and is wheelchair accessible.
Cinderella (La Cenerentola) tells the story of the downtrodden daughter of a selfish father, Don Magnifico. When Prince Ramiro (disguised as his own valet, Dandini) meets her, they fall instantly in love, leading — after a few complications — to a heartwarming happy ending.
This event will have audio description, braille programs, large print programs, assistive listening devices and is wheelchair accessible.
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2023-24/cinderella/
Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the MCA without large crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes visitors with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, dementia, and more. On these mornings, lighting at the museum is dimmed, sounds from artworks and environmental noise is kept at a minimum, and a quiet space is available to visitors for breaks. During Sensory-Friendly Mornings, preregistered individuals and their families can visit the museum to explore exhibitions at their own pace, and join a Chicago-based artist for a sensory-friendly art-making experience. The museum is closed to the general public until 11:30 am; at that time, the lights and artworks return to usual operations.
Sensory-Friendly Morning aims to be a welcoming space to experience contemporary art in a judgment-free environment.
Accessibility: sensory-friendly, ASL interpreted, captioning, low lighting, quiet room, Spanish captioning, wheelchair accessible
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/sensory-friendly-morning-6/
Poetry @ The Green at 320 continues for the summer season this July!
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey.
Join us on Monday nights in July at 6:00 pm in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform their work in this partnership between Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal. After every poetry performance, there will be an open mic for any individual that would like to share poetry of their own!
ABOUT JULY’S FEATURED PERFORMERS:
July 10: Stephanie Liang is a Chinese-American poet whose work explores grief, family, identity, and longing. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Rainy Day Magazine, Runestone, and Masks. When she’s not writing (or thinking about writing), you can find her exploring new places, trying new foods, or playing music. Stephanie is originally from Kansas but now resides in Chicago.
July 17: Alanis Zoe Castillo Caref is a writer-poet activist-artist from Chicago. She received her BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Communication and Creative Writing. Alanis was a finalist for the 2021 Undergraduate Creative Writing Awards and won second place in The Hip Hop Workshop 2022 Spoken-Word/Poetry Competition. She also has poetry published in The Fashion Network magazine. Alanis has performed at Story Lab Chicago, Do Not Submit, Slam Diáspora, and Exhibit B. Currently, she is the Marketing Coordinator at Guild Literary Complex.
July 24: Ron is a first generation Mexican-American, from Chicago, who used to live up north, but has spent almost a decade living on the South Side. They dropped out of college to work on their poetry and have been writing for as long as they can remember. Their writings include doodling poems on the sides of notebooks, and just writing wherever and whenever they can. Their poems focus on mental health and have themes of nature throughout. Ron has been to multiple open mics all over the city and is in a poetry band that plays at Marquette park on the Southside. They didn’t start taking poetry seriously until last Spring but prides themselves on sharing a poem a day across social media platforms.
July 31: Olivia Scheidler (she/her) has been a high school educator for 10 years. Her poetry students have done way cooler things than her, but she has performed at the MOTH, South Side Story Slam and many a friends’ backyard. For fans of sad folk songs, moon picnics, and fun facts.
ABOUT THE CO-CURATORS:
Tarnynon (Ty-yuh-nuh) Onumonu is an artist and licensed Paraprofessional born and raised in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago and is extremely proud of and humbled by her SouthSide citizenship and West African lineage. In 2017, she took second place in the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards and represented Chicago on the Lethal Poetry Team at the 2018 National Poetry Slam. She has been a Poet in Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center since January of 2019 and has been featured in Newcity Magazine and South Side Weekly.
Timothy David Rey is a writer/performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and its suburbs. He is a 2015 Semi-Finalist for the Guild Literary Complex’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award, and one of the winners of Project Exploration (The Poetry Center of Chicago 2004). He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011). Timothy’s plays and performance pieces have been seen and heard at venues throughout Chicago as well as out of state and in Panama.
ABOUT THE LOCATION:
The Green at 320 is a public park located in the West Loop and will be host to many family-friendly activities and events this summer!
The Green at 320 is located behind the building at 320 S. Canal, 1 block west of the river. The main staired entrance to the park is on the corner of Clinton and Van Buren with an ADA-accessible ramp off of Clinton. The park is located 1 block north of the Clinton Blue Line Stop. Please find more detailed transit and location information at https://320southcanal.com/.
Accessibility: wheelchair accessible
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 play with a purpose and encourage linguistic, cognitive, motor, and social skills for children ages birth through 8.
Accessibility: sensory-friendly, quiet spaces, wheelchair accessible
On Sunday, July 30 from 10am to 3pm, Lincoln Park Zoo will host Sensory-Friendly Day at Farm-in-the-Zoo. Modifications include limited capacity. This is a free event, but it does require advanced registration.
Sensory-Friendly Day at Farm-in-the-Zoo is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the zoo without crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes guests with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, and dementia to name a few.
During Sensory-Friendly Day at Farm-in-the-Zoo animal buildings may be open, but some animals may not be in their public viewing spaces. There will also be low sensory activities.
Timed Entry Window: While registered guests will be let in before or after their one-hour timed entry window, guests are strongly encouraged to come during their timed entry window to help limit crowd sizes. Limited crowd sizes is one of the most important ways to make this day sensory-friendly. Thank you.
View the zoo’s accessibility map HERE and accessibility page HERE to help plan your visit.
Lincoln Park Zoo is certified Sensory Inclusive by KultureCity. Please download the free KultureCity app with Lincoln Park Zoo social story. iOS Android
pon arrival guests need to present their registration email to zoo ushers. This event is only happening at Farm-in-the-Zoo. The rest of Lincoln Park Zoo will have typical operations for the day.
Paid parking is available at the zoo’s parking lot located at Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive (2400 N. Cannon Drive). The zoo is also accessible by train via the Armitage and Fullerton stations and by bus via the 22, 36, 151, and 156 routes.
All Lincoln Park Zoo events take place rain or shine.
There is no smoking at Lincoln Park Zoo for the health of the animals in our care.
Pets are not allowed at the zoo, but licensed service animals are welcome.
For any questions, please email access@lpzoo.org.
Accessibility: Sensory-Friendly
KCM welcomes children with special needs and their families for an afternoon of learning and play focused on them. Our Museum campus is designed for universal accessibility with a purpose to encourage linguistic, cognitive, motor and social skills for all children ages birth to 8.
Accessibility: sensory-friendly, quiet spaces, wheelchair accessible
DIRECTED BY Uberto Pasolini
SYNOPSIS
Thirty-five-year-old window cleaner and single father John has dedicated his life to raising his son. Given only a few months to live, he traverses Belfast, visiting homes of the working class and wealthy alike. He has a singular goal: to find the perfect family to raise his toddler Michael. How can he carry out this impossible task? Inspired by true events in the UK, Nowhere Special is a tender tale of pure love, profound heartbreak, and parenthood.
https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/film/nowhere-special/
Accessibility: ASL interpreted, assistive listening devices, captioning, large print program, wheelchair accessible
A celebration of the disability arts with some of Chicago’s best disabled artists and performers! Join us after the parade for short-films, live music, dance, art activities, and a fun photo op in the magnificent and air-conditioned Chicago Cultural Center!
https://www.reinventability.com/disfest
Accessibility: ASL interpreted, audio description, captioning, quiet space, sensory friendly, wheelchair accessible
DIRECTED BY Joseph Amenta
SYNOPSIS
Three friends fall in love with summertime Toronto’s lively nightlife. Young, queer, and unapologetically self-confident, the trio spends their days holding court and plotting to sneak into a nightclub. When one of their caregivers goes missing under suspicious circumstances, reality comes crashing in and their seemingly unbreakable bond is tested. Featuring remarkable performances from its young actors, Soft is a tender portrait of youth, friendship, and life on the city’s margins.
Accessibility: ASL interpreted, assistive listening devices, captioning, large print program, wheelchair accessible
Lyric Opera is prototyping an innovative new experience for audiences who are deaf or hard of hearing called the SoundShirt, built by CuteCircuit. While the orchestra and artists perform on stage, microphones capture the sound. Computer software transforms the sounds into touch data, and the data is broadcast wirelessly to the SoundShirts. SoundShirt wearers experience the feeling of music rendered on their upper body through haptic actuation in real-time in a fully immersive way.
We’re prototyping the experience during our summer musical, West Side Story, and inviting a few outside guests who are hard of hearing and deaf to participate and experience it. There will be a follow-up survey seeking feedback. Seats and shirt sizes are limited, and tickets are free.
For questions, please write to [bdunn@lyricopera.org](mailto:bdunn@lyricopera.org).
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/west-side-story/
Curb Appeal Gallery is pleased to announce our second exhibition “Genevieve Ramos: Crip Paint Power”. This exhibition debuts new work created as part of Ramos’s Feminist Crip Paint Power, a multi-year project exploring the love, care, and interdependency in disability communities through the lens of disability justice and feminism. Stemming from relationships with disabled BIPOC femmes and through a series of curated interviews and photoshoots in partnership with the photographer Colectivo Multipolar, “Crip Paint Power” features four portraits of leaders in Chicago’s rich disability network, including community organizers Candace Coleman and Michelle Garcia, artist and educator Sandie (Chun-Shan) Yi, and the artist activist Reveca Torres. The exhibition includes a documentary film and zine created in collaboration with the Disability Culture Activism Lab at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Following the close of “Crip Paint Power”, the portraits of Coleman, Garcia, Torres, and Yi will be on permanent display at the Disability Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Curb Appeal is an apartment gallery located in the Heart of Chicago, run by Todd Garon and Sandy Guttman. As an organization, we are interested in the intersection of art and accessibility. We draw inspiration from the neighborhood topology of our historic storefront space and its visibility to the community in which we are sited. Our large windows and sidewalk stoop encourage passersby to peer in as well as invite themselves into our live/workspace. Grounded in the idea of “home” with an ethic of accessibility, Curb Appeal reimagines what both an apartment and a gallery can be.
For more information, please contact info@curbappeal.gallery.
Curb Appeal is wheelchair accessible. As part of the exhibition, there is a documentary film that is open captioned. All the paintings include image descriptions, made available through QR code. Additionally, the zine that accompanies the work is available on the Curb Appeal website. Masks are required for entry and will be provided if needed. Please note, Curb Appeal is an apartment gallery and doubles as a home to our gallery dog.
Poetry @ The Green at 320 continues for the summer season this June!
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey.
Join us on certain Monday nights in June at 6:00 p.m. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform their work in this partnership between Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal. After every poetry performance, there will be an open mic for any individual that would like to share poetry of their own!
ABOUT JUNE’S FEATURED PERFORMERS:
June 5: Noa Micaela Fields is a trans writer with hearing aids. She is the author of the poetry chapbook With and has also been published in Tripwire, Anomaly, Zoeglossia, Elderly Mag, Tyger Quarterly, and Sixty Inches From Center, among others. She is a programming curator at the Poetry Foundation and a 2022 fellow with Zoeglossia and Disability Lead.
June 12: Nile Lansana is an interdisciplinary artist from the South Side of Chicago. An acclaimed writer, poet, performer, and filmmaker, his work is centered around revealing radical truths and amplifying marginalized voices and narratives through a lens of Black imagination and visionary intention. He was a nominee for the inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate position. A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate with degrees in Journalism and English – Creative Writing, he won the 2021 Ronald Wallace Poetry Thesis Prize and 2020 George B. Hill Poetry Prize. His work is published in American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chicagoans, The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop, & elsewhere. He holds fellowships from the Rebuild Foundation and Obsidian Foundation. He has performed across the country, including Lollapalooza and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He recently starred in the play “No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks” produced by Manual Cinema. He is a proud uncle and the oldest of four Black boys. You can follow him on Instagram at @nilesupasuit.
June 26: Adam Gottlieb is a musician, poet, teaching artist, and organizer from Chicago. This year he was one of the nominees for the inaugural Poet Laureate of Chicago. As a youth, he was featured in the documentary film Louder Than A Bomb about the poetry slam festival of the same name. He is the leader of the Fusion band Adam Gottlieb and OneLove. He serves as a cantorial soloist for Tzedek Chicago. He has organized with a wide range of grassroots groups around issues such as housing justice, anti-gentrification, Indigenous sovereignty, education, and police/prison abolition. He also writes for the People’s Tribune.
ABOUT THE CO-CURATORS:
Tarnynon (Ty-yuh-nuh) Onumonu is an artist and licensed Paraprofessional born and raised in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago and is extremely proud of and humbled by her SouthSide citizenship and West African lineage. In 2017, she took second place in the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards and represented Chicago on the Lethal Poetry Team at the 2018 National Poetry Slam. She has been a Poet in Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center since January of 2019 and has been featured in Newcity Magazine and South Side Weekly.
Timothy David Rey is a writer/performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and its suburbs. He is a 2015 Semi-Finalist for the Guild Literary Complex’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award, and one of the winners of Project Exploration (The Poetry Center of Chicago 2004). He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011). Timothy’s plays and performance pieces have been seen and heard at venues throughout Chicago as well as out of state and in Panama.
ABOUT THE LOCATION:
The Green at 320 is a public park located in the West Loop and will be host to many family-friendly activities and events this summer!
The Green at 320 is located behind the building at 320 S. Canal, 1 block west of the river. The main staired entrance to the park is on the corner of Clinton and Van Buren with an ADA-accessible ramp off of Clinton. The park is located 1 block north of the Clinton Blue Line Stop. Please find more detailed transit and location information at https://320southcanal.com/.
Accessible Juneteenth 2023
Place: the UIC Quad (behind UIC Student Center East); 750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL
Date and Time: Saturday, June 17th, 2023 from 1pm to 5pm (Open mic livestream from 2:15pm to 3:15pm on Zoom and Chicagoland DPOCC Facebook page)
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Come and celebrate our second Juneteenth where we celebrate the black disability community and the victories we accomplished! We want to make Juneteenth a fun and important accessible experience for all, including disabled people in the African Diaspora.
RSVP at https://go.uic.edu/2023_AccessibleJuneteenth_RSVP to get event notifications!
This year, we will have a DJ who will bless us with music fit for our Accessible Juneteenth celebration. There will be food, giveaways, and resources given out by vendors also, including from Black-owned and disability-owned/friendly organizations and businesses.
We will host an open-mic where you can share your talents in singing, spoken-word, playing instruments, and more! Sign up at https://go.uic.edu/2023_AccessibleJuneteenth_OpenMic_Signup by June 9th at 11:59pm CT, or sign up in-person at the event. But hurry, because spots are limited!
If you’re not able to attend the celebration in person, that is okay! You can join us virtually; we will host a livestream of the open mic portion of the event. Register for the livestreams at https://go.uic.edu/2023_Virtual_AccessibleJuneteenth_Stream, or watch the livestream on Chicagoland DPOCC’s Facebook page on June 17th.
ASL will be provided for open mic portion; live captioning will be provided for the livestream of the open mic portion
More event details TBA as we get closer to the day; stay tuned for updates.
This event is brought to you by:
Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition
The Institute on Disability and Human Development at UIC
Access Living
UIC Disability Cultural Center
Chicago Disability Pride Parade
Whole Foods
SYNOPSIS
In Sydney, Gabi and Patricia train to compete in Destructive Steps, Australia’s largest street dance competition. Both are pushing themselves mentally and physically in hopes that winning the contest will open new doors and possibilities for a better life. The film spans seven years and provides viewers with intimate access to the breathtaking artform of street dancing. Keep Stepping illuminates the multicultural, passion-filled subculture and tells a moving story about love, obsession, and the transformative power of dance.
Summer Screenings is Cinema/Chicago’s annual free film series that casts a spotlight on a different country’s national cinema each week all summer. DIRECTED BY Luke Cornish
Cinema has always been fascinated with the city as a “character”— a living, breathing organism that shapes the world around it. This program showcases the myriad ways in which cities are depicted in cinema and how people live, love, move through, and seek connection in urban spaces.
Featuring stories set in cities all around the globe—from the bustling cafes of Bogotá to the seaside cityscapes of Gothenburg and Galway to glittering black and white portraits of Taipei and Seoul to the streets, skyways, rivers, and trains right here in Chicago—these films express the rich, diverse personalities of cities on screen and how they mold and influence how we live.
Films are unrated. Viewer discretion is advised.
Tickets are available to claim 2 weeks before the screening.
SYNOPSIS
Thirty-five-year-old window cleaner and single father John has dedicated his life to raising his son. Given only a few months to live, he traverses Belfast, visiting homes of the working class and wealthy alike. He has a singular goal: to find the perfect family to raise his toddler Michael. How can he carry out this impossible task? Inspired by true events in the UK, Nowhere Special is a tender tale of pure love, profound heartbreak, and parenthood. DIRECTED BY Uberto Pasolini
Summer Screenings is Cinema/Chicago’s annual free film series that casts a spotlight on a different country’s national cinema each week all summer.
Cinema has always been fascinated with the city as a “character”— a living, breathing organism that shapes the world around it. This program showcases the myriad ways in which cities are depicted in cinema and how people live, love, move through, and seek connection in urban spaces.
Featuring stories set in cities all around the globe—from the bustling cafes of Bogotá to the seaside cityscapes of Gothenburg and Galway to glittering black and white portraits of Taipei and Seoul to the streets, skyways, rivers, and trains right here in Chicago—these films express the rich, diverse personalities of cities on screen and how they mold and influence how we live.
Films are unrated. Viewer discretion is advised.
Tickets are available to claim 2 weeks before the screening.
LabE is a series of monthly cohort meetings addressing particular needs of disabled dance artists.
The LabE gathering on July 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 event is open to all artists who seek a supportive community where they can connect with peers who share similar experiences and offer and receive support, encouragement, and constructive feedback.
This gathering aims to foster community connections among Deaf, disabled, sick, neurodivergent, and Mad artists while providing a platform for artists to explore their creativity and showcase their unique perspectives.
If you are an artist who is interested in showcasing your art or working through new ideas, please reach out to Maggie at mbridg8@uic.edu to participate in this event.
LabE is a series of monthly cohort meetings addressing particular needs of disabled dance artists.
During our May meeting we’ll pool our knowledge around writing funding applications. Whether you’ve written several successful applications or are just beginning the process of writing your first application, this space is for you. Depending on the needs of the group, this may look like spending time quietly co-writing, passing around drafts to get feedback, discussing strategies for framing our work as disabled artists in applications, or developing a list of funding opportunities to share with the community.
LabE is open to all Chicago-area dance artists who self-identify as Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing, sick, mad, neurodivergent, disabled or living with a disability, and/or who have lived experience with disability or impairment. This space is particularly meant for those interested in exploring disability and impairment-informed modes of practicing dance.
Additional Access Information is available here:
https://highconceptlabs.org/news-2/labe-launches-at-experimental-station
For any other questions or requests regarding accessibility accommodations, please contact HCL’s Accessibility Coordinator, Yolanda Cesta Cursach Montilla (yolanda@highconceptlabs.org).
Please join us for a communal dialog with award-winning artist Barak adé Soleil and members of the local Black and Brown neurodiverse and disabled community who are part of adé Soleil’s newly commissioned work SHIFT.
SHIFT, a multidisciplinary project for the MCA’s Frictions series, has two components:
An installation located on the first floor of the MCA during the performance’s run, intentionally next to a spiraling staircase that goes up to the museum’s fourth floor. Barak is creating a film that will be installed and projected onto a diamond-like platform. In this dreamlike video installation, bodies both at rest and as they shift are visible onscreen at life-size and larger-than-life scale. The presence of Black neurodiverse and disabled bodies is amplified from many angles, infiltrating the architecture of the museum’s iconic public stairwell. Whereas these bodies might otherwise be violently misinterpreted as either lazy or near death, adé Soleil offers rest—and the intimacy of everyday gestures—as forms of political resistance for Black people.
A gathering on Saturday, May 6, where members of the Disability community will join adé Soleil in a “promenade” throughout the museum’s public areas; at times they will ascend the staircases and take up space to make visible and apparent the power of community presence. The use of the word promenade is intentional, drawing from its definition: “to take a leisurely public walk, ride, [wheel] or drive so as to meet or be seen by others.”
SHIFT is curated by Tara Aisha Willis, Curator of Performance & Public Practice at the MCA.
Access Information
ASL interpretation, CART captioning, and live audio description are provided. AD devices are available at the museum, and audience members may also use their personal devices to access the audio description through a URL provided on-site.
This event has relaxed viewing protocols and sensory-friendly lighting.
ASL provided.Audio description available.Haptic elements used.
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/talk-barak-ade-soleil-with-shift-performers/
This spring, A.B.L.E. returns to the stage and our classical roots with a multimedia version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, updated for our social-media obsessed times. Our modern adaptation by A.B.L.E. teaching artist Emma MacLean focuses on the themes of connection and disconnection. The king and queen of the fairies are fighting, the mechanicals are rehearsing a play but no one knows their lines, and the Athenian teens keep changing their relationship status. Join ABLE’s ensembles – 34 actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities as we miss texts, drop calls, and wander love struck in the Athenian forest.
This multimedia production will weave Shakespeare’s words with original scenes, monologues, songs, and dances devised by our ensembles, as well as animated film sequences from VFX designer Brock Alter. The virtual ensemble will narrate the tale for us as the in-person ensembles take the stage Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
With your ticket, you have the option of participating in a 45 minute interactive workshop led by A.B.L.E.’s team of Creative Associates and Teaching Artists. Audiences can experience some of the games and activities A.B.L.E. used to bring their ideas to the stage, get a touch tour of key costume pieces and props, and try A.B.L.E.’s signature “dropping in” method. This exclusive opportunity is only available to 20 ticket holders each day – reserve your spot when booking your ticket.
Event Details:
Sunday June 11th at 2pm (pre-show workshop & touch tour at 12:30pm)
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
800 East Grand Avenue
Chicago IL 60611
Tickets: All tickets are Pay-what-you-can, general admission
Online: ableensemble.com/events
Phone: 312.595.5600
In person: at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater box office
Access: Performances will be open captioned and dual ASL interpreted.
COVID Policies: To ensure A.B.L.E.’s immunocompromised performers and community members feel safe and welcome, all audience members must remain masked for the duration of their time in the theater complex.
This spring, A.B.L.E. returns to the stage and our classical roots with a multimedia version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, updated for our social-media obsessed times. Our modern adaptation by A.B.L.E. teaching artist Emma MacLean focuses on the themes of connection and disconnection. The king and queen of the fairies are fighting, the mechanicals are rehearsing a play but no one knows their lines, and the Athenian teens keep changing their relationship status. Join ABLE’s ensembles – 34 actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities as we miss texts, drop calls, and wander love struck in the Athenian forest.
This multimedia production will weave Shakespeare’s words with original scenes, monologues, songs, and dances devised by our ensembles, as well as animated film sequences from VFX designer Brock Alter. The virtual ensemble will narrate the tale for us as the in-person ensembles take the stage Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
With your ticket, you have the option of participating in a 45 minute interactive workshop led by A.B.L.E.’s team of Creative Associates and Teaching Artists. Audiences can experience some of the games and activities A.B.L.E. used to bring their ideas to the stage, get a touch tour of key costume pieces and props, and try A.B.L.E.’s signature “dropping in” method. This exclusive opportunity is only available to 20 ticket holders each day – reserve your spot when booking your ticket.
Event Details:
Saturday June 10th at 7pm (pre-show workshop & touch tour at 5:30pm)
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
800 East Grand Avenue
Chicago IL 60611
Tickets: All tickets are Pay-what-you-can, general admission
Online: ableensemble.com/events
Phone: 312.595.5600
In person: at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater box office
Access: Performances will be open captioned and dual ASL interpreted.
COVID Policies: To ensure A.B.L.E.’s immunocompromised performers and community members feel safe and welcome, all audience members must remain masked for the duration of their time in the theater complex.
Children of all abilities can play and explore nature through accessible activities in The Morton Arboretum’s lush 4-acre Children’s Garden during this special Nature Play for All weekend event, organized in collaboration with Benedictine University and SEASPAR, the South East Association for Special Parks and Recreation. Activities include Painting with Nature, Planting a Seed, American Sign Language Storytimes, Pond Exploration, Sensory Hikes and Nature Scavenger Hunts. Nature Play for All will occur Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Children’s Garden is supported by International Paper. For more information, visit mortonarb.org.
Accessibility: ASL interpreted, quiet spaces, sensory friendly, wheelchair accessible
https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/childrens-family-programs/nature-play-for-all/
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 and beyond, preceded by a generative writing workshop. All readings are also livestreamed! This month, for our final Blue Hour of the season, we are thrilled to present two stellar featured readers: CM Burroughs and Eugenia Leigh.
About the Workshop:
The Blue Hour generative writing workshop begins promptly at 6 p.m., ends at 7 p.m., and is designed for writers and poetry fans of all levels. Each workshop includes discussion of a poem by one of the night’s featured readers, followed by guided individual writing using an exploratory prompt that draws on themes from the poem. Registration is required, and the workshop is sliding scale with a suggested donation of $10.
To register for the workshop on May 17, visit https://BHworkshopmay23.eventbrite.com for more details.
About the Reading:
The Blue Hour reading includes a brief open mic followed by two featured poets from Chicago and beyond. Pre-registration is free and recommended. The open mic includes five readers drawn lottery-style from a hat that goes out at 7:15 p.m. The reading starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. Each open mic poet reads one poem or for three minutes, whichever comes first.
To register for the reading session on May 17, visit https://BHmay23.eventbrite.com for more details.
About the Space:
Haymarket House is a community space in the heart of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood committed to uplifting the work of writers, artists, thinkers, activists, and educators who are committed to all struggles for a better world. This event includes professional ASL interpretation. Haymarket House is fully ADA-compliant and wheelchair accessible. Please let us know if you have any specific accessibility questions; if you use a wheelchair, please contact marty@poetrycenter.org to coordinate use of the ramp. Masks are not required but are encouraged and will be available to anyone who needs it.
Writing Care Scenes: A Workshop & Skill Share with 2023 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency Fellow, Kennedy Dawson Healy
Thursday, May 4th, 4:30pm to 6:30pm (Or join us virtually at 5:00pm!)
Haymarket House
800 W Buena Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
Join us for a workshop on writing play scenes about care. Learn about how Kennedy found grounding in writing about issues surrounding care through her in-progress project Care: The Musical. Then take time to develop your own scene that volunteers can share back to the group.
RSVP: https://writingcarescenes.eventbrite.com/
Program:
4:30 – 5:00 pm: Light refreshments and creative printmaking & zine stations* will be available outdoors.
5:00 – 6:30 pm: Workshop & skill share will be hosted in door.
*Creative printmaking & zine stations will be presented by Soph Schinderle (they/them) and Lizzy Dixon (they/them), who have collaborated with Kennedy during her residency. Schinderle and Dixon are both graduate art therapy students in the Community Practice and Helping Relationship Class, department of art therapy and counseling, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).
Access Information: Haymarket House is located in Uptown on the corner of Buena and Clarendon. Please enter through the parking lot off Clarendon where there is a ramped side entrance. ASL interpreters, CART, and a Personal Assistant will be available at the event. Masks are required for all who are able to wear them. There are two accessible bathrooms and the large event space has an air filter. For any other accessibility requests, please reach out to Beth Bendtsen at bbendtsen@accessliving.org at your earliest convenience.
Host Information: This event is part of the 2023 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency Fellowship. Bodies of Work is a part of the Department of Disability and Human Development within the College of Applied Health Sciences at University of Illinois-Chicago.
Supporter Information:
This program received generous support from the Arts and Culture Project at Access Living, an independent living center for people with disabilities, Shirley Ryan Abilities Lab and Disability Culture Activism Lab at SAIC.
The contents of this event were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RTCP0005). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this event do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, as well as grants to 3Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Joyce Foundation.
Image description (attached flyer): Pastel pink and purple watercolor background with black, purple and blue text. There is a small circular photo of Kennedy, a white, fat, disabled femme, who smiles with their head turned slightly to the right. The back of their power chair is visible over their shoulder. Overlaid on the back ground is text with event information, including the bullet points: Outdoor refreshments, Creative printmaking & zine stations, and Scene writing workshop & sharing. Along the bottom are the logos for the event sponsors.
Poetry @ The Green returns for the summer season this May!
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey.
Join us on certain Monday nights in May at 6:00 p.m. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform their work in this partnership between Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal (aka The Green at 320). After every poetry performance, there will be an open mic for any individual that would like to share poetry of their own!
ABOUT MAY’S FEATURED PERFORMERS:
May 1: Christie Valentin-Bati is suburban kid now mostly grown up with an MFA from Columbia College. She is an interdisciplinary poet and artist who’s creative work and pedagogy emphasizes the quotidian as the bulk of life resides in the ordinary.
May 8: Kim Chayeb is the Two-Spirit (they/them) founder/CEO of Wild Tongues as well as a multi-disciplinary artist, holistic healer, activist, and educator originally from San Diego, California via Indian Trail, North Carolina. Kim graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and their spoken word poetry and conceptual performance art experiences explore themes of Environmental Justice, Indigenous Sovereignty, Anti-Racism and Science/Spirituality.
May 15: Luis Tubens, a.k.a “Logan Lu”, was born in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood and raised in Logan Square. In 2014, he earned a B.A. in Communications, media and theater from Northeastern Illinois University. Luis has performed poetry across the United States including with the GUILD COMPLEX, Tia Chucha Press, and the National Museum of Mexican Art.
May 22: Teresa Dzieglewicz is a poet, educator, and lover of rivers. She is a Poet-in-Residence with Chicago Poetry Center, part of the founding team of Mni Wichoni Nakicizin Wounspe (Defenders of the Water School) on Standing Rock Reservation, and an Associate Editor with RHINO Poetry Journal. She also volunteers with several Chicago River restoration projects.
ABOUT THE CO-CURATORS:
Tarnynon (Ty-yuh-nuh) Onumonu is an artist and licensed Paraprofessional born and raised in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago and is extremely proud of and humbled by her SouthSide citizenship and West African lineage. She has been a Poet in Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center since January of 2019 and has been featured in Newcity Magazine and South Side Weekly.
Timothy David Rey is a writer/performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and its suburbs. He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011).
ABOUT THE LOCATION:
The Green is a public park located in the West Loop and will be host to many family-friendly activities and events this summer!
The Green at 320 is located behind the building at 320 S. Canal, 1 block west of the river. The main staired entrance to the park is on the corner of Clinton and Van Buren with an ADA-accessible ramp off of Clinton. The park is located 1 block north of the Clinton Blue Line Stop.
Poetry @ The Green returns for the summer season this May!
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey.
Join us on certain Monday nights in May at 6:00 p.m. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform their work in this partnership between Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal (aka The Green at 320). After every poetry performance, there will be an open mic for any individual that would like to share poetry of their own!
ABOUT MAY’S FEATURED PERFORMERS:
May 1: Christie Valentin-Bati is suburban kid now mostly grown up with an MFA from Columbia College. She is an interdisciplinary poet and artist who’s creative work and pedagogy emphasizes the quotidian as the bulk of life resides in the ordinary.
May 8: Kim Chayeb is the Two-Spirit (they/them) founder/CEO of Wild Tongues as well as a multi-disciplinary artist, holistic healer, activist, and educator originally from San Diego, California via Indian Trail, North Carolina. Kim graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and their spoken word poetry and conceptual performance art experiences explore themes of Environmental Justice, Indigenous Sovereignty, Anti-Racism and Science/Spirituality.
May 15: Luis Tubens, a.k.a “Logan Lu”, was born in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood and raised in Logan Square. In 2014, he earned a B.A. in Communications, media and theater from Northeastern Illinois University. Luis has performed poetry across the United States including with the GUILD COMPLEX, Tia Chucha Press, and the National Museum of Mexican Art.
May 22: Teresa Dzieglewicz is a poet, educator, and lover of rivers. She is a Poet-in-Residence with Chicago Poetry Center, part of the founding team of Mni Wichoni Nakicizin Wounspe (Defenders of the Water School) on Standing Rock Reservation, and an Associate Editor with RHINO Poetry Journal. She also volunteers with several Chicago River restoration projects.
ABOUT THE CO-CURATORS:
Tarnynon (Ty-yuh-nuh) Onumonu is an artist and licensed Paraprofessional born and raised in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago and is extremely proud of and humbled by her SouthSide citizenship and West African lineage. She has been a Poet in Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center since January of 2019 and has been featured in Newcity Magazine and South Side Weekly.
Timothy David Rey is a writer/performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and its suburbs. He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011).
ABOUT THE LOCATION:
The Green is a public park located in the West Loop and will be host to many family-friendly activities and events this summer!
The Green at 320 is located behind the building at 320 S. Canal, 1 block west of the river. The main staired entrance to the park is on the corner of Clinton and Van Buren with an ADA-accessible ramp off of Clinton. The park is located 1 block north of the Clinton Blue Line Stop.
Poetry @ The Green returns for the summer season this May!
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey.
Join us on certain Monday nights in May at 6:00 p.m. in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform their work in this partnership between Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal (aka The Green at 320). After every poetry performance, there will be an open mic for any individual that would like to share poetry of their own!
ABOUT MAY’S FEATURED PERFORMERS:
May 1: Christie Valentin-Bati is suburban kid now mostly grown up with an MFA from Columbia College. She is an interdisciplinary poet and artist who’s creative work and pedagogy emphasizes the quotidian as the bulk of life resides in the ordinary.
May 8: Kim Chayeb is the Two-Spirit (they/them) founder/CEO of Wild Tongues as well as a multi-disciplinary artist, holistic healer, activist, and educator originally from San Diego, California via Indian Trail, North Carolina. Kim graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and their spoken word poetry and conceptual performance art experiences explore themes of Environmental Justice, Indigenous Sovereignty, Anti-Racism and Science/Spirituality.
May 15: Luis Tubens, a.k.a “Logan Lu”, was born in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood and raised in Logan Square. In 2014, he earned a B.A. in Communications, media and theater from Northeastern Illinois University. Luis has performed poetry across the United States including with the GUILD COMPLEX, Tia Chucha Press, and the National Museum of Mexican Art.
May 22: Teresa Dzieglewicz is a poet, educator, and lover of rivers. She is a Poet-in-Residence with Chicago Poetry Center, part of the founding team of Mni Wichoni Nakicizin Wounspe (Defenders of the Water School) on Standing Rock Reservation, and an Associate Editor with RHINO Poetry Journal. She also volunteers with several Chicago River restoration projects.
ABOUT THE CO-CURATORS:
Tarnynon (Ty-yuh-nuh) Onumonu is an artist and licensed Paraprofessional born and raised in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago and is extremely proud of and humbled by her SouthSide citizenship and West African lineage. She has been a Poet in Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center since January of 2019 and has been featured in Newcity Magazine and South Side Weekly.
Timothy David Rey is a writer/performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and its suburbs. He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011).
ABOUT THE LOCATION:
The Green is a public park located in the West Loop and will be host to many family-friendly activities and events this summer!
The Green at 320 is located behind the building at 320 S. Canal, 1 block west of the river. The main staired entrance to the park is on the corner of Clinton and Van Buren with an ADA-accessible ramp off of Clinton. The park is located 1 block north of the Clinton Blue Line Stop.
Our Audio Description and Touch Tour Date for London Road is Friday, May 5. The Touch Tour begins at 6:45 pm, and the show will be at 8:00. Use the code “ACCESS20” for $20 tickets if you plan to take advantage of these accessibility offerings!
Determined and tenacious, the residents of Ipswich, UK mobilize to overcome the immense fear and media circus that unfolds following the serial murder of 5 sex workers in their small town. This experimental and innovative new musical is based on a true story, using verbatim dialogue recorded during interviews with the people of Ipswich. Brought to the American stage for the first time ever, London Road is an uplifting story that reveals how a devastating tragedy can spark empathy and engender community resilience.
This musical is 2 hours 15 minutes, with one intermission.
Masks are mandatory for all patrons for the entire duration of the performance, except when actively drinking beverages.
Join LYNX Project for the most-anticipated event of their 2022-23 season: the World Premieres of the 2022-23 Amplify Series. The Amplify Series commissions classical composers to set texts by autistic poets, who are primarily nonspeaking, to music. LYNX has commissioned over 40 writers and composers, generating over four hours of new music. The Amplify Series World Premiere Concert celebrates this year’s powerful and poignant new works, featuring the following poets, composers, and performers:
Poets:
Amelia Bell
Sofia Ghassaei
Matthew McGrath
John-Carlos Schaut
Parker Scheu
Composers:
Eugenia Cheng
Shane S. Cook
Corinne Klein
Paul Novak
Matthew Recio
Performers:
Veena Akama-Makia, mezzo-soprano
Pauline Tan, mezzo-soprano
Samuel James Dewese, baritone
Florence Mak, pianist
Michael Tran, clarinetist
Kimberly Jeong, cellist
Accommodations:
Relaxed performance atmosphere (movement, fidgets, stims welcome in our space)
Sensory-relief space outside concert hall
No clapping — handwaving and snapping for applause
For additional information about accommodations, or to make a request, please contact Michelle Ravitsky at michelle@lynxproject.org.
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 for all ages.
Accessibility: open captions, live captions
https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/film/cineyouth2023-chicagoland/
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, will likely be put to use in the performance of “Scale” in May! Feel free to come by Curb Appeal from 2:00-4:00pm on 4/15, and bring any crafting projects you might want to work on.
Additionally, this is the second-to-last week to experience Molly Joyce’s “Perspective” a sound and video work that grapples with the myriad ways in which people experience disability. The work is open captioned. Sound descriptions and image descriptions accompany the video, too.
Curb Appeal is wheelchair accessible. We also have a gallery dog (Momo) who will be present at this program. We’ll continue to mask inside, in consideration of one another. Email us for address and access information: info@curbappeal.gallery.
Limited capacity. Advanced registration is required.
Masking is required for this performance.
Using the pain scale as a primary source material, Scale places medicalized methods of quantifying pain in conversation with alternative ways of reading and attending to pain emerging from the disability community, ultimately proposing new ways of caring for the bodymind in dance. These complex interactions between medicalization, care, and community are explored through movement, video, and the use of access tools for both performers and audience members. Scale invites audience members to attend to their own embodied experience of the piece, offering pillows, blankets, and other care objects as tools for curating the way they engage with and experience the work. Scale poses questions around the ways that we perceive pain, ultimately reaching toward a more compassionate and disability-informed way of creating and performing dance.
Each performance is followed by a Crafting Care event that serves as a sort of informal “talk back” with some of the artists, as well as an opportunity to join in the crafting practice that informed much of the work of Scale. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own crafting projects, participate in a group embroidery project, or simply share space and chat about Scale in community with the artists and other audience members.
COLLABORATORS
Performers: Maggie Bridger, Jordan Brown, Joán Joel, Alex Neil-Sevier, Robby Lee Williams
Costumes and Visual Art: Reveca Torres
Sound Design: Shireen Hamza
Crafters: Margaret Fink, Sandy Guttman, Alison Kopit, Ashley Miller
Access information
ACCESS DURING PERFORMANCE
Captions, American Sign Language, audio descriptions, opportunities to rest, and sensory notes are incorporated into the performance in ways that we hope generate a unique, thoughtful experience for each audience member. The methods we’re using to incorporate these elements into the performance are experimental and may differ from the ways these tools are encountered in other arts spaces. We are continuing to learn, develop, and experiment alongside our community and welcome feedback on these elements, particularly from members of the community that rely on these various tools to access performance.
COVID Protocols:
Masking is required in the performance space. Mana Contemporary, though, is a shared building that does not require masking and there may be unmasked people outside of the performance space. You are welcome to bring your own mask or grab one of the high quality masks available to audience members in both adult and child sizes at the building’s entrance. All performers will be masked, though there is a moment in the work where performers layer masks one on top of the other, which may cause their masking to be less effective for a short period of time.
Arriving at Mana & Wayfinding:
All audience members will enter the ramped entrance to Mana Contemporary located on the west side of the building near the Throop street entrance to the parking lot. Audiences will then be guided through the building to the performance space by the performers, two of whom use ASL and will be able to guide Deaf and hard of hearing audience members. The first 30 minutes of the performance time is dedicated to audience arrival and getting situated in the performance space, so there is no need to rush or worry about arriving precisely on time. There is time to rest, chat, and get settled.
A library around the corner from the performance space will be used as a “quiet space” that folks can use to get a break from the performance, if needed.
Access Tools and Sharing Space:
The show runs about an hour and a half with the first half hour dedicated entirely to audience members arriving and getting settled for the performance. Upon entering the space, audience members will be offered access devices and care tools to help them feel as comfortable as possible throughout the performance. Some of the tools we have available are:
4 blankets
3 small weighted blankets
9 pillows
2 large beanbags
Yoga mats/exercise mats
Instant hot and cold packs
Stim tools
3 ear defenders
In addition to these, you are very welcome to bring your own tools/devices. We invite you to move, stim, rest, and generally make yourself comfortable during the performance. Our tools/devices will be cleaned with scent-free detergent/cleanser between each performance.
We ask that audience members refrain from wearing any scented perfume, cologne, lotion, etc. However, Mana Contemporary is a shared space where tenants will sometimes burn incense or use other scented products. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a fully scent-free environment.
Youtube star, author, transgender activist and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Gigi Gorgeous, and American drag performer, actor, make-up artist, and the first transgender male to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Gottmik are ready for real talk about their transition journeys. Join these two queer icons as they discuss their newest book, The T Guide: Our Trans Experiences and a Celebration of Gender Expression―Man, Woman, Nonbinary, and Beyond, and discover the knowledge you need to be the best ally you can be and better understand what it means for those who embark on this journey.
Come enjoy dinner and drinks at Chop Shop before or after the conversation with Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik. A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/gorgeous-gottmik/
Does a job, a home, and a killer wardrobe make you a true adult? Andrew Rannells isn’t so sure. If he’s so successful in his forties, then why does he still feel like an anxious twenty-something? Were the triumphs of his life actually failures? And were his failures his real triumphs? At Chicago Humanities, the Tony-nominated actor will sit down for a witty, fun, and poignant conversation that looks back over his career– from the Broadway stage (The Book of Mormon) to the silver screen (Girls, Big Mouth)–to ask what success and “adulting” really mean and whether he will ever feel like he has enough.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions, audio description, and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/andrew-rannells/
There’s no better biographer working right now than Chicago’s own Jonathan Eig. He has helped us understand some of the most monumental lives of our times, such as Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, and Al Capone. Eig’s newest subject is one of the most important figures in U.S. history: Martin Luther King Jr. But what is new to say about MLK? Plenty, it turns out. Join Eig and The Interview Show’s Mark Bazer for a conversation that will shed new light on this extraordinary American life. Following the conversation, Chicago jazz group The JuJu Exchange performs selections from their latest project, JazzRx, and share the emotional journey they and their fans took together to bring this healing music to life.
Come enjoy dinner and drinks at Chop Shop before or after this event.
This event will have open captions, audio description and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/eig-jujuexchange/
In his new book Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything, Kaku attests that this technological breakthrough could allow humanity to do everything from create nuclear fusion reactors that create clean, renewable energy without radioactive waste or threats of a meltdown to unravel the fiendishly difficult protein folding that lies at the heart of previously incurable diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Parkinson’s. Join Chicago Humanities as we sit down with this renowned scientist as he simplifies this important yet complicated topic in a way only Michio Kaku can.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/michio-kaku/
Longtime New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik investigates a foundational human question: How do we learn—and master—a new skill? In his newest book, The Real Work, Gopnik apprenticed as an artist, a dancer, a boxer, and even a driving instructor to understand the process of mastering new skills, how it happens, and if anyone can do it. Join Chicago Humanities as we sit down with this brilliant writer, for a conversation that seeks to answer the ultimate question about why and how we humans relentlessly seek to better ourselves.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/adam-gopnik/
Ruth E. Carter is one of the most renowned and celebrated costume designers working today having designed more than 40 films over the course of 3 decades and winning Oscars for Best Costume Design for her work on Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. At Chicago Humanities, Carter will explore the passion for history that inspired her period pieces and her journey into Afrofuturism, as well as what it’s been like working with such film legends as Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, and more.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/ruth-e-carter/
The preeminent African American pop artist of his generation, Chicago-born Hebru Brantley straddles the worlds of fine art, street art, and hip-hop, while he’s name-dropped in rap songs and collected by the likes of Jay-Z and LeBron James. Join Chicago Humanities for an upbeat, life-affirming chat about the work of this painter, sculptor, and designer whose work attempts to restore innocence to depictions of Black youth, normalize images of Black children at play, and suggest an entirely new mythology through the creation of Black superheroes.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/hebru-brantley/
Tony Award-winning playwright of the theatrical phenomenon The Vagina Monologues, V (formerly Eve Ensler) sits down for an unflinching conversation about her newest, deeply personal work, Reckoning. On her travels from Berlin to Oklahoma to the Congo, V has spent her life spearheading global movements to end homelessness, the climate disaster, and especially violence against all women and girls. At Chicago Humanities, V will sit down with author Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You: A Novel) to help us all learn how to create change, survive love, and connect to our greater purpose. The conversation will address the meaning and critical importance of personal and political reckoning in a country that is being controlled and destroyed by its past.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/v-eve-ensler/
In the second half of the 20th century, Chicago has grown into a Latino metropolis, boasting flourishing neighborhoods such as Pilsen and Little Village. Despite Mexican Chicagoans facing intersecting forces of wealth-driven gentrification and anti-immigrant policies, Chicago has become a city of refuge, mutual aid, and economic power. Join Professor of History at Georgetown University Mike Amecua and Ivón Padilla-Rodríguez for a conversation on Chicago as Latino metropolis.
This event will have open caption and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/latino-metropolis/
As the former Cook County public defender, Allen Goodman has dedicated his life to defending his clients against routine police abuse, prosecutorial misconduct, and unjust sentencing. We are excited to welcome him to the Chicago Humanities stage for a conversation with Rudi Batzell, assistant professor of history at Lake Forest College, on Goodman’s memoir Everyone Against Us and the human suffering that is at the heart of the American criminal justice system.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/allen-goodman/
When most people think of the history of modern conservatism, they think of Ronald Reagan. This leaves out the current ideals of conservatism, the recent presidency of Donald Trump, and the ambiguous future of the Republican party. Co-founder of The Washington Free Beacon, Matthew Continetti (The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism), American Journalist Mary Katharine Ham, and former aide to Vice President Mike Pence, Olivia Troye, sit down for a conversation led by author and senior writer atThe Dispatch David Drucker (In Trump’s Shadow: The Battle for 2024 and the Future of the GOP) on the state of the conservative movement – where it started and where it’s going.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event wll have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/american-conservatism/
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 experience of disability through a series of videos detailing their crip epistemologies. Following the video presentation, they will be joined by Dr. Carrie Sandahl, co-director of Bodies of Work, and Liza Sylvestre and Christopher Jones, co-founders of Crip*: Cripistemology and the Arts, for a moderated discussion on the disability experience and the valuable knowledges that stem from it.
This will be a hybrid program held in-person at the MCA Chicago and virtually. American Sign Language interpretation, CART-captioning, and verbal description will be provided in the video presentation and the panel discussion. The MCA Commons is wheelchair accessible and offers gender neutral facilities. While masks are not required for entry to the museum, we encourage masking for all in-person attendees. For any other access needs please contact Daniel Atkinson at DAtkinson@mcachicago.org.
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/access-praxis-cripistemology/
Miranda July has gained a cult following over the span of her award-winning career as a filmmaker (Me and You and Everyone We Know and Kajillionaire), writer (No One Belongs Here More Than You), and artist (her latest project, Services, is both a sculpture and a book). Chill with July and acclaimed musician, actor, and comedian Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater Kinney) for a chat about art in all of its many forms.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have ALDs available at the Box Office.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/july-brownstein/
Writer and comedian Scott Aukerman’s weekly podcast, Comedy Bang! Bang!, is filled with zany characters, celebrity interviews, and chaotic improv. It’s now available as a book, Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book, and features brand-new anecdotes and opinions from characters of the iconic show. Join Aukerman and Mark Bazer, host of The Interview Show, on the Chicago Humanities stage for a hilarious behind-the-scenes conversation about his new book.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/aukerman-bazer/
Jane Austen is famously a writer of comedy, but many readers turn to her work in times of difficulty and sorrow, not merely to escape, but because Austen, with her wonderful capacity for surprise, seems to make room for these darker times. So author Rachel Cohen found during the period of ordinary joys and sorrows when her children were born, her father died, and she read nothing but Austen. Join Cohen for a conversation about her latest work, the Austen Years: A Memoir, as she explores the surprise mingling of sorrow and joy – in Jane Austen’s life, in Sense and Sensibility, and in what draws us back to Austen through reading and films of our own day.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/rachel-cohen/
One of the greatest tensions in American society exists between preserving freedom of speech and respecting the sensitivities of marginalized communities, and it has been manifesting increasingly in academics, business, and the arts. Ayad Akhtar, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, novelist, and President of PEN America, joins Interfaith America Founder and President Eboo Patel in conversation to explore how to hold space for intellectual liberty and creative expression without sacrificing the dignity of individual identities and beliefs.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/akhtar-patel/
With the nominations of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, and the subsequent reversal of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has taken a dramatic turn to the right. Gain insight into how we got here and the changing judicial landscape with a panel of experts: CNN senior legal analyst Joan Biskupic, whose latest work Nine Black Robes examines the historic consequences of the Supreme Court’s drive to the right, law professors Aziz Huq and Joyce Vance, and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner.
A book signing will follow this program.
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/supreme-court/
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 an end to police brutality once and for all. Now, in the face of new stories of police abuse filling the news once again, Ellison joins Chicago Humanities to ask the key question: how do we break the wheel of police violence and finally make it stop turning?
This event will have open captions and ALDs.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/keith-ellison/