Continents, a 2022 installation by Amanda Christine Harth representing North America (left) and Africa (right). Made from cotton canvas, indigo dye, and red cotton thread. Credit: Ray Abercrombie

For International Repair Day on Saturday, October 15, artist and environmental activist Jenny Kendler, 42, hosted “Before and After: Mending a Life” along with artists Catherine Schwalbe and Katie Vota. The event took place next to Mending Wall, Kendler’s interactive installation currently on view outside of the Field Museum. At “Before and After: Mending a Life,” attendants were encouraged to bring and repair textiles from their own homes, and together “consider mending in your life, your community, our world,” according to Kendler’s website. Tools and supplies such as thread, elastic, and buttons were provided, and no experience was necessary to participate.

Mending Wall is a collaborative project created by Kendler and inspired by Robert Frost’s poem of the same name, as well as Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea novels, and a visit Kendler made to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The project consists of a 25-foot and dry-stacked stone wall, built from reclaimed Chicago cobblestone. Visitors of all ages are invited to write messages addressing their “individual hopes and fears in this moment of intersecting crisis” and place them in the cracks of the mortarless wall. With the help of the Pandemic Collections team at the Field, the messages will be on display in the near future at the museum, and they will also be archived to be hopefully shared 100 years from now. 

Jenny Kendler’s Mending Wall Credit: Courtesy Jenny Kendler

Kendler explains how a wall can help mend our divides. “This wall is a partial wall, tumbling down at the ends . . . it implies impermanence, porosity. As Frost says, ‘Something there is that doesn’t love a wall . . .’ The wall reminds us that our city, our communities, are constructed from materials, whether literal or cultural, that were hewn, shaped, and well-worn by those who lived here before us. Do we want to keep walls intact, or like the wall in the project, will we let them fall, or even work actively to dismantle them? At the conclusion of Mending Wall the [accompanying] native plant garden will remain, but the wall itself will be disassembled and the stones distributed to gardens throughout the city.”

Speaking of well-worn or repurposed walls, the Epiphany Center for the Arts, which used to be the historic Church of the Epiphany in its previous incarnation, is currently displaying Amanda Christine Harth’s “Blue Collar,” an exhibition about the often overlooked contribution of Africa and African Americans to denim textiles. It features indigo-dyed textiles, customized denim garments, and original denim quilts created by the artist—many of them representing the Black experience in America, and their connection to the fabric. “There are so many more stories to be told about the true history of Black people’s contribution to denim culture,” says Harth, 34, who has been celebrating the fabric in multiple ways over the years. 

Amanda Christine Harth, Jeans, 2002 (denim, cotton, indigo) Credit: Isa Giallorenzo

“In 2016 and 2017, I cocurated an exhibition with Ciera McKissick of AMFM called ‘Indigo Nation’ at Chicago Art Department in Pilsen. It was a denim exhibition and pop-up highlighting local artists and designers. I continued to study denim culture and started learning more about the history of indigo. During this time I continued to host other workshops and events focused on creative entrepreneurship and streetwear fashion,” Harth says. “In 2019, I opened a weekend exhibit, ‘Museum of Streetwear,’ showcasing local fashion designers including denim pieces by Ron Louis and Dearborn Denim. In November 2021, I conducted an artist residency at SAIC at Homan Square on the intersectionality of denim culture and Black culture. At the end of my residency I worked with the denim fashion icon Michael White and multimedia artist Alexandria Eregbu to create a community quilt of upcycled denim and other textiles with residents of Homan Square.”

With all this experience, Harth has become an authority when it comes to denim. Her continuing interest in connecting streetwear, art, and local designers is certainly a force for good for our local fashion community. Though small in size, her exhibition at Epiphany is a delightful culmination of all her work during these years. Displayed in Epiphany’s Guild Room, which happens to be blue, Harth’s works prove how versatile denim can be, and do justice to indigo’s reputation for being a celestial color. 

“Blue Collar”Through 11/19 by appointment (email [email protected]) or viewable during events, Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland, 312-421-4600, epiphanychi.com

Mending Wall On view through 2024 near the Field Museum’s northeast corner in the Museum Campus area, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., jennykendler.com

Read More

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Read More

Continents, a 2022 installation by Amanda Christine Harth representing North America (left) and Africa (right). Made from cotton canvas, indigo dye, and red cotton thread. Credit: Ray Abercrombie

For International Repair Day on Saturday, October 15, artist and environmental activist Jenny Kendler, 42, hosted “Before and After: Mending a Life” along with artists Catherine Schwalbe and Katie Vota. The event took place next to Mending Wall, Kendler’s interactive installation currently on view outside of the Field Museum. At “Before and After: Mending a Life,” attendants were encouraged to bring and repair textiles from their own homes, and together “consider mending in your life, your community, our world,” according to Kendler’s website. Tools and supplies such as thread, elastic, and buttons were provided, and no experience was necessary to participate.

Mending Wall is a collaborative project created by Kendler and inspired by Robert Frost’s poem of the same name, as well as Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea novels, and a visit Kendler made to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The project consists of a 25-foot and dry-stacked stone wall, built from reclaimed Chicago cobblestone. Visitors of all ages are invited to write messages addressing their “individual hopes and fears in this moment of intersecting crisis” and place them in the cracks of the mortarless wall. With the help of the Pandemic Collections team at the Field, the messages will be on display in the near future at the museum, and they will also be archived to be hopefully shared 100 years from now. 

Jenny Kendler’s Mending Wall Credit: Courtesy Jenny Kendler

Kendler explains how a wall can help mend our divides. “This wall is a partial wall, tumbling down at the ends . . . it implies impermanence, porosity. As Frost says, ‘Something there is that doesn’t love a wall . . .’ The wall reminds us that our city, our communities, are constructed from materials, whether literal or cultural, that were hewn, shaped, and well-worn by those who lived here before us. Do we want to keep walls intact, or like the wall in the project, will we let them fall, or even work actively to dismantle them? At the conclusion of Mending Wall the [accompanying] native plant garden will remain, but the wall itself will be disassembled and the stones distributed to gardens throughout the city.”

Speaking of well-worn or repurposed walls, the Epiphany Center for the Arts, which used to be the historic Church of the Epiphany in its previous incarnation, is currently displaying Amanda Christine Harth’s “Blue Collar,” an exhibition about the often overlooked contribution of Africa and African Americans to denim textiles. It features indigo-dyed textiles, customized denim garments, and original denim quilts created by the artist—many of them representing the Black experience in America, and their connection to the fabric. “There are so many more stories to be told about the true history of Black people’s contribution to denim culture,” says Harth, 34, who has been celebrating the fabric in multiple ways over the years. 

Amanda Christine Harth, Jeans, 2002 (denim, cotton, indigo) Credit: Isa Giallorenzo

“In 2016 and 2017, I cocurated an exhibition with Ciera McKissick of AMFM called ‘Indigo Nation’ at Chicago Art Department in Pilsen. It was a denim exhibition and pop-up highlighting local artists and designers. I continued to study denim culture and started learning more about the history of indigo. During this time I continued to host other workshops and events focused on creative entrepreneurship and streetwear fashion,” Harth says. “In 2019, I opened a weekend exhibit, ‘Museum of Streetwear,’ showcasing local fashion designers including denim pieces by Ron Louis and Dearborn Denim. In November 2021, I conducted an artist residency at SAIC at Homan Square on the intersectionality of denim culture and Black culture. At the end of my residency I worked with the denim fashion icon Michael White and multimedia artist Alexandria Eregbu to create a community quilt of upcycled denim and other textiles with residents of Homan Square.”

With all this experience, Harth has become an authority when it comes to denim. Her continuing interest in connecting streetwear, art, and local designers is certainly a force for good for our local fashion community. Though small in size, her exhibition at Epiphany is a delightful culmination of all her work during these years. Displayed in Epiphany’s Guild Room, which happens to be blue, Harth’s works prove how versatile denim can be, and do justice to indigo’s reputation for being a celestial color. 

“Blue Collar”Through 11/19 by appointment (email [email protected]) or viewable during events, Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland, 312-421-4600, epiphanychi.com

Mending Wall On view through 2024 near the Field Museum’s northeast corner in the Museum Campus area, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., jennykendler.com

Read More

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Read More

The Chicago Blackhawks‘ goaltending is already a problem simply because Petr Mrazek and Alex Stalock are not that good of a tandem. They chose to start Arvid Soderblom in the AHL because it is ideal for him to play better down there on a good team.

However, he has already been recalled because Mrazek is out with an injury. He was the backup in Sunday’s crazy win over the Seattle Kraken. Stalock got the start and played okay enough to win the game. He made 30 saves on 34 shots.

No matter what, as the season goes along, it is not going to be easy to be a goalie on this team. There are going to be defensive breakdowns that are less than ideal and that is because they just aren’t that good of a team.

Combine that with where all of these goalies are in their careers and you don’t have the recipe of a top NHL defensive team.

The Chicago Blackhawks are already dealing with goaltending trouble this year.

Soderblom might be the goalie of the future. The Hawks are being forced to have him on the roster right now because of the Mrazek injury but they would probably like him to play as little as possible. They made that clear by picking up Stalock and putting Soderblom in the AHL.

His development is obviously important to this team which is why that move makes sense. There is a chance that the Rockford Ice Hogs are a good team so that would be much better for his development and confidence.

The days of having a true number one like Corey Crawford are done for right now. It was nice to have Marc-Andre Fleury last year but they won some games that they probably shouldn’t have and that hurt their draft stock. This year it is all about rebuilding the roster for the future.

Yes, there is already trouble in the blue paint. However, it is not that big of a deal because of the fact that this is a non-competitive season for Chicago.

They are playing okay right now but the way they are winning is not sustainable. Hopefully, Mrazek comes back healthy and is able to help this team get through the year.

Read More

The Chicago Bears are taking on the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football this week. They will close out the week seven chapter of the schedule on one of the game’s biggest regular season stages.

The last time that these two teams met, the Bears lost by a lot of points. Bill Belichick is still in charge of that team as the coach and GM but Tom Brady has obviously moved on. Now, after a rough start to the season, the Patriots have been on a roll.

Bailey Zappe has been starting for the Patriots over the last few weeks while Mac Jones recovers from an injury. He has been very good and many would argue that he has been better than Jones who was drafted with a much higher pick.

However, they are going back to Jones now that he is available which will make things very interesting. If he struggles, you have to wonder how long before Belichick goes back to Zappe.

The Chicago Bears are taking on the New England Patriots on Monday night.

Mac Jones was selected just a handful of picks after the Bears took Justin Fields. They were amongst the big group of quarterbacks that went in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Whenever two of those guys meet in a game, that is going to capture the headlines.

It may be an electric matchup if both Jones and Fields come to play. If the Patriots and Bears each play as they have been over the last decade, this one won’t be very fun for Chicago. It is on Matt Eberflus and his staff to make sure that this thing doesn’t get out of hand.

Fields has shown improvement every week but it hasn’t translated to a lot of points yet. Between Justin Fields, David Montgomery, and Khalil Herbert, this Bears team can run the ball well. Unfortunately, that is what Belichick and the Patriots’ defense crushes.

There is no doubt that Fields will have to make some throws if they want to stay in this game let alone win it.

This has a chance to be an upset for the Bears but don’t count on it. At the end of the day, all that matters is that Fields plays well and shows more improvement.

He has limited weaponry which makes it even harder but he also needs to be able to make others around him better if he wants to be a superstar in the league.

Although we know who is probably going to win, the Mac Jones vs Justin Fields story in this game will make it an electric game (at least to start).

Read More

Read More