In June, the label arm of the Chicago-born Teklife footwork collective released its first flexi disc, “Juke Me Baby” by Reginald Cosper Jr., aka Sirr TMo Sama. Cosper builds the track on an ascending, bone-dry percussive pattern, weaving in a few different vocal samples and several drum loops; he never lets up on the gas, which gives the song’s ever-shifting, palpitating drive enough energy to power a midsize city. Cosper understands footwork with an intimacy that draws from his time as a producer, DJ, and dancer–he’s so good on his feet that last year the Chicago Dancemakers Forum gave him one of its four Greenhouse Awards to develop new work. Cosper has kept particularly busy with music throughout 2020; he’s uploaded 18 self-released singles, EPs, and albums to Bandcamp since January (some of them as simply “Sirr TMo”). On the expansive new On Dat, Cosper artfully plays with footwork’s acerbic percussive panache and rhythmic complexity. His gentle touches–the new-age synth hum on “Let Me Hit That (Bring It Back),” the swooning R&B vocals on “See You in the Morning”–give his unyielding, arrhythmic pulses a strange peacefulness. v
“I woke up–I took my costume, I took a bath. That day we were ready. That day we were having a performance,” recalls dancer and choreographer Rigoberto Saura. It was Friday the 13th of March 2020, and Hedwig Dances was preparing to take the stage at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts for their program Lightplay, consisting of Raum, a premiere by artistic director Jan Bartoszek inspired by the work of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, as well as a restaging of Saura’s 2019 The Flowering Mechanisms.
“We had done our whole tech week and dress rehearsal. We were all set to go,” recalls Bartoszek of the early days of the pandemic in Chicago. “We were going back and forth on whether we should open. It was getting intense, and the information was scary.” Hours before curtain, they decided to cancel their show. An e-mail, time-stamped at 3:14 PM, read, “We regret to inform you that after learning of the (pending) Federal State of Emergency declaration (to be made) (made by) [sic] President Trump our combined leadership made the difficult decision to cancel this weekend’s performances of Lightplay at the Ruth Page Center for the Performing Arts. We hope to reschedule performances in the future, at a time when this current uncertainty as to the spread of COVID 19 has been put to rest by the CDC and other responsible oversight agencies.”
Suddenly in quarantine, the company was stunned. “I was feeling in chaos,” recalls Saura. “This is real. Maybe tomorrow, I will see all the people running in the streets–cars, bicycles–trying to run away. All that you were building is falling apart.” This feeling of disorientation and urgency would become the seed for Saura’s new work KAOS, a piece that combines video and livestream performance premiering this week.
The company began exploring ideas over Zoom in June. On creating for the screen, Saura says, “All your concepts of dance composition change a little bit. You need to make your own new tools and your own new rules to work with this. You need to pay more attention to [the] visual [aspect], the perspective of the camera, how to transform your body so it doesn’t look like a body.”
“When you’re dancing in the theater, the audience can feel the dancers–can almost touch them. You can feel the breathing, feel that sometimes they’re tired and try to keep going. The sounds and energies, you can feel.” In contrast, “on the screen, everything feels a little cold. You need to try to break that ice. People in their homes watching you dance need to feel you’re close to them. I want to create the feeling that you’re inside the piece, not alone. Your way of connecting with others changes because it’s through a screen.”
While the sense of touch and the sharing of space have become more challenging to access, Bartoszek points out that working remotely has also created opportunities and altered the art form for both performers and audiences. “You can reach out on this platform and invite people from anywhere who have a screen and a connection to see what you’re doing. So you don’t need a space as much as you did. We’re working in 2D and working from home. We were all coming together at a specific time [for live performance]. How we use time is changing. I think it’s going to change our perception of space and time going forward.”
After months of working remotely, Saura says with confidence, “I believe my understanding of dance is growing. After this pandemic when we return to the theater, we will have more tools and more possibilities to create. I’ve been learning how to sit, write, read, have more time to connect with [myself].”
Furthermore, the constraints have been uniquely fruitful. “If we have this restriction and its rules because we’re trying to save our health, why don’t we use what we have?” he says. “If you’re in your home and have the opportunity to make dance through the screen, take your time to make your art through the screen. Fight to find the better way to express your art. People are so hungry to go to the studio and dance together. This is my personal opinion: I don’t get it. There’s so much interesting stuff you can find in your own place. I am enjoying this moment. I want to go to the studio again and take class and dance together, but if I have this moment, I have the patience to explore the most I can. The deeper you go into the moment and learn to take advantage of it–I think you’ll be much better in the future. I respect all the options, but I enjoy this process. I don’t want to compromise the health of the dancers or those around me to make my art. Right now, we are exploring and discovering a lot. The moment we feel like we got this, we can make a lot of beautiful stuff. All beginnings are hard.”
“It’s OK to experiment right now,” says Bartoszek. “People are searching, and we know we’re searching. We all have to experiment. There’s a learning curve, and we have limitations. It’s exciting and frustrating. The challenge is: create.” v
In planning for its 2020 season, Weinberg/Newton Gallery owner and executive director David Weinberg and his team partnered with the ACLU of Illinois to create an exhibition addressing the 2020 election in alignment with the gallery’s mission to engage the public in social justice issues. But faced with social distancing guidelines, and in the interest of public safety, the gallery has been shut down since March, altering previously laid plans. From there, the gallery’s curator and codirector Kasia Houlihan shifted gears and worked to open the exhibition online.
The result of their efforts is “Anthem,” a virtual exhibition addressing voter suppression and voting rights issues ahead of the 2020 presidential election. It’s visible on the Weinberg/Newton Gallery website until December 19. The exhibition features work of varying mediums such as painting, laser cutting, and poetry from Bethany Collins, Jaclyn Conley, Eve L. Ewing, Mike Gibisser, Naima Green, Ellen Rothenberg, and Sanaz Sohrabi.
In reimaging the exhibition, Houlihan encouraged the artists to conceptualize the virtual context as an opportunity to display their work in a way that wouldn’t be possible in a physical setting. She says that each of the artists responded to that call in their own way, but points to the work of painter Jaclyn Conley as an example of the success of this approach. Conley’s painting A Gathering is a collage of figures based on images from photographs of presidential campaign rallies. In the virtual format, audiences can view the source images alongside her painting. “In several ways it offers this window into the artist’s process a little bit more,” Houlihan says. “The presence of the artist’s voice is there.”
Although the interior of the Weinberg/Newton Gallery remains shuttered, “Anthem” features a limited live component. let’s switch it up! by artist Ellen Rothenberg is displayed online but it’s also visible as a window installation at the gallery’s storefront on Milwaukee Avenue. Those who pass by the gallery will see images and objects of the voting rights movement, sourced from Smithsonian archives. The display includes images of activists such as Shirley Chisholm, Ella Baker, and Malcolm X. In the online format, these images work in conversation with media from the present day. “Even before we knew it was going to be virtual, Ellen was excited about treating the windows as almost like two billboards along Milwaukee Avenue, which is probably one of the most trafficked roads in our city,” Houlihan says. “The piece was really transforming in real time in response to all of the different ups and downs of the past six months but it also has a firm grip on the history of the voting rights movement.”
Rothenberg says let’s switch it up! is a call to action against voter suppression and institutional racism. She drew inspiration from the disrupted primary elections in Georgia and Wisconsin earlier this year. “I became interested in the relationship of voter suppression in current conditions and its relationship to historic struggles in the civil rights movement and the anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women’s suffrage,” she says.
Houlihan says that Rothenberg’s piece, and her approach to creating it, is emblematic of the conceit of the exhibition as a whole. “Many of the artists look to the past, especially through archival images, to inform their understanding of the present,” she says.
The ACLU of Illinois, which previously partnered with Weinberg/Newton on an exhibition addressing the juvenile justice system, will host a virtual event series in cooperation with “Anthem” that will give participants the chance to hear from people working on the ground to address the issues the art raises. The next event in the series will be a conversation between Chicago area artists and ACLU staff about the intersection of art and social activism and the challenges of working amid the pandemic. Weinberg says that participants will be able to actively engage with the events and ask questions, just as they would in person.
Thanks to the virtual format, the “Anthem” audience isn’t limited to those who can make it to the gallery space in Chicago. Weinberg and Houlihan say the gallery team is upping their social media efforts to expand its viewership. Given the exhibition’s themes, Weinberg says he hopes it will reach audiences in battleground states, where the risk of voter suppression is higher than it is in Illinois.
And although “Anthem” was designed to coincide with the weeks leading up to the November election, it will be visible online and in the gallery storefront through December 19. Rothenberg hopes the themes she presents in her piece will resonate with viewers even after ballots have been cast. “I think initially I’m hoping that the work will be a call to action and get people actively engaged in the election. We are all in this state of anticipation around the election,” she says. “The materials are compelling and I don’t think it’s just a momentary interest. [The 2020 election] is another round of an ongoing struggle.”
Weinberg says that prior to 2020, he never imagined hosting a virtual exhibit at the gallery. But in looking ahead to its post-pandemic future, he hopes to continue to embrace the advantages of working online. “When the day comes that we can have several hundred people in the gallery, I think there is a fair chance that we would want to have that same exhibit online in one form or another,” he says. “This is an opportunity to grow.” v
Do you love the start of fall? That change in the sunlight? The slight chill in the air? As we Chicagoans know, fall is one of those seasons that can be here one minute and gone the next, so we all understand the importance of getting the most out of this not-too-hot-but-not-too-cold time of the year. If you’re looking for ways to enjoy the end of warm weather here in our fair town, consider adding these items to this year’s Chicago fall bucket list.
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Eat and Drink All Things Pumpkin-y
Perhaps you like to stick with your basic PSL, but if you’re looking to branch out a little, there are plenty of amazing variations on the pumpkin-spice phenomenon at local Chicago spots. At Empanada Mama & The Pie Man, you can get a spiced pumpkin empanada or some spiced pumpkin pie. For pumpkin spice cake doughnuts, hit up Do-Rite Donuts.
It’s not too cold yet to get out of the house and go for a walk in the crisp autumn air! For some great fall foliage, take a stroll through LaBagh Woods in North Park, Winnemac Park in Lincoln Square, Garfield Park Conservatory, or Jackson Park in Woodlawn.
Get into the spirit of the spooky season with an all-access pass to this year’s virtual version of the Chicago Horror Film Festival, which runs September 25-October 9. Curl up with a blanket and snacks, turn off the lights, and watch a whole selection of indie horror films.
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Enjoy Fall Activities at Lincoln Park Zoo
There is, understandably, no Fall Fest this year at Lincoln Park Zoo, but there will be a few fun experiences to celebrate the season; some returning favorite LPZ fall traditions include pumpkin carvers and a pumpkin patch. The zoo’s autumnal festivities will take place from October 1st through November 1st.
View the Best Parks and Fields to Play 16-Inch Softball
Looking to fill up your Chicago fall with some outdoor activities? Try these four parks in Chicago to play some 16-inch softball.
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You may not be able to go to a game right now, but if football is still happening in the middle of a pandemic, surely its fans can make it work. Get your snacks, your friends (from a safe distance), and your navy-and-orange mask ready— it’s Sunday, my dudes.
At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!
Featured Image Credit: Winnemac Park Facebook Page
EDMONTON, AB – FEBRUARY 11: Dominik Kubalik #8 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on February 11, 2020, in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
ChicagoBlackhawks rookie, Dominik Kubalik, earned some NHL honors for his rookie season.
The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t have the best regular season, but one of the major positives was the play of rookie Dominik Kubalik. It was a great way to break into the NHL for Kubaklik. It was going well from pretty much the first game of the season on. He was so good that the NHL honored him with some different accolades that he should be proud of. He is a big piece to the Blackhawks’ young core that they are trying to build.
He scored 30 goals and had 16 assists for 46 points in 68 games. he probably would have reached the 50 point mark if the season didn’t come to a sudden end because of COVID-19. The offense, especially goal scoring, is there for Kubalik and should only get better as time goes on. He was only the fifth player in Chicago Blackhawks history to score 30 goals as a rookie which is pretty incredible if you truly think about it.
These statistics earned Kubalik a nomination for the NHL’s Calder Trophy. He came in third place for the prestigious award. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche won it and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks came in second. Kubalik had no first-place votes, two second-place votes, 75 third-place votes, 48 fourth-place votes, and 21 fifth-place votes. All of that equated to 554 points which edged out Adam Fox of the New York Rangers for third place.
No forward had more votes for the Calder Trophy than Kubalik. Besides him, the top six were all defensemen or goalies. The kid can score and the Hawks are hoping that he continues to be a good scorer for a long time.
Kubalik was also named to the NHL’s all-rookie team. Victor Olofsson of the Buffalo Sabres and Nick Suzuki are the two other forwards on the team. Hughes and Makar are the two defensemen named and Elviz Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets is the goalie. It was quite the rookie class this year and they should all be proud.
Kubalik, as mentioned before, is part of a nice young core that the Hawks are trying to put together. They are hoping that players like Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist, Alex DeBrincat, and Ian Mitchell amongst others can be a part of it as well. Either way, Kubalik, and the Hawks should be proud of the way his season went.
ChicagoBears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears are tied atop the NFC North after two weeks with a 2-0 start.
In the wise words of Chicago Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, 2-0 is a delicious start to the season.
When many national analysts and experts counted the Bears out before the season even started, this team has shown some resiliency and proven to be more than met the outside eye. Two games in, the Bears have two victories and have a lot to be excited about.
The improved play of quarterback Mitch Trubisky is certainly one of the biggest storylines thus far, as he’s taken full advantage of this opportunity to beat out veteran Nick Foles in a true competition.
Through two weeks, Trubisky has tossed five touchdown passes to only two interceptions — and those two picks likely shouldn’t even go on him. But, that’s a topic to cover later on. The point is, Trubisky has been better than he was in 2019. It’s only two games, but there’s been a few flashes so far.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace hit a home run in the second round this year.
The Bears’ defense has also been just as good as we thought it would be. One of the biggest reasons why has been the play of rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who is exactly what the Bears needed opposite of Kyle Fuller — and Fuller has also had a monster two games so far.
But, it’s been Johnson who has made the utmost difference in this unit. Last year, Prince Amukamara gave up a passer rating of over 100 on average. This year, Johnson is allowing a rating of just 64.2 through two games.
It is Chicago, though, and there’s always reason to complain it seems.
While that’s somewhat satirical, it’s true. The Bears are 2-0, but if just a couple of things go differently, they are sitting here at 0-2 and heading into a high-flying buzzsaw of an offense in Week 3. Before we turn our attention to the Atlanta Falcons, there are some concerns about this Bears team to address despite their start.
The ChicagoBulls have finally narrowed down their head coaching search to the final four.
New Chicago Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas has taken his time in making decisions regarding the team’s head coaching position. It took months for Karnisovas to cut ties with Jim Boylen, but maybe that was the correct move.
After all, Karnisovas is the new guy. He’s trying to do things the right way, and taking the proper amount of time with what could be a monumental move for the Bulls is a wise route to take.
With Boylen having been fired roughly five weeks ago now, Karnisovas and the Bulls have had plenty of time to go through the interview process with several qualified candidates. It began with about seven or eight serious names, and now, the Bulls have narrowed it down to their final four.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Chicago has it trimmed down to Philadelphia 76ers assistant Ime Udoka, Denver Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr., Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Will the Chicago Bulls finally turn the corner and hire the right head coach?
Since the days of Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls have not had a coach who has been able to get this team to play hard-nosed defense. They haven’t had a coach who understands how to utilize all of these young players and each of their strengths.
Each one of these final four candidates present their own intriguing characteristics.
While I am not necessarily as high on Atkinson, he did take an average Brooklyn Nets team and inspire them to overachieve in a big way. Out of the four finalists, he is the only one with head coaching experience. While that’s seen as a positive, the Bulls could also look to one of the other three as a better option.
Both Udoka and Ham were players before coaches and understand how to play the game at the highest level. They’ve experienced everything there is to experience in the locker room, on the court and playing with a variety of different players.
Udoka has long been seen as one of the top candidates available, and it’s easy to see why. Coming up under Gregg Popovich for several years is an ideal way to be groomed. Although the same could have been said about Boylen, Udoka is a totally different guy. Again, he’s been there before. He gets it. He’s also younger, which would give him an advantage in terms of being able to create and manage relationships better with his young players.
Unseld is one of the fan favorites to take the job simply because he’s been the architect of the Nuggets’ defense over the past couple of years. He was given that task by head coach Mike Malone and has not disappointed.
Behind Unseld’s defense and the drafting of Karnisovas, Denver has become a force in the Western Conference. They have become the true identity of a team, and having Unseld in Chicago is an exciting thought. Knowing that Unseld has worked under Karnisovas recently may give him an edge in the race, too.
There is no official timetable for a final decision, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see one come within the next week or two. The one thing we know for sure is that the Bulls’ future looks much brighter as of late. Here’s to hoping the next head coach is the man to take this team to the next level.
Illinois State head coach Brock Spack has seen the departure of three defensive starters amid COVID-19’s impact (photo by Barry Bottino, Prairie State Pigskin)
Illinois State head coach Brock Spack and his family took a long-awaited trip right before spring football practice was set to begin. Then, the world as we know it changed.
“I took my family for a vacation in the Virgin Islands,” Spack told Prairie State Pigskin recently. “I’ll never forget the Wednesday when the NCAA (men’s basketball) tournament was shutting down and (we were) trying to get out of there. Two days later the whole place was shut down; you couldn’t get in or out.”
Shortly thereafter, Spack called off ISU’s spring practice and months later the Missouri Valley Football Conference followed suit with its fall season.
“When we came back it was one thing after another, and it hasn’t really stopped since,” Spack said. “Every day you wonder what will it bring today?”
Fall practice plans
This today brings the arrival of fall camp for Spack’s Redbirds. If all goes according to plan, ISU will practice three days a week until Oct. 24. The spring FCS season is scheduled to begin Feb. 20 with a national championship game in mid-May.
“Obviously trying to keep them healthy from the virus standpoint,” Spack said when asked his top priority. “We’ve got to get back to playing football. I look forward to the opportunity to put shoulder pads and helmets back on. We had them on for one day. We had shells on. It was that weird acclimation period in training camp. Two days of helmets only, then we had shells. You could tell they were rusty. I’ve watched football games on TV and they’re not real sharp. That’s from a lack of playing with pads on and playing live tackle football.”
‘Birds of a different feather
When numerous outlets released their 2020 preseason rankings in early summer, ISU was ranked in the Top 10 by multiple sources. Moreover, the Redbirds joined Missouri Valley Football Conference members North Dakota State and Northern Iowa in those rankings — illustrating the strength of the top league in FCS.
ISU begins fall camp this week
Yet, not all the Redbird news was good. Since the Missouri Valley made its decision to play in a spring schedule, the highly respected Illinois State defense lost three key players: defensive end Romeo McKnight, linebacker Dylan Draka and cornerback Devin Taylor. While McKnight and Taylor have transferred to FBS programs Charlotte and Virginia Tech, respectively, Draka told The Pantagraph that he will graduate in December and not play in the spring. Meanwhile, promising linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh remains with the team but has entered the transfer portal.
On the other side of the ball, the Redbirds are facing the daunting task of replacing All-American running back James Robinson, who has rushed for a Jacksonville franchise record 164 yards in his first two NFL games.
“I wish we could have had our whole team together because we were really excited about this team,” Spack said. “This is a special football team, but it’s going to be different in spring. We’ll see what that looks like and hopefully make the correct adjustments.
“Our team is different right now. We had a long talk about that and what’s our best personnel. Right now, we don’t know. We have an idea, but we don’t know. We’re going to throw some things out there and play some different combinations of guys and see how they look and go from there.”
Spack remains confident in his roster and in his coaching staff.
“The building phase can be real nerve-racking, but I enjoy that part of it,” he said. “We built this program before and we’ll build it again. That’s college football. They don’t all stay forever anyway.”
COVID protocols
In the midst of revamping the Redbirds for a spring playoff run, Spack fully realizes that health and safety remains the most challenging part of his job.
“We were doing very well this summer. Our players did a fantastic job as well as our training staff, our medical staff, our strength and conditioning staff of trying to keep the virus under control,” Spack said. “We were doing really well, but we were in somewhat of a bubble. We didn’t have as many students on campus at that time.
“I would have loved to have seen what would have happened if we were allowed to play . . . but because the season got cancelled, there are examples of us maybe letting our guard down a little bit. It’s difficult when you live in the dorm or you live with a bunch of other folks and you’re around a lot of others even in an apartment setup because just an innocent visit by somebody could open you up to the virus. It would have been interesting to see how that all would have worked in-season, because it’s a struggle to keep people out of quarantine.”
A self-admitted “old school coach,” Spack’s message has been clear to his team in this unprecedented environment.
“You can’t let your guard down, that’s what we preach,” he said. “You have to be careful that you don’t hang around people that you don’t know very well. If you’re at large gatherings, put a face covering on and be smart about all that. That’s where we’re at.”
Blog co-authors Barry Bottino and Dan Verdun bring years of experience covering collegiate athletics. Barry has covered college athletes for more than two decades in his “On Campus” column, which is published weekly by Shaw Media. Dan has written four books about the state’s football programs–“NIU Huskies Football” (released in 2013), “EIU Panthers Football (2014), “ISU Redbirds” (2016) and “SIU Salukis Football” (2017).
