One of many events being made available online to accommodate social distancing guidelines and to encourage continued arts participation in Chicago, the livestream will feature “World’s Biggest Ai Jazz Consciousness Installation in the USA,” produced by Ouchhh Studio (an independent new media studio in Istanbul with expertise at the intersection of art, science, and technology), as well as two multidisciplinary works by John Boesche.
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John Boesche is a seasoned media designer based in Chicago and has worked with institutions including Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Goodman Theatre. Boesche’s “St. James Infirmary” features a performance (including music and puppetry) by Blair Thomas, sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, and animation by Erin Pleake and Joe Burke. The second piece, titled “La Havana Madrid,” features Sandra Delgado’s song “No Dejen Que Te Quiten Tu Historia,” performed by Delgado and Guiro Acevedo; the musical performance is paired with animation by Joe Burke.
Photo Credit: Art on the MART Facebook
According to its website, Art on theMART is “the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, projecting contemporary artwork across the 2.5-acre river-façade of theMART.” The project began in September 2018 as an addition to Chicago’s already-rich history of public art; though the Spring 2020 program has been postponed for the time being, the display of artwork at theMART is expected to resume when it is once again safe for Chicagoans to come and see it. Luckily, those who might have attended the presentation of Spring 2020 pieces (or who may have missed 2019 programming) can catch the Facebook livestream this Wednesday evening at 7 pm CST.
If you’re looking for a contemporary piece to hang in your home then consider investing in a Tony Fitzpatrick piece. This artist finds his inspiration in everyday Chicago life.
This artist sells unique and beautiful pieces that are sure to make a great addition to your home. Nancy is selling her products at a discount through the Chicago Art Girls spring promotion. Visit her Etsy shop for details.
Anastasia Mak Art sells paintings inspired by the artist’s adventures around the world. Based in Chicago, Anastasia Mak Art is selling small original paintings, prints on paper and canvas, coasters, and box frame prints on her website.
Stephanie Keller at the Inkling Shop curates cute pieces including greeting cards, apparel, jewelry, puzzles, and other unique trinkets to give one-of-a-kind gift. You can shop at the Inkling Shop website or buy a gift card for your friends and family.
Laurie Freivogle’s company Kiku Handmade sells screen-printed glass inspired by pop culture. Spruce up your home with quirky coasters, bowls, serving platters, ornaments, and jewelry. You can find Kiku Handmade pieces at the Chicago Art Girls virtual pop up sale and other websites linked on her page.
Molasses Chicago is currently selling merchandise like hoodies, T-shirts, and totes. You can preorder through their website. All proceeds go toward the transgender and nonbinary black and brown community that has been affected by COVID-19.
Chicago’s theater marquis may be dark due to the shut-down of all non-essential businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the shortened 2019-2020 season was nonetheless filled with an array of first-rate productions at the area’s smaller/storefront houses.
To wit, the 2019-2020 Non-Equity Jeff Award nominations were announced Tuesday, recognizing the work of Chicago’s theater companies and artists in 21 categories.
Leading the pack this year is Griffin Theatre, with 10 nominations, followed closely by Jackalope Theatre Company with 9 and Lifeline Theatre with 8.
Shows receiving the most nominations with 7 apiece include: “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Red Tape Theatre), “The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe” (Underscore Theatre Company), “Big Fish” (BoHo Theatre) and “P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle” (Jackalope Theatre Company).
A “virtual” awards ceremony will take place June 8 where the winners will be announced. Details about the event’s livestream free access will be announced at a later date.
Reagan Pender (from left), Elisabeth Del Toro, Annabelle Revak and Kyle Ryan in “The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe” at Underscore Theatre.Joe Underbakke Photo
Here’s the list of the nominees:
PRODUCTION – PLAY
“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Red Tape Theatre
“First Love is the Revolution” — Steep Theatre Company
“Middle Passage” — Lifeline Theatre
“Mlima’s Tale” — Griffin Theatre Company
“P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle” — Jackalope Theatre Company
“The Undeniable Sound of Right Now” — Raven Theatre
PRODUCTION – MUSICAL
“The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe” — Underscore Theatre Company
“Big Fish” — BoHo Theatre
“Ghost Quartet” — Black Button Eyes Productions
“Head Over Heels” — Kokandy Productions
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” — Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Rachel Guth (left) and Amanda Raquel Martinez in Black Button Eyes Productions’ Chicago premiere of the musical “song cycle” “Ghost Quartet.” Michael Brosilow
ENSEMBLE
“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Red Tape Theatre
“The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe” — Underscore Theatre Company
ChicagoBears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
It seems like Mitchell Trubisky could be on his way out of Chicago, as the Chicago Bears haven’t made an aggressive move to keep him here for the long-term. Here are three teams Trubisky could end up with after 2020.
New England Patriots
If there’s anyone who can get the most out of Mitch Trubisky, it’s Bill Belichick. If Trubisky hits the open market after this upcoming season, the New England Patriots might take a look at the Chicago Bears‘ quarterback. If Jarrett Stidham doesn’t work out, why not take a look at Trubisky?
The pros of taking Trubisky are that there’s low-risk and his price tag is cheap. If he doesn’t beat Nick Foles for the starting role in Chicago, he won’t be expensive on the market. Belichick isn’t one to overpay for a player, even Tom Brady.
New England is perfect for Trubisky. He gets to learn the “Patriot way” and he gets to work with Josh McDaniels. McDaniels has helped land, multiple quarterbacks, a job after backing up for Brady.
If it wasn’t for McDaniels, Matt Cassel wouldn’t have been paid big money to go to Kansas City after replacing an injured Brady Week 1. Cassel threw 21 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions en route to an 11-5 season.
More examples of McDaniels’ success comes with Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo and Trubisky are very similar quarterbacks. They’re both athletic guys who have the same abilities. The NFL has just seen more success out of Garoppolo than Trubisky.
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This is something I could see happening in 2021. If Trubisky is going to revive his career anywhere else than Chicago, it’ll be in New England with the Patriots.
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 29: Brett Seabrook #7 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates his game-winning goal against the Detroit Red Wings in Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on May 29, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Red Wings 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The ChicagoBlackhawks had to overcome Detroit at some point, which is something their United Center roommates had to do as well.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a lot of success in the 2010s. They won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015. They deserve a lot of credit for getting themselves over the hump. They did, however, have to slay the dragon that was the Detroit Red Wings at some point. They are not the only team that plays at the United Center that had to do that at some point either.
“The Last Dance” documentary on ESPN is something that made it clear how difficult it was for the Chicago Bulls to overcome the Detroit Pistons in the late ’80s and early ’90’s. The Bulls lost to Detroit in three straight playoff seasons and the Pistons won it all in the latter two. In order for Michael Jordan and the Bulls to do it, they needed to get through Detroit. In 1991, they finally beat them in the Eastern Conference Finals and ultimately beat the Los Angeles Lakers to win their first-ever NBA title.
Well, similar actions took place in the hockey world 20 years later. In 2009, the Red Wings were the defending Stanley Cup Champions heading into their Western Conference Finals series with a very young Chicago Blackhawks team. Detroit beat Chicago to go to their second straight Stanley Cup Final. They had players with similar skillsets to Chicago but the Hawks just needed to get over the hump.
Detroit was eliminated in 2010 before they got to Chicago who ended up winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years. It was amazing that Chicago won it all and is probably the best year in their franchise’s history. With that said, they didn’t have to go through their arch-rival to get there which would have been just a little more fun.
2013 was different for the two clubs. They both had fantastic regular seasons led by players like Pavel Datsyuk, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Henrik Zetterberg. They met in the second round of the playoffs and had one of the most epic series of the decade. Detroit went up 3 games to 1 over the President’s Trophy-winning Blackhawks. The Hawks came all the way back and won game seven in overtime. They would then go on to win their second Cup in four seasons about a month later.
The Blackhawks getting over the Red Wings came in a little bit of a different way than the Bulls overcoming the Pistons but it needed to be done just the same in both sports. It is interesting that in order for Chicago to rise to the occasion both times, the Detroit team just happened to have the crown as the power of the conference. Both the Bulls and Blackhawks became dynasties in their sports and Chicago is lucky to have had them both in a relatively short amount of time.
After a rough season in 2019, ChicagoBears’ quarterback Mitch Trubisky will have to bounce back if he wants to keep his job.
Since September of 2019, the question of if Mitch Trubisky could be the leader of the Chicago Bears offense has been a serious question. I have been in the small minority of people who believe Trubisky still can be a solid quarterback in the NFL.
Trubisky struggled last season, where he regressed in almost every stat possible. Part of the struggles for Trubisky came with the Bears’ offensive line and receiving core. I’ll be the first to admit, Trubisky isn’t perfect, but he isn’t the issue.
The majority of 2019 was Trubisky being rushed to throw the ball faster than he was in 2018. The speed of the game multiplied for him in 2019, something that didn’t happen in 2018, when his offensive line was solid.
Trubisky spent a lot of time getting away from defenders and taking sacks. It took a toll on him, which ended up with him getting shoulder surgery in the offseason.
When it comes to his running backs and receivers, there were a lot of struggles. Yes, Trubisky missed a lot of easy targets but the same could be said about the skilled players missing a lot of balls. The Bears were a top team in dropped passes last season.
You can also see the miscommunication on most of Trubisky’s overthrows. It seems like the wideout either stopped too soon or Trubisky anticipated him going further on his route. It’s something the elite quarterbacks don’t struggle with.
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If Trubisky is going to become the solid quarterback I believe he can be, those things have to be cleaned up. In the offseason, he’s had a chance to reflect on the 2019 season. It’s hard to reflect and change things mid-season, which is why this offseason will be the most important of his career.
This is make-it or break-it time for Trubisky. In an interview with Chase Daniel last week, Trubisky mentioned how he has been spending most of the quarantine working out and watching film from last season. If he can become a smarter player, he can beat out Nick Foles for the job in the summer.
I believe this competition for Trubisky is good. It’s giving him a chance to look at what matters on the field. It’ll show him that nothing is guaranteed in football, which should improve his play.
If Trubisky can show the leadership and promise he did in 2018, he will bounce back this upcoming season. A lot of it will have to do with his relationship with head coach Matt Nagy. If Nagy and Trubisky can get on the same page, things will be better for both guys.
At the end of the day, Nagy makes the final decision. Foles and Nagy go back to Kansas City. I worry that Nagy will make the decision out of favoritism than who is the better player.
We will see in the upcoming months. Most importantly, if Foles can help out Trubisky mentally, that will change everything for Trubisky. He needs a mentor who has won a Super Bowl. Foles can be that guy if Trubisky beats him out for the starting role.
CHICAGO – JULY 22: John McDonough, President of the Chicago Blackhawks, talks with reporters at the NHL Winter Classic 2009 press conference on July 22, 2008 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images for NHL)
McDonough had some success rebuilding the front office of this team when he first arrived and it led to the team building a contender. General manager Dale Tallon was very successful in bringing in players like Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford, and Patrick Kane via the draft. He also had some great signings like Marian Hossa to help them out.
The Blackhawks have since won multiple Stanley Cups but since the 2015 Championship, they haven’t even won a single playoff series. They have made some terrible decisions along the way that were bad at the time and proved to be even worse as time went on. A lot of that has come under the leadership of John McDonough which is something that he is now paying the price for.
We don’t know exactly how they are going to handle the front office going forward but they should make some transactions in the not so distant future. What we do know, is that there are some good reasons for this McDonough firing taking place. It had to happen and these are three good reasons why:
You’ve probably bought a book from Amazon before but before you press “add to cart” one more time, you should know that Amazon’s way of selling books is hurtful to authors, publishers, and booksellers. While some sellers on Amazon are legitimate, many third-party sellers sell books that are free promotional copies which means publishers and authors make zilch.
Amazon employees are working in distressing conditions, with at least ten facilities reporting positive coronavirus cases, and are shipping nonessential items like books (and thanks to this Detroit employee, dildos), which can all be bought through small businesses locally.
Instead of buying from another facility, why not dive into Chicago’s bookstores to keep your reading habits alive? Here are a few local options to choose from when selecting your next read.
Pilsen Community Books
Founded in 2016, Pilsen Community Books was bought by Mandy Medley, Tom Flynn, and Katharine Solheim, who have a combined experience of 40-plus years, in March 2020. Opening in the midst of a pandemic isn’t ideal, and Solheim tells me that “COVID has dragged us kicking and screaming into the 21st century!”
They hosted their first virtual event last week with Jenny Brown, author of Without Apology, and Annie Finch, editor of Choice Words. The event was a fundraiser for the Chicago Abortion Fund and was cosponsored by Chicago DSA Socialist Feminists. “We’re trying to tie our virtual literary events to a group organizing on the ground in the city to both support their work financially and raise awareness of their work in the community,” Solheim says.
The shop is collaborating with Liberation Library, which provides books to young people in Illinois prisons. So far, Pilsen Community Books has raised more than $1,500 in its efforts to respond to the drive.
Medley and Solheim are both in the shop during the stay-at-home order as they process orders, pack books for delivery, and offer no-contact curbside pickup.
The bookshop recommends reading Rita Indiana’s Tentacle, which they describe as a “radical, queer, time-traveling eco-dystopia that will incense and delight adventurous readers.” Sara Mesa’s Four by Four is another intense read that they describe as a “devastating private school novel you didn’t know you need[ed], that’ll also galvanize you at the end.”
The Book Table opened in 2003 after the owners, Rachel Weaver and Jason Smith, met working at an indie bookstore in 1998 (and subsequently fell in love). The Oak Park location is closed to the public but is fulfilling web orders.
Weaver says they are trying to implement social media more into their workflow. “We’re continuing to send out weekly email newsletters, in part just to keep people updated on where we are with order volume–when we’re falling behind, and even more importantly when it’s gotten too slow. Our customers want to help; they want us to survive this, so we’re being a little more blunt than we would under ordinary circumstances.”
About a week into the shelter-in-place order, the Book Table did an Instagram and Facebook series–which proved to be incredibly popular–where they highlighted staff members and their book recommendations. “Most of our staff has been with us for many years, so they’re as much a part of our identity as Jason and I are. And our customers totally play favorites–there are Patrick groupies and Lynda groupies–so, many people have a go-to person on the staff for book recommendations because they found their reading love-match with them. So those social media posts were really great for reconnecting, and also for reminding people that they can browse our staff picks online too and not just in the store.”
The Book Table is doing 95 percent of its shipping through a drop-shipping program with their distributor. Smith and Weaver have been seated on their sofa for most of the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t working. The duo has been copying and pasting orders from the Book Table’s website to the distributor’s website ten hours a day. With their entire staff on paid leave, this tedious and time-consuming process is what is keeping the bookstore afloat.
For book recommendations, the shop says they are selling tons of 1918 flu pandemic books as well as novels like Station Eleven and Severance. “My brain is too fried right now to handle much more than some nice escapism, and I’m seeing plenty of that too in our customers,” Weaver says. “Conviction by Denise Mina, a standalone Scottish thriller, is one of my top recommendations for getting your brain thinking about anything else right now.”
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Open Books
Since their opening in 2006, Open Books has been a resource for the Pilsen and West Loop neighborhoods, with their book grants, community events, and literacy partnerships. Ryan P. Jackson, the managing director of Open Books, says the bookstore is selling books online with free shipping on orders over $10 during the pandemic. There are also delivery and contactless pickup options.
Open Books is still hosting its book club meetings on Zoom as well as their literacy program, which includes live storytime. They are launching a writing contest for Chicago students, emailing daily writing sprints, and curating a resource page for families. This week, Open Books will be delivering free books to CPS meal distribution sites so families can build home libraries. For folks looking to help under-resourced Chicago kids, Open Books is also offering a curated list that will be distributed throughout the city.
In order to keep things safe during quarantine, Open Books has increased the frequency and depth of their cleaning regimen. “We are working with minimal staffing, running split shifts to eliminate any excessive overlap of team members. We are also letting all donated books sit for at least 24 hours before handling,” Jackson says.
Folks can support Open Books with a tax-deductible donation, by purchasing books, or by donating books contact-free at their two drop bins (one in the alley behind the West Loop store at 651 W. Lake, on the corner of Halsted and Superior, or at the Pilsen warehouse at 905 W. 19th).
Jackson recommends reading Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, which is a “well-plotted crime novel, written with both humor and depth, that also deals with the tenuous relationship between humans and the natural world.”
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Women and Children First
Events are a key part of Women and Children First, which first opened in 1979, so when they were forced to immediately adapt, they did what most businesses (and people) are doing, they held a virtual event. Since their first event with more than 200 attendees, they decided to keep going and have hosted a half a dozen events on Facebook and Instagram Live. A 300-person Zoom call with comedian and author Samantha Irby and author Megan Stielstra was hugely successful. “We have been obnoxiously active on social media with Instagram,” says co-owner Sarah Hollenbeck. “Miss Linda has been doing storytime since 1984 and a global pandemic isn’t about to stop her, so we’ve moved that to video streams on Facebook and Instagram.”
“Our small team also loves getting virtual love from our customers. When folks post photos on Instagram of their orders arriving on their doorstep or tag us in a post about what they’re reading this weekend, we feel a little more connected across the social distancing. It’s also remarkable how much a glowing review on Facebook or Yelp or Google brightens our day,” says Hollenbeck. The shop also has a nonprofit called Women’s Voices Fund, which funds programming, so donations for the nonprofit are always appreciated.
The Andersonville bookstore only has two to three essential staff on-site wearing cloth masks, and the rest of the staff is working remotely. Before the pandemic, 20 online orders was a decent day for W&CF. Now, they are receiving 75 to 100 orders a day.
Folks can support W&CF by ordering a book or grabbing a gift card on their online store. H. Melt, the staff bookseller (and Reader contributor) is working remotely and updating the website with curated recommended reading lists.
W&CF recommends diving into some escapist romance novels as well as poetry like Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude and essays like Book of Delights by Ross Gay. “The two novels that got me 100 percent off the treadmill of my own current anxiety was Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson and Writers and Lovers by Lily King,” Hollenbeck says. “I also just finished Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning. Everyone should be reading this book right now. While it is good and healthy to turn to books right now for solace and escape, we must also use and respect books for the tools they are in the ongoing fight against this country’s legacy of white supremacy.” Hollenbeck also suggests that people who are looking to dive into audiobooks should ditch the Amazon-owned Audible and get Libro.fm, which benefits independent bookstores.
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Paragon Book Gallery
Paragon Book Gallery began in Shanghai in 1942, moved to New York City, and settled in Chicago in 1991. In 2020, its brick-and mortar-shop opened in the Zhou B Art Center in Bridgeport.
Jennifer Huang tells me that the shop is staying connected to their community through social media, “where we regularly post fun and thoughtful content on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter platforms.” Additionally, they are sending out newsletters to subscribers once or twice a week on specific themes. “For example, on Earth Day, we introduced famous Japanese and Chinese landscape paintings and prints. In the recent past, we’ve also discussed silk textiles and snuff bottles. We are also keeping our blog active and featuring some of our favorite local and international artists.”
Because their move into Zhou B was recent, they are depending on the community’s donations and recently started a GoFundMe to keep their connection between American and Asian culture, arts, and literature strong. Huang says, “We know this is a financially challenging time for many of us and understand if a monetary contribution is not feasible given this crisis, but the public can continue to support our bookstore by sharing our message widely among their communities, following us on social media, and/or placing orders through our website or our bookshop.”
Since 1982, Sandmeyer’s Bookstore has served Chicago’s South Loop area by husband-and-wife owners, Ellen and Ulrich Sandmeyer. Like most nonessential businesses, Sandmeyer’s is closed to foot traffic but online orders can be taken by phone (312-922-2104) and email ([email protected]). The shop offers curbside pickup daily between noon and 3 PM, or folks have the option to have it shipped.
“The neighborhood has been extremely supportive, as have longtime customers,” Ellen Sandmeyer says. She and her husband have a strong connection with the community and this connection goes beyond Chicago and across the country. “I am working alone in order to protect my staff, but am counting the minutes until we can reopen and have all our terrific booksellers on hand. And of course, I long for browsing and in-person interactions to resume.”
Besides buying books from Sandmeyer’s, folks can purchase gift certificates or can establish a personal account in their name or gift it to someone else.
Sandmeyer’s quarantine reads include: Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side by Lee Bey, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson, and Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. v
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