Neighborhood News – Lincoln Park, Old Town, Magnificent Mile, Museum Campus, Chicago Loop
Spring, thy name is now Chicago! It’s time to explore new worlds and boldly go where you haven’t before. And Chicago’s neighborhoods are stepping up with awesome new activities and gatherings to bring us all together.
In Lincoln Park…share a ‘Night of Ideas 2022’ at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street, on Thursday, May 12, from 6pm to 11pm. This ‘Marathon of Ideas’ ponders the theme “Where are we going?” According to the website, participants can explore the Museum after hours while engaging in intellectual talks, panels, and workshops on topics like living together in a city, social justice, education, urban planning, climate change and more. Guests include Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Erin Harkey, social justice artist Tonika Johnson and Chicago historian Sherman ‘Dilla’ Thomas.For more information, click here.
Still Gogh-ing…extended by popular demand through July 30, theImmersiveVan Gogh’s works – includes the Mangeurs de pommes de terre (The Potato Eaters, 1885), the Nuit étoilée (Starry Night, 1889), Les Tournesols (Sunflowers, 1888), and La Chambre à coucher (The Bedroom, 1889) continues at Old Town’s Lighthouse Art Space, Germania Club Building, 108 West Germania Place. Date night packages and Yoga are available. For tickets and information, click here.
Through the Lookingglass Alice! It’s back! Lewis Carroll’s classic tale is reimagined by the Lookingglass Theatre,this is a story about “birth and becoming, transition and transformation, and holding fast to the fantastic in the face of it all. It’s the anthem of Theatre Without a Net. And after a 7-year hiatus, the beloved story of a 7-year-old girl is back – painted in a fresh coat of magic for a new generation (audience and artist) to discover.” Lookingglass Alice is running now through July 31 at Water Tower Water Works building, 821 N. Michigan Avenue. For tickets, click here.
Penguins Walking… Remember the cute penguins that toured Chicago’s great landmarks during the pandemic? They’re back for The Great Penguin Party at the Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, on Friday, May 13, from 6:30pm–11pm! The Museum Campus’ 21+ event has a 1920’s-era vibe, swinging to the Green Mill’s (Chicago’s original speakeasy) Alan Gresik Swing Orchestra. Add in delicious hors d’oeuvres and a beer and wine open bar (cash bar for cocktails) in the $100 per person ticket…it’ll be an awesome night! For tickets and information, click here.
Au Revoir, Moulin Rouge! Say a fond au revoir to the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph Street’s production of ‘Moulin Rouge’ which performs its last Chicago production at the Nederlander on Saturday, May 14. “Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment.” Welcome to Moulin Rouge (trans: ‘red mill’). A colorful feast for your eyes and ears, the musical features modern and classical tunes from the last 60 years. For tickets, click here.
Write on…The inaugural American Writers Festival on Sunday, May 15, coincides with the American Writers Museum’s fifth anniversary. The free literary festival will be held at four stages inside the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street, and one stage at the American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor. More than 75 contemporary authors, artists and playwrights will attend, including Cristela Alonzo (Music to My Years), David W. Blight (Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom),Soyica Diggs Colbert, (Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry), Joy Harjo, the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States (Poet Warrior), andEvan F. Moore, (Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It). As the website states, The Festival will host discussion panels and author signings with leading contemporary writers across various genres, including children’s and young adult fiction, science fiction, history, biographies, poetry, and satire, who will share their insights into their craft. For more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
