The Art Institute took the name of its arrestingly interesting exhibit of black and white photographs, Never A Lovely So Real: Photography and Film in Chicago, 1950 – 1980, from a Nelson Algren book, Chicago: City on the Make, where he mulls his love/hate regard for the city. The show sagely examines the duality of …
Never a Lovely So Real a Highly Engaging Look Back Read More »
A 90-minute car ride due north will land you in one of the most beautiful landscapes in North America. According to its promotional literature, the Anderson Japanese Gardens on the southern outskirts of Rockford, is also rated one of the continent’s highest quality Japanese gardens. Many may be familiar with smaller versions of Japan’s landscape …
True Serenity within Striking Distance – The Anderson Japanese Gardens Read More »
Although the title of one of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s more fascinating current exhibits may enjoy a light-hearted ring, I Was Raised on the Internet proved deeply provocative, startlingly imaginative and characteristically beautiful. Rather than an examination of how the internet has shaped our lives, the artists participating in the show express the myriad …
MCA’s I Was Raised On the Internet a Provocative Beauty Read More »
Two years following the stunning Kerry James Marshall exhibit at the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute of Chicago has brought a spectacular retrospective of another world acclaimed black artist who also happens to be a Chicago native son, Charles H. White. Marking the centennial of White’s birth, the exhibit is currently enjoying …
Charles White Retrospective at Art Institute a Reflection on Excellence Read More »
American presidents are no strangers to writing books. Usually memoirs, autobiographies or policy reflections, they’re generally thoughtful and well-considered assessments of the past. Until Bill Clinton in conjunction with superstar author James Patterson released their suspense thriller The President is Missing in early June, none have entered the waters of literary imagination and invention. …
Expectations are always high when attending certain performances and Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) easily counts in that number. Far beyond the city on the lake, the company stands at a pinnacle. Performing a type of dance that marries African and European dance traditions to rhythm, they are now exporting their renowned brand across the globe. …
Giordano Dance Chicago Honors Legacy with Excellence Read More »
Great dance companies share a certain majesty. Founded in 1948 by a now 97-year-old woman with an iron will and unwavering standards in excellence, the National Ballet of Cuba (the Ballet Nacional de Cuba) showered Friday night’s audience at the Auditorium Theater with a performance that epitomized what magnificence means in the world of dance. …
Spiritual, majestic and grand, Terence Blanchard’s music is often meant for listeners to peer into themselves. Expanding on his Grammy nominated 2015 album Breathless, Blanchard continues to score music that delves into the inexplicable and seemingly perpetual cycle of gun violence that ends in the death of (primarily) black men. Indeed, the album’s title, Live, …
Terence Blanchard and the E Collective Live – Expands on a Theme Read More »
With its startling ability to change shape, color and texture, music is a lot like an octopus or squid. And, as we heard Tuesday night at Symphony Center, it can even morph into entirely new musical species. Zakir Hussain, the extraordinary Indian tabla player, in partnership with bassist Dave Holland, blended two musical forms to …
Who knows exactly how long Patricia Barber, the gifted and eclectic jazz pianist, has been doing her Monday night gig at the quietly legendary Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. My guess says twenty years but it could easily be more. The two are well matched; a couple of mold breaking classics who naturally complement each other. …