Art and Wine Tour
2022-12-02 17:00 - 18:30, 2023-01-06 17:00 - 18:30 UTC | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Sip on a glass of wine and enjoy a guided tour of our current exhibit, Pop Stars!. Learn all about contemporary art and the artists behind the work.

Meet in Gallery 5 + 6 on the 2nd Floor.

Tour starts at 5:00pm and is free and open to the public

RSVP via Eventbrite here.

Artist Reception Tanya Lunina: Rhythm of the Lake
2022-12-02 18:00 - 19:30
Please join us for an artist reception of Tanya Lunina: Rhythm of the Lake on December 2 from 6:00-7:30pm. The artist will be present and will speak about the work at 6:30pm in Gallery 3. Rhythm of the Lake will be on view December 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023.
RSVP here.
In her ongoing series, Rhythm of the Lake, photographer Tanya Lunina directs her camera at Lake Michigan in Chicago. Solitude within the open space and the various moods of the lake draw Lunina to the expanse of this body of water. Her frequent visits to the lakefront reveal a personal interpretation of a place in the city where the built environment meets the natural landscape. Water, sky, and concrete dissect each photograph into simple forms while the repetition of these elements are visual evidence of change and the passage of time.
Tanya Lunina (b. 1973, Russia) is a fine art photographer based in the Chicagoland area where she settled in 2006. In 2019, Lunina completed the Photo Program at the College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL).
Lunina’s current work is related to the urban and its neighboring waterfront space of the city of Chicago. Her photographs have been exhibited at several galleries including the Perspective Gallery in Evanston and the Cleve Carney Gallery in Glen Ellyn. One of her series was the juror’s choice at the Filter Photo IV Annual Members Exhibition. Lunina’s works have been published in several juried publications by LensWork Publishing. Her photographic projects also received recognition at the 13th – 16th International Julia Margaret Cameron Awards in the architectural and landscape/seascape categories.

Elevate at 21c presents temporary exhibitions of works by artists living and working in the communities surrounding each 21c Museum Hotel Chicago. Elevate provides hotel guests and visitors with unique access to the work of notable regional artists, while featuring their work in the context of 21c’s contemporary art space.

3rd Annual Holiday Cabaret Roosevelt University students
2022-12-07 19:00 - 20:00
Join 21c Chicago and Roosevelt University for a night of merriment and cheer as CCPA students sing and dance to favorite holiday songs! The Holiday Cabaret will include favorite classics such as The Christmas Waltz, Mistletoe and Holly, and more, to get you in to the holiday spirit. RSVP online here

Exclusive viewing of Holding Rhythm with the artist, Colleen Plumb
2022-12-14 17:00 - 18:00
Colleen Plumb’s newest experimental video, Holding Rhythm, 2022, is the first commission made for Elevate: Rm 921. This site-specific video projection is viewable after dusk from the windows of 21c Chicago guests with interior-facing rooms. Join the artist, Colleen Plumb, and 21c Museum Manager, Juli Lowe, for a private viewing of the projection and learn more about the video and artist behind the work!
Read more about Holding Rhythm and Elevate: Rm 921 here.
Meet in the lobby at 5 pm. Tours are free and open to the public, RSVP is required.
RSVP via Eventbrite here.

SoFar Sounds Concert @ 21c Chicago
2022-12-18 19:30 - 22:00, 2023-01-27 19:30 - 22:00
Attn: Live music lovers!
This month, we’re bringing another SoFar Sounds show to YOU! ICYMI, they transform everyday spaces into captivating venues for secret, live music shows. Expect three local and diverse artists, great vibes, and a whole lot of magic– get your tickets here.
Use promo code SOFARSPACES15 for 15% off the show.
Located in the Main Gallery on the 2nd Floor.
Doors open at 7:30pm. Show starts at 8:00pm.

Blue Alice performed by Irene Hsiao
2022-12-21 17:30 - 18:00
Blue Alice (by 21c’s first Artist in Residence, Irene Hsiao) is a response to the Pop Stars! exhibition, Dec. 21 is the fourth in a series of Blue Alice performances at 21c Chicago, and the April 8, 2022, performance of Blue Alice was the first performance presented at 21c Chicago. Learn more about Irene Hsiao and the Artist in Residence program here.
Blue Alice
Performance by Irene HsiaoCostume by Vin Reed
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 5:30pm

Exclusive viewing of Holding Rhythm with the artist, Colleen Plumb
2023-01-06 18:15 - 19:15
Colleen Plumb’s newest experimental video, Holding Rhythm, 2022, is the first commission made for Elevate: Rm 921. This site-specific video projection is viewable after dusk from the windows of 21c Chicago guests with interior-facing rooms. Join the artist, Colleen Plumb, and 21c Museum Manager, Juli Lowe, for a private viewing of the projection and learn more about the video and artist behind the work!
Read more about Holding Rhythm and Elevate: Rm 921 here.
Meet in the lobby at 6:15 pm. Tours are free and open to the public, RSVP is required.
RSVP via Eventbrite here.

Art of Cinema: Shut Up and Paint, A Film by Titus Kaphar & Alex Mallis
2023-01-10 18:30 - 19:30
Painter Titus Kaphar looks to film as a medium in the face of an insatiable art market seeking to silence his activism.
SHUT UP AND PAINT
A Film by Titus Kaphar & Alex Mallis
Produced by Chloe Gbai
Executive Produced by Matthew O’Neill & Perri Peltz
RSVP HERE
Called “a fascinatingly layered piece…unusually occupied by questions of process and power,” SHUT UP AND PAINT (20 minutes, 2022) is a new documentary short about the Painter Titus Kaphar as he looks to film as a medium in the face of an insatiable art market seeking to silence his activism. SHUT UP AND PAINT was recently recognized as one of fifteen films to advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. This award-winning film received the Grand Jury Prize at both the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Independent Film Festival Boston. It was also selected for DOC NYC’s “Shortlist: Shorts” and is a Cinema Eye Honors nominee for Outstanding Nonfiction Short. A co-production of DCTV and Revolution Ready, SHUT UP AND PAINT is directed by Titus Kaphar and Alex Mallis, produced by Chloe Gbai, and executive produced by Matthew O’Neill and Perri Peltz.
DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
Most non-fiction storytelling severs author from subject and brings into question the nature of power and representation. This is especially true of Black stories told through the lens of white storytellers. From the inception of this project, which is at its core an artist profile, we made the conceptual and political decision to include the Artist as co-director. This film centers the agency of a successful Black artist to protect his creative process and guard against the corrosive influences of the market. We wanted our process as filmmakers to be part of that journey.
We decided not to use traditional interviews. This presented an exciting challenge: to capture authentic and observed moments with a subject who would remain acutely aware of the role and goal of the camera. To do this, we chose to break the fourth wall both on screen and off. We drew a lot from formally expansive films such as William Greaves’ Symbiopsychotaxiplasm and Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, even creating our own take on the famous “Radio Raheem” scenes from the latter – collaborator Reginald Dwayne Betts performs original poetry directly to the camera, serving as our guide. For Alex, co-directing with the subject meant examining ethical approaches to altering and editing of words and ideas, i.e. when that person is in the edit room and pushing back on the way they are being represented…you have to listen!
As directors, we hope that this film is experienced by our viewers not just as entertainment but as an expression of art itself.
— Titus Kaphar and Alex Mallis, Directors
**NOMINEE – Cinema Eye Honors 2022 – Outstanding Nonfiction Short**
**DOC NYC Shortlist: Shorts – Official Selection**
**WINNER – Grand Jury Prize Short Competition**
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2022
**WINNER – Grand Jury Prize Documentary Shorts**
Independent Film Festival Boston 2022
**Tribeca Film Festival 2022 – Official Selection **
**BAMCinemafest 2022 – Official Selection**
About Titus Kaphar (Director, Producer)
Titus Kaphar (b. 1976, Kalamazoo, Michigan) received an MFA from the Yale School of Art and is the recipient of a 2016 Robert R. Rauschenberg Artist as Activist grant, a 2018 Art for Justice Fund grant, and a 2018 MacArthur Fellowship, among others. Kaphar’s painting was featured on the cover of the June 15, 2020 issue of TIME. His lauded 2017 TED talk has received 2.8 million views to date. Kaphar’s work is included in the collections of Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, amongst others. Kaphar founded his production company Revolution Ready in 2019 and is currently working on two feature length films.
About Alex Mallis (Director, Producer)
Alex is a Cuban-American, Jewish filmmaker raised in New Hampshire now living in Brooklyn, NY. His films have been selected for multiple festivals internationally. Online, his work has been featured by The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Pitchfork, The Huffington Post, and Vimeo Staff Picks. His documentary series AMERICAN BOYBAND (2017) was broadcast on ViceTV. His short documentary SHUT UP AND PAINT (2022) was awarded the Grand Jury Prize Documentary Shorts at IFFBoston and the Grand Jury Prize Short Competition at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Alex received an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College and is an active member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective and the Meerkat Media Collective.

Blue Alice performed by Irene Hsiao
2023-01-19 16:00 - 17:00
Please join us for Blue Alice’s last appearances in Pop Stars! at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago. Blue Alice is performed by 21c’s first Artist in Residence, Irene Hsiao, and is a response to the Pop Stars! exhibition. Learn more about Irene Hsiao and the Artist in Residence program here.
Blue Alice
Performance by Irene HsiaoCostume by Vin Reed
Final Performances
Thursday, January 19 at 4PM, with post-performance discussion moderated by Roell Schmidt
Monday, January 23 at 4PM, with post-performance discussion moderated by Jenn Freeman | Po’Chop
Friday, January 27 — final tour of Pop Stars! with Museum Manager Juli Lowe at 4PM, Blue Alice at 5PM
All performances and discussions are free and open to the public.

Ladies Only Sip & Talk
2023-01-19 19:00 - 21:00
Ladies Only Sip & Talk!
An enjoyable night at the one and only 21c Museum Hotel, intended for women to network, release thoughts and emotions while drinking wine.
We are creating a safe space for women to be able to come together and freely express perspectives during our discussion segments, which can lean towards sisterhood and healing. Doesn’t matter your age, background or ethnicity, come have a fun time and elevate self. The first step towards growth and gaining overall newness is becoming self-aware. And the best way to gain self-awareness is through conversations!
Complimentary red and white wine will be provided. Upon request, food options will be available for purchase.
Don’t drink wine but still interested in coming for great conversations? You’re welcome to attend as well!
———-
DRESS CODE: Come dressed as your highest self. Be you, express who you are through your attire.
No children
No smoking
ON TIME ARRIVAL, DOORS WILL BE CLOSED AND EVENT WILL BEGIN AT 7:15PM
***PARKING: Valet, Spothero, (other discounted parking apps) Uber, pay street parking.
Main Gallery 2nd FL
Hosted by Chadon M’Be and D’nia Defrance
Special Thank you to 21c Museum Hotel Chicago and S.T.E.P Self Love Services
@s.t.e.p__
@21chotelchicago
@chvdon
@_defrance
An enjoyable night at the one and only 21c Museum Hotel, intended for women to network, release thoughts and emotions while drinking wine.
We are creating a safe space for women to be able to come together and freely express perspectives during our discussion segments, which can lean towards sisterhood and healing. Doesn’t matter your age, background or ethnicity, come have a fun time and elevate self. The first step towards growth and gaining overall newness is becoming self-aware. And the best way to gain self-awareness is through conversations!
Complimentary red and white wine will be provided. Upon request, food options will be available for purchase.
Don’t drink wine but still interested in coming for great conversations? You’re welcome to attend as well!
———-
DRESS CODE: Come dressed as your highest self. Be you, express who you are through your attire.
No children
No smoking
ON TIME ARRIVAL, DOORS WILL BE CLOSED AND EVENT WILL BEGIN AT 7:15PM
***PARKING: Valet, Spothero, (other discounted parking apps) Uber, pay street parking.
Main Gallery 2nd FL
Hosted by Chadon M’Be and D’nia Defrance
Special Thank you to 21c Museum Hotel Chicago and S.T.E.P Self Love Services
@s.t.e.p__
@21chotelchicago
@chvdon
@_defrance

Pop Stars! - Guided Exhibit Tour with Juli Lowe, 21c Museum Manager
2023-01-20 16:00 - 17:00, 2023-01-27 16:00 - 17:00
Curious about contemporary art? Learn about 21c Chicago’s current exhibition, Pop Stars!, and the artists behind all of the works on a guided tour from 21c’s Museum Manager, Juli Lowe.
Meet us in the lobby at 4 pm to explore. Tours are free and open to the public.

Jazz Jam Session with the Matt Jarosch Quintet
2023-01-24 19:00 - 22:00
Jazz Jam Session
Tuesday, January 24th, 7-10pm
Free and open to the public
21c’s Jazz Jam Sessions continue bimonthly!
Jazz jam sessions have long been the place where musicians gather to connect and perform together while honing their skills. The Matt Jarosch Quintet will kick off the night with a 30-minute set before opening the evening to Jazz musicians in the audience to come sit-in!
Musicians can sign up on-site and fill out a jam session info card listing three to five tunes they can play and improvise on from memory. The jam session host will call on musicians to perform and improvise together in front of an enthusiastic live audience. A vocal microphone, drum set, bass, bass amp, and piano will be provided, otherwise bring your axe!
The evening will feature a fundraiser for BandWith Chicago. Suggested donation is $10 (collected at the door).
Wine be served. Lure Fishbar will offer special menu items in conjunction with this event (advance purchase not required but encouraged).
About BandWith ChicagoFounded in the Fall of 2015 by Annie Palomino, BandWith is a Chicago-based non-profit organization whose mission is to provide lasting access to high quality performing arts instruction to underserved Chicago communities.
Since its inception, BandWith has addressed the need for access to music and creativity in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Annie Palomino launched BandWith when the band program was dropped from LEARN Campbell Charter School due to budget cuts. Starting a nonprofit allowed Annie to continue providing free access to music instruction to students at the LEARN Campbell Campus while increasing reach to new students.
Since then, BandWith has developed into a stable organization offering individual and small group instruction, weekly ensemble play and performance opportunities to participants throughout the year. BandWith’s free in-school and after-school programs are located in East Garfield Park. They include our longest standing in-school band program, the Titan Band, within LEARN Charter School. BandWith also provides an after-school performing arts program at Marillac St. Vincent’s Hope Jr. Youth Center, which includes Drumline, WestDance, Studio-Engineering and Vocal Training/Choir. This summer, we partnered with After School Matters to support our growing Drumline Program as well as Chicago West Community Music Center to launch the WestDance Program.
BandWith offers instrumental music programs at 3 additional sites that are fee-for-service. The sites of these are St. Procopius School in Pilsen, St. Helen School in Ukrainian Village, and St. John Berchmans School in Logan Square. The three fee-for-service programs ensure BandWith’s financial viability and stability, and help subsidize the cost of our free programs. All other fundraising efforts are used to support free programs.

Roosevelt University Presents: Chamber Music Masterworks
2023-02-22 18:00 - 19:00
Join 21c Chicago and Roosevelt University for a two-night performance of the chamber music masterworks in concert
The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University is delighted to partner with the 21c Museum Hotel Chicago in presenting chamber music masterworks in concert. These highly-talented undergraduate and graduate students hail from some of the top music schools and training centers from around the globe, and their electric performances are not to be missed. You can say later that you heard these young musicians – many bound for superstardom in the field – when they were just getting their starts in Chicago, so, join us in supporting them!
About CCPA at Roosevelt University: Comprising the Music Conservatory, the Theatre Conservatory, and the Interdisciplinary Conservatory, CCPA trains world-class musicians and theatre professionals in the heart of one of the country’s most creatively accomplished cities. We invite you to learn more about the faculty and students within our talented, diverse, and inclusive artistic community.
Roosevelt University Presents: Chamber Music Masterworks
Date: February 22 and 23
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Where: 21c Museum Hotel Chicago (55 E Ontario St. Chicago, IL 60611)
Free and open to the public

Exclusive viewing of Holding Rhythm with the artist, Colleen Plumb
2023-02-23 18:30 - 19:30
Colleen Plumb’s newest experimental video, Holding Rhythm, 2022, is the first commission made for Elevate: Rm 921. This site-specific video projection is viewable after dusk from the windows of 21c Chicago guests with interior-facing rooms. Join the artist, Colleen Plumb, and 21c Museum Manager, Juli Lowe, for a private viewing of the projection and learn more about the video and artist behind the work!
Read more about Holding Rhythm and Elevate: Rm 921 here.
Meet in the lobby at 6:30 pm. Tours are free and open to the public, RSVP by emailing Juli Lowe at jlowe@21cChicago.com. RSVP required

The Art of Romance with Dr. Tari Mack & Nigel Barker
2023-02-28 18:30 - 20:30
Ever wonder why you keep dating the same type of person over and over? Or why do all of your relationships end the same way? Stop banging your head against the wall, it’s not you, but your Unconscious Attraction!
Join us for a night of cocktails, conversation, and connection with Dr. Tari, hosted by Nigel Barker.
You will have a chance to receive a live Unconscious Attraction Reading by Dr. Tari on stage. She will tell you who you are wired to be attracted to based on your past and childhood and how you are potentially blocking healthy lasting love. After, four lucky attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a fun Dating Show live on stage! It’s not just a game, you will learn life hack questions to truly connect with people, in and out of the dating world.
Free tickets can be booked here.
About Dr. Tari Mack
Dr. Tari is doctor of Psychology and a Celebrity Love Consultant who helps people rewire their brains and relationship patterns to find healthy lasting love. She is a regular on Access Hollywood and Daytime Chicago, Resident Therapist at OpenHouse Podcast and is known for taking her clients from “From endless dating to actual love” .
About Nigel Barker
Nigel Barker is a renowned fashion photographer and TV personality who served as judge and photographer for 18 seasons on America’s Next Top Model. Barker’s presence in the fashion and entertainment industry has resulted in an array of exciting projects including the creation of his own furniture line and 2 coffee table books including the NY Times Best seller Models Of Influence. He is currently the Brand Ambassador and Creative Consultant for 21c Chicago – The Museum Hotel.

21c Chicago's OFF-SPRING Exhibit Opening Reception
2023-03-02 18:30 - 20:30
OFF-SPRING: New Generations, 21c Chicago’s latest exhibition, opens to the public with a reception on Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. An introduction to the exhibition by 21c Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites will be followed by a presentation by featured artist Angela Ellsworth at 6:30 pm. The opening is free and open to the public to attend!
Rituals—religious and cultural, institutional and domestic—provide the thematic infrastructure for OFF-SPRING: New Generations. These sculptures, paintings, photographs, and videos employ iconographic imagery to explore the development of both personal and group identity, childhood, family, history, and gender politics. “At the wedding altar, in the family home, or in the classroom, within the fantasy of childhood play or the familiarity of grown-up habit, these new, old narratives generate a spectrum of meditations on the contemporary construction of self and society,” says 21c Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites, “In OFF-SPRING, transformations of iconic imagery from spheres both sacred and profane generate a new power, the power of potential and change.”
The exhibition, which remains on view through January 2024 throughout the 21c Chicago gallery spaces, presents a thematic group exhibition of 100 multi-media artworks by 60 artists from across the globe highlighting how religious, cultural, familial, and personal rituals shape who we are and how and where we live, love, and learn. OFF-SPRING features works by artists Gehard Demetz, Angela Ellsworth, Lalla Essaydi, Anthony Goicolea, Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Li Hongbo, Ragnar Kjartansson, Kelly Kristin Jones, Deana Lawson, Hans Op de Beeck, Chiaru Shiota, Vee Speers, Carrie Mae Weems, and others.
Image Credit:
Drew Tal Trust, 2017
About Angela Ellsworth
Angela Ellsworth is a multidisciplinary artist traversing disciplines of drawing, sculpture, installation, video, and performance. Her solo and collaborative work has taken in wide-ranging subjects such as illness, physical fitness, endurance, religious tradition, and social ritual. She is interested in art merging with everyday life where public and private experiences collide in unexpected spaces. Ellsworth has presented work nationally and internationally including The Getty Center (Los Angeles), Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney, Australia), Zacheta National Gallery of Art (Warsaw, Poland), National Review of Live Art (Glasgow, Scotland), Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (Los Angeles, CA), Museum of Contemporary Art (Denver, CO), Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (Scottsdale, AZ), and Phoenix Art Museum (Phoenix, AZ). She holds an MFA from Rutgers University in painting and performance and a BA from Hampshire College in photography and painting. Ellsworth co-founded the Museum of Walking (MoW) in one of the least walkable cities in the US, Phoenix. With 120 square feet of physical space MoW’s reach is much wider than a room with four walls. MoW is committed to a conversation of land, action, and site within the context of art.
The Plural Wife Project, navigates issues of the body in relation to gender, sexuality, and cultural histories of the western United States. Exploring the inherent queerness embedded in early Mormon polygamy, the project engages contemporary notions of non-heteronormativity and re-imagines a community of women pioneering an alternative history.
Ellsworth was born in Palo Alto, California, grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and resides in Phoenix Arizona where she lives with her partner, Tania Katan, and is a Professor in the School of Art at Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts-School of Art at Arizona State University. She is represented by Lisa Sette Gallery in Phoenix, Arizona and Modern West in SLC, Utah.
About 21c Museum Hotels
21c Museum is a multi-venue museum located in nine cities. One of the largest contemporary art museums in the U.S., and North America’s only collecting museum dedicated solely to art of the 21st century, each property features exhibition space open free of charge to the public, combined with a boutique hotel and restaurant. It was founded in 2006 by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson; philanthropists, preservationists, and collectors, committed to expanding access to contemporary art as a means of catalyzing revitalization and civic connection. 21c presents a range of arts programming curated by Museum Director, Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites, including both solo and group exhibitions that reflect the global nature of art today, as well as site-specific, commissioned installations, and a variety of cultural events. The organization collaborates on arts initiatives with artists and organizations worldwide, including Speed Art Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Creative Capital Foundation, Creative Time, and others.

OFF-SPRING – Guided Exhibit Tour with Juli Lowe, 21c Museum Manager
2023-03-10 17:00 - 18:00
Curious about contemporary art? Learn about 21c Chicago’s current exhibition, OFF-SPRING, and the artists behind all of the works on a guided tour from 21c’s Museum Manager, Juli Lowe.
Meet us in the lobby at 5 pm to explore. Tours are free and open to the public.
Featured Image: Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled (Woman and Daughter with Make Up), 1990, Silver print

Art of Womxn: Art & Wine Tour
2023-03-16 17:00 - 19:30
Enjoy a guided art tour of our current exhibit, OFF-SPRING: New Generations with 21c Chicago Museum Manager, Juli Lowe. Learn all about contemporary art and the artists behind the exhibition. Following the art tour, we will be celebrating women in wine with Shall We Wine CEO & Founder, Regine T. Rousseau, who be providing a tasting featuring a few of her favorite wines.
RSVP via Eventbrite here.
Meet in Galleries 5 + 6 on the 2nd Floor.
Tour starts at 5:00pm, followed by a wine tasting to follow.

Jazz Jam Session with the Matt Jarosch Quintet featuring Julia Danielle
2023-03-28 19:00 - 22:00
Jazz Jam Session featuring Julia Danielle
Tuesday, March 28th, 7-10pm
Free and open to the public
21c’s Jazz Jam Sessions continue bimonthly!
Jazz jam sessions have long been the place where musicians gather to connect and perform together while honing their skills. The Matt Jarosch Quintet and vocalist Julia Danielle will kick off the night with a 30-minute set before opening the evening to Jazz musicians in the audience to come sit-in!
Musicians can sign up on-site and fill out a jam session info card listing three to five tunes they can play and improvise on from memory. The jam session host will call on musicians to perform and improvise together in front of an enthusiastic live audience. A vocal microphone, drum set, bass, bass amp, and piano will be provided, otherwise bring your axe!
The evening will feature a fundraiser for BandWith Chicago. Suggested donation is $10 (collected at the door).
Wine be served. Lure Fishbar will offer special menu items in conjunction with this event (advance purchase not required but encouraged).
Julia Danielle is an up-and-coming vocalist, arranger, educator, and composer based in the heart of the vibrant jazz scene of Chicago. As the 2022 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition Winner, part of Julia’s prize was performing alongside The Tierney Sutton Band at the infamous Blues Alley Jazz Club in Washington D.C.

About BandWith Chicago

Founded in the Fall of 2015 by Annie Palomino, BandWith is a Chicago-based non-profit organization whose mission is to provide lasting access to high quality performing arts instruction to underserved Chicago communities.
Since its inception, BandWith has addressed the need for access to music and creativity in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Annie Palomino launched BandWith when the band program was dropped from LEARN Campbell Charter School due to budget cuts. Starting a nonprofit allowed Annie to continue providing free access to music instruction to students at the LEARN Campbell Campus while increasing reach to new students.
Since then, BandWith has developed into a stable organization offering individual and small group instruction, weekly ensemble play and performance opportunities to participants throughout the year. BandWith’s free in-school and after-school programs are located in East Garfield Park. They include our longest standing in-school band program, the Titan Band, within LEARN Charter School. BandWith also provides an after-school performing arts program at Marillac St. Vincent’s Hope Jr. Youth Center, which includes Drumline, WestDance, Studio-Engineering and Vocal Training/Choir. This summer, we partnered with After School Matters to support our growing Drumline Program as well as Chicago West Community Music Center to launch the WestDance Program.
BandWith offers instrumental music programs at 3 additional sites that are fee-for-service. The sites of these are St. Procopius School in Pilsen, St. Helen School in Ukrainian Village, and St. John Berchmans School in Logan Square. The three fee-for-service programs ensure BandWith’s financial viability and stability, and help subsidize the cost of our free programs. All other fundraising efforts are used to support free programs.

OFF-SPRING - Guided Exhibit Tour with Juli Lowe, 21c Museum Manager
2023-03-30 17:00 - 17:30
Curious about contemporary art? Learn about 21c Chicago’s current exhibition, OFF-SPRING: New Generations, and the artists behind all of the artworks on a guided tour from 21c’s Museum Manager, Juli Lowe.
Meet us in the lobby at 5:00 pm to explore. Tours are free and open to the public.
Featured image: Carrie Mae Weems Untitled (Woman and Daughter with Make Up), 1990

Curatorial Conversation: theNate Director and Curator Jeff Stevenson and artist Bernard Williams
2023-03-30 17:30 - 19:30
21c Museum Hotel Chicago is honored to collaborate with theNate on this month’s Curator Conversation. Director and Curator of the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (theNate) and the Visual Arts Gallery at Governors State University, Jeff Stevenson will be in conversation with artist Bernard Williams. theNate is receiving a new sculpture by the artists and together Jeff and Bernard will discuss the integration of Art and Landscape within the 100-acre expanse of theNate.
The Illinois Capital Development Board, Art in Architecture, Percent for Art Program, identified funds generated from the renovation of the F Wing / Science Area at Governors State University (GSU). The best use of these funds was to commission a new sculpture for theNate. 27 artists submitted applications and three finalists were identified. Bernard Williams’ design was chosen because of its response to the site and the collection, and how it will serve as an observation deck for visitors to take in the views of the 12-acre native prairie. The direct connection between the sculpture, the prairie conservation project, and the science program at GSU demonstrates the beauty of Art in Education.

More about Jeff Stevenson
Since 2017, Jeff Stevenson has served as the Director and Curator of the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (theNate) and the Visual Arts Gallery at Governors State University. In that time, for theNate, Stevenson has supervised over a dozen conservation projects, 6 visiting exhibitions in the sculpture park (including Chakaia Booker, Neil Goodman, Indira Johnson, Denise Milan), and 2 new acquisitions (Abbott Pattison, Terrence Karpowicz). For the gallery spaces on campus, Stevenson has coordinated the installation of over a dozen exhibitions annually.
Jeff Stevenson earned a BS degree in Medical Illustration from The Ohio State University and an MFA in Painting from Ohio University. He has exhibited his artwork in group and solo shows and has received numerous awards.
Stevenson has taught Studio Art classes, Art History, Creativity, and other subjects through Governors State University, Prairie State College, South Suburban College, Columbia College, The Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, and Ohio University.
He has served on boards and committees with Southland Arts, the Chicago Artists’ Coalition, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, and the Flossmoor Village Art Commission, in his hometown, Flossmoor, Illinois.
More about Bernard Williams
Bernard Williams is an established artist based in Chicago, IL and working in painting, sculpture, installation, and public art. He holds a BFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MFA from Northwestern University. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the U.S. and has been represented by the N’Namdi Gallery in Detroit, the Thomas McCormick Gallery in Chicago, and the Ethan Cohen Gallery in New York. Williams has received recognition both regionally and nationally, including grants from the Illinois Arts Council, Artadia in New York in 2001, The Meier Foundation in Chicago in 2013, and The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation in New York in 2015. He has completed artist residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA., and the International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York in 2013.
The artist began painting outdoor murals in the early 1990’s with the Chicago Public Art Group. While continuing with CPAG, Williams has added outdoor sculpture to his practice. In recent years he has created several outdoor steel sculptures in Chicago and completed the Black Tractor Project at the Arts Club of Chicago 2019. In November 2020-May 2021 he debuted a large sculptural work in the “Long Dream” group exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. In 2022 the artist installed a large outdoor steel sculpture commission celebrating the African American suffragette, Naomi Anderson, in Michigan City, Indiana. In 2023, the artist will install steel sculptures at theNate (Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park), at Governors State University in University Park, IL, and in Dallas, Texas.

For Freedoms News
2023-04-11 - 2023-04-30
For Freedoms News (FFN) is an artist-led reimagining of television news. Created by the artist collective For Freedoms, which centers art and creativity as a catalyst for transformative connection and collective liberation, this project began with a residency at the Brooklyn Museum concurrent with early voting in the 2022 midterm elections, continued at Untitled Art Miami Beach, as well as the unveiling of The Embrace, Boston.
This video presentation documents some of the creative experimentation from the first phase of FFN as a news program, live art installation, performance, conversation, and rallying cry from the For Freedoms ecosystem for creative civic participation. This work is being presented as a collaboration between EXPO CHICAGO and 21c Museum Hotel Chicago and is on-view at both venues.

HOW ON EARTH: Artists Address Climate Change program with NRDC
2023-04-14 17:00 - 20:00
Janet Biggs, Helina Metaferia and Jennifer Wen Ma join Elizabeth Corr (NRDC) and Anne Verhallen (ATLT) to discuss their artistic practices, their works featured in EXPO CHICAGO and the inspiration behind them. Talk begins at 5:30pm and will be followed by a musical performance at 6:30pm by Kinsella & Pulse. Cocktails and light food provided.
Program is free and open to the public — registration required. RSVP here.
HOW ON EARTH: Artists Address Climate Change @ EXPO CHICAGO
NRDC and Art At A Time Like This present HOW ON EARTH , a climate-focused exhibit featuring acclaimed artists Janet Biggs, Lily Kwong, Helina Metaferia and Jennifer Wen Ma for this year’s 10th anniversary of EXPO CHICAGO. The exhibit — on view in booth 132 / Navy Pier Festival Hall — showcases the power of artists who are inspiring hope and action in their artwork to address the climate crisis.

HOW ON EARTH is complemented by a robust series of free public programming highlighting local Chicago artists grappling with environmental issues in their own practices. View the list of participating artists below, along with complete program schedule.
Learn more about HOW ON EARTH in the press release.

When you sign up to attend these events, you’ll be added to NRDC’s mailing list. You can unsubscribe from emails at any time.

Featured image: Janet Biggs (photo by Katja Aglert), Lily Kwong, Helina Metaferia (photo by Tommie Battle), Jennifer Wen Ma (photo by Andrea Spidell)

Kelly Kristin Jones: Plinths for the People co-sponsored by The Chicago Poetry Center
2023-04-15 14:00 - 15:00
Plinths, the heavy platforms that hold up statues and monuments, are by their very definition not made for all. Plinths for the People takes the historical plinth and turns it into a grand stage activated by the community. Kelly Kristin Jones ensures that all stories, voices, and visions are acknowledged as community members speak their truth and perform their triumphs, creating their own kind of monument.
Join us at 21c Chicago on April 15 from 2-3pm to bear witness to those who choose to stand atop the plinth, and be inspired by Maya Odim and Luis Tubens, two Poets in Residence at The Chicago Poetry Center. Plinths for the People is co-sponsored by the Chicago Poetry Center.
Kelly Kristin Jones was raised on the westside of Chicago and received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the recipient of a number of awards and fellowships including a 2022 Individual Artists Program Grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, a 2021 Illinois Arts Council Agency Grant, a 2019 Chicago Artists Coalition HATCH residency, LATITUDE residency, and Luminarts Cultural Foundation Project Grant. She was a featured artist in the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial.
The mission of the Chicago Poetry Center is to connect people and poetry, equitably engage poets with communities, and foster creative literacy in the city and beyond. More information is available at www.poetrycenter.org.
Maya Odim is a poet and dancer who purposefully mounts performance works in spaces existing outside of occidental performance bounds. Maya works as an interdisciplinary artist exploring rhythms, patterns and qualities of speech through both the written word and a developing choreographic praxis. Maya holds a BA in American Studies (Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT) and is an MFA Writing candidate at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).
Luis Tubens, a.k.a “Logan Lu”, was born in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood and raised in Logan Square. In 2014, he earned a B.A. in Communications, media and theater from Northeastern Illinois University. He is the 2017 Artists in Residence at Oak Park Public Library. Luis has performed poetry across the United States including with the GUILD COMPLEX, Tia Chucha Press, and the National Museum of Mexican Art. He has toured Mexico City in 2016 and 2018 presenting his work at the acclaimed “Show Socrates MX” (2016) and the National Book Fair of Leon GTO (2018) and featured in Puerto Rico at “Poets Passage” and “Gathering of Cities” at Libros AC (2019). He has also held workshops for the residents of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and students in the Chicago Public Schools. On stage, he has opened for notable acts including Saul Williams and Calle 13. He is the author of Stone Eagle (2017) published by Bobbin Lace Press, Chicago. Currently, Luis is the resident poet for ESSO Afrojam Funkbeat (2016 Best New Band and Best International Music Act, Chicago Reader) and represented Chicago in the 2014 and 2018 National Poetry Slam.

Try It, Good Luck, I Believe in You
2023-04-20 18:00 - 19:00
By leaning into her mantra, “voice lessons are life lessons,” Rachel Page turns simple techniques learned from her years of taking and teaching music lessons into skills that can be transferred to other aspects of our lives. By infusing her sunny attitude into a blend of performance, conversation and participation, Rachel creates an encouraging atmosphere that’s sure to bring you joy. Join Rachel for the first iteration of Try It, Good Luck, I Believe in You on Wednesday, April 20 at 6pm.
Officially, Rachel Page is an international performer, educator and consultant based in Chicago, Illinois, but when you ask her, she will tell you she’s a musician and people person. She has always been interested and inspired by others. Rachel firmly believes that voice lessons are life lessons, and regardless of origin and skillset, music connects us all. Music deepens the human experience and provides us access to emotions that we can’t always (or don’t want to) name. The work that Rachel finds most meaningful is collaborative, creative, and requires optimism, vulnerability and courage.
This mindset has led Rachel to jump off many a cliff, often in far corners of the world. She holds a master’s degree in Music Theatre Vocal Pedagogy with a concentration in Business Design and Innovation, and she has operated her own private vocal studio since 2014. Rachel co-founded moxie productions in 2020 with her artistic partner Lindsay Bartlette Allen and is the co-creator and composer of Someone You Know, moxie’s premier musical. She has performed with Second City on Norwegian Cruise Lines, served as the program director for Kwan Kwan Music Theatre School in China, and lived in Barcelona where she collaborated with Eolia Conservatory to direct a well-received workshop of Someone You Know.
She knows that even in this day and age, we are all just trying our best, and she is grateful to be able to create music wherever and whenever she can.
Learn more at rachelpagesings.com

Art & Wine Tour
2023-05-11 17:00 - 18:30
Sip on a glass of wine and enjoy a guided tour of our current exhibit, OFF-SPRING. Learn all about contemporary art and the artists behind the work. Meet in Gallery 5 + 6 on the 2nd Floor. Tour starts at 5:00pm and is free and open to the public.
Following the tour, 21c’s Artist in Residence Rachel Page will perform Try It, Good Luck, I Believe in You. The program will begin at 6pm in the Main Gallery and is free and open to the public. Learn more here.

Try It, Good Luck, I Believe in You
2023-05-11 18:00 - 19:00
By leaning into her mantra, “voice lessons are life lessons,” Rachel Page turns simple techniques learned from her years of taking and teaching music lessons into skills that can be transferred to other aspects of our lives. By infusing her sunny attitude into a blend of performance, conversation and participation, Rachel creates an encouraging atmosphere that’s sure to bring you joy. Join Rachel for the second iteration of Try It, Good Luck, I Believe in You on Thursday, May 11 at 6pm.
Officially, Rachel Page is an international performer, educator and consultant based in Chicago, Illinois, but when you ask her, she will tell you she’s a musician and people person. She has always been interested and inspired by others. Rachel firmly believes that voice lessons are life lessons, and regardless of origin and skillset, music connects us all. Music deepens the human experience and provides us access to emotions that we can’t always (or don’t want to) name. The work that Rachel finds most meaningful is collaborative, creative, and requires optimism, vulnerability and courage.
This mindset has led Rachel to jump off many a cliff, often in far corners of the world. She holds a master’s degree in Music Theatre Vocal Pedagogy with a concentration in Business Design and Innovation, and she has operated her own private vocal studio since 2014. Rachel co-founded moxie productions in 2020 with her artistic partner Lindsay Bartlette Allen and is the co-creator and composer of Someone You Know, moxie’s premier musical. She has performed with Second City on Norwegian Cruise Lines, served as the program director for Kwan Kwan Music Theatre School in China, and lived in Barcelona where she collaborated with Eolia Conservatory to direct a well-received workshop of Someone You Know.
She knows that even in this day and age, we are all just trying our best, and she is grateful to be able to create music wherever and whenever she can.
Learn more at rachelpagesings.com
