Results tagged “arts”

This month is National Novel Writing Month — Nanowrimo for short. A time for cranking (crunking?) out 50,000 words of elegant prose — or crap, depending. A time (30 days, to be precise) within a time (that lacks a foreseeable end, to be depressing) of widespread unemployment among writers, many of whom used to get paid to wordsmith. Damn, man. Those were the days.

UR Chicago has just announced they are going on indefinite hiatus and that this month's issue will be the last to appear in print. They will still maintain an online presence, and publishers En Prise Entertainment will continue to promote music and art events around town, but we're sad to say that the magazine itself is kaput due to obvious economic factors facing the print media industry. We thought it was one of the best independently produced arts and entertainment periodicals in Chicago, so we're rather bummed to see it become another casualty. (Full disclosure: A number of Chicagoist writers have freelanced or been employed by UR Chicago in the past.)

These ads for Americans for the Arts were created by Chicago's own Leo Burnett agency. It's goooood!

">he also smokes! He even believes the smoking ban was never "intended to limit artistic expression. It would be wise for us to ... allow theater productions to obtain a special waiver when smoking is a critical component of their performance." While Reilly wants the cast of to be able to light up, as scripted, Alderman Ed Smith (28th) disagrees, and the council specifically did not approve an exemption to the ban for live theater.

WBEZ's Sunday arts show has gotten the boot. This is what happens when you don't pledge, people. Ever since Edward Lifson left the gig, the show's been sort of adrift, but WBEZ's getting pretty light on local arts coverage. [S-T]

Well, that anti-promoter ordinance the City's kicking around sounds worse with every passing second. The vague language means it may limit live comedy in Chicago, too. You can hear Alderman Eugene Schulter try to defend the ordinance on 848 from this morning, but we'll warn you that it'll just make you grumpy.

Goccos are the holy grail of the crafting world—simple, handy, solid—so when the Japanese-made printing machine (sort of like silk screening, but easier) went out of production, print fans were crushed. Since 2005, Goccos have been tough to find, but today, local stationary go-to Paper Source got some of the "big daddy" Goccos in stock. Ayee! The $395 PG6 can make prints up to 6.5" x 9.3", and Goccos can print on paper and cloth.

There's plenty going on this weekend in Chicago, like UFO symposiums, science fairs, and no shortage of places to eat. But if none of those things float your boat, maybe one of these events will.

It's gonna snow tomorrow. Expect 6 inches by Friday. Joy! [Trib]

How many dance troupes in Chicago can claim that they dance off the ceiling as well as the floor? AMEBA can. Billing themselves as an acrobatic and aerial dance company, AMEBA’s choreography uses the trapeze, suspended scarves, bungee cords, rope ladders … and they climb all over each other, too.

We were grabbing a granola bar from the Walgreens by our office this morning and came across these amazing treats. It was then we realized that we've been so caught up in the Leap Year excitement that we nearly forgot that it's time to get excited about St. Patrick's Day. While most of our non-Irish friends celebrate this time of year by getting drunk on green beer and acting like idiots, we like to think we actually do pay proper respect to our Irish ancestors by cooking up a nice Irish stew and flipping through our family tree notes. Of course, our great, great, great grandfather was an Irish moonshiner (true story!) so there is some overlap.

All week, Chicagoist will be breaking down the Schubas Tomorrow Never Knows Festival by day to take a look at the sometimes raw, always promising talent that's creating some of most deafening buzz on the independent music horizon.

We all know that Chicago has a little something for everybody. As far as dance classes go, there are bountiful opportunities throughout the city to try something new, develop a new skill, or just plain old embarrass yourself in front of your significant other. We went ahead and found some of the more interesting offerings in the way of dance classes:

Saturday night at SketchFest was bigger, better, rowdier, drunker. Performers might have found audiences more forgiving (when friends and family came) and tougher (when the front row was soused). Groups filling the most coveted slots brought energy, harmony, and a bizarre hilarity to the stage.

The biggest cultural stories of 2008 are likely less predictable than this week’s Rose Bowl. Every year we see our share of breakout artists and surprising storefront gems, and 2008 promises to be no different. But 2007 left some unfinished business and we’re eager to see how these stories play out:

Nunuh-nunuh-nunuh-nunuh-nunuh-nunuh-nunuh-nunuh-Batman! We are going crazy for full-length trailer for .

If you're like us, you're already getting pumped up for the Oscars! Not. Jeez, let's get past New Year's first, O.K.? Oops. Too late. The Chicago Film Critics Association has already jumped the gun and handed out their awards. To the surprise of no one the big winner was No Country for Old Men, the new Coen brothers movie that both impressed and disturbed us when we saw it last month. It won four awards in all (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem). We're very pleased that Bardem won; there wouldn't be much of a movie without his chilling character study, and he damned well better win the Oscar.

Kanye West leads the pack with the most Grammy nominations this year. Kanye is also famous for throwing a tantrum every time he ends up being beaten out by anyone else for any other award. This time around, we think maybe Kanye should be crossing his fingers in hopes that he doesn't win.

'Tis the season for free champagne tastings. Get started tonight at the Artisan Cellar (located on the first floor of the Merchandise Mart) with a sample of some rare bubblies from 4-6 p.m. Learn all about the history of smothered foods from author Wilbert Jones, the author of Smothered Southern Foods. Jones' lecture, "Smothered - Southern Style" is being held Saturday at the Chicago History Museum, sponsored by the Culinary Historians of Chicago. The lecture...

And your sweet, sweet lovin'. Wait. Writing. Your sweet, sweet writing. It's not too late to apply to be a Chicagoist writer. We're looking for folks who want to cover visual arts, music, events, food, news, transit, crime, government, architecture, style — and everything else. Send an e-mail to chicagoistapply@gmail.com with the subject line of what you want to write about. Please tell us a little about yourself, and include a sample post. Reindeer...

Want to write for Chicagoist? We want to hear from you. We're looking for writers to cover visual arts, music, events, food, news, transit, fashion, crime — you name it. Send us an email at chicagoistapply@gmail.com with the subject line of what you want to write about. Tell us a little about yourself, and include a sample post, please. Snowy leaves by Andy Marfia...

Chicagoist is looking for a few good men and women to fortify our ranks. We're looking for general contributors, food writers, people to cover visual arts and the gallery scene, and maybe a music and events writer or two who want to post a few times a week. Interested? E-mail chicagoistapply@gmail.com with the subject line of what you want to write about (is it not in that list above? That's OK — surprise us,...

The cold weather - and holiday festivities - descended upon Gothamist. The Rockefeller Christmas tree was lit, Broadway stagehand finally ended their strike, and NASCAR decided to run their victory lap through Times Square. There were disturbing photographs revealing the working conditions in which many city manholes are produced and ninjas were also a hot topic, either robbing homes or entering into alibis. But the city was really rocked by how Rudy Giuliani's visits...

The Reeling Film Festival is in its last days, but there's still time to catch what's sure to be one of the most fascinating movies in the program. Quearborn & Perversion, a new documentary by Columbia College alum Ron Pajak, tells stories of lesbian/gay Chicago life spanning the years 1924-1974. It's surely a beautiful irony of history: what is today the epicenter of the Viagra Triangle was, in the 50's, the epicenter of gay life;...

Kanye West's mother Donda West's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. The Chicago Board of Education is going to approve plans for a culinary arts high school for juniors about to drop out of school. Mark your calendars: On weekends between November 17 and December 23, Fannie May will be offering free ferry rides "between Chicago's commuter train stations and the Michigan Avenue shopping district." Moo Moo, a 2-year-old shih tzu was stolen from his Wicker...

Yesterday we learned that almost all of us have toxic chemicals hanging out in our bodies, and artists and musicians are no exception to the rule. Visual artists are often exposed to harmful chemicals on a long-term basis. Musicians risk hearing loss and/or vocal chord strain after a long career playing in loud clubs. And both groups risk repetitive motion disorders such as carpal tunnel. The upcoming Musicians at Work forum at the Cultural Center...

In a move sure to send ripples throughout the video game community, Electronic Arts, aka EA, is shuttering its Chicago office effective immediately. In case that leaves you scratching your head, EA is responsible for such gaming franchises as Madden NFL, The Sims, The Orange Box, and the upcoming Rock Band. The now former studio was located at 215 W. Ohio. According to EA Games president Frank Gibeau, shutting down the Chicago branch was “the...

We're embarrassed to admit that when it comes to Korean culture, beyond bulgoki and kimchi we sort of draw a blank. (But oh how we love bulgoki!) So it's great to know that DOC Films at U of C is on the job: this week they're hosting the Korean Film Festival, a traveling tour of contemporary and classic cinema. 1958's A Flower in Hell is described by Jonathan Rosenbaum as "potent and grim," but...