Between art and disgust

Artists are not always beautiful people on the inside

09/01/2010

The fascinating exhibit displays the work of Peter Anton, a 78-year-old East Chicago, Indiana resident who has documented his life in 12 thick, colorful scrapbooks dubbed the “Almost There” books. The exhibit displays the scrapbook’s contents — an amalgam of press clippings, pen and pencil drawings, writings and more collected over 60 years — in addition to Anton’s oil and pastel paintings.

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Chicago museums amp up

Interactives attract younger audiences

08/25/2010

When the Mallya sisters visited Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, they couldn’t stand still. Maya, 9, and Meghan, 11, zoomed from exhibit to exhibit, tapped on touch-screen computers, and cooed at the sight of newly hatched chicks in an incubator. Throughout the trip, they remained physically, intellectually and emotionally engaged.
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The view from 'The Wagon'

An observant police memoir walks the fine line between contempt and respect

08/18/2010

Martin Preib, a longtime Chicago cop, wrote a book that’s as much a memoir of his journey from rookie to old-timer as it is an account of his attempts to find himself as a writer. Though he offers voyeuristic, first-hand accounts of high-stakes police stops in "The Wagon and Other Stories from the City," his real concern lies in exploring his own literary possibilities.
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Moviemaking under the gun returns to Chicago

Ready, set ... film!

08/11/2010

Filmmaking can be a long, complicated process. Dozens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of individuals are needed to perform the tasks required to produce just one film, be it a student short or a feature-length studio behemoth.
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Lollapalooza reaches out to families

Not just for big kids anymore

08/04/2010

The circus is back in town this weekend, folks! One of the country’s premiere, long-running musical circuses, that is. For the sixth year in a row, Lollapalooza will pitch tents in Chicago, bringing more than 100 acts of all shapes, sizes and sounds to Grant Park over the course of three days.
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Black Harvest Film Fest showcases films and docs made in Chicago

Homegrown talent

07/28/2010

Film
The 16th annual Black Harvest International Festival for Film and Video kicks off on Aug. 6. at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. And the opening night is shaping up to be a star-studded affair.
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Classic movie-to-play offers waves, blood and laughter

Surf's up, Johnny

07/21/2010

Theater
"Point Break Live" comes to Chicago with a built-in buzz, having bowled over audiences in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It's easy to see why. Far from a traditional stage-play, "Point Break Live" morphs the film into a completely immersive experience, with the action taking place all around, above and often on the audience.
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Forager seeks edible items in Chicago's nooks and crannies

Wild food

07/14/2010

Food Culture
Last September, Dave Odd was on a hike when he stumbled across a patch of wild mushrooms. Less than a year later, Odd now sells foraged foods to more than 20 of the city’s top restaurants. The 33-year-old, a comedian by night, usually spends three to four days a week hunting for produce. He talked on the trail during one recent harvest about where to look for wild food and how to stay safe when eating the food you find.
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The changes to come

Traveling exhibit 'Climate Change' at Field Museum informs, but lacks urgency

07/07/2010

Exhibit
The smallest things matter when thinking through the causes and implications of climate change. That’s made clear from the beginning of a traveling exhibit about one of the globe’s most pressing challenges. The exhibit debuted last month at the Field Museum.
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Smiling through the madness

06/30/2010

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. It’s a tired cliché, but it holds truth. The harshest realities can become more palatable and understandable when captured and contextualized with lighter airs. Humor, comedy, satire and irony can illuminate and add power to situations in ways that sober documentation cannot.
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