Today In Culture, Friday, April 5, 2024: Michael Rakowitz At Film Center | Chicago House Music Festival | Blowback On … – Newcity

Newcity
Chicago Arts & Culture
by Ray Pride | April 5, 2024
Michael Rakowitz/Photo: Art21
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ART
Michael Rakowitz At Film Center
Art21 presents Michael Rakowitz in conversation at the Siskel, along with their short film, “Haunting The West.” Details here. Tickets are free here. Siskel Film Center, Saturday, April 13, 1pm.
Portland Art Museum Sets Finish To Expansion With Chicago’s Vinci Hamp Architects 
The Portland Art Museum says that “its campus expansion and renovation project will be open to the public in late 2025,” reports Willamette Week. “That timeline is on track with what PAM has been telling patrons since the renovation broke ground more than a year ago.” The central element of the project is the “24,000-square-foot Mark Rothko Pavilion, named after the painter who spent his childhood in Portland… The $111 million expansion is one of the most significant capital investments in the arts in the history of Oregon [and] will add 95,000 square feet of new or upgraded public and gallery space. It is being designed by Portland’s Hennebery Eddy Architects in partnership with Chicago’s Vinci Hamp Architects.”
Co-Prosperity Hosts David Velasco And Nicole Eisenman
Co-Prosperity will present Nicole Eisenman and David Velasco in conversation this Saturday. Velasco was the longtime editor of Artforum, who was fired by ownership over a letter published about Gaza; Eisenman signed it, then retracted it later. (More on that here.) Eisenman’s exhibition, “What Happened,” opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago on April 6. The talk will be recorded. April 6, 3pm. RSVP here.
 
DESIGN
Durbin Pushes For Entire Studio Gang O’Hare Design And Plan

Illinois senior senator Dick Durbin says “he’s ready to convene a meeting with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to keep the ambitious O’Hare expansion moving ahead,” reports Crain’s. “Under the original plan, two remote satellite terminals would be built off of United’s Terminal 1, with the outermost of the two connected to T1 via an underground tunnel. Only then would the existing, JFK-era Terminal 2 be demolished and replaced by a huge global terminal designed by Chicago [architect] Jeanne Gang that would allow United and American to better connect international and domestic flights.”
Asks Durbin, “Is that enough for the future? Been to LaGuardia lately? It used to be a dump and now it’s a premier airport where people actually sit and watch that fountain. What are we going to do here? Are we going to be stuck with a twentieth-century airport that’s been modified?”
Kansas City Voters Reject Billionaire-Backed Forty-Year Stadium Sales Tax
“In a blow against billionaire sports franchise owners, Kansas City voters rejected a forty-year stadium tax,” reports In These Times. “More than fifty-eight percent of voters… rejected the plan, which would have added a sales tax to fund stadium renovation and construction.” Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman: “We will take some time to reflect on and process the outcome and find a path forward.”
Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Plans Learning Center Expansion
The Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission has approved Frank Lloyd Wright Trust plans for a new learning center, reports Wednesday Journal, which “will consist of a new, contemporary building designed by architect John Ronan that will include a reception hall, pavilion and studio. An Art Resource Center will be housed in the repurposed historic building at 925 Chicago, which will also include a Frank Lloyd Wright reading room and archive.”
Will County Courthouse Demolition Nearly Done
Demolition crews began tearing down the former Will County courthouse in December after it closed in November 2020 when a new courthouse opened down the street, reports the Daily Southtown via the Tribune. “The building is actually coming down considerably easier than originally thought,” said Bill Fern, director of facilities as the edifice is hollowed out to a shell ahead of schedule.”The courthouse is expected to be at grade next week, and then concrete and other construction debris will be hauled away… The basement foundation will be demolished and then backfill will be brought to the site to bring it up to grade.” (Ted Fishman’s April 2023 Newcity piece on what’s being lost is here.)
Northwestern Ryan Field Almost Down To Rubble
“Demolition work is nearing completion at Northwestern’s ninety-seven-year-old Ryan Field. The demolition began in February and is now down to the Central seating section on one side and the end-zone on the other. The total stadium rebuild is on track to finish in summer 2026,” reports Chicago YIMBY.
Unions Oppose Environmental End To New Gas Connections In Chicago
“A nearly nine-hour hearing of City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy was a preview of a fight to come over Mayor Johnson’s proposed ordinance to end connections of carbon-dioxide producing natural gas,” reports the Sun-Times.
 
DINING & DRINKING
Grafton Space Will Be The Getaway
Grafton, Lincoln Square’s Irish pub and de facto clubhouse for The Old Town School, closed since August 2022, is reopening as The Getaway, reports Block Club. Four Entertainment, “the bar’s new owners, also operate aliveOne, Estelle’s, Central Park Bar and The Owl.” The Old Town School had announced plans to buy the pub, but “those plans fell through after Four Entertainment acquired the three-story building.” Says co-owner Ross Dimun, “There’s so many great restaurants all around us. We want this to be a place people go for drinks. We want to be the bar on the block.” The Getaway’s opening menu “will offer twelve cocktails presented in playful glassware that will rotate seasonally.”
Leña Brava Names Brian Enyart Exec Chef And Partner
The West Loop’s “wood-fired tribute to Baja’s culinary traditions,” Leña Brava, has taken on local chef Brian Enyart (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Dos Urban Cantina) as executive chef and partner. “Tapped to bring his nearly three decades of experience cooking thoughtful interpretations of regional Mexican cuisine at some of the city’s most revered concepts, Enyart will usher in a new era for the neighborhood mainstay as he leans on the concept’s energetic spirit and soul to rehaul the menu of Baja-inspired seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes while serving as a positive leadership force inside the kitchen and out.” More Leña Brava here.
Are These The Best Wine Lists In Chicago? The Times Thinks So
On a trip to Chicago during a “biting arctic blast,” Eric Asimov of the New York Times “was looking for casual, comfortable places that served full meals and offered lists with a clear personality. I omitted the sorts of classic, expensive Michelin-starred restaurants where you would expect to find extensive wine lists.” (Free link here.) “Eight places stood out as distinctive emblems of Chicago’s singular Midwestern character.” Asimov’s picks (after admitting he lacked time to savor Daisies, Avec and Lula Cafe?): Cellar Door Provisions, Dear Margaret, El Che, Giant, Obélix, Rose Mary, The Village at Italian Villages and Webster’s Wine Bar.
 
FILM & TELEVISION
Classic Cinemas Co-Founder Shirley Johnson Was Eighty-Eight
“Shirley L. Johnson co-founded the Classic Cinemas movie theater chain with her late husband, Willis, and was a highly visible advocate for the arts,” reports the Trib. “‘Shirley wanted to be so involved in the communities where their theaters were, and the historic [theaters] in towns’ downtowns were the anchors of the downtowns,” said retired Classic Cinemas director of marketing Mark Mazrimas, an eighteen-year employee. “A lot of her involvement was involvement in special shows like doing school shows and doing charity events.”
Fifty-Three Seconds Of Now-Deleted Footage From “The Bear” Revealed Wall Of Photos Of Fictional Food Critics
“The footage, shared at Disney’s shareholders’ meeting, has since been taken down,” reports Eater Chicago. “The leaked clip features Neil Fak (Matty Matheson)… with his brother, Ted (Ricky Staffieri) in the restaurant’s office. The Faks yell out to call Carmy to enter so they can unveil a surprise. The camera pans to a wall of ten framed photos filled with portraits. It’s a diverse crew including a white guy wearing tinted glasses and a school-aged girl smiling. Fak points to the wall and tells Carmy these are snapshots of ‘every major food critic.’”
FX is pissed: “Today during The Walt Disney Company’s Annual Shareholder Meeting, a clip from the upcoming third season of FX’s ‘The Bear’ was shown as part of the presentation. The clip was subsequently captured and shared publicly without permission… We request that you and/or your outlet do not post or share it in any manner. If it has already been posted, we request that it be removed immediately.”
 
LIT
Lori Lightfoot Refused To Talk To Biographer
“Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot wouldn’t talk to me for ‘The City Is Up For Grabs,’” tweets reporter Gregory Royal Pratt. “I would’ve liked to sit down in detail. But that doesn’t mean I blindsided her or wrote the book using voodoo mystic powers. We did it the old-fashioned way.” The reporting “starts with hundreds of interviews over four years with countless key players and other people in/around govt. I always wanted to write a book and kept in close contact with folks, which also helped break constant news… Through FOIA, I obtained four years worth of emails and text messages from Lori Lightfoot to key players in city and state politics as well as civil and uncivil society. This allowed me clear access to how things unfolded that otherwise might not be accessible. For months, I asked Lightfoot comms for interviews. They said no.” “The City Is Up For Grabs” is on store shelves now.
 
MEDIA
Blowback On Chicago Public Media Firings
Julian Hayda, a founding member of WBEZ’s DEI committee tweets, “It’s important to note that Vocalo and WBEZ’s podcast unit disproportionately represent the organization’s Black talent and Black-oriented content. Public media orgs like this have claimed this audience has been a priority for over a decade, and yet make cuts there first…” Inside Radio: “Unaffected by the cuts are WBEZ’s daily podcast versions of its midday program ‘Reset’ and newsletter ‘The Rundown,’ while ‘Curious City’ will continue as a weekly on-air segment although not as a podcast.”
“This decision would [wreck] local music, culture and news in a city where there’s already a severe lack of audio outlets speaking to & reaching underserved communities,” tweets In These Times senior editor Miles Kampf-Lassin. “If WBEZ leadership wants the org to actually represent Chicago then it should reverse this plan immediately.”
Tiffany Walden, editor-in-chief of The TRiiBE, tweets: “Vocalo is one of the only stations left where you can hear local and indie Chicago artists in rotation, and hear songs outside of the top 10 that IHeart Radio is pushing. It’s also one of the first media outlets to embrace TheTRiiBE in its beginning stages. this is sad. I remember when I was driving Lyft as a side hustle in 2016/2017, and I didn’t have Bluetooth so I had to listen to the radio. Vocalo put me on to so many of the Chicago artists I listen to today…” Adds Tracy Baim with charts: “Long live Vocalo… what is this ‘nonprofit’ nonsense… Truly how much could that save them w/$106 million in assets & $8 million profit in 2023? This needs to be reversed and salaries investigated.”
 
MUSIC
The Rise Of The “Multitasking Conductors”: Hello, Klaus Mäkelä
“‘I love my three orchestras,’ the twenty-eight-year-old Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä said the other day on WQXR, during a broadcast from Carnegie Hall,” writes Alex Ross at the New Yorker. “Mäkelä was leading an all-Stravinsky concert with the Orchestre de Paris, of which he has been the music director since 2021. The other orchestras in question are the Oslo Philharmonic, which he has led since 2020, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, where he holds the title of Artistic Partner. In 2027, Mäkelä will become the chief conductor of the Concertgebouw, which would appear on any shortlist of the world’s finest ensembles. No conductor in modern history, not even the lavishly hyped Gustavo Dudamel, has ever risen so quickly to the peak of the profession.” (Of course, Mäkelä adds the CSO in the fall of 2027.)
City Announces Lineup For Festival Celebration Of Fortieth Anniversary Of House
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced today the 2024 lineup of free House Music programming, celebrating forty years since the genre was born in Chicago. Making a return to Millennium Park for the twentieth Anniversary summer season, the 2024 Chicago House Music Festival takes place Sunday, June 2, 10am–9pm, featuring a lineup of local and international DJs. Headlining the Pritzker Pavilion are Tony Touch, ANANÉ, Ash Lauryn, and Karizma performing before Wayne Williams and Alan King of the Chosen Few DJs. On the North Promenade of the Park, Slo ‘Mo / Kido hosts Queer Fam Pride Jam, a youth and queer family-friendly event with dance lessons, DJ sets and more from 10am–1pm, followed by Viva Acid presenting top local DJs until 9pm.
Leading up to the June 2 Chicago House Music Festival, DCASE will present three days of free House Music events including the Chicago Cultural Center’s Open House (May 30) featuring House DJs spinning throughout the historical building alongside new visual art exhibitions and arts programming from 4–8pm. The Chicago House Music Conference (May 31) brings engaging panels with House music icons and experts to the Chicago Cultural Center featuring Keynote Speaker Steve “Silk” Hurley of S&S Chicago. Full lineup and more here.
 
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
Mayor: “Name One Thing That I Said I Was Gonna Do That I Haven’t Done”
In the past twelve months, writes Block Club, “portions of Johnson’s agenda [have progressed], while other parts have stalled… Speaking to Block Club, Johnson punched back at his critics and expressed almost unbridled confidence in his tenure so far, despite ‘unexpected or unanticipated’ crises like the influx of migrant buses and destructive flooding on the city’s West Side. ‘Name one thing that I said I was gonna do that I haven’t done. You won’t be able to.’”
Most Of The World’s Carbon Dioxide Emissions Come From Just Fifty-Seven Producers
“The vast majority of recent carbon dioxide emissions can be traced to a group of just fifty-seven producers,” relays Reuters of a new report. “From 2016 to 2022, the fifty-seven entities including nation-states, state-owned firms and investor-owned companies produced eighty-percent of the world’s CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and cement production.”
Chicago Names First Chief Homelessness Officer; Finland Thinks It Can End Homelessness By 2027; Los Angeles To Demolish “Skid Row” For 2028 Olympics
Mayor Johnson has named Sendy Soto as the City of Chicago’s first Chief Homelessness Officer, the city relays in a release. “Soto will be tasked with coordinating across City departments and sister agencies and developing a five-year plan to address the homelessness crisis in Chicago. I created this position to ensure that we are collaborating across departments and removing any and all obstacles that prevent people from securing stable housing,” says Johnson. “Chicago joins a small group of cities that have taken the bold step of creating a dedicated position that ensures every resident has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing,” said Soto.
“Whereas the number of homeless people has been skyrocketing in Europe in recent years, Finland is the only European Union member state to have almost completely eliminated the problem,” reports Spiegel (from February). “Only around 3,600 people in Finland are currently without a roof over their head, and the country is aiming [with its Housing First program] to make long-term homelessness a thing of the past by 2027. In the capital of Helsinki, it is to vanish by 2025.” In anticipation of its landscape-transforming hosting of the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles is ready to demolish its fifty-year-old Skid Row, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Mapping Airbnb Sellouts Across Sweep Of Eclipse; Chicago Events Listed; Plants And Animals Will React
“With the eclipse in less than a week, over half of U.S. cities along the eclipse’s path are fully booked for the night of April 7,” maps AirDNA’s Jamie Lane on Twitter. (Still version here.) Axios lists Chicago-based events here. WLS-TV covers how plants and animals will react: “About twenty minutes from totality, birds will start to flock. Some will quiet down. Farm animals, like cows and chickens, will walk back to the barn because they think it’s now nighttime… Once totality hits, the behavior will start to change again… Bees stop buzzing during totality and [return] to their hives.”
Lost Generation Of Priests And Nuns Attributed To Mountainous Student Debt
“For young adults who want to join certain religious orders, paying off debt before taking a vow of poverty can prove challenging,” reports the New York Times. “People wishing to enter religious life in the Catholic tradition are typically required to pay off all their debts to prepare themselves to take a vow of poverty, and others living in religious communities usually don’t earn an income or own assets, preventing them from paying any debts they accrued as laypeople… A report from the National Religious Vocation Conference signaled the alarm more than a decade ago with data that confirmed that ‘educational debt had become a deterrent for many discerning a religious vocation,’ pointing to factors such as the ballooning cost of tuition and wage stagnation.”
Beleagured Walgreens Takes $2.7 Billion Tax Tab After IRS Audit
Deerfield-based Walgreens takes another hit, reports the Trib. For 2014–2017, “the agency found issues with transfer pricing—prices charged between units within companies—and is seeking $2.7 billion in additional tax payments, plus penalties and interest.”
 
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