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ART

Mayan Artifact Will Be Returned By National Museum of Mexican Art

“A Mayan artifact is set to return to Mexico after being held by a Chicago family for nearly forty years,” reports WBEZ. The National Museum of Mexican Art is facilitating the repatriation. The museum never owned the piece; “it was sitting in an estate before the family of late Chicago philanthropists Joseph and Jeanne Sullivan reached out to the museum’s board of directors for help late last year.” “Experts believe the panel, which measures nearly four feet in length, was once part of an architectural structure built by the Yucatán Maya peoples. It’s also only one half of the original frieze—the other part’s whereabouts remain unknown. It’s estimated to be from 500-900 A.D.”

DESIGN

What’s A Venice Biennale Booth Going To Cost You?

“The impressive showings of the United States’ Venice pavilion in the Giardini belie the ambitious fundraising efforts that underpin them. Past and present curators tell us how it works,” reports Wallpaper. Among them: “the director of Spaces, a Cleveland-based arts and culture organisation with an operating budget under $500,000 a year,” fundraised for the Venice Biennale project in 2023. Says the then-director, “Our organization was probably the smallest to do it. We weren’t affiliated with a major institution—like, it was me knocking down everyone’s door.”

Pope Home Shows How Chicago Does Ordinary Well

Neither Pope Leo XIV’s “childhood home or church will be named landmarks on their architectural merits, but they both represent some dominant themes in Chicago’s more acclaimed buildings—that is, a genuine sense of the ordinary,” writes Tribune architecture critic Edward Keegan. “The pope’s childhood home in Dolton is nothing if not modest. Built in 1949, the 1,050-square-foot home is tiny—especially when you imagine the Prevost family of five living within its simple brick walls. It’s a variation on the Cape Cod, a classic American form that was replicated across America in the years following World War II. But the use of Chicago common brick on each façade clearly places the home here.”

John Ronan Taking Library-In-Residence To Denver

“John Ronan is taking the library within residential development concept of his Chicago Independence Library and Apartments to Denver, where the local City Council just approved [an almost $10 million] loan to help fund the affordable housing project,” Lynn Becker relays on Twitter/X.

DINING & DRINKING

Recession Indicators Strike Chicago Restaurants

“Restaurant operators report that revenue and foot traffic have slumped this year,” relays Crain’s. Restaurateur Dave Bonomi “said check averages across his three restaurants are down about ten percent. At Peanut Park, high-priced items like steaks aren’t selling as well, either… Some restaurants are seeing an increase in business at happy hour, as customers seek out deals to stretch their dollars. More customers are splitting meals.” Avli, which has three locations in Chicago, “will roll out an updated menu this month that is geared toward value. It is reducing cocktail prices to about $12, betting that the era of the $20 cocktail is ending.”

Curtis Duffy Among Eight 2025 MenuMasters

“Eight culinary trailblazers were recognized for menu innovation and professional excellence at a gala awards ceremony Saturday in Chicago,” reports Restaurant Business. Curtis Duffy “was named MenuMasters 2025 Innovator, an award that recognizes a culinary trendsetter who has raised the standard for menu and concept development. Duffy is the chef-owner of Ever, a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant he opened during the pandemic, as well as After, a more casual lounge. Duffy thanked his team for their ‘fortitude, grit and passion’ that allows him to stand on the stage and accept the MenuMasters award.”

Fifteen Farmers Markets Of Note

“Not all farmers markets are created equal,” writes WBEZ. “We’ve selected markets across the Chicago area that champion local farmers who sell what they’ve grown.”

Rick Bayless On Adding Rice To Soup

The Takeout talks technique: Rick Bayless “had some advice for us on creating the perfect bowl of hearty rice soup. Bayless is well-known for his knowledge of authentic Mexican cuisine and chicken and rice soup—or ‘sopa de pollo y arroz’—is a hearty Mexican staple.” Says Bayless, “In Mexico, they cook the rice separately and add it just before serving the soup.” “This helps the grains to hold their shape rather than mulching down into the broth while the soup cooks.”

“Regulars’ Bar” Augie’s Returns This Summer

Augie’s owners Isabelle and Michael Nigro “were diagnosed with cancer within months of each other. That hasn’t stopped the couple from making good on their pledge to reopen the beloved ‘regulars’ bar,’” quaffs Block Club. “The revival of Augie’s Booze and Schmooze in Lincoln Park has been marked by starts and stops, shifting plans, unexpected costs and setbacks that might have convinced someone else to walk away… Now, after more than four years of its doors being closed, Augie’s is ready for its next chapter—one that promises to honor its legacy while welcoming a new generation of neighbors to the bar that always felt like home.”

New Orleans Christens Pope Cocktail

Magazine writer Brett Martin relays from New Orleans an addition to the cocktail list at Jewel of the South: The 7th Ward Pope. Rittenhouse Rye, House Amaro Blend, Rooibos Maraschino Liqueur, $16.

Finding Edna Lewis Doc Screens In Hyde Park

“Finding Edna Lewis” is the first major documentary about the legendary Southern chef, slots Eater Chicago. “She rose to prominence in the 1950s as a self-taught chef and co-owner of Café Nicholson in New York City. The dishes served at her restaurant and the popular cookbooks that followed helped raise the profile of the Southern regional cooking style into the American lexicon.” Says Eater, “Edna Lewis’ influence on Chicago’s dining scene can be felt throughout the city,” but she never lived here. A discussion follows with executive producer Deb Freeman; Stephanie Hart, owner of Brown Sugar Bakery; chef Cliff Rome, founder of Rome’s Joy Catering and moderator Charla L. Draper. Logan Center, Wednesday, June 11. Tickets ($45.63) here.

FILM & TELEVISION

How To Get To Sesame Street? Netflix, That’s How

After HBO parent Warner Bros. Discovery dumped the program, Sesame Workshop’s fifty-sixth season of the iconic children’s show will air on Netflix, writes the Hollywood Reporter. “New episodes of ‘Sesame Street’ will also run day-and-date on PBS and the PBS Kids app, ensuring that they are easily accessible. ‘Sesame Street’ has been available on PBS for more than fifty years, though during the HBO deal, the episodes debuted on PBS months after their HBO premieres.” Netflix’s press release is here.

CBS News Chief Quits In Clash With Owner Paramount

CBS News chief Wendy McMahon “is the second senior executive overseeing the company’s news division to leave unexpectedly as Paramount pursues a settlement with President Trump over what many legal experts believe is a flimsy lawsuit alleging that … ’60 Minutes’ tried to mislead voters with an interview of former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris,” reports Variety.

LIT

Berlin Prize Awarded To UChicago Essayist Rachel Cohen

University of Chicago writer Rachel Cohen “has received the Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin,” relays the university. Cohen “plans to spend the fellowship writing ‘Time in Pieces: Artists at Work,’ a book of linked essays about how artists of different eras have represented time.”

MUSIC

Twenty Years Of Concerts At Wrigley Field

“The ballpark, considered one of the top venues in the country for stadium rock, has had many ‘you had to be there’ moments,” writes Selena Fragassi at WBEZ. “Launching with Jimmy Buffett over Labor Day weekend in 2005, Wrigley’s live music program has thrived over the past twenty years, staging eighty shows and becoming a proverbial field of dreams for music fans.”

Dan Sullivan’s NadNavillus Goes Instrumental

“When guitarist Dan Sullivan moved to Chicago in 1997 to pursue a musical career, it didn’t take long for things to take off. Within a few years he released a couple of albums, the self-titled ‘NadNavillus’ and ‘Show Your Face.’ He also started performing in Songs: Ohia, the evolving project of the gifted and acclaimed musician Jason Molina,” records Alison Cuddy at the Sun-Times. His latest, “Upper Constant,” “marries his approach to the electric guitar in his metal band with the more traditional finger-picking style that he brought to acoustic performances.”

Artist-Designed Sueños Merch, Only At The MCA

Esperanza Rosas, aka “Runsy,” has designed a custom shirt for this weekend’s Sueños Festival, reports Axios Chicago. The piece will be sold exclusively at the MCA.

STAGE

“Hamilton” Returns To Chicago After Canceling Kennedy Center

On Sunday, “Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller announced that the production will return to Chicago in 2026, reports Chris Jones at the Tribune (gift link). “The first national touring company of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit will play the CIBC Theatre, March 4-April 26. Those dates roughly coincide with the previously planned dates for the show to play the Kennedy Center,” which were canceled after Trump “announced plans to install himself as Kennedy Center chairman and change the arts center’s programming to be more in line with his administration’s priorities.”

Goodman Goes Gala To Celebrate A Century

“The Goodman Theatre celebrated its hundredth anniversary with a gala that smashed expectations,” reports GoPride. “Named after the playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman and founded in 1925 as a repertory company, Goodman Theatre has carved out a rich legacy funded by many of the donors who attended the gala.” A recap of the evening, including a preview of “The Color Purple” and performances by Leslie Odom, Jr., can be found at the link.

“Transmedia Theatre Plays” Anthology Includes Ike Holter Work

“Between 2020-2022, theater had to adapt, and in doing so, challenged ideas of what was possible—and what was even ‘theater.’ The anthology ‘Transmedia Theatre Plays’ collects these multimedia scripts in an accessible collection,” edited by playwright Caridad Svich. “While these specific works are markers of a specific time in performance history, they also point ways forward, not only in terms of form and function, but in how educators, students and fellow practitioners could conceive of re-staging these works in person and/or on digital platforms.” Included: “I Hate it Here: Stories from the End of the Old World,” by Ike Holter. The publisher’s listing is here.

ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.

Foundations Step Up To Provide Lost Federal Support 

“Staff reductions, budget cuts and grant cancellations at the NEA, NEH and IMLS have left state and local organizations seeking alternative support,” reports The Art Newspaper. Among those providing support: The Mellon Foundation will “provide $15 million in emergency funding for state humanities councils to help make up for the $65 million in NEH funding that the Trump Administration has cut. Under the Mellon Foundation’s plan, each of the fifty states’ and six territories’ councils would receive $200,000 for operational support, with other funding to be made available for matching grants. That remaining funding will be administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils.”

Erin Harkey Addresses Chicago’s Arts Community

“Leaders from more than a hundred Chicago arts groups met last week to discuss the state of the arts, new collaborations and how to fight back when creativity is under attack,” reports WTTW. “The gathering was hosted by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, which funds more than 160 small arts organizations in the region through multi-year operating grants. Keynote speaker Erin Harkey, CEO of Americans for the Arts and former commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, spoke of the necessity of community in a time of uncertainty.” Harkey, “seeing the moment as an opportunity to strengthen the infrastructure of arts support,” said “don’t let a good crisis go to waste.”

New American Citizen Treks Route 66 From Chicago To Los Angeles

“On a blue Chicago morning in October, the tiny-leaved canopies of honey locusts turning gold against the horizon of the Great Lake beyond, I stood in the Enterprise car rental agency on South Michigan Avenue, gazing with trepidation at the Dodge Charger parked outside,” opens Aatish Taseer at the New York Times, before taking the ten-day journey across a mythical America in “an American muscle car.” Taseer talks to Paul Durica, the director of exhibitions at Chicago History Museum, and visits Saul Bellow’s childhood neighborhood, Humboldt Park.

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