Get Chicago & Great Lakes culture news sent to your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to Newcity Today here.

ART

Chicago Public Art Group Names Janice Bond Executive Director

The Chicago Public Art Group has announced the appointment of Janice Bond as its new executive director. “A celebrated cultural architect, strategist and arts leader, Bond steps into this role with a powerful vision to amplify [our] historic foundation while charting bold new directions in public art, cultural programming and community-centered design. Bond’s national and international portfolio includes the curation of site-specific artworks, immersive civic installations, and strategic cultural planning for institutions, cities and developers.” Bond was formerly the director of arts and culture at IMAN in Chicago.

George Lucas In To Finish Kessel Run For Long-Delayed Museum

The 300,000-square-foot Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles is near completion, writes the New York Times. “Even now—fifteen years since Lucas first proposed a museum, and eight years after ground was broken in Los Angeles—many questions remain about an ambitious but somewhat amorphous project that is now slated to be completed next year… The curvilinear structure itself—which was first proposed for San Francisco and then Chicago before landing in Exposition Park—has been complicated by the pandemic. Problems have included supply-chain issues, design changes and conflicts between the architect… and the general contractor.” The eighty-one-year-old filmmaker-philanthropist “has had a hand in every detail of the museum’s development, former staffers say, from architectural details to exhibition layout to wall text… In recent weeks the museum has parted ways with its director and chief executive of the past five years and eliminated fifteen full-time positions and seven part-time employees.”

High Line Art Curator On A Fast-Paced Day In Chicago

Cecilia Alemani, chief curator of High Line Art, offers her Chicago culture diary at the New York Times (gift link): “I woke up very early to catch a plane and go to… Expo Chicago, where I was invited to give a talk. I don’t go to Chicago that often, so I went a day earlier to catch a million shows in a very short time.” Her itinerary included stops at the Renaissance Society, Neubauer Collegium, Arts Club of Chicago, MCA Chicago and the Art Institute.

Artlogic Gallery Reports On 2025 Trends

Artlogic, a technology platform for the art world, has released its 2025 gallery report, offering a global snapshot of the pressures shaping today’s commercial galleries. “Drawing on insights from galleries in over fifty countries, the report reveals a sector under mounting strain—driven by declining collector demand, reliance on legacy buyers, and a growing move toward hybrid models that blend physical and digital engagement… A striking sixty-three percent of galleries report that it’s harder to operate now than it was just two years ago.” The full report is here.

DESIGN

Fine Arts Building Receives Preservation Excellence Award

In honor of Preservation Month, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks has honored Chicago’s top historic preservation projects, programs and practitioners with the twenty-fifth edition of its Preservation Excellence Awards, including Chicago’s Fine Arts Building and proprietor Erica Berger. The Fine Arts Building receives this honor in recognition of its restoration of the building’s ground floor storefronts, including the historic architectural façade of the building and ongoing work on the storefront interiors. More on all the awards here.

Columbia College Sells President’s House At $1.5 Million Loss

“Columbia College Chicago sold the nineteenth-century home it bought twenty-five years ago to use as a president’s house, although its use was sometimes contentious,” reports Crain’s.

Nonprofit Restores Prairie And Bison Grazing At Nachusa Grasslands

In the Nachusa Grasslands in Lee and Ogle counties, three miles northwest of the town of Franklin Grove, the Nature Conservancy has “replanted and restored the prairie, and the nonprofit also manages the Nachusa Grasslands and the animals that graze there,” reports WBBM-TV.

DINING & DRINKING

Mister Tiger Opens In West Town

Homestyle Korean restaurant Mister Tiger is now open at 1132 West Grand in West Town. Founded by siblings Charlie and Min Lee, alongside Min’s husband, Brian, Mister Tiger was created to “share the comfort and flavors of home-cooked meals that their grandmother and mother lovingly prepared for them throughout childhood.” The concept? “No-frills, unapologetically authentic Korean cuisine, while the vibe and creative cocktail program creates a welcoming dining experience.” Reservations and more here.

Dave’s Italian Kitchen Has Served Evanston For Over Half A Century

There’s fifty-three years of history in downtown Evanston for Dave’s Italian Kitchen, reports the Daily Northwestern. After closing down an overambitious 200-seat location, owner Dave Glatt moved to Noyes Street in 2016. “Evanston residents rallied around Dave’s to support the return of the business. An old customer donated $5,000. A Facebook post from Glatt generated $30,000 in donations and loans… Glatt said he built the restaurant back slowly… Since 2016, Dave’s has sat on Noyes Street, its current location. It’s as small as the original location, seating just twenty-five. The restaurant also doesn’t have enough space to store food, so Glatt shops almost every day, but he enjoys the new challenges that come with his work.”

FILM & TELEVISION

Ragtag Cinema Brings Back Its Very First Film To 1,200-Seat Missouri Theatre

“Arts organizations across the country have been blindsided by NEA funding cuts recently,” posts Ragtag Cinema and True/False Film Fest co-founder David Wilson on Instagram. “Even for mid-sized organizations, the loss of $30,000 means that programs will go unfunded and already tight belts will be drawn even tighter. The good news is that, as ever, you can support Ragtag by doing something fun. On June 4, we’re screening ‘Waiting For Guffman,’ (7pm, Missouri Theatre), the very first film ever shown at Ragtag and the greatest ‘film about a small town putting on a show’ of all time. Come and find the kind of delirious escape that only communal moviegoing can provide. And support an organization that I hope will keep putting on shows in our small town for years to come.” More about Ragtag and True/False here.

Music Box Upgrades Small Room’s Projector

“We had a brand-new Digital Cinema projector installed for our seventy-seat screening room this week! Now with more lasers!” the Music Box enthused last weekend. Plus, on Instagram, images of the new projector!

Deadly Prey Gallery Takes The Road To Detroit

Deadly Prey Gallery, a Chicago-based traveling art gallery that specializes in hand-painted Ghanaian movie posters, takes to the road next weekend for their first-ever Detroit show, they relay on Instagram. The exhibition opens on Thursday at Third Man Records, featuring 200 original paintings and more than 300 different prints (6pm-10pm) and open gallery hours Friday (3pm-7pm). More Deadly Prey here. More Third Man here.

What If Cartoons Cost Producers Ninety Percent Less?

Animation producers have taken to AI, enthuses Brooks Barnes at the New York Times. Barnes checks in with a YouTube producer that “uses AI throughout the production process—from honing storylines to generating imagery to dubbing dialogue for overseas audiences. ‘By leaning into the technology, we can make full episodes eighty percent faster and ninety percent cheaper than industry norms,’” said one of its founders. “This is how you build the next generation of hot intellectual property.”

LIT

Bookish Third Space Kibbitznest Seeks New Owner

Lincoln Park’s Wi-Fi-free bookstore and space, Kibbitznest’s Books, Brews & Blarney, needs to find a new owner or close by the end of July, reports Block Club. “Laptops and phones are strongly discouraged… The idea is for you to talk to other people, play a board game or read a newspaper.” While there is a search for a buyer, the current owner “wants to make sure the next chapter for the space is the right one, not just financially, but philosophically.”

Applications Open For Chicago Poet Laureate

The City of Chicago seeks its next Poet Laureate—who will be awarded an honorarium of $70,000 ($35,000/year) for a two-year term starting in 2026—for the commissioning of new poems and for attendance at public events and presentations. The application deadline is May 29. More information, including application guidelines and eligibility criteria, is available at the link here.

The Pencil As The Author’s Tool Versus AI

“I’m writing this sentence in pencil. I write most of my first drafts by hand; it’s something I’ve done for nearly fifteen years,” writes Luke Beesley at the Guardian. “What prompted me was a fancy exercise book I was once given as a gift: almost waxy, caramel-colored paper with fine, milky feint-ruled lines. It whispered to be penciled on. I’m happy to escape the computer and travel lightly—in a cafe, gallery or wilderness. My habit is quaint, I know, and there are downsides—but for those who value literature, the focus will shift to this: how do we prove we didn’t use AI?”

MEDIA

NPR Sues Trump Over Order to Cut Funding

“A lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington by NPR and other public radio organizations, said President Trump’s executive order violated the Constitution and the First Amendment,” reports the New York Times (gift link). The suit contests the legal validity of executive orders: “The president has no authority under the Constitution to take such actions,” the lawsuit said. “On the contrary, the power of the purse is reserved to Congress.” More from AP here.

Dan Sinker Essays The “Who Cares Era” With Hope

Taking on the recent Sun-Times A.I. blunder, Chicago media maven Dan Sinker posts at his site a hopeful reflection on what we can learn. He considers the implications of creating work in a moment when leaders essentially declare, “Who Cares?” “In the Who Cares Era, the most radical thing you can do is care. In a moment where machines churn out mediocrity, make something yourself. Make it imperfect. Make it rough. Just make it. At a time where the government’s uncaring boot is pressing down on all of our necks, the best way to fight back is to care. Care loudly. Tell others. Get going. As the culture of the Who Cares Era grinds towards the lowest common denominator, support those that are making real things.”

MUSIC

Chicago Oboist Wins Cedille Records’ Emerging Artist Competition

Cedille Records, the nonprofit classical music label based in Chicago, has named Oliver Talukder the winner of Cedille Records’ second Emerging Artist Competition, sponsored by the Zell Family Foundation. “Designed to augment Cedille’s nonprofit mission of supporting Chicago’s finest classical music artists, the Emerging Artist Competition is open to musicians under the age of thirty-five who reside in, or are originally from, the Chicago metro area and who had not yet appeared as the featured performer on a commercially released CD.” Talukder’s prize includes a Cedille recording contract for their debut solo album, a prize valued at $70,000. More here.

Ravinia Leadership Talks Blending Innovation With The Arts

Gina Ehrlich, chief information officer of Ravinia, has a background in both technology and the arts, and “brings a unique perspective to the evolving role of IT in the live performance space.” At TheaterMania, “she shares how Ravinia is using tech to preserve the magic of live music in a digital age—without losing sight of the festival’s deeply rooted traditions.”

STAGE

Glenn Davis On Witnessing the Birth of the “Next Great American Play”

“Not only is Glenn Davis Tony-nominated for his performance as Solomon ‘Junior’ Jasper in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ six-time Tony-nominated ‘Purpose’—he was also one of the creative minds that ushered the Pulitzer Prize-winning family play to the stage,” posts Broadway.com. “He and Audrey Francis, co-artistic directors of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, put together several of the piece’s early workshops. ‘We sat back and we thought to ourselves, this play might be the next great American play,’ Davis remembers. ‘If he can land the plane, this could be something special.’”

Mary Stowell Joins Lyric Board of Directors

Mary Stowell has joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago board of directors. “A longtime supporter of Lyric and a leader in civil rights law, Stowell brings extensive experience as an attorney, now retired, and a lifelong commitment to civil rights and the arts to her newly elected role on the board,” the Lyric advises. She “is a founding partner and was of counsel to the law firm of Stowell & Friedman, which focuses on civil and workers’ rights. She also serves on the Board of the ACLU of Illinois. A Lyric subscriber since 1985, Stowell has played a vital role in supporting the company for nearly four decades.”

ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.

Emanuel Outlines Presidential Run

“Rahm Emanuel, never humble about his political skills, is trying to accomplish something that seems far-fetched even for him: push his Democratic Party—rooted in the identity politics of the left—to the center,” claims the Wall Street Journal. “The former congressman, White House chief of staff, Chicago mayor and diplomat is direct about what he thinks Democrats need to do to win national elections… He calls the party’s brand ‘toxic’ and ‘weak and woke,’ a nod to culture-war issues he thinks Democrats have become too often fixated on.” Emanuel “appears to be laying the groundwork for a presidential bid. He will be the headliner at a September fish fry for Democrats in Iowa.”

UChicago Considers “Civility” In Incoming Students

James Nondorf, the dean of college admissions and financial aid for the University of Chicago, says that UChicago will consider “‘civility portfolios’ from prospective students that showcase their ability to disagree respectfully on hot-button topics,” the university posts on X. Education Week adds that UChicago is one of eight selective colleges, including MIT and Johns Hopkins, that will accept “civility transcripts” “among the factors they weigh in college-admissions decisions.” Says Nondorf, “I don’t want brittle students. I want students who can come here and add to the conversation on campus, but do it in the right way.”

Send culture news and tips to [email protected]