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ART

DCASE Names Deputy Commissioner For Visual Arts

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced the naming of Evangelestia Dougherty as Deputy Commissioner For Visual Arts. She “brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge from her work with the Smithsonian, New York Public Library and University of Chicago.” Says Dougherty, “I am absolutely thrilled to return to my hometown of Chicago to serve as Deputy Commissioner for Visual Arts. DCASE Commissioner Hedspeth has a bold vision for Chicago as a vibrant national hub for cultural exchange. The DCASE Visual Arts team is a powerful cornerstone within the roadmap set forth by the Commissioner as an intuitive force for change.”

DESIGN

“The Brutalist” Director Talks Brutalism

“There is no more controversial style of architecture,” “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet tells Dezeen. Corbet “feels a kinship with architects, whose work he says is ‘remarkably similar’ to that of a filmmaker. ‘You rely on roughly the same amount of personnel to make things come to life—it’s not an option to do it solo.’” Ray Pride’s extended interview with Corbet on the making of monuments and movies is here; Ted Fishman’s April 2023 feature on the doomed Brutalist monument, the Will County Courthouse, is here.

Uniqlo Returns To Michigan Avenue

“The Japanese clothing chain is finalizing a deal for a flagship space, marking a return to North Michigan Avenue after a three-year absence,” tags Crain’s. “Meanwhile, the ‘experiential’ trend rolls on with a new spot [for the Paradox museum] set to open in the same building,” which presently houses Under Armour.

Gen Z Craves “Third Spaces”

“Young people are dreaming of a world where they don’t have to buy a $16 cocktail just to hang out,” claims HuffPost. It’s a reaction: “Americans are spending less time with friends and more time at home alone; time spent at home increased by one hour and thirty-nine minutes a day, or ten percent from 2003 through 2022.”

Bally’s Apologizes After Chunks Of Freedom Center Dumped In River

“Bally’s Chicago apologized for a debris spill into the North Branch of the Chicago River that neighbors reported seeing Saturday afternoon near the construction site” of the planned casino, reports Block Club. The debris is believed to have come from “a wall collapsing into the river during the demolition.” It was cleaned up by Monday.

CTA Red Line Extension Locked Down Before Transition

“The Federal Transit Administration intends to sign an agreement that will contractually obligate the $1.9 billion in federal grants to the project. Some worried the funding could be at risk after Biden leaves office,” reports the Sun-Times.

Landmarks Illinois Funds Preservation Projects

The latest Landmarks Illinois grants total $34,000, saving places in communities across the state, including preservation projects in Chicago, Anna, Gibson City, Hometown, McLean, Mendon, Princeton and Rockford. Locally, $5,000 goes to the Eugene S. Pike House Foundation to make roof repairs on the historic Eugene S. Pike House, an architecturally significant former Forest Preserve residence named to Landmarks Illinois’ 2022 “Most Endangered” list. More projects and details here.

Thirteenth Typeforce Show Seeks Artists

Typeforce, a “semi-annual show of local, global and one-of-a-kind typographic creations,” is holding their thirteenth show at Co-Prosperity on January 31. Submissions close January 3; featured artists will be announced January 10. Submit here. More on Typeforce here.

Return To Offices Sees Rush

“Companies are asking employees to come into the office more often in 2025, or else,” observes Semafor. “AT&T and Sweetgreen both strengthened their return-to-office mandates, while Amazon will require workers to be at their posts five days a week starting next year. Sweetgreen’s CEO said Amazon’s directive was ‘the big turning point where everyone’s like: “Oh, they’re doing it, now we can do it.”‘”

DINING & DRINKING

Four Chicago Restaurants Winding Down

Sherman Avenue institution of fifteen years, Edzo’s Burger Shop, closes Saturday; the owner hopes to reopen elsewhere, posts Patch.

“Over the past thirteen years, Old Town Pour House has been a beloved fixture in the heart of the Old Town neighborhood,” advise the publicans of their location at Wells and Schiller. “We’ve been privileged to be a part of historic Chicago moments, from the Cubs’ 2016 World Series victory to the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup wins in 2013 and 2015, while also serving as a beacon for craft beer enthusiasts.” While the last day of service is January 5, the bar promises “our legendary New Year’s Eve celebration as we toast to our past successes and embrace the possibilities of the future.” Tickets ($50-$65) here.

“Chef James Martin and his wife, Jessica Neal, poured their hearts into keeping Bocadillo Market open in Lincoln Park,” tallies Eater Chicago. “But after more than three successful years near the corner of Clark and Fullerton, the couple will close their lauded Spanish restaurant at the end of the month.”

It’s nine years for Fulton Market’s Gus’ World Famous Fried Chicken, reports Eater Chicago. The coop’s closed at its Fulton Market location after nine years, “marking the end of the chain’s only Illinois outpost.”

Tasting That Toddling Town

Chicago magazine lists its twenty-five best things to eat right now here. At the Hunger, Michael Nagrant charts his best new Chicago restos for 2024 here, leading his baker’s dozen with Valhalla: “That the restaurant is named after a Norse hall of gods is apt. Instead of say Odin and a cast of mythical valiant warriors, you got savory deity Stephen Gillanders, pastry divinity Tatum Sinclair, wine immortal Jelena Prodan and liquor supremity Sammy Faze. They do nothing but iterate and improve, creating one of the better values in tasting menu experiences in Chicago.”

Applications Again Open To Drive Wienermobile For A Year

“Applications are open through January 31 for the one-year gig driving America’s most famous hot dog on wheels,” reports Block Club. Apply here.

Tariffs And Olive Oil Don’t Mix

“Trump hasn’t said whether he’ll move against imported foods, but the effects on oil producers and consumers are already being debated,” reports the New York Times (gift link). “The United States consumes more olive oil than any other country except Italy, but produces very little of it. About ninety-seven percent of the olive oil sold in America is imported, most of it from Spain and Italy… Tariffs could actually punish producers in the United States because state-of-the-art milling technology is produced only in Europe. Importing necessary equipment like two-phase extractors and malaxers would become prohibitively expensive.”

FILM & TELEVISION

Times Illuminates “Griswold House”

“The blinding light display in ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ dazzled the Griswolds and nearly broke the power grid. What would it cost, and how much power would it really need?” inquires the New York Times (gift link). “‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,’ written by John Hughes, has been a classic American Christmas movie since its debut in 1989. And every holiday season, a few superfans and electrical geeks go online and ask the same questions: How much power would it really take to pull off that obnoxious, blinding light display at the Griswolds’ suburban Chicago home, and how much would it cost?”

Moviegoing Brightens

“More than seventy-six percent of Americans between ages twelve and seventy-four saw at least one movie in a cinema this year, while eighty-five percent plan to go as often or more often in 2025,” tallies the Hollywood Reporter. That would account for 200 million Americans, which “is consistent with pre-pandemic moviegoing data… movie theaters continue to bring in more people annually than the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL combined.”

Coalition Forms To Keep Production In California

A group of thirty-thee businesses and organizations “is looking to push the narrative that voters in the state also care about keeping the motion picture industry filming in Hollywood,” writes the Holllywood Reporter.

LIT

The Poetry Foundation Announces A Million Dollars In Grants

The Poetry Foundation has granted $1,000,000 in funding in its fall 2024 grant cycle to thirty-nine nonprofit organizations. “Selected from 233 grant applications, these organizations are committed to increasing access to poetry and supporting poets through publishing and providing public events and workshops for youth and adults.” Area grantees include 826Chi, $20,000; Chicago Poetry Center, $50,000; City of Asylum/Detroit, $10,000; ConTextos, $30,000; contratiempo, $15,000; Green Linden Press, Iowa, $5,000; Guild Literary Complex, $40,000; InsideOut Literary Arts, Michigan, $30,000; Kalamazoo Poetry Festival, $15,000; Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, $40,000; Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora at Illinois State University, $50,000; Poetry Online, Minnesota, $10,000; Rhino Poetry, Illinois, $10,000; Snow City Arts, Illinois, $10,000; Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative, Illinois, $25,000; and Third World Press Foundation, Illinois, $25,000. More here.

MEDIA

Axelrod Axes Advice

David Axelrod is axing “The Axe Files,” ending after 605 episodes, Axios reports. His final guest on his long-running podcast was Rahm Emanuel. Avers Axios, the “podcast is a favorite of anyone obsessed with media and politics.”

Trib Says Leave Des Moines Register Alone

“Despite his easy Iowa win and sweep of every battleground state as he cruised to a second term, Trump has chosen to go after veteran pollster Ann Selzer, the Des Moines Register and parent company Gannett with a lawsuit alleging the polling error amounted to a violation of Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act,” writes the Tribune editorial board. “There’s little doubt that, beyond punishing Selzer and the newspaper, a secondary goal of Trump and whoever is paying his lawyers to bring this frivolous action is to make other publishers afraid to criticize him or reluctant to report negative news on him or his administration. That’s un-American.”

Entertainment And Media Shed 15,000 Jobs This Year

“Nearly 15,000 jobs were eliminated across broadcast, television, film, news and streaming” this year, reports The Wrap, “extending a two-year run in which the news and entertainment businesses were dealt body blows.”

MUSIC

RiotFest Turns Twenty; Ticket Presales Today

Presales start at 10am today for the September 19-21 music fest in Douglass Park here.

STAGE

Congo Square Theatre Ensemble Walks Until Board Chair Goes

“The ensemble of the twenty-five-year-old Congo Square Theatre Company, one of Chicago’s most venerable and important Black theaters and a company the playwright August Wilson said should be supported in his memory, has… ‘unanimously decided to not participate in any production, artistic curating and programming for the upcoming 2025 season until the current board president has been removed from the board,’” reports Chris Jones at the Tribune. “Dawn Frances Reese is the current board chair… The non-involvement would include ‘full productions, staged readings, auditions, courses, internships and artistic programming of any kind.’”

ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.

Newberry Receives $2.2 Million From Lilly Foundation To Highlight Religion’s History In Chicago

The Newberry Library “has received a $2.2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The grant will support a five-year project, ‘Beyond Belief: Religion and Social Change in 1960s Chicago,’ that will illuminate how religious traditions have influenced Chicago’s history and critically examine the city’s social movements through the perspectives of religion, race and ethnicity.” “Beyond Belief” “will include public and scholarly programming, teaching resources, oral histories, strategies for preserving and providing access to collections and archival materials, and an exhibition. The Newberry will work with cultural and religious organizations across Chicago, as well as scholars from multiple disciplines, to facilitate collaboration and inclusivity.” More from the Lilly Endowment here.

MacKenzie Scott Lists Two Billion In Donations

“Billionaire author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott acknowledged another $2 billion in donations in a blog post on Wednesday, bringing the total she’s given away since 2019 to $19.2 billion.” Chicago recipients include Community Investment Corporation, Equal Hope, Arise Chicago and The HANA Center, among others.

Thousands Of Amazon Delivery Drivers On Strike, Including From Skokie

“Hundreds of drivers at an Amazon facility in Skokie launched a strike Thursday morning, potentially disrupting holiday deliveries in an effort to get the online retailing giant to recognize their affiliation with the Teamsters union and negotiate a labor contract,” reports the Trib. “Amazon has refused to recognize the fledgling Teamsters union affiliation at ten facilities nationwide, maintaining that the drivers, who are directly employed by third-party contractors but who deliver Amazon packages, are not company employees… The company’s position [is] that the union does not legitimately represent the delivery drivers, calling it a false narrative.”

Has Philanthropy Been Damaged By Readily Recognized Ambition?

“The recent trend in philanthropy has been to look for the most bang for your buck. Maybe you don’t have to,” analyzes the New York Times (gift link). “What is the right way to give away money, anyway? The debate has been fomented partly by a group of billionaires… whose approach to charity argues, essentially, that you do not get to feel good for having done anything at all. People should give wherever their money is most needed and most likely to yield the biggest effects.”

“20×2 Chicago: Where To?” Coming In January

“20×2 Chicago is a show in which twenty creative people from different walks of life—writers, musicians, filmmakers, web geeks and other bon vivants—get two minutes each to answer the question of the day.” Hosted by Andrew Huff, this edition’s question is “Where To?,” which will be answered by Carmen Aiken, Dave Albrecht, Martin Atkins, Lily Be, Brooke Benjamin, Mary Brennan, Amy Eaton, Monica Eng, Terry Gant, Kim Germain, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Elizabeth Gomez, Nestor Gomez, Evan Hanover, Mikki Kendall, Kim Moldofsky, Edward Moses, Peter Sagal, Dan Sinker and Prateek Srivastava. At Gman Tavern on Sunday, January 5. Doors 6:30pm, show 7pm. Tickets ($20) at the door or online here.

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