July 2010
10 Hot Things – Milwaukee Avenue Edition - July 23 – July 30
This week’s list of hot things to do in and around the city focuses on one of Chicago’s most diverse thoroughfares–and Multilingual Chicago’s home base–Milwaukee Avenue. Whether you check out striking images at the Polish Museum of America, groove to hot sounds at the Sound System Block Party or join Multilingual Chicago for our fun and games sessions for kids at the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival, we hope you have some great summertime fun in the coming days. Hope to see you out and about!
As always, we welcome your feedback. You can reach us on Facebook, Twitter (@Multi_Chicago) and of course, right here on our blog!
What: Film Screening: The Czech Legion
When: July 22, 2010
Where: Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave
Do you know that Chicago played an important role in the founding of Czechoslovakia? During the chaos of World War I and the Russian Revolution, 70,000 Czech and Slovak P.O.W’s switched sides. They became The Czechoslovak Legion – an Allied army fighting for a country of their own.
On July 22, the film, “The Czech Legion”, which documents the improbable story of the Czech legions as well as reveals the often overlooked role Chicago played, will be screened at Portage Theater. Following the screening is a Q&A session with the film’s director, Bruce Bendinger.
What: Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival
When: July 23-25, 2010
Where: Spanning 2250-2850 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
Logan Square’s premier arts festival, featuring dozens of art exhibitions, performances, and a spectrum of live music along Milwaukee Avenue (2250–2850 North Milwaukee in Chicago). Enjoy delicious local cuisine, sidewalk sales, outdoor cafés, the acclaimed Logan Square Farmers Market and more! A complimentary trolley will help you navigate this epic Festival!
Special note: Join Multilingual Chicago and Voice of the City for two afternoons of games, songs and fun for kids en espanol this Saturday and Sunday (1-4 PM) at the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival. These free sessions in the Paseo Prairie Garden (located just outside the Logan Square el stop at Kedzie and Logan Boulevards) also include cool giveaways and discounts for language classes at Multilingual Chicago. Hope you and your little ones come rock out with us!
What: Chicago Summer Dance: Steppin’ Dance Lesson
When: July 23, 2010
Where: Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden
Chicago Summer Dance series keeps presenting fun dance lessons – Stepping Dance lesson is back this week! Whether you’d like to refresh what you’ve learned in June, or simply want to try something different than salsa, you’ll be able to enjoy another night of grooves, laugh and music!
Live music will be performed by the Etcetera Band, a fun and soulful group from Chicago performing Top 40s jazz, soul, and pop rock.
What: The Silver Room presents Sound System Block Party
When: July 24, 2010
Where: Milwaukee Avenue and Evergreen, Chicago
Celebrating cultural diversity, the annual Sound System Block Party, has become a highly anticipated day-long festival of art, music, fashion, dance, and family activities. Hosted by the esteemed Wicker Park boutique The Silver Room, this free event brings together people of all ages and lifestyles from across the Chicago-land area.
What: 2010 Dragon Boat Race For Literacy
When: July 24, 2010
Where: Ping Tom Memorial Park, 300 W. 19th St., Chicago
This marks the 10th year of the Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy presented by the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District.
With a history spanning more than 2,000 years, the Chinese Dragon Boat Race has been a popular sport in Asia as well as in Chinese American communities all around the world. Started in 2000, the Chicago Dragon Boat Race has always been a family fun activity enjoyed by the residents of Chinatown and the surrounding neighborhoods. Besides the racing activities, there will also be other festivities such as Asian dance, caricature artists, acrobats, music from local bands and food.
What: Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge & Book Signing by Grace Young
When: July 24, 2010
Where: Pui Tak Center, 2216 S. Wentworth Ave, Chicago
A food writer and the author of The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen and The Breath of a Wok, Grace Young has shared her thoughts and experiences in Gourmet, Metropolitan Home, Copia, Gastronomica, Eating Well, More, Fitness, Home, and Health magazine. This time, she’ll be presenting her stories with her new book: Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge. The book may be purchased at a discounted price for signing.
What: Movies in the Parks – Five on the Black Hand Side
When: July 24, 2010
Where: DuSable Museum 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago
The DuSable Museum of African American History, collaborating with the City of Chicago and Chicago Park District, will host ‘Movies in the Park’ on the DuSable Museum plaza on Saturday. The movie begin at 8 PM. Free popcorn will be offered.
What: Maxwell Street Market
When: July 25, 2010
Where: South Loop Desplaines St. & Roosevelt Rd, Chicago
Come to the Maxwell Street Market this Sunday, for some Chicago-style bargains as well as samples of international flavor.
What: We’re Still Here
When: All Week
Where: American Indian Center – Trickster Gallery 190 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg
An art exhibit by Linda Windell, an accomplished self-taught Native American artist of Creek/Cherokee.
What: Dazzling Colors: The Evolution of Plains Reservation Art
When: All Week
Where: Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 Central St., Evanston
Highlighting dozens of artifacts from the Museum’s permanent collection, including beaded clothing, quillwork, dolls, beaded purses, and more, this art exhibit tells the story of continuity and change at a time of rapidly changing lifeways for Plains tribal groups.
What: Around The World In 36 Frames
When: All Week
Where: The Polish Museum of America, 984 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Believing that a moment of life captured in Sao Paulo might not look all that different from one captured in Osaka, Wojtek Gil, a Polish photographer, invented a “traveling camera”. This special camera has enough film for 36 shots, and has made its way to 36 cities around the globe. At every stop, one participant photographed just one striking image, and wrote a brief note about the shot. The camera’s global experience has made Gil’s project an innovative collection that contains unique and diverse perspectives of the participating photographers.
What: “Rediscovering Ukrainian Album Cover Art” Exhibit from the permanent collection
When: All Week
Where: Ukrainian National Museum, 2249 W. Superior St., Chicago
Marrying art and music, the Album Cover Art, is described to be nearing extinction. This summer, you’ll get the chance see this precious artistic expression at “Rediscovering Ukrainian Album Cover Art”, an exhibit from the permanent collection of the Ukrainian National Museum, will exhibit over 110 album covers.
10 Hot Things: July 16 – July 23
We hope you all had a fabulous Independence Day holiday nd enjoyed watching World Cup Finals! As you might’ve realized, July 2nd marked the halfway point of 2010, but Chicago still has tons of fun things waiting for you to explore during the rest of the year. As usual, Multilingual Chicago picks 10 hot happenings in this week for you to plan, discover and enjoy.
If you go to any of these events, let us know how you liked them. Or, if you have suggestions for events we should feature here, let us know! You can reach us on Facebook, Twitter (@Multi_Chicago) and of course, on our blog!
What: Film Screening: Wonderful Town
When: July 17, 2010
Where: Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center
This week, Cinema/Chicago brings “Wonderful Town” a Thai film about a love that grows where there is no more love, and about a town that tries to destroy all the beauty that it cannot have for itself.
Co-presented by the Royal Thai Consulate in Chicago, the film is in Thai language with English subtitles, 92 minutes long. A post-screening discussion will follow the film on Wednesday, July 14.
What: The Très Petite Concours: An Exhibition of Micro & Minicars
When: July 17 – 18, 2010
Where: 900 block of W. Armitage Ave.
What do microcars and minicars in 1950s & 1960s look like? The Très Petite Concours will answer you by a display of small cars from Chicago collections. Some of the cars that will be displayed include Fiat Cinquecento, Citroen Deux Chevaux (2CV), and BMW Isetta. Car enthusiasts throughout the Chicagoland area are invited to participate and exhibit their vehicles!
What: Family Fun Festival: Modern Art Adventures
When: July 19, 2010 – July 25, 2010
Where: Chase Promenade North, Millennium Park
Sponsored by Target and presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Family Fun Festival is dedicated to create educational and fun-filled activities for children of all ages. This week, the festival partners with the Art Institute of Chicago with unique activities and performances in the Family Fun Activity Zone.
What: Music Without Borders: Renato Borghetti with Boris Malkovsky
When: July 22, 2010
Where: Millennium Park
The Music Without Borders series will close out on July 22. The closing performance will feature Renato Borghetti from Brazil, and Boris Malkovsky from Israel. Borghetti will play traditional gaúcho music, along with jazz and classical styles mixed with milonga, chamamé, vanerão, tango, baião and samba, while Malkovsky will bring the music that blends traditional Jewish themes and jazz improvisation with Gypsy and classical.
What: Chicago Summer Dance Series: Puerto Rican Bomba Dance
When: July 21, 2010
Where: Humboldt Park Boat House 1359 N. Sacramento Ave
Devoted to promote and develop the Puerto Rican and Caribbean cultures and folklore, AfriCaribe, Grupo Yubá, and Nuestro Tambó will join the 14th Annual Chicago Summer Dance, co-presenting a night of Puerto Rican Bomba dance and Afro-Puerto Rican Jam Session music at Humboldt Park Boat House.
What: Chicago Afrobeat Project
When: July 22, 2010
Where: Grant Park
Following the Puerto Rican Bomba Dance lesson on July 21, Chicago Summer Dance will bring you something different – Chicago Afrobeat Project, a group that layers original Afrobeat’s with high-energy rock and experimental jazz, will be performing Afrobeat Dance Band musicat Grant Park.
At each of its 100+ live performances a year, the group’s frenzied songs are said to “hit audiences with a big enough one-two punch to tirelessly knock them onto the dance floor time and time again”. So if you are up for grooving to their unique Afrobeat music, don’t miss out this free dance lesson!
What: Garfield Park Conservatory Summer Tropical Flower Show
When: All Week
Where: Garfield Park Conservatory 300 N. Central Park Ave. Chicago
As the weather further warms up, why not explore the beauty of the tropics at the free annual Summer Tropical Flower Show? The show offers an assortment of tropical plants, featuring various begonias and hibiscus.
What: Chicago History Museum: My Chinatown
When: All Week
Where: Chicago History Museum
My Chinatown continues to present a multimedia showcase where visitors experience the sights, sounds, and voices of this vibrant neighborhood to reveal a side that few ever see. From aromatic, golden hum-bao-buns at the Chui Bakery to the sound of myriad dialects to herbalists dispensing age-old remedies, uncover what makes Chicago’s Chinatown unique.
What: Singgalot (The Ties That Bind) Filipinos in America, From Colonial Subjects to Citizens
When: All Week
Where: American Indian Center – Trickster Gallery 190 S. Roselle Road, Schaumberg
Singgalot (The Ties That Bind) traces Filipino presence in North America, from Colonial Subjects to Citizens. It celebrates 100 years of Filipino migration to the United States and vividly portrays the social history and the development of the Filipino community in America. This thirty panel presentation details the rich history, struggles, achievements and contributions of Filipinos, honoring early pioneers and the determined generations who came after them.
Singgalot was developed by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The national tour has been made possible by Farmers Insurance. ABS-CBN International is the national media sponsor.
What: Exhibition: Part Asian – 100% Hapa
When: All Week
Where: The Field Museum
The exhibition includes a selection from 80 photographic portraits of people of multiracial heritage, from the 1,000 portraits taken by the artist Kip Fulbeck, along with the sitters’ responses to the most common question asked of people of mixed-race background — “What are you?” There will be a opening party with a date to be announced. A series of interesting programs will accompany the exhibit.
10 Hot Things: July 1 – July 7
We hope that our weekly “Top 10 Multicultural Events in Chicago” list has helped you discover some fun things to do in and around the city since we launched it last month. As July begins with a bang to celebrate the U.S.A’s birthday, we hope you’ll find time to fit these hot happenings into your calendar!
What: Chicago Summer Dance series: Greek Folk Dance Lessons
When: July 1, 2010
Where: Grant Park
Chicago Summer Dance continues to bring fun and free dance series! This week, you’ll be able to learn Greek Folk dance taught by the Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society, a Chicago-based Greek folk dance ensemble whose mission is to present and perpetuate the rich history and traditions of the folk music, songs, and dances of Greece. Their Music Ensemble will be performing the Greek Folk music.
What: Orchestre Septentrional d’Haiti with Batata y Las Alegres Ambulancias
When: July 1, 2010
Where: Grant Park
The Orchestre Septentrional d’Haiti and its big band of thirteen musicians bring the sounds of merengue, konpa and bolero to the stage at Millennium Park. Batata y Las Alegres Ambulancias, a representative of the culture of Colombia’s Caribbean area, will also join the performance with their unique Afro-Caribbean sound presenting Colombia’s legends, languages, stories, and songs that derive from their African ancestry.
What: Batata Y Las Alegres Ambulancias Concert
When: July 2, 2010
Where: The Historic Logan Square Auditorium
If you enjoy the Afro-Caribbean sound by Batata Y Las Alegres Ambulancias on July 1, you will love their performance at Logan Square on July 2. They’ll demonstrate how the 500- year-old Afro-Colombian musical tradition is thriving in this globalized world.
What: Summer 2010 Family Adventure Days: Bronzeville
When: July 2, 2010
Where: Chicago Cultural Center
Plan an action-packed and guided day-trip adventure to explore Chicago with your family! This week, Family Adventure Days will take you to explore the sights, sounds and flavors of Bronzeville, one of the Chicago’s multicultural neighborhoods.
Taking place rain or shine, the adventure is recommended for families with children ages 6 and up.
What: Dazzling Colors: The Evolution of Plains Reservation Art
When: July 3 – October 17, 2010
Where: Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
Highlighting dozens of artifacts from the Museum’s permanent collection, including beaded clothing, quillwork, dolls, beaded purses, and more, this art exhibit tells the story of continuity and change at a time of rapidly changing lifeways for Plains tribal groups.
What: Osseny Art Exhibit
When: July 3, 2010
Where: Irish American Heritage Museum
In conjunction with the Rattlin’ of the Joists annual performance on June 16, the IAHC Art Gallery has been hosted an art exhibit on Joyce. Leonid Osseny: 30 Views of Ulysses is an art exhibit of 30 digital images on archival paper by award-winning Skokie artist and architect, Leonoid Osseny. The exhibit has run every Saturday since June 11, and will close up on July 11. So if you are interested, make sure you stop by and take a look at some different kinds of artwork.
What: Family Fun Activity Zone- Cultural Exchange: China Week
When: July 5-11, 2010
Where: Chase Promenade North, Millennium Park
You’ve probably already enjoyed some days at the Family Fun Festival with your kids at Millennium Park this summer. Starting July 5, the festival’s “Cultural Exchange: China Week” will entertain your kids with hands-on craft projects and garden, science and environmental activities at the Family Fun Activity Zone, led by Chinese-American Museum of Chicago and Museums of Springfield, Illinois.
What: Movie Screening: The Equation of Love and Death (Li Mi de caixiang)
When: July 7, 2010; July 10, 2010
Where: Chicago Cultural Center
This week, International Summer Screenings Program features The Equation of Love and Death, a Chinese film made in 2003. The film is in Mandarin, with English subtitles, and runs 96 minutes long.
What: Around The World In 36 Frames
When: All Week
Where: The Polish Museum of America 984 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Believing that a moment of life captured in Sao Paulo might not look all that different from one captured in Osaka, Wojtek Gil, a Polish photographer, invented a “traveling camera”. This special camera has enough film for 36 shots, and has made its way to 36 cities around the globe. At every stop, one participant photographed just one striking image, and wrote a brief note about the shot. The camera’s global experience has made Gil’s project an innovative collection that contains unique and diverse perspectives of the participating photographers.
What: Garfield Park Conservatory Summer Tropical Flower Show
When: All Week
Where: Garfield Park Conservatory 300 N. Central Park Ave. Chicago
As the weather further warms up, why not explore the beauty of the tropics at the free annual Summer Tropical Flower Show? The show offers an assortment of tropical plants, featuring various begonias and hibiscus.
