Hyde Park Hot Spots

Blaize Gervais — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 16:33:52 +0000

The neighborhood of Hyde Park is featured in this episode of Windy City Live. Culture Coast member DuSable Museum of African American history is also highlighted!

Diasporal Rhythms Announces the Selection of Its First Executive Director

Blaize Gervais — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 18:46:03 +0000

December 15, 2014
Diasporal Rhythms (DR) announces the selection of its First Executive Director.
The Board of Directors of Diasporal Rhythms selected D.E. Simmons as their Executive Director.
A seasoned senior management executive, Simmons brings 20 years of corporate experience in strategic planning, project management implementation and organizational development to the organization.
Simmons has served as the Board Secretary/Event Chair since 2005 for DR. His art advocacy and leadership has been instrumental in expanding the organizations brand locally and nationally along with restructuring the annual Collectors Home Tour as a premium Chicago event.
As he assumes the reigns the focus will be on the development of a multidisciplinary capitalization for art programing and expanded partnerships to support our mission and community based art education for collecting.
“We work with an ever expanding group of constituents which include artists, members, youth, partner organizations and government officials. D.E. has demonstrated his competency, depth and commitment in representing Diasporal Rhythms in each of these areas”
Patric McCoy, President/Co-Founder Diasporal Rhythms
Diasporal Rhythms seeks to build a passionate group of collectors engaged in actively collecting visual art created by contemporary artists of the African Diaspora as well as to expand the appreciation of those artists’ work.
Diasporal Rhythms is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization comprised of over 50 passionate collectors engaged in the collection of visual art created by contemporary artists of the African diaspora.

SSCAC Board Selects New Executive Director

sandbox — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 22:38:20 +0000

The Board of the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) today announced the selection of Maséqua Myers as Executive Director. Myers assumes the position held by Interim Director Arcilla Stahl since February of this year.

Myers is a seasoned arts executive who has provided leadership and advocacy for nonprofit arts organizations for more than twenty years. She comes to SSCAC with extensive experience in the development of multidisciplinary arts programming, arts education and program development and will be instrumental to the SSCAC’s continued development as it approaches its 75th anniversary in 2015.

“We are excited about Maséqua accepting this position with SSCAC,” said Board President Sammie Dortch. “We work with a broad spectrum of constituents including artists, educators, youth, partner organizations and elected officials and we believe she has the depth and breadth of experience to represent SSCAC with each of these groups.

“I am honored to take the reins of this important historical and cultural institution,” said Myers. As SSCAC enters its 75th year it is poised to continue being a force in the arts community and a contributor to the cultural life of Chicago and beyond.” For more details, contact P. Andrews-Keenan at 312.206.2821 or pkeenan1@comcast.net. – P.A. Keenan

Apply now: 2015 Individual Artists Program Grants

sandbox — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 21:55:28 +0000

The DCASE Cultural Grants Team has announced its 2015 Individual Artists Program which offers project-specific and professional development funding for artists and creative professionals. The application for this program will be available on Friday, October 24 and due on Wednesday, December 17. Details about the grant criteria are available on their website www.chicagoculturalgrants.org.

To prepare interested applicants DCASE is offering Application Assistance Workshops where they will review current grant guidelines and provide tips and guidance to help applicants to prepare the strongest, most competitive applications possible. The same content will be repeated during each workshop. All applicants are strongly encouraged to attend, as they have made several updates to the program.

All workshops are free of charge however advance registration is required.

2015 IAP Grant Training Workshops

Wednesday, October 8, 2014 – 6:30-8:30pm (Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 Lincoln Ave.)
Monday, October 20, 2014 – 5-7pm (Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. –
5th floor Millennium Park Room)
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 – 10am-noon (Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. – 5th floor Millennium Park Room)
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 – 11am-1pm (Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. – 1st floor Garland Room)
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 – 5-7pm (Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. – 1st floor Garland Room)

To register, please click here.

This program is partially supported by a Grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

November Member Meeting Announced

sandbox — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 21:52:36 +0000

Do you represent an arts or cultural institution on the south side of Chicago? Become a Culture Coast member. The Culture Coast Advisory Committee invites you to the Culture Coast Network member meeting on Thursday November 13 at 3:30 pm at the Smart Museum of Art, 5550 South Greenwood Avenue.

In addition to providing an opportunity to learn more about Culture Coast and network with other members, this event will feature guest speaker Will Towns, Assistant Vice President in the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement who leads the department’s Neighborhood Initiatives team. Mr. Towns will be speaking with the Culture Coast Network on how the group can help bring the Obama Presidential Library to the South Side.

This member meeting will take place in the Smart Museum of Art’s Gallery X, a flexible, open space at the center of the museum that will serve as a hub for creative discussions and experiences of all sorts during the Smart’s 40th anniversary exhibitions. Space is limited, RSVP.

Free Concert Series in Nichol’s Park

Blaize Gervais — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 18:52:30 +0000

The Nichols Park Advisory Council and 4th on 53rd Parade Committee are hosting free music in the park this summer in Nichols Park in Hyde Park. The George Franklin Memorial 2014 Summer Sunday Concert Series will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sundays from July 13 to Sept. 14 at the Nichols Park North Fountain Patio at 1355 E. 53rd St. The park has been hosting public musical performances for twenty years but this summer promises to be the most diverse line up to date. The 2014 series will host every genre from R&B/soul and blues to indie rock, reggae, cumbia, and funk. As Stephanie Franklin, George Franklin Memorial Summer Sunday Concert Series event chair notes, “It’s a really pleasant thing to do when you’ve spent the weekend running errands and cleaning the house and then on Sunday late afternoon you can sit for a couple hours in the park, enjoying some interesting music.”

This summer’s lineup includes:

July 13: Bernard Crump (“James Brown Review” & “Muddy Waters Tribute”)

July 20: Bruce Henry (R&B/soul)

July 27: The Damn Choir (indie rock)

Aug. 3: Billy Flynn (blues)

Aug. 10: Akasha (reggae)

Aug. 17: Dos Santos Anti-Beat Orquestra (Latin/cumbia)

Aug. 24: The Heard (funk)

Aug. 31: Dave Herrero (Texas rock)

Sept. 7: Strictly Jug Nuts (jug band)

Sept. 14: Billy Branch (blues)

Culture Coast Member Meeting at the South Side Community Art Center

Blaize Gervais — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 18:54:21 +0000

This month’s Culture Coast Member meeting will take place at the South Side Community Art Center, where in addition to networking with other members and discussing new and upcoming projects and events, you will also have the opportunity to experience one of the most historic and culturally rich arts organizations on the South Side.

Originally opened in 1940, the South Side Community Art Center is the oldest African American Art Center in the United States. It emerged onto the art scene with a splash, showing the works of local artists Henry Avery, Charles White, and William McBride, as well as a list of several other renowned painters and sculptors. Legendary first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, dedicated the space in a 1941 a ceremony that attracted the likes of actress Ethel waters and Harlem Renaissance leader Alain Locke. Despite ups and downs during World War II and the 1950s, the center thrived in the 1960s, serving as a hub for community artists. Throughout the last few decades, the Center has acquired an invaluable collection of works by African-American artists.

Today, the art center continues its legacy of showcasing emerging and established artists with curated gallery exhibitions, while also providing arts education programs that support budding arts enthusiasts of all ages. Learn more about the space and its various resources and exhibitions during the member meeting on March 27 from 3:00-5:00 pm. Please make sure to RSVP at info@culturecoastnetwork.com. South Side Community Art Center address: (3831 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60653).

The mission of the Culture Coast Network is to promote and position Chicago’s South Side as a premier cultural destination, support audience building efforts of organizational members, and serve as a catalyst and collective for city-wide cultural programming and destination marketing partnerships.

Logan Family Saturdays

Blaize Gervais — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:53:23 +0000

Every month, the Logan Center partners with local artists, arts organizations, and student organizations to host affordable matinees and free, interactive workshops for families with children between the ages of 2 and 14. Past matinees have showcased the work of performers like the soulful violinist Lee England Jr., and the lively ensemble Third Coast Percussion. For children more interested in hands-on learning than performances, the Logan Center has offered workshops as diverse as lessons with Hyde Park School of Dance, a DJ academy, and Lego animation projects.

On March 22 from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm, the Logan Center will host a new set of family-friendly workshops, along with a colorful new matinee. Asian American storytelling duo, Eth-Noh-Tec, will tell their unique stories through music, dance, and rhythmic dialogue in a performance geared towards parents and children ages 6 and up. Children under the age of 6 have the chance to enjoy the afternoon creating arts and crafts with Windy City Arts ditty or singing along to Mama Zahra’s folk songs. After the matinee, families are invited to join Hyde Park Suzuki for a series of games that will teach the basics of music theory, including reading simple rhythms and singing the notes of the musical alphabet. Children ages 7 to 11 are also invited to learn the basics of DJing with DJ Mastermix Academy.

Logan Family Saturdays will run monthly until July 12, at which time new programs will be announced for the coming academic year. The Logan Center offers discounted family passes for its Saturday matinees, and the workshops are always free. Register for both through the UChicago Arts Box Office, and be sure to like Logan Center Family Saturdays on Facebook for updates on upcoming events.

Obama Presidential Library One Step Closer to Calling Chicago’s Culture Coast “Home”

Blaize Gervais — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 18:55:46 +0000

The Barack Obama Foundation announced on Sept. 15 that the collaborative effort led by the University of Chicago to bring the Obama Presidential Library to Chicago’s South Side has been selected for the final round in the foundation’s site selection process. The three other finalists are University of Illinois at Chicago, Columbia University, and the University of Hawaii.

In a release on the University’s website, President Zimmer said, “Today’s news affirms our strong belief that the library could be transformative for the heart of the South Side, bringing new economic and cultural opportunities to all of Chicago. We will move forward with a bid that honors the rich history and traditions of the South Side and the promising future of our city.”

After a final proposal deadline in December and review period by the President and First Lady the final decision will be announced in early 2015. To learn more about the South Side’s bid go to oplsouthside.org.

Redevelopment along 53rd Street energizes community

Blaize Gervais — Tue, 28 May 2013 18:57:40 +0000

The redevelopment efforts along 53rd Street are benefiting the growth of Hyde Park’s vital commercial corridor. The University of Chicago is partnering with local businesses, residents, and elected officials to promote economic development in the area and attract customers from both inside and outside of Hyde Park.

In addition to providing more entertainment, dining, and retail options for the entire community, the redevelopment of 53rd Street nearby aims to create approximately 1,320 new jobs. Among the various revitalization projects in the corridor, are the construction and opening of the Harper Theater and the completion of the Harper Court development. Harper Court will feature a Hyatt Place hotel (opening this summer) and a 150,000-square-foot office tower with new administrative space for the University. Retail tenants will include restaurants Chipotle Mexican Grill, Ja’Grill, Park Tavern, and Porkchop, along with Ulta Beauty and LA Fitness. The development will also include expanded space for farmers markets and other community gatherings.