The Museum of Contemporary Art opens two new shows this week, and other arts news. more ›

Free admission at the DuSable Museum, the Art Institute closes Three Graces, and other art events. more ›

Here's a little history quiz to start off your day: When did Charlayne Hunter-Gault integrate the University of Georgia? What was the name of the black newspaper investigative journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett co-owned? Who was the first president of the National Association of Colored Women? more ›

Born on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King would have been 79 this year. In 1984 an act of Congress made the third Monday of this month Martin Luther King Day. With most government offices closed today, there are a plethora of events honoring his memory. The Chicago Park District is holding a series of events dedicated to his legacy. The University of Chicago is hosting panels and speakers all week, with a series of films and documentaries this evening starting at 5 p.m. The DuSable Museum of African American History is holding workshops, performances and panel discussions on the legacy of the civil rights movement and the challenges it still faces in 21st century America. The Chicago History Museum kicks the day off with crafts and storytelling for children, followed by songs and spirituals performed by the Chicago Chamber Choir. At 1 p.m., LeRoyce Hawkins and Cameron Drake will perform Jeff Stetson's critically acclaimed "The Meeting", an imagined meeting between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, followed by a reading of King's "I have a Dream" speech. more ›

It's the first Friday of the month which means The Dollar Store Show, a series of readings and performances based on purchases for a buck, returns to the Hideout. This month's readers include writers James Kennedy and Jonathan Messinger as well as theater performers Sarah Haskins and Diana Slickman. Hideout, Friday, 7 p.m. $1 We can't decide which under-appreciated literary group to support on Saturday so we'll list two and hopefully hop between them. First,... more ›

Discussions about Black History Month have become as complex as discussions about race. Debating the labels ‘black’ and ‘African-American’ lead to debates about biracial identity and, recently, whether Senator Obama, Joe Biden’s “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” friend, is actually African-American. In the same vein, Black History Month has increasingly been relabeled African-American Heritage Month and African Heritage Month, terms emphasizing the present and future as... more ›

While we like to think of ourselves as culturally aware, we have to admit that we are pretty unaware when it comes to Kwanzaa. Aside from seeing a small exhibit about the holiday at the DuSable Museum of African-American History, and hearing a woman at the post office wishing a clerk a “Happy Kwanzaa!” (the first we’d ever heard it said, mind you), our encounters with the celebration have been few and far between. more ›

Apparently there was not one but a whopping TWO fires in museums yesterday, leading us to hatch all sorts of hair-brained conspiracy theories in our museum-lovin' noggins. But as none of them are founded on any evidence, we'll just set the scene for you.* more ›

A Civic Federation study released today makes recommendations that promise relief for major cultural institutions in fiscal decline since 2001 and overburdened property owners who have been whining for even longer. The study tracked a dozen major cultural organizations linked to Museums in the Park and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, including the Field Museum, the Shedd, the Brookfield Zoo, and the DuSable Museum, and discovered a major economic engine whose 2004 attendance was almost twice that of Chicago’s six major sports teams (note: the NHL was idle that year and debate persists whether the Blackhawks really matter anymore). But rising costs and declining attendance came as state and local subsidies were cut considerably. Between 2001-2004, the Museums in the Park saw subsidies from the Chicago Park District cut by more than 13% and from the State cut by 9%. more ›

.. or at least they go less than they used to? Or something? Wait, what's going on here? 9 out of the 10 largest museums in the city saw a decline in visitors last year, but one had a huge leap. The Museum of Science & Industry saw a 34% increase in attendance. People must have really liked that video game exhibit they had last year! more ›

There’s a decent barroom argument to be had over whether Sam Cooke or Ray Charles can rightly be called the inventor of soul music. Both men took the structures and idioms of gospel music and adapted them to create a new, modern sound. Though it took Brother Ray a few years before he moved away from aping Charles Brown and Nat King Cole, Cooke’s voice was so distinctive that when he released his first pop song, “Loveable,” under the name Dale Cook, gospel audiences immediately recognized his familiar tenor. more ›

If last week’s Sugar Water Festival at Northerly Island had you yearning for more neo-soul stylings, then you’ll want to spend your Friday nights in August at the DuSable Museum of African-American History for the 4th Annual Neo-Soul Explosion. Organizers of The Neo-Soul Explosion brag that it’s the place in Chicago to see rising stars in soul, jazz, and funk. That’s usually a risky statement to make but the NSE has delivered the goods in... more ›

Snow snow snow. Everybody’s cancelling plans and freaking out about the alleged “incoming snow” scheduled to income tonight/tomorrow/etc. Use extreme caution when traveling, they say. Stay home if at all possible, they say. more ›

Weather.com is promising warmish, sunny weather this weekend�just in time for the 57th Street Art Fair. This is its 57th anniversary, too, which makes it the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest. Congratulations, beloved 57th Street Art Fair. The fair is free to the public and features over 300 artists; things kick off Saturday at 11 a.m. on 57th, from Kimbark to Dorchester. Chicagoist has been to the last three fairs and has developed... more ›