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

Oscar Brown, Jr. was a singer, songwriter, activist, playwright, poet, devoted husband and father, and a Chicago legend who could cross barriers and touch artists as disparate as Mos Def and Kelly Hogan. Brown's Sin and Soul is one of our desert island discs. more ›

Had he moved to New York to seek his fame and fortune, Oscar Brown, Jr. would have been a superstar. Instead, the wildly talented singer, songwriter, poet, playwright, and activist stayed in Bronzeville, married, raised a family, and charted his own course. Anyone who had the honor of speaking with the man, however brief, left with a renewed sense of hope. more ›