Pencil This In
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 6, 2008 5:00PM
Here are some things going around town to make you consider giving the weather a big ol' raspberry.
Internet: Still sad that Chciagocrime.org shut down? Interested in how do do your own Google maps mashup? Or do you just want to understand how hyperlocal mapping works? Then head to the Garland Room of the Chicago Cultural Center this evening at 6 p.m. where chicagocrime.org's Adrian Holovaty himself discusses how they work.
Film: If John Sayles is serious about leaving the world of film to focus on literature, then Honeydripper should make a fitting send-off. Set in 1950 Alabama at the cusp of both the civil rights movement and the birth of rock and roll, Honeydripper stars Danny Glover as Pine Top Purvis, a blues club owner saddled in debt who books the legendary Guitar Sam for a one-night gig that he hopes cures what ails him. But when Sam misses his train, can Pine Top pull off a bait-and-switch using the young Sonny Blake (Gary Clark, Jr.), who strolled into town the day before with his own homemade electric guitar?
Music Box Theatre; 7:20 p.m.
Food: One of our favorite restaurants, the French-themed KODA Bistro in Beverly, just launched lunch service this week, which should be a blessing for our far south side readers and fans of tart flambée (they make some of the best in the city). KODA's lunch hours are from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Today at KODA is also half-priced martini night.
10352 S. Western Ave. 773-445-5632
Music: The music room at Uncommon Ground's new Edgewater looks poised to become one of the most eclectic music venues in the city. This evening (and every Wednesday), local musician Cameron McGill will hold down the stage with a weekly workshop featuring himself and other musicians.
9 p.m., $10 donation
Theater: How do you learn to tell a good story? We consider ourselves good storytellers and still don't have the formula down. Gwen MacSai, host of Chicago Public Radio's Re:Sound and Neil Sandell, a senior producer for CBC's Outfront, will show how it's done with "Secrets, Whispers, and Lies: The Art of Personal Storytelling" this evening at the Theatre Building. The event begins at 6 p.m. Cost is $15 ($10 for students, Chicago Public Radio members, and Remy Bumppo Theatre subscribers).
Art: Speaking to My Ancestors, one of the current exhibits curated by the Artisan Gallery at Woman Made, is an exploration on how artists use their family histories in their art. In the process, the artwork also creates a for the viewer a dialogue with the artist's past. Among the artists featured in the exhibit are Evanston's Helga Dangel.
Woman Made Gallery, 685 N. Milwaukee, is open from noon-7 p.m.
Photo of Gary Clark, Jr. by Jim Sheldon, from John Sayles' flickr photostream.