Billy Corgan, Jamila Woods To Appear At MCA's Huge, Free Birthday Bash Next Month

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 26, 2017 5:22PM

Billy Corgan / Getty Images / Photo: Noam Galai

The Museum of Contemporary Art turns 50 this year, and it's already been celebrating the gold anniversary with some seriously high-wattage programming, including marquee names from the hip-hop and R&B world and its Bowie-surpassing Takashi Murakami blockbuster. They'll keep the party going next month, too, with a free, weekend-long collection of events—including talks, workshops, food and exhibition openings—that will bring in Chicago-music luminaries such as Billy Corgan, Jamila Woods and Lupe Fiasco, among others.

Beginning on Oct. 21, the event, dubbed MCA Hearts Chicago, will feature a talk from ex-Smashing Pumpkin (and current silent-film auteur) Corgan; a conversation with R&B leading light Woods, in the museum theater; and Fiasco will perform live in the MCA atrium. You can also expect appearances by Michelle Obama-approved fashion designer Ikram Goldman, actress Cheryl Lynn Bruce and more, plus local food, craft beer, DJ sets by the great CumbiaSazo! and performances by Kaycee Ortiz and theMIND.

In addition to all that, the weekend also marks the opening of the second and third tiers of the MCA's major, three-part contemporary retrospective exhibit, We Are Here. It'll see the incorporation of works by titans like Jasper Johns, Ana Mendieta, Shirin Neshat, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. It also marks the official launch of the MCA's new Commons space.

You'll also grab free Iraqi food at a pop-up food truck, in conjunction with the museum's stellar current Michael Rakowitz exhibit and catch poetry slams by the Young Chicago Authors and performances the South Shore Drill Team, among other pop-up goodies.

Follow here for updates. Free reservations for the Lupe Fiasco gig will be available beginning Wednesday, October 18 at noon. Good luck!