(Courtesy of The Other Art Fair)

A block party, poetry festival and spring art shows usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in and around Chicago.

(WTTW News)

Purple Pig executive chef Effy Medrano is a native of Toluca, Mexico. But when he moved to Chicago and began working as a teenager at Spiaggia, it set him on a path to cooking Mediterranean cuisine.

(WTTW News)

According to an economic impact study, the 2022 Sueños Festival contributed $120.9 million to Chicago’s economy, and Chicago workers earned an extra $5 million in additional labor income. The festival returns this year May 27-28 at Grant Park.

(WTTW News)

Higher education in crisis after four minority-serving Illinois universities face faculty strikes. The influence of the American Library Association. And housing residents returning from prison.

Victoria Jaiani in Joffrey Ballet production of “The Little Mermaid.” (Credit: Cheryl Mann)

The ballet, now receiving its Chicago premiere in a grand-scale production by the Joffrey Ballet on the Lyric Opera House stage, is a strange but compelling work inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s enduring classic and features impeccible dancing. 

Cherry blossoms at Jackson Park. (Chicago Park District)

A photo exhibit, rum festival and cherry blossoms usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in and around Chicago.

Kwame Brathwaite’s work is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago until July 24. (WTTW News)

From Stevie Wonder and high-fashion models to everyday people, photographer Kwame Brathwaite documented Black culture across the globe. “He’s essentially synonymous with the Black is Beautiful movement,” said Grace Deveney of the Art Institute of Chicago.

(WTTW News)

A new exhibition of his photographs at the Wrightwood 659 gallery in Lincoln Park is an evocative look at gay Black men in Chicago during a pivotal decade — and a window into a community that’s often been overlooked and stereotyped.

(WTTW News)

Public libraries can be a safe haven for those struggling with homelessness. That’s the story of a local barber who benefited from the library’s resources to turn his life around. From living in the streets to becoming a licensed barber, Samuel Brown is now on a mission to pay it forward.

(WTTW News)

The Black unemployment rate hits a new low. What the diversity of working journalists means for news coverage. And the Chicago Public Library partnering with a local barber.

The Warehouse (l), Werner Brothers Storage Building and Continental Can Company Building are all the 2023 list of Preservation Chicago's Most Endangered buildings. (Credits: Serhii Chrucky, Ward Miller, Serhii Chrucky / Preservation Chicago)

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks approved preliminary landmark status for the Warehouse, a “magical place” where DJ Frankie Knuckles is credited with creating House music.

The Century Building, 202 S. State St., built in 1916, architects Holabird and Roche. Consumers Building, 220 S. State St., built in 1913, architects Jenney, Mundie and Jensen. (Preservation Chicago / Eric Allix Rogers)

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted unanimously Thursday to grant preliminary landmark status to a pair of early 20th century skyscrapers slated for demolition by the federal government.

“Funtime Unicorn: Ruby Rides Through Four Seasons” by Derrick Adams. (Courtesy of Art on the Mart)

Art exhibits, a boxing tournament and Earth Month festivities usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in Chicago.

Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick,” to hit the outdoor screen in Millennium Park in summer 2023. (Courtesy of Skydance Media)

Free concerts, theater and dance performances, and workouts are also part of the slate of summer events in Millennium Park announced Thursday by city officials.

Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews waits for a faceoff during the third period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press via AP)

Toews helped Chicago put together the best stretch in franchise history, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

(Courtesy Riot Fest)

A new policy gives Park District commissioners final say over permits for so-called “mega festivals.” It received its first test Wednesday.