Weekend Events Around Town: 4/5 - 4/7

Manierre Dawson, Fireman, ca. 1912, Oil on wood panel, from the collection of Alec and Jennifer LitowitzHistoric artwork, foodie heaven and the world's largest improv festival. Chicago Tonight knows what's going on this weekend.

For and Against Modern Art: The Armory Show + 100
Today, names like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse aren’t typically synonymous with controversy. But that wasn’t the case 100 years ago. Angular, abstract depictions of female nudes? Sacrilege! Blasphemy! That was the reaction of many critics in New York City to the 1913 Armory Show, which gave American audiences their first taste of modern European art. And after stirring the pot in NYC, the exhibit headed west, where its 23-day stay at The Art Institute of Chicago caused more fireworks and forever changed American art. A century later, a new exhibit at the DePaul Art Museum titled For and Against Modern Art: The Armory Show + 100, pays tribute to this legendary exhibition and chronicles its impact on 20th century American art. The exhibit features prints and originals from the 1913 exhibit by Picasso, Edvard Munch, and Pierre Auguste-Renoir, among others, as well as later work by American artists who were influenced by the European movements. The Armory Show + 100 opens today with a reception and lecture from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and runs through June 16. The museum is free and open to the public from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Thursday; 11:00 am to 7:00 pm Friday, and 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. Click here for more information about the exhibit. Watch Chicago Tonight on April 11 to hear from the curator of the exhibit and to read an interview with the director of the museum.

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

DePaul Art Museum
935 W. Fullerton Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
773.325.7506

Scott Adsit & Jet Eveleth performing at the Chicago Improv Festival, courtesy Jerry SchulmanChicago Improv Festival
So, it’s been a long week at work and you need to unwind with a good laugh. Lucky for you, no matter what part of town you live in, options abound this weekend.  The 16th Annual Chicago Improv Festival (CIF), the world’s largest international improv fest, runs through Sunday and features 154 acts from 10 countries performing at 20 locations around the city. Whatever your comedic tastes, the CIF has you covered, with long-form, short-form, musical and even puppetry acts hitting stages all weekend long. Admission for individual shows range from free to $25. Or, if your day job is so rough that you’re considering a career change, the festival is offering a number of two and three-hour improv workshops on Saturday at the Athenaeum Theater and the Playground Theater. Aspiring comics have the chance to learn from pros like Rob Belushi and Susan Messing, and workshop prices range from $50 to $100. For the full slate of weekend shows and workshops, times, locations and prices, click here.

Courtesy Nathan MichaelFête Chicago
Attention foodies and design geeks: if you didn’t already have weekend plans, you do now. Fête Chicago’s weekend-long spring festival celebrates Chicago’s food and art cultures, with several workshops, talks, studio tours and food tastings featuring some of the city’s most exciting chefs and designers. Friday’s events include 2nd Story Presents: Tales from the Table, featuring chef Ina Pinkney, a.k.a. the “Breakfast Queen” of Ina’s restaurant, and other guests discussing taste, memory and the impact food has had on their lives. The discussion takes place at Ina’s, 1235 W. Randolph St. Doors open at 5:30 pm and the show runs from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Admission is $20 and includes appetizers prepared by Chef Ina Pinkney. Among other events, Saturday’s slate includes Bridgeport Rising: A Conversation with Arthur Jackson and Ed Marszewski. Jackson, of Bridgeport-based Pleasant House Bakery, and Marszewski, of Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar, will discuss the vibrant food and design scene taking root in Bridgeport, the South Side neighborhood that was once a hotbed for racial controversy. The discussion lasts from 2:00 to 3:30 pm and takes place at Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219-21 S. Morgan St. Tickets are $10 and includes pastries from Pleasant House Bakery and Maria’s own ginger beer. For a full rundown of festival events, click here.

Barnum - The Circus Musical
Ever wondered who dreamt up the spectacle that is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus? After 854 performances on Broadway in the 1980s, the circus-themed musical Barnum is now at Chicago’s Mercury Theater. The musical looks at the life and antics of the colorful Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum, the founder of the circus that became the “greatest show on Earth.” Told through acrobatics, puppetry and a vibrant musical score, the show stars Gene Weygandt, who played the Wizard of Oz in Wicked in Chicago and on Broadway, as P.T. Barnum. The show opened on March 27 and runs through June 16. Ticket prices range from $25 to $59. Seniors can receive $10 off $45 and $55 seats at all Wednesday & Thursday shows by calling 773-325-1700. Group and Student discounts are also available for all performances at the same number. For a full list of show times and ticket purchasing information, click here.

Mercury Theater
3745 N. Southport Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613

Courtesy Illinois Holocaust MuseumHolocaust Remembrance Day at the Illinois Holocaust Museum
On a more serious note, Sunday is Holocaust Remembrance Day. In memory of those lost, the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie is hosting a special Yom HaShoah Commemoration from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. The program will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and will be presented in cooperation with the North Shore Fellowship of Rabbis and Chicago’s Cantors. Reservations are required to attend the event, but admission to the program is free with a ticket to the museum. Museum members are admitted for free. To reserve a seat, click here. For more information on museum hours, admission prices, and to purchase advance tickets, click here.

Illinois Holocaust Museum
9603 Woods Drive
Skokie, IL 60077

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors