February tends to be a time for hibernation. But this selection of exhibitions, conversations, film screenings and performances, hand-picked by the team at Sixty Inches From Center, might tempt you to step outside and make your way across the city.
—Glenn Greenwald w/ Moustafa Bayoumi in Chicago
When Donald Trump entered the Oval Office on January 20, he inherited ongoing military campaigns in seven Muslim-majority countries, a network of military bases that spans the globe, and the most sophisticated domestic and international surveillance apparatus in world history. From repeated promises to ban Muslims from entering the country, to claims that he will "restock" Guantanamo and reestablish torture as official policy, Trump has repeatedly escalated an already intolerable climate of Islamophobia, violence, and repression. Join Glenn Greenwald and Moustafa Bayoumi for a wide-ranging discussion about hopes and prospects in the struggle for justice in the Trump era.
Thursday, Feb. 2, 7-9 p.m.
Haymarket books ( 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave. )
Free event, registration required
—2nd Floor Rear
The series 2nd Floor Rear is made up of artist-run events that run concurrently and back-to-back at different venues located within a cluster of conjoined Chicago neighborhoods. Events on Saturday, Feb. 4, will take place in near northwest neighborhoods off the Blue Line. Events on Sunday, Feb. 5, will take place in near southwest neighborhoods off the Pink Line. We are currently firming up our schedule of events and will post updates here until the schedule is finalized in January.
Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4-5
Locations along the Blue Line and Pink Line
Visit 2ndfloorrear.org for specific locations and times
—AMFM Presents: The Jazz Series
Against the backdrop of Glenn Ligon's A Small Band neon installation, AMFM will be presenting a lineup of musicians who compose jazz with an urban flair. This edition at the Stony Island Arts Bank will feature Freddie Old Soul ( Fredrianna Harris ), Selah Says III, Krystal Metcalfe and Rich Jones.
Feb. 4, 7-11 p.m.
Stony Island Arts Bank ( 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. )
$5
—HIV/AIDS and Race
As part of the programming of the exhibition Art AIDS America, the Alphawood Foundation hosts a conversation that focuses on how the intersections of HIV/AIDS and race reveal large and distinct trends of imbalance. In the U.S. impact of HIV/AIDS within communities of color, specifically Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic populations, with youth, and women-identified persons are disproportionately more affected. In 2014, the CDC reported African Americans represent 12 percent of the population, but account for 44 percent of HIV diagnoses. This discussion delves deep into why, and work toward solutions. Speakers include Erik Glenn ( executive director, Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus ), David Ernesto Munar ( president/CEO of Howard Brown Health ), Hadeis Safi ( HIV Prevention and Care at Center on Halsted ) and Chay Yew ( artistic director of Victory Gardens ). Lora Branch ( associate director in government affairs for Gilead Sciences Inc. ) will moderate, with a special performance by Po'chop.
Feb. 8, 6-8 p.m.
Alphawood Gallery ( 2401 N. Halsted St. )
Free
—Graft - Solo Show by Edra Soto
The Green Lantern Press is pleased to announce its Spring 2017 exhibition, GRAFT — an interactive installation for which the artist Edra Soto installs life-size Puerto Rican style bus stop benches inside of the Sector 2337 gallery, with the island's traditional rejas on the exterior storefront.
Feb. 10, 6-9 p.m.
Sector 2337 + The Green Lantern Press ( 2337 N. Milwaukee Ave. )
Free
—Dreams are Colder than Death
Founded in 2012 to cultivate an interdisciplinary approach to the presentation of black arts on campus, the Black Arts Initiative has programmed a yearlong series of films that provoke difficult conversations around race and identity. This winter's screening, Arthur Jafa and Kahlil Joseph's 2014 documentary Dreams Are Colder Than Death, explores the question of what it means to be black in America in the 21st century through a series of interviews with individuals including visual artist Kara Walker, author Hortense Spillers, filmmaker Charles Burnett, and ex—Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver.
Feb. 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Block Museum of Art ( 40 Arts Circle Drive )
Free
