Bank to house Knuckles collection
Stony Island Arts Bank—a onetime bank that was recently transformed into an African-American cultural center—will house the late Frankie Knuckles' vinyl collection, according to a Pitchfork.com item.
Founder Theaster Gates said of the center in a statement, "It is an institution of and for the South Side—a repository for African-American culture and history, a laboratory for the next generation of Black artists and culture-interested people; a platform to showcase future leaders—be they painters, educators, scholars or curators."
The center, at 6760 S. Stony Island Ave., will open Oct. 3.
Knuckles passed away last year at age 59. The producer, who was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1996, mixed work by artists such as Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson and Depeche Mode.
The original article is at Pitchfork.com/news/60775-chicago-arts-center-to-host-frankie-knuckles-vinyl-collection/ .
Oprah's, Siriano's items at auction
Chicago-based luxury consignment company eDrop-Off ( www.shopedropoff.com ) is launching a celebrity auction that includes items from designer Christian Siriano and Oprah Winfrey, among others.
The auction runs through Sept. 13, and 100 percent of the proceeds from each item will be donated to the celebrity's charity of choice.
Winfrey ( charity: Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls ) is donating smoking slippers and a Bulgari shoulder bag. Siriano ( charity: ASPCA ) is donating a size six knit T-shirt and a size 10 A-line skirt. Among some of the other celebrities with items are Glee actress Lea Michele ( charity: Step Up Women's Network ), Alexa Chung ( charity: OxFam ) and Giuliana Rancic ( charity: Fab-U-Wish ).
The Claudettes at The Hideout Sept. 11
The Claudettes—a band that plays what's been described as a "fusion of blues, jazz, soul, space-echo and punk energy"—will perform at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., on Friday, Sept. 11, at 9:30 p.m.
Chicagoans Johnny Iguana ( piano ), Michael Caskey ( drums ) and Yana ( singing, dancing ) make up the trio.
In addition, the band is releasing the CD No Hotel on Friday, Sept. 18, on Yellow Dog Records.
See TheClaudettes.com .
Project&, EXPO CHICAGO join forces
As part of EXPO CHICAGO ( Sept. 17-20 ), a Project& panel will feature Hank Willis Thomas, Naomi Beckwith and Jane M. Saks on Saturday, Sept. 19, 5-6 p.m. at EXPO's VIP Anchor Lounge at Navy Pier.
Willis is a photo conceptual artist whose work is in numerous public collections, including MoMA, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art and The Brooklyn Museum. Beckwith is the Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Saks a curator, creative collaborator, producer, cultural activist, writer and educator who founded Project&.
In addition, Project&, an arts organization, will present Thomas, Ryan Alexiev and Jim Ricks of the Cause Collective's In Search of the Truth ( The Truth Booth ) on Navy Pier at EXPO CHICAGO. In Search of the Truth ( The Truth Booth ) is a mobile interactive video recording booth open to the public that asks participants to look into a camera and finish the statement "The truth is..."
More information about Project& is at ProjectAnd.org; for more about EXPO CHICAGO, visit ExpoChicago.com .
Branden James show Sept. 24
The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., will present "On Stage With … Branden James"—an intimate cabaret performance by the America's Got Talent finalist—on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m.
Part of the Auditorium Theatre's "Made in Chicago" Music Series, this unique concert experience has James performing alongside Australian cellist/musical director James Clark as well as singer/YouTube sensation Jess Godwin. James and company will perform an evening of classical, Broadway, operatic pop, and Top 40 music.
Ticket prices $50-$75; visit AuditoriumTheatre.org, call 312-341-2300 or stop by the Auditorium Theatre's box office .
Full calendar of events at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/chicago/events/upcoming.php .
