The seventh annual Around the Coyote Winter Arts Festival runs through this weekend, with some 95 visual artists exhibiting at the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee, and the Northwest Tower Building, 1608 N. Milwaukee; hours are Fri 2/10, 6-10 PM, Sat 2/11, 11 AM-10 PM, and Sun 2/12, 11 AM-6 PM. A visual arts day pass is $5, theater programs are $10 per show or $15 for a day pass, spoken-word/music programs are $5, film/video programs are $7, and an all-access weekend pass is $40. Call 773-342-6777 or see www.aroundthecoyote.org for more information.
THURSDAY 9
Opening Night Party
Video program of highlights from past festival screenings, music by a rotating cast of DJs, and a silent auction to benefit ATC’s art education programming. Around the Coyote Gallery, 19351/2 W. North. $20. 8 PM-midnight
FRIDAY 10
Video Program
This year’s program showcases the local video makers’ collective Split Pillow, an improvisatory group that uses the “exquisite corpse” method of random association to come up with a common idea, then assigns directors to complete individual shorts. Most of these 11 works are presented out of their original context, putting them at a distinct disadvantage, but some clear directing talent is evident. The most successful in their own right are Alexander Rojas’s Cushion (2005), in which a young slacker arranges a rendezvous with his online lover and meets her weirdo family, and R.J. Bentler’s clammy A Reason to Drink (2004), with Reggie Manning and Stuart Ritter as two friends pursuing an unholy communion with a large egg. 87 min. (J.R. Jones) Rodan, 1530 N. Milwaukee. 6:30-8 PM
Spoken Word and Music Program
Readings by self-published writers, zinesters, and bloggers including Al Burian, Rob Christopher, Emerson Dameron, A.B. Drea, Achtongue Fingers, Andrew Huff, Eric Lab Rat, Liz Mason, Jonathan Messinger, Billy Roberts, Mimi Smartypants, Brandon Wetherbee, and Alanna Zaritz. With music by Walter Meego. Subterranean, 2011 W. North. 7-9:30 PM
Theater Program I
Short plays. Caitlin Parrish’s Fuck Tori Amos is about a brother and sister’s discussion of “survival tactics” before she’s shipped off to “bad kid camp.” In Michael Burgan’s 500 Years, 500 Miles unexpected visitors disrupt a young couple’s life. Ross Travis’s Static concerns “two people trying to connect with everything but each other.” In William Jordan’s Customer for Life four men struggle with their friendship. The title of Greg Hardigan’s The Last Conversation I Ever Had With My Father Before He Died on the Operating Table During Open-Heart Surgery may or may not be self-explanatory. Happydog, 1542 N. Milwaukee, second floor. 7 PM
Theater Program II
Short plays. Sharon Lanza’s The Mermaid and the Astronaut explores the road not taken. Greg Beam’s The Hard Way takes on “sexual menace and cutthroat emotional combat.” Greg Hardigan examines a couple’s failed relationship in That Feel. Sexual politics is the subject of Elizabeth Ellis’s Sexy Repellant. Two men flee a pack of dogs in Laura Jacqmin’s Dawg. Happydog, 1542 N. Milwaukee, second floor. 9 PM
SATURDAY 11
Beginning Art Collectors Tour
ATC board members Bridget McDonough of Light Opera Works and Amy Brandolino of the Block Museum of Art “demystify the art buying experience” and offer tips on how to start and maintain an art collection. Limited to 20 participants; reservations recommended. Convenes at Around the Coyote Gallery, 1935 1/2 W. North. $10. 1 PM
Spoken Word and Music Program
Readings by poets Kim Alpert, Kristiana Colon, Uriel Crumb, the duo Death From Below, and Samantha Skinner. With music by Dove Rock. Subterranean, 2011 W. North. 7-9:30 PM
Theater Program I
See Fri 2/10. Happydog, 1542 N. Milwaukee, second floor. 7 PM
Theater Program II
See Fri 2/10. Happydog, 1542 N. Milwaukee, second floor. 9 PM
SUNDAY 12
Curator’s Choice Tour
Gallerist Peter Miller discusses “methods of curating gallery exhibitions, collecting emerging art and how to build solid collections.” Limited to 20 participants; reservations recommended. Convenes at Around the Coyote Gallery, 19351/2 W. North. $10. 1 PM
Video Program
See Fri 2/10. Rodan, 1530 N. Milwaukee. 6:30-8 PM
Theater Program I
See Fri 2/10. Happydog, 1542 N. Milwaukee, second floor. 7 PM
Theater Program II
See Fri 2/10. Happydog, 1542 N. Milwaukee, second floor. 9 PM