Friday 26
Remember the Children, the traveling exhibit that opens today at the Field Museum of Natural History, is designed to sensitize children to prejudice and hate. A memorial to the 1.5 million children who lost their lives during the holocaust, the exhibit uses a series of re-created environments–Jewish storefronts, a Warsaw Ghetto apartment–to dramatize one imaginary child’s journey to the concentration camps. There is also the “Watch Out Wall,” made of large panels that warn. about put downs, stereotypes, and the like. The show runs through April 22. The museum, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, is open 9 to 5 daily. Admission is $3, $2 for seniors, students, and kids. Thursdays are free. Call 922-9410.
The unfortunately titled Two People Came Over–We Didn’t Know What to Say So We Played With the Dog and Our Minds Wandered has nothing to do with casual visits, household pets, or boredom. The opening scene features Chinese artist Qi Gu Jiang painting from live models. Simultaneously, an American actor prepares to play Qi onstage. Minutes later, the audience is presented with a videotape of all this. Still later, a lecture on superconductivity, disorder, and chaos becomes a part of the show. This new work by performance artist and writer Michael K. Meyers tackles subjects such as assimilation, memory, and the constructs of language. Peter Gena composed the music, and Lauri Macklin choreographed. Show time is 8 tonight and tomorrow at the Columbia College Dance Center, 4730 N. Sheridan. Tickets are $7, $5 for seniors and students. Call 271-7804.
Saturday 27
If you’re interested in volunteering to help rape victims, be at today’s Rape Recovery Project orientation meeting at 9 AM at the Lincoln-Belmont YWCA, 3333 N. Marshfield. It’s free, of course. Call 267-2211.
Although Alcoholics Anonymous isn’t affiliated with any particular ministry, 7 of its 12 steps to recovery involve recognition of a higher power, or “God, as we understand Him.” Jim Christopher, author of How to Stay Sober and Unhooked, believes you don’t need that much religion to stay clean. In 1986 he founded S.O.S., Secular Organizations for Sobriety, a friendly alternative to AA for people who shared his reservations about the higher-power concept. Christopher will discuss his approach at 3 PM at Longfellow Community House, 610 S. Ridgeland in Oak Park. It’s free. Call 708-386-9100.
Sunday 28
Knives and scissors are traditionally stored away so no one can accidentally “cut” the continuity of good luck for the Chinese Now Year. Other traditions include paying off debts and cleaning the house from top to bottom. The start of the year of the horse, a symbol of energy and strength, will be celebrated today in grand style at, the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 E. Wacker. Jim Edgar, Senator Paul Simon, and a bunch of other politicos will be around for the VIP reception at 5 PM. A teen dance, featuring a DJ and door prizes, begins at 5:30, and formal ceremonies begin with the traditional lion and dragon dances at 6:30. Dinner, speeches, entertainment, and a formal dance follow. Sponsored by more than 55 community groups, it’s the Chinese community’s biggest New Year’s celebration. Tickets are $30, $50 for an honorary seat, and $10 for the teen dance. Call 661-5053.
Hardly anyone attended the recent benefit production of Michael Kearns’s Intimacies, so local AIDS organizations didn’t get much from it. With any luck, William Hoffman’s As Is, which includes a couple of fund-raisers for some of the same folks in its short run, won’t suffer the same fate. The play–which won an armful of awards and was listed as one of Time magazine’s best plays of 1985–is a raw, witty, and unapologetic view of AIDS, gay sex, and intimacy. Today’s benefit show for Horizons starts at 5 in Curtiss Hall on the tenth floor of the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan; the 7,30 show on Saturday, February 3, is a benefit for the Howard Brown Memorial Clinic. There will be additional performances on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through March 3. Tickets are $12. Call 327-7707 or 829-8819.
Monday 29
Poet, essayist, and deep thinker Allen Grossman will speak on The Calling of Poetry, a lecture he has subtitled “The Constitution of Poetic Vocation, the Recognition of the Maker in the Twentieth Century, and the Work of the Poet in Our Time,” at 3:30 today at Northwestern University’s University Hall, room 407, 1897 Sheridan Road. Grossman will also read from his poetry at 3:30 PM on Wednesday in the university library, 1935 Sheridan Road. Both programs are free. Call 491-5618 or 491-3525.
The old manufacturing buildings in River North are becoming indoor malls and groovy gallery consortiums, but what does it all mean? The Landmarks Preservation Council’s lecture series, The Missing Pieces–Solving the Preservation Puzzle, takes a look at what’s already in this hot area, what’s planned, and what’s still needed. A panel of experts will start the discussion at 5:30 PM in the assembly room on the sixth floor of the Northern Trust Company, 50 S. LaSalle. Tickets are $7, $6 for council members. 922-1742.
Tuesday 30
If the stock market’s roller-coaster performance doesn’t scare you and you have some extra bucks on hand, check out Merrill Lynch’s Investment Outlook Hotline. From 8:30 AM to 10:30 PM Monday through Friday, the hot line offers weekly prerecorded investment advice on such things as asset allocation, global investment, municipal bonds, and interest rates. Dial 1-800-637-1022.
Women of Color, the exhibition at ARC Gallery that opens today, focuses on the work of Patricia Bohannon, Nereyda Garcia-Ferraz, Evelyn Davis Frazier, Laura Gonzalez, Paula Pia Martinez, Diana Soliz, and Anna Tyler–all Hispanic or African American women artists. The show, which runs through February 24, can be seen from 11 to 5 Tuesday through Saturday at 1040 W. Huron. Free. Call 733-2787.
Michael Jordan just set the team record for three-pointers, but guard John Paxson has been getting them too. Paxson will sign autographs, pose for photos, and draw raffle winners from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Greek Islands Restaurant, 300 E. 22nd St. in Lombard. Raffle prizes include Bulls yearbooks and basketballs, and free dinners at the restaurant. Hanging out with Paxson is free, as are the raffle tickets. Call 708-932-4545.
Wednesday 31
Black History Month brings out the civil rights collection at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Among the gems in the Black History on Television program: CBS’s coverage of Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral; an interview with Malcolm X; Oprah Winfrey’s show that was taped in Forsythe County, Georgia, with the Ku Klux Klan waiting by; and selections from Tony Brown’s Journal. There’s additional material on African Americans in the media and rare archival footage from several all-black films. The program, which changes every day, runs continuously; selections are generally not repeated. The museum, at 800 S. Wells, is open noon to 5 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday; 10 to 5 Saturday. Admission is $3, $2 for students, $1 for seniors and, children, and free to members. 987-1500.
FEBRUARY
Thursday 1
David Byrne says Rei Momo, his latest release, is one attempt to reverse the north-south dynamic of global cultural influence. Ruben’s Baby Factory, which makes its local debut tonight, includes nine Chicago musicians who’ve been in reverse mode for years and now play world beat. The group includes former Malukosamba guitarist Ruben Alvarado, keyboard player Jim Larson, drummer Faustino Cortes, saxophonists Barbara Gillies and Tony Goldsmith, bassist Roger Northrop, percussionist Mister Hayden, former Juju Brothers guitarist Hector Rivera, and singer Lisa Tomkins. The show starts at 8 PM at Club Lower Links, 954 W. Newport. Admission is $4. Call 248-5238.