Friday 19
Salvador Dali, that master of surrealism, wasn’t a part of the movement in its early stages, nor at its end. By 1947, when surrealism had its last major exhibition in Paris, organizers Marcel Duchamp and Andre Breton listed Dali among those “who have ceased to gravitate in the movement’s orbit.” Homage to Salvador Dali–a retrospective featuring vintage prints, drawings, and tapestries–opens today at the Merrill Chase Gallery at Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan, with a free champagne reception from 6 to 9 PM. It runs through June 22. Viewing hours are 10 to 7 Monday through Friday, 10 to 6 Saturday, and 12 to 6 Sunday. For more call 564-2000.
Riva Lehrer was one of the lucky artists whose work was not touched by the devastating SuHu fire. Her work had been in Objects Gallery, but she had taken her pieces home to be photographed for her upcoming show, The 20 new works of wearable art that got away are on exhibit through May 31 in the west lobby of the Merchandise Mart, north of the river between Wells and Orleans, the temporary home of Objects. Lehrer’s brilliantly colored, acrylic-on-steel pins feature mythological motifs. Prices range from $125 to $300. The exhibition is free Monday through Friday, 10 to 5:30, and Saturday 10 to 3. For more call 664-6622.
“Hulkamaniacs” will gather at the Rosemont Horizon tonight when Hulk Hogan faces challenger Randy “Macho Man” Savage in the championship bout of the World Wrestling Federation Superstars of Wrestling extravaganza. The Hulkster may be the current champ, but Savage has beaten him before. The action starts at 8 at 6920 N. Mannheim in Rosemont. Tickets are $16, $12, and $9; call 559-1212.
Saturday 20
Activist Mitch Snyder, the fiery former Madison Avenue management consultant, drew national headlines a few years back when he went on a fast to focus attention on the plight of the homeless. Snyder, who receives no salary for his work with the homeless and who lives in a shelter in Washington, D.C., will be the keynote speaker at tonight’s Solidarity Dinner With the Homeless, a benefit for the Center for Public Ministry’s shelter. There will be a reception at 5:30 at the center, 607 Lake in Evanston followed by a simple dinner at 6 and Snyder’s talk at 7:45. Tickets are $35. For more call 864-6845.
Kapture, a local aural-arts ensemble that has been attracting critical praise, offers two Chicago premieres tonight at Chicago Filmmakers. Tele-Kino–which combines film, live theater, and live music–concerns a TV addict’s revolt against the tube’s banal messages. Crosses, by Wisconsin composer Tayloe Harding. is the setting for four sacred texts, and features voices and two digital keyboards. Show time is 8 PM at 1229 W. Belmont. Tickets are $10 and $8. Call 728-7494.
Sunday 21
When Ron Kittle, the lanky slugger from Gary, joined the White Sox in his first year as a pro, he got rookie honors and helped them get as close to a pennant as they’ve been in recent memory. The Sox repaid him by shipping him off to the Yankees, where he was miserable. Then, with the Sox stuck in the AL basement, the new managers brought him back. Kittle and teammate Tom Paciorek are featured at tonight’s Chicago Tribune/WMAQ TV Sports Hotline Forum from 5:30 to 8 at Ditka’s/City Lights, 7610 N. Broadway in Merrillville, across the state line in Indiana. Tickets are $15 and include dinner, raffles, and a chance to ask questions of the Soxers. Call 280-7660 or 219-769-3060.
Monday 22
With video art by both experimental artists and advertising directors, this year’s Video Playhouse should represent quite a range. Sponsored jointly by Swell Pictures and the Center for New Television, the showcase features a juried selection of noncommercial work by Chicago video makers at the Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted (348-4000). A catered reception begins at 7; show time is 7:30. Tickets are $7, $5 for students and CNT members.
When the Chicago Public Schools reported its first AIDS case in 1985, right-wing agitators descended on Pilsen, the mostly Latino area where the HIV-infected pupil lived, and tried to stir up trouble. Luckily, CPS officials had already developed a decent AIDS policy that emphasized education about the disease for students and parents. Author David Kirp will discuss his new book, Learning by Heart–AIDS and School Children in America’s Communities, at 7 PM at the new Guild Complex, 2456 N. Lincoln. It’s free. Call 525-3667.
Tuesday 23
His training as a medical illustrator gave Oscar L. Martinez a new way of looking at his subjects–his paintings have a sinewy, eerie quality. Martinez, Arnaldo Roche Rabell, and Bibiana Suarez are the three Contemporary Puerto Rican Artists from Chicago whose work is on exhibit at the State of Illinois Gallery, 100 W. Randolph. The free show runs through July 7 and can be seen Monday through Friday from 10 to 6, A reception for the artists will be held Friday, May 26, at the gallery from 5 to 7 PM. Call 917-5322.
For years former Fifth Ward alderman Leon Despres and the late Mayor Richard J. Daley were unlikely allies in the City Council. The Hyde Park independent would regularly introduce good government bills–which Daley’s cronies would kill. After the public outcry and media editorializing that followed, Daley would gut Despres’ bill, introduce it as his own, and have it pass. Despres, who was later named council parliamentarian by Harold Washington, speaks on The Politics of Downtown Planning and Development at a special dinner meeting of the Friends of Downtown. Tickets are $22 for members, $27 for all others, and include dinner at Binyon’s Restaurant, 327 S. Plymouth Ct. There’s a cash bar at 5:30; dinner’s at 6. Reservations are required by Monday, May 22; call 977-0098.
Wednesday 24
Wednesday is probably the best night of the week to go dancing at Tania’s, the Latin dance palace in Logan Square that rose from the ashes of an old bodega, because there’s plenty of elbow room. Live salsa plays from 10 PM to 3 AM (as it also does Thursday through Sunday), and a full menu of Mexican, Cuban, and other Latin cuisines is served in the dining room. There’s no cover, but a two-drink minimum is required in the lounge. Tania’s is at 2659 N. Milwaukee. Call 235-7120.
Thursday 25
The Supreme Court decided in January that a municipality could not have an affirmative action program for contractors unless it could prove clear prior discrimination. That decision worries many minority businesses–who often need government contracts to stay afloat. Affirmative Action for Minority Business: Is It Dead? is the topic at today’s Affirmative Action Association luncheon at noon at the Westin Hotel, 909 N. Michigan. Tickets bought in advance are $20 for members, $25 for guests; tickets at the door are $27 for everyone. For more call 372-4811.
David Byrne’s recent compilation of Brazilian music has helped put tropicalismo on the American charts, but that light-hearted music is about 10 to 15 years old. The hits now on the charts in Brazil are darker, angrier, and much more hard-driving–like the music of Malukosamba, a ten-piece ensemble that got together last October in Chicago. The group performs at 8 PM as part of the Link’s Hall Performance Series at Lower Links, 954 W. Newport. Tickets are $5. Call 281-0824.