Friday 9
Sculptor Mark McGinnis’s formidable portrayal of superpower intervention in 22 nations has a U.S. side and a Soviet side–separated by a thorny barrier of misunderstanding and mistrust. A ten-year multimedia project, Third World Ties is part of an exhibit that opens today at the Peace Museum, 430 W. Erie, and runs through December 31. Textile art by Central American artists is also on exhibit. The free opening reception is from 5 to 8 tonight; regular museum hours are noon to 5 Tuesday through Sunday (except noon to 8 Thursday). Admission is $2; students and seniors, 50 cents. Call 440-1860 for more.
The gallery season starts today in SuHu, and the Gwenda Jay Gallery is opening with Paul Sierra Paintings: 16 new works by the fiery Cuban-born artist, who–after numerous group shows, including three national touring shows–is getting a one-man show. Sierra will attend a free reception tonight that begins at 5:30 at the gallery, 301 W. Superior. The exhibition runs through October 8. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 to 5. For more, call 664-3406.
Saturday 10
Only recently have home and hospice care become acceptable alternatives to long-term hospitalization and the unnecessary use of life-prolonging technologies. Volunteers to work with terminally ill patients are badly needed, which is why Illinois Masonic Medical Center is offering an introduction to hospice volunteering today from 9 to 3 at the hospital, 836 W. Wellington. Volunteers become a part of a team, which includes a medical director, doctors, nurses, and social workers. It’s free, but you must register at 883-7048.
When Jane Byrne was mayor in 1981, she offered to sponsor a neighborhood festival in the mostly Puerto Rican Humboldt Park area. But Jane wanted to control things too tightly, and barrio residents rebelled. They brought singer Lucecita Benitez to the lot alongside Roberto Clemente High School and sponsored their own party. The Boricua Festival was a hit and thousands of people attended. But by 1985, disorganization and burnout had killed the event. Now some of the same folks–rested and refreshed–are celebrating Festival Cultural Boricua: Towards the 34M Festival Boricua, which features an art exhibit, music, food, and literary readings. The fun starts today at noon and runs until 7 at the Humboldt Park field house, in the park on Humboldt between Division and North avenues. Admission is free. For more information, call 486-2169 or 292-1200.
Several Cambodian refugees will be arriving in Chicago this fall from refugee camps in Thailand, where many of them have been confined for years. The Cambodian Association of Illinois, which recently won a Beatrice Foundation Award for Excellence, is holding a fund-raiser from 5 to 9 in the Uptown Baptist Church, 1011 W. Wilson, to help these families. There will be a magic show, traditional Cambodian desserts will be served, and speakers will describe the situation in the camps. $15 for adults, $5 for children. Call 878-7090 for more.
Patrick Mullaney’s acrobatic leaps in Bittersweet Av., the funny, jazzy solo he performed this year with the Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre, surely was one of the reasons he was nominated for “Outstanding Dancer of the Year,” one of several awards presented tonight at the third annual Ruth Page Awards, which honor excellence in Chicago dance. Also nominated are Brian Jeffery and Mary Ward. The envelopes will be opened at 6:30 at Karl’s Satin Doll, 820 N. Orleans. Admission is $25. Call 419-8383 for more.
Sunday 11
A couple of years ago Lesbian Nuns, a collection of memoirs by former and current sisters, caused quite a sensation with its assertion that there was plenty going on behind those closed convent doors. There will probably be a bride of Christ or two at Catholic Girls Only!, today’s free party at Paris Dance, a women’s bar at 1122 W. Montrose, featuring music, cash prizes, and special treats. Wear a school skirt, sweater, shirt, or other Catholic-school memorabilia and get in on the fun from 8 to midnight. For more, call 769-0602.
Monday 12
Adulthood comes to the Harold when funnyman Del Close celebrates the improv game’s 21st birthday at the annual ImprovOlympic final. House teams Tequila Mockingbird and Fish Shtick will take on all comers, including an ImprovOlympic-trained group of Second City regulars. It starts at 8:30 tonight at Second City, 1616 N. Wells. Tickets are $10. Call 880-0199 for more.
Tuesday 13
The city’s garbage-disposal bill will increase by more than $9 million in 1989. It had already increased $12 million in ’88, $5 million in ’87. Experts believe the cost of getting rid of our garbage will continue to be massive until Chicago comes up with a long-term plan, including a large-scale recycling program. No Time to Waste: Will Garbage Bust the City Budget? is a half-day seminar sponsored by eight civic watchdog groups. It begins at 12:30 on the 18th floor of the First National Bank at 2 S. Dearborn and is free. Call 278-4800 for more.
The New York Times Book Review called Josephine Humphreys a “dazzling stylist”–pretty good praise considering Rich in Love is only her second novel. Humphreys reads from her book at 7 tonight at Barbara’s Bookstore, 2907 N. Broadway; it’s free. New paperback copies will be available for autographs. For more information, call 642-5044.
Wednesday 14
“State of Women: Taking Risks in a Changing World” is the feature forum of the Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference, an all-day affair for women in business. The panel discussion features Joan Baratta, Harris Bank senior VP; City Hall’s Sharon Gist Gilliam; the irrepressible Helen Thomas from UPI; and the ubiquitous Christie Hefner, among others. The conference begins at 8 AM, the forum at noon, in the grand ballroom of the Hyatt Regency, 151 E. Wacker. The registration fee for the whole show, including lunch, is $100, $110 at the door; the forum alone costs $25. For more, call 853-3477.
The brawny MC of the Poetry Slam is a former construction worker and not your typically sensitive type of guy. But Marc Kelly Smith, love him or hate him, has been pivotal in Chicago’s poetry-performance renaissance. Tonight he invades the Avalon Niteclub with the usually diverse crop of writers he draws to these bouts. The mayhem begins at 1O at 959 W. Belmont. There’s a $3 cover. Call 472-3020.
Thursday 15
“When people don’t feel good about themselves, or something isn’t right in their lives, they often buy things to feel better,” says Joyce Weber, coordinator of Loop Family Center’s overspenders support group. Her 12-week workshop will be held Thursday evenings, beginning tonight at 6:15 on the 16th floor at 14 E. Jackson. Admission is $1 to $74, based on a sliding scale. For more information, call 435-4107.
Mayor Washington proclaimed Oak Street “Chicago’s International Center for Art and Design,” and the avenue’s retailers have taken his words to heart. Tonight, under a tent covering a 100-foot runway stretching from Michigan Avenue to Rush Street, more than 30 fashion retailers will show off top designs from Paris, London, and Milan. The Oak Street Fashion Spectacular will benefit the Hope McCormick Costume Center of the Chicago Historical Society. The models start strutting at 7; the entrance is at Rush and Oak. $100. Call 664-8112 for details.
It used to be that if you were Catholic and divorced, dating was a no-no. But in spite of John Paul, local parishes have tried to accommodate the times. For instance, the Northwest Divorced Catholics of Our Lady of Victory parish is hosting Getting Your Act Together: Dating Do’s and Don’ts, a free seminar for newly single Catholics trying to get back into the swing of things. It starts at 7:30 tonight in the parish clubhouse, 5211 W. Sunnyside. Call 763-8228 for more.