Tuesdays are a good day (and night) to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, as there are extended hours for both the museum and the store (10 AM-9 PM) and museum admission is free on Tuesdays to–just about everyone! Illinois residents enjoy free entry on Tuesdays, and there are several categories of people that can get into the MCA for free any day: Illinois elementary and high school teachers, visitors with disabilities and their caregivers, active members of the military, veterans, police, and fire departments, and anyone 18 or younger. In addition to the Chicago-based international artist and educator Nick Cave exhibition “Forothermore” (on view at the MCA until 10/2), check out the work of Los Angeles artist (and once Chicagoan) Martine Syms, on view until next February. The MCA hosts Syms’s exhibition “She Mad Season One,” a sculptural installation painted in purple housing video work from Syms’s series She Mad, which is a semi-autobiographical sitcom about a young woman working as an artist in LA. More information about visiting the MCA and other exhibitions on display at the moment is findable at the museum’s website. (SCJ)
Has The Bear inspired you to think about opening up your own sandwich shop? Or maybe your backyard bounty of cucumbers and tomatoes is making you think you should run your own booth at the next farmer’s market? If so, you’ll be interested to hear that the nonprofit Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago teamed up with the nonprofit food and beverage incubator the Hatchery to host this afternoon’s Starting a Food Business workshop. It’s a hybrid class that starts at 4 PM, taking place simultaneously in person at the Hatchery’s headquarters (135 N. Kedzie) and also online as a webinar (access link given with registration). Expect to learn the ABCs of getting your business structure right from the start, including required licensing, certifications, getting financing, and branding, presented by the Hatchery’s chief strategy and incubation officer Natalie Shmulik and lawyer Cheryl Balough, who specializes in helping clients with their new ventures with her firm Balough Law Offices. Registration is $40 and more information is available at the Hatchery’s website. (SCJ)
Unreal is unique in the Chicago world of open mikes in that it’s focused on fiction: readers are encouraged to bring fictional narrative work, including short stories, excerpts from a novel, dramatic monologues, or writing for comics, as long as it’s their original work and takes seven minutes or less to read. Unreal’s monthly events (held on third Tuesdays) create a special space for writers to work out their latest with an encouraging audience who are receptive to innovation in form. Tonight’s session is hosted at Golden Dagger’s (2447 N. Halsted) outside patio; doors (and the bar) open at 6 PM. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be requested, and the venue is open to those 21 and up. Go to Unreal’s event listing for more details. (SCJ)
It’s a night for the dark freaks at California Clipper (1002 N. California) when Chicago’s rave-approved Kona FM shares the table with Boston’s electro daddy Penitence and Milwaukee’s EBM prince Choke Chain. Bodies hit the floor starting at 9 PM. No cover, must be 21 or older. (MC)