Pilsen Open Studios is happening from noon-8 PM today and tomorrow along 18th Street and elsewhere in the neighborhood from Halsted to Western. Galleries, artists, and vendors invite visitors and neighbors to experience the hyperlocal arts community. This 20-year-old event celebrates aesthetic traditions and innovations within hip-hop, muralism, screenprinting, self-publishing, graffiti, and more. Appreciators, admirers, and artists can learn about the work and intention that goes into maintaining and advancing these art forms. Today and tomorrow, Colectivo Pop Up takes over Breathing Space Chicago (2105 W. 18th St.); ZINEmercado will be selling zines from the neighborhood, PRINTmercado will sell original prints by local artists, and DISCOmercado will be selling vinyl from local musicians and labels. Activities include a live t-shirt printing demonstration from Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. For a complete list of locations and activities, consult the Pilsen Open Studios Vendor/Event Map. (MC)
Well, since you’re already in Pilsen, might as well check out Sounds of Solidarity (1855 S. Blue Island). From noon-5 PM, the Pilsen Love Fridge is teaming up with mutual aid project Chi Resists to host a celebration of local BIPOC creativity. Throughout the afternoon, there will be art, music, and poetry, as well as a donation spot for winter survival gear to be locally repurposed. Free children’s books are available. (MC)
And as long as you’re there, stop by La Esquina (1942 S. Carpenter) too. They’ll be open noon-7 PM both days of Open Studios to celebrate the launch of Beyond Heaven: Chicago House Party Flyers Volume III, 1983-1992. Publisher Almighty & Insane Books will be selling copies as well as other titles about local culture and ephemera, and author Mario “Live It Up” Luna will be displaying his collection of house ephemera while signing books. At 6 PM, UPC founder Luis Gabriel Aguilera and musical polymath Jesse de la Peña will be joined by friends from local party crews for a round-table on the house scene of 1980s Chicago, followed by live DJ sets inspired by the era. (MC)
Cap off your day in the neighborhood with Healthy Hood Chicago’s Panther Party at HHC’s headquarters (2242 S. Damen). Original members of the Black Panther Party will share their personal experiences and lessons from that time while discussing the party’s local legacy. In addition to a slate of vendors selling local wares, hip-hop artist Jiggy Bars will perform. This 7 PM event is free, but donations are encouraged. (MC)
There are a ton of spooky seasonal shows happening right now, and we’ll have a special guide to some of them closer to Halloween. But one to add right now is Rough House Theater’s House of the Exquisite Corpse, returning to the Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division) through 11/5. The piece takes audiences through seven different installations, loosely inspired by parts of the body and featuring puppetry, music, soundscapes, and other elements that collectively create what Reader critic Kimzyn Campbell calls “a peep show, where the audience is the voyeur of an interior world, with puppeteers, physical theater artists, and designers (dozens of collaborators in all) combining forces to make a haunted house that defies expectations.” There are rolling admissions Thu-Sat beginning at 7 PM (the number of entries available vary), and tickets are $15-$45. For information and reservations, visit roughhousetheater.com. (KR)