Johalla Projects Archives - Chicago Reader

Painting shows Serena Williams preparing to hit a ball on the tennis court. She wears a yellow top and skirt while the court is bright blue.

Battle royale

by Vasia Rigou April 25, 2023April 25, 2023

Nikko Washington grew up in a family of trained martial artists. Mastering discipline and control served him beyond the fact that he earned a black belt at a young age—harnessing the power of physical training and mental fortitude has elevated his practice to the next level. As Ciera McKissick writes in the exhibition text, painting […]

a painting by the artist Brandon Breaux (img: a Black man seated in a room with a fern in the foreground, and the word SEEN superimposed on top of the image in coral-colored lettering

Arts & Culture

The big world of Brandon Breaux

by Isa Giallorenzo April 28, 2022April 28, 2022

Yes, Chance the Rapper did give a big push to artist Brandon Breaux’s career when Breaux designed the covers for three of the singer’s mixtapes: 10 Day, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book. Breaux also recently landed two high-profile commissions—the February 2022 Ebony cover honoring editor André Leon Talley, and the cover of Carry On: Reflections […]

Music

Remembering Chicago music champion Christen Thomas

by Leor Galil April 16, 2020August 18, 2021

Christen Thomas booked shows for a decade with the Empty Bottle and Metro teams, but that work was just the beginning of the love, joy, and support she showered on the local scene.

Blogs

Chicago Humanities Fest, Zombie Pub Crawl, and more things to do in Chicago this weekend

by Brianna Wellen April 28, 2017August 18, 2021

“Girl Play,” the University of Chicago Artist Summit, and more happenings from April 28-30.

Blogs

Field Museum pop-up bar the Backroom has turned part of the Chicago Athletic Association into a scientist’s office from the 1970s

by Julia Thiel February 28, 2017August 18, 2021

The Field Museum, Johalla Projects, Land and Sea Dept., and the Chicago Athletic Association have collaborated on a bar in conjunction with the Field exhibit “Specimens: Unlocking the Secrets of Life.”