When I learned about Fashion’s Night Out, Anna Wintour’s brainchild to get the public out shopping, I was bummed to see that Chicago didn’t have more of a presence in the one-night event. That said, I’m completely behind the idea. Indeed, in order to boost the economy and keep businesses (particularly the independents) from shuttering, we have to get out and spend some of the dollars we still have.
I haven’t heard of too many businesses around town hopping on the Fashion’s Night Out wagon by keeping their doors open late and luring in lollygaggers with glasses of Champagne and fancy cupcakes, but here are the few participants we do know: From 6-9pm, Neiman Marcus presents handbags by Lauren Merkin and various other up-and-comers, gourmet cupcakes from More, a Manolo Blahnik trunk show, food from former Top Chef contestant Radhika Desai, a fall trends presentation and more. Purchase the $30 Fashion’s Night Out tee, and 40% of the proceeds will benefit the September 11 Memorial and Museum.
If you’re in the Wicker Park area, head over to Anastasia Chatzka’s eponymous boutique anytime between 6-11pm for a 25% discount on her hyper-girly attire.
A mere $40 snags a one-year membership to the Art Institute of Chicago through this Groupon coupon, good for the next two days and 11 hours. Since a membership normally costs $110, that’s a 64% discount. (If you’re already a member, you can use the coupon to extend your membership for a year.)
Now that AIC admission is a whopping $18 ($16 for Chicago residents), the discounted membership—which yields free admission for you and a guest—isn’t much more expensive than two visits to the art museum.
Yes folks, we went there. What does indie mean, anymore? How is that different from independent? Is it just about style, or is it about politics? Just clever marketing or a whole different way of doing business? Our group of local cultural commentators tries to get to the heart of things beginning with a definition. It isn’t easy to pin down. Scott Plagenhoef touches on what I am fairly sure was the term’s original context—a British music fan/journalist’s term for jangly music that was coming out on small non-commercial labels. But hey, see for yourself!
The National Endowment for the Arts announced yesterday that it’s distributing $29.775 million in direct grants to 631 nonprofits across the U.S. as part of the stimulus package. Woohoo!
Chicagoland recipients include Art Resources in Teaching, Beverly Arts Center, the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Field Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and Spertus College, which get $50,000 apiece, as well as the South Chicago Art Center and the University of Chicago, which each garner $25,000.
Local theater, dance, music and writing institutions are also on the list. Read the whole thing here. Hrag Vartanian puts the (national) grant statistics in perspective on Art21’s blog.
The Spertus Museum has laid off half its employees, Dr. Hal M. Lewis, the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies’ new president and CEO, confirms. Yesterday, I blogged about my phone conversation with Spertus spokeswoman Susan Baum, who acknowledged that—as of September—the museum will only be open alternate Sundays and one Thursday evening each month.
Lewis, whom I also reached by phone, acknowledges that the museum reduced its staff “from six full-time equivalents to three full-time equivalents.” A statement the Spertus released yesterday indicates that museum director Rhoda Rosen remains, but Lewis would not tell me who else kept their jobs, telling me, “We’re not talking about titles; we’re talking about functions. Our staff is being redeployed throughout the Institute to accomplish a number of functions.” He emphasizes that the museum’s woes are part of problems affecting the entire Spertus Institute, which also encompasses Spertus College and the Asher Library. Read more »
I just got off the phone with Susan Baum, a spokeswoman for the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, who confirmed some of the “gossip” we spotted on Proximity’s website this morning regarding layoffs and scheduling changes at the Spertus Museum.
When asked about staff reductions, Baum would only say, “There have been some changes made.” She referred me to incoming Spertus president and CEO Hal M. Lewis, with whom I hope to speak later today.
Illinois arts funding will be cut to “a near national low of $0.49 per capita,” or $6.4 million (an $8.8 million drop from fiscal 2009), the Illinois Arts Alliance says—unless the General Assembly revises its budget for the Illinois Arts Council.
Wondering why you should support “frills” like the arts during an economic apocalypse? According to the IAA, Chicago’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations alone “generate $1.09 billion in total economic activity, support 30,134 jobs in the city and deliver over $103 million in tax revenue to local and state government. In Illinois, there are 23,643 creative enterprises that employ 132,882 people. These enterprises are essential to Illinois’s economy and workforce. They employ people, spend money locally, generate government revenue, and are a cornerstone of tourism and economic development.”
So, unless you want to destroy one of the state’s primary sources of revenue—and fun things to do, many of which are cheap or free—contact your legislators here.
Over the past few months at TOC, the issue of our mission statement has become a topic of conversation at weekly meetings: Essentially, how do you keep the emphasis on “where to go, what to do” relevant to a wide swath of Chicagoans when fewer and fewer people are spending money to go out?
For weeks, eager skaters have been illegally hopping construction fences to tool around the Logan Boulevard Skate Park. No longer. After four years of debate, design controversy and delays, the city’s highly anticipated first covered skate park, at 2430 West Logan Boulevard under the Kennedy Expressway, had its soft opening today, according to Chicago Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner. The park features modular obstacles installed on a concrete base. Read more »
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A mere $40 snags a one-year membership to the 
