A R E A

Dear Friends of AREA Chicago: Please come out on THIS SUNDAY to hear the public discussion between Feel Tank Chicago, AREA Chicago and the AREA contributor and prolific artist/organizer/writer Dan S. Wang about last summer's How We Learn series. It should be a great chance to critically reflect on some of the energy mobilized around our summer series and the last issue of AREA (details below). People will also be meeting 1 hour early at the Experimental Station (6100 S. Blackstone - starting at 4pm) to discuss events and ideas around AREA's fall issue about 1968. The events/issue will deal with the legacy of the new left and its impact/influence on local social movements today. If you are interested please come on out! Also, please check out the AREA Sponsored Screening of "Chicago10", the new animated feature film about the 1968 DNC Protests in Chicago, on Monday Feb18th (details below). Also, any of the events on this list were taken from New World Resource Center's very impressive events listing, so if you want to know more info see their site. Finally, AREA's monthly events newsletter will now be a bit less irregular and will go out on the last Monday of the month, so please get your events listings for March into us by Feb 25th. Have a great month! Feb 08 Events Summary (Details Below) 01) 01.29 Tue - Politics of Place in the new "We Are Many" Chicago Activism Lectures 02) 02.01 Fri - Exhibit Opening: Art and Resistance in Oaxaca @ Cafe Mestizo 03) 02.01 Fri - Torture in Chicago: Overview of The Burge Case - Panel Discussion 04) 02.01-02 - Academic Freedom Conference @ DePaul 05) 02.02 Sat - Iraq Veterans Against War/IVAW Fundraiser @ Acme Co-Op 06) 02.02 Sat - Come Meet The Freightliner Five - Striking Workers @ UE Hall 07) 02.03 Sun - AREA/Feel Tank Discussion @ Experimental Station 08) 02.05 Tue - Vote if you Vote @ Your Local Polling Place 09) 02.05 Tue - Poetry reading by women incarcerated in Cook County Jail 10) 02.07 Thu - Residents Journal - Public Housing Journalism - Party and Website Launch 11) 02.09 Sat - Shut Down Tamms Prison "Year Ten Campaign" Planning Meeting 12) 02.09 Sat - Networking Party for Local Independent Media Makers 13) 02.09 Sat - TSJ/AFSC Release Event for Counter Recruitment School Curriculum 14) 02.10 Sun - Presentation about Chicago Women's Liberation Union History 15) 02.11 Mon - Iraq Veterans Against War/IVAW Fundraiser @ Danny's Tavern 16) 02.15 Fri - Pedestrian Hell Exhibit and Discussion about Public Space @ Efebos Café 17) 02.15 Fri - HomeGirls: Makers of Words and Worlds, Makers of Culture @ UIC/Hull House 18) 02.16 Sat - History of Lynching @ Chicago Freedom School 19) 02.16 Sat - African American Folk Tales at 57th Street Books 20) 02.18 Mon - SCREENING of Chicago 10 @ Columbia College (co-sponsored by AREA) 21) 02.19 Tue - Iraq Veterans Against War/IVAW Screening 22) 02.23 Sat - Sex Workers Art Show - Performance @ Funky Buddah 23) 02.29 Fri - Crossroads Fund Annual Benefit - Get out and support! 24) 02.29 Fri - Critical Mass Rides to Critical Mass Art Show Closing Party (Secret Location) 25) Every Friday @ Hull House - Stitch and Talk @ Ellen Gates Starr Craftivism Free Lunch! 26) Now till April - "HereThereEverywhere" Exhibit about Politics of Place 27) Now till March 31 @ Youth Hostel - MLK jr. Inspired Mural Exhibit 28) Now till July - "Chupacabras!" Exhibit on Border Myths @ Museum of Mexican Art 29) Job Posting: New Chicago Left Web Magazine Hiring Authors DETAILS 01)========================================== Jan 29, Tue, 7 pm, New World Resource Center, 1300 N Western THE POLITICS OF PLACE: A HISTORY OF ZONING IN CHICAGO Author Joseph P. Schwieterman Part of We Are Many: Inquiries Into Chicago Activism series Info: www.newworldresourcecenter.com/ 02)========================================== Son de las Barricadas: Art and Resistance in Oaxaca Prints by the Assembly of Revolutionary Artists of Oaxaca February 1st through the 29th Cafe Mestizo 1646 W. 18th St. Exhibit Opening: Friday, February 1st 7:30pm Featuring the Chicago premiere of the documentary "The Taking of the Media" (in Spanish with English subtitles) Organized by ChicagOtra with support from the Fire This Time Fund 03)========================================== Feb 1, Fri, 5:30 pm, Grace Place, 637 S Dearborn TORTURE IN CHICAGO: THE BURGE CASE Panelists: Flint Taylor & Joey Mogul of Peoples Law Office, representatives from Black People Against Police Torture, victim Darrell Cannon, Sponsors: National Lawyers Guild, American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International, 8th Day Center for Justice 04)========================================== Feb 1-2, Fri-Sat, DEPAUL ACADEMIC FREEDOM CONFERENCE Speakers: Sara Roy, Juan Cole, Robert Jensen, Peter Novick, Bill Ayers Info: http://academicfreedomchicago.org 05)========================================== --Feb 2, Sat, 7 pm, ACME Coop, 2418 W Bloomingdale IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST WAR BENEFIT Video screening of Soldiers for Peace Info: chicago@ivaw.org 06)========================================== Come Meer The Freightliner Five, North Carolina UAW workers fired for promoting a strike. UE Hall - 37 S Ashland Ave Sat. Feb 2nd - 7pm With Mike Griffin, War Zone Foundation, UBC. Lee Sustar, Charleston Five Defense Committee, Labor Editor. Music by Bucky Halker, Labor Troubadour Background on the Strike http://www.9898.us/3/f5chi80202.htm 07)========================================== Sunday, February 3 5pm @ Experimental Station 6100 S Blackstone (Near 61st and Dorchester) Dan S. Wang moderates a discussion between Feel Tank and AREA, and the public There has been an enormous amount of activity related to critical art practices in the last year in Chicago making it an international hub for this work. Feel Tank and AREA both mobilized large numbers of practitioners, activists, and folks in other fields working and thinking in parallel to make, talk, act, and learn together. What impact did this have? What are the lasting implications of all this activity? What is next? 08)========================================== 02.05 Tue - Vote if you Vote http://www.chicagoelections.com/ 09)========================================== --Feb 5, Tue, 7:30 pm, Women & Children First, 5233 N Clark STILL POINT THEATER COLLECTIVE: STRONG WOMEN Performance featuring poetry written by women incarcerated in Cook County Jail 10)========================================== Residents' Journal, a quarterly news magazine written for and by Chicago public housing residents and other low-income citizens, is relaunching its Web site. Join public housing journalists, youth reporters, RJ staff and supporters for the site launch, a party and readings by RJ contributors. The event takes place on February 7, starting at 7 p.m. at the Palette and Chisel Gallery, 1012 North Dearborn Avenue, Chicago Contact Anjuli Maniam at (773) 984 7798 or via email anjuli.maniam@gmail.com for more information. 11)========================================== Saturday, Feb 9, 10am-noon Progressive Community Center The People's Church 56 E. 48th St. Chicago, IL 60615 (Plenty of parking.) YOU ARE NEEDED FOR THE YEAR TEN CAMPAIGN!I Former prisoners of Tamms and their families have joined forces with The Tamms Poetry Committee to work on the "Year Ten" campaign, and your help is urgently needed. To mark Tamms' tenth year of operation, the "Year 10" campaign has initiated a program of artistic, educational, cultural and political events to bring public attention to the conditions at Tamms. We ask the people of Illinois to join us in protesting the IDOC's misguided and inhumane policies, and in calling for legislation to end the torture of permanent solitary confinement. These efforts are part of a long-term political strategy to achieve humane treatment for the men at Tamms. We expect to have legislative hearings about Tamms in March. But our legislators can only act in response to significant public outcry. We need you to participate in our upcoming events, and get involved in Year Ten organizing. We need your voice, your contacts, your skills, and we need your action! Come to the next organizing meeting on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 10:00 a.m. 12)========================================== Feb 9, Sat, 3 pm, New World Resource Center, 1300 N Western NETWORKING PARTY: BEING OUR OWN MEDIA Sponsor: Metro Chicago Progressive Media Network, Chicago Media Action Chicago area progressive media professionals & activists Info: 708-447-1547, walterb306@cs.com 13)========================================== Saturday, February 9, 5-7PM Decima Musa 1901 W. Loomis in Pilsen TSJ and the American Friends Service Committee present: • A curriculum development workshop on anti-military recruitment using the new Camouflaged curriculum* • A short panel presentation on the new CPS Board policy toward anti-recruitment work (AFSC & TSJ) *The brand new curriculum, Camouflaged: Investigating how the U.S. military affects you and your community, was produced by the NY Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE). We will have presentations of two lessons from Camouflaged, then break into subject-matter groups to plan & work on some concrete curriculum ideas (note-this is mainly middle to high school work). You can preview and download a draft version of the curriculum from NYCoRE's website, http://www.nycore.org/PDF/Camouflageddraft.pdf Due to our resources (lack of!)...can people planning on attending please either download and print a copy (not small!, ~150 pages), OR download the pdf onto a laptop and bring the laptop so that people can work on it in small groups at the workshop. We will have a few copies available as well. And there is food and drink for sale at Decima Musa... No preregistration is necessary, this is a free event (though we pass the hat for Decima Musa), please join us. this email sent to you by: Teachers for Social Justice (Chicago) http://teachersforjustice.org/ 14)========================================== Feb 10, Sun, 3 pm, New World Resource Center, 1300 N Western CHICAGO WOMEN’S LIBERATION UNION PRESENTATION History of one of the most influential leftist women’s groups of the 1960s-1970s Info: www.newworldresourcecenter.com/ 15)========================================== --Feb 11, Mon, 10 pm, Danny's Bar, 1951 W Dickens IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST WAR BENEFIT DJs, cash bar, more 16)========================================== PEDESTRIAN HELL An Exhibit at Efebos Café 1640 S. Blue Island Ave. January 25 (opening reception 6:30) - March 6 (2008) With: Janina Ciezadlo, Miguel Cortez, Tom Sibley, Rebecca Wolfram SPECIAL EVENT: February 15, 6:30: Come to discuss Pedestrian Topics such as Public Transit, Car-Sharing, Bicycling - you can rant a little bit if it helps you feel better, share information and ideas, and try some of Efebos' delicious food. Call Efebos 312-633-9212 (efeboscafe@sbcglobal.net), or Rebecca 773-523-7275 17)========================================== Jane Addams Hull House Museum Presents: A Dangerous Woman Affair… HomeGirls: Makers of Words and Worlds, Makers of Culture: A Spoken Word Concert Friday Feb. 15, 7pm UIC Campus 1044 W. Harrison W. Harrison L285 Lecture Hall Jane Addams Hull-House Museum celebrates the legacy of Jane Addams, who was once called "Public Enemy #1" and "The Most Dangerous Woman in America" by the FBI, with a series of events that features and celebrates women who might be considered "dangerous." These artists, scholars, activists and organizers all speak truth to power, share a fierce determination to challenge the status quo and inspire us to imagine a better, more just future. Featuring: Mayda Del Valle (Def Poetry on Broadway, LA via Chicago) Bassey Ikpi ( Def Poet, Washington DC via Nigeria) Marty McConnell ( Def Poet, Brooklyn via Chicago) Kelly Tsai (Def Poet, Brooklyn via Chicago) Lauren Whitehead (YouthSpeaks, Bay Area via Chicago) Angel Nafis (Brave New Voices, Ann Arbor, MI) Anna West (Co-founder of Louder Than A Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival) EARLIER THAT AFTERNOON: HomeGirls: Makers of Words and Worlds, Makers of Culture: 3PM-5PM 800 South Halsted, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum A conversation around spoken word and hip-hop poetics. As part of the first generation of American woman to attend college, Jane Addams understood the importance of breaking boundaries and being a border crosser. She did this in numerous ways: as a white person working in communities of color; as a wealthy person addressing issues of poverty; and as a woman entering into the male dominated and defined public sphere. Join us for an afternoon conversation with a new generation of border crossing female spoken word poets. They are continuing in Jane Addams legacy, blazing across new borders from the subculture to the dominant culture, crossing geographical terrain, from the personal to the political--and back again. How do we unleash our radical imaginations to create a new world with appreciation, acknowledgement, and understanding of difference and boundaries while crossing over to create a common, more just world? Can we do this from the word up? 18)========================================== Saturday Feb 16th - 10am-4pm @ Chicago Freedom School (719 S. State St.) Strange Fruit: The History and Legacy of Lynching Program Includes an interactive presentation by Coya Paz and a screening of "Ida B Wells: A Passion for Justice" contact mhenry@chicagofreedomschool.org for more info 19)========================================== Saturday, February 16th 2:00pm AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOLKTALES STORYTIME In celebration of African-American Heritage month, we'll be exploring the legends and lore of the African diaspora. Come share stories, snacks and activities as we visit Brer Rabbit, Uncle Remus, Anansi and other memorable characters. Always Free. Always Fun. 57th Street Books 1301 E 57th St 20)========================================== Join AREA Chicago and Participant Productions for a special advanced screening of Chicago-10. Monday February 18th 7:30 pm; FREE Columbia College Film Row Cinema 1104 S. Wabash, 8th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60605 Written and directed by Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture), Chicago 10 presents contemporary history with a forced perspective, mixing bold and original animation with extraordinary archival footage that explores the build-up to and unraveling of the Chicago Conspiracy Trial. Set to the music of revolution, then and now, Chicago 10 is a parable of hope, courage and ultimate victory, the story of young Americans speaking out and taking a stand in the face of an oppressive and armed government. Learn more at: http://takepart.com/chicago10 Distributed by Roadside Attractions, opens in theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, DC and San Francisco on February 29, 2008 This Event Kicks Off AREA's Year of Programs building up to our fall issue (AREA #7) on the theme "1968/2008: The Inheritance of Politics and the Politics of Inheritance" http://1968.areachicago.org/ 21)========================================== --Feb 19, Tue, 7pm, 2350 N Kenmore IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST WAR BENEFIT Screening of video ''Winter Soldier'' & speakers from Iraq Veterans Against the War Hosted by the Chicago Progressive Alliance 22)========================================== Nationally Touring Sex Workers Art Show Tour Comes to Chicago WHAT: Last year Sex Workers Art Show performed to sold out crowds of over 300 people! This year’s show is an eye-popping evening of visual and performance art created by people who work in the sex industry to dispel the myth that they are anything short of artists, innovators, and geniuses! Making its debut this year is the release of the anthology entitled Working Sex: Sex Workers write about a Changing Industry, edited by none other than the amazing Annie Oakley. WHEN: Doors 6:30, Show 7pm-9pm, Saturday February 23, 2008 WHERE: Funky Buddha Lounge 728 W Grand Ave COST: 20.00 advance/25.00 door TICKETS: Tickets on Sale starting January 20th www.brownpapertickets.com www.sexworkersartshow.com 23)========================================== Crossroads Fund's annual benefit Seeds of Change takes place Friday, February 29, 2008, at the Chicago Cultural Center. Visit crossroadsfund.org to learn more and purchase tickets, sponsorships, and advertising space. 24)========================================== Friday February 29 Art Show Closing Party Mass Up at Daley Plaza 5:30pm The conclusion of 2 months of Bike Art & Activism will have us departing from the Picasso to end our ride at the Closing Party of the Critical Mass Art Show. We will be moving the show from Mercury Cafe to a special venue, so you have to show up for the Critical Mass ride to get in on the party. Contact: Steven Lane (thestevenlane-at-gmail-dot-com) http://chicagocriticalmass.org/artshow2008 25)========================================== Calling all knitters, crocheters and other makers of culture! It is Time for a Revolution. The quiet thought that once whispered in the minds of a few women has quickly become a collective roar that unifies all of us across the globe, and is impossible to ignore. You may have noticed the revolution taking place in the fervent pleasure of knitters or the blissful content of crocheters on the Blue Line or in cafes throughout the city. This series is devoted to the insistence on the radical importance of making in a world where there is so much destruction and unmaking. The Ellen Gates Starr Craftivism Series - Brown Bag Stitching Salon: All Fridays from 12-1:30PM Jane Addams Hull-House Museum 800 South Halsted. No RSVP necessary. About the Ellen Gates Starr Craftivism Series Ellen Gates Starr was the college friend of Jane Addams and co-founder of Hull-House. The women of the Progressive Era who were tied to the Hull-House Settlement were not only proponents of craft and creativity, they were also fighting on the front lines of important social issues of their day, such as public housing, economic justice, juvenile justice, women’s suffrage, immigrant rights, and much more. She was a dedicated craftswoman who studied the art of bookbinding and set up a bindery at the Hull-House with apprentices from the community. She believed that in order to be free, one must work under conditions of freedom and engage both the mind and the hands in the pursuit of one’s accomplishments. The latter part of her life was dedicated to labor reform and activism. The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum establishes this Craftivism Series as a way of honoring her legacy, bringing together the powerful practices of craft and activism. http:///www.hullhousemuseum.org or http://www.bridgeisover.blogspot.com/ 26)========================================== HereThereEverywhere January 19- April 6, 2008 Exhibit Hall (4th flr) Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St. The exhibit features works by local, national and international artists created in different mediaums, including painting, drawing, sculpture and installation, with diverse artists addressng the concept of boundaries and "place." Participating artists include Jennifer Bartlett, Christopher Cozier, Danica Dakic, Brian Dettmer, Josh Dorman, Gisela Insuaste, Joyce Kozloff, Karen Lebergott, Mark Lombardi, Shona Macdonald, Adelheid Mers, Vik Muniz, David Opdyke, Ellen Rothenberg, Michael x. Ryan, Paula Sher, Draga Susanj, Frances Whitehead + ARTetal, and Ben Whitehouse. Public Conversation: Saturday, January 26, 2pm Gallery Talks: Thursday, February 7, 12:15pm and Thursday, April 3, 12:15pm Co-curatorsGregory Knight and Sofia Zutautas will discuss the exhibition. This exhibit has been organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs as part of the Festival of Maps Chicago. www.chicagoculturalcenter.org 27)========================================== Until Justice Rolls Down Like Waters Art that commemorates the life and work of Dr. King, and explores the struggle for social justice today Ten student artists created murals commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the large second floor windows of Hostelling International Chicago. The paintings both honor the work of Dr. King and highlight the continuing struggle for social justice today. The artists are Jared Carpenter, Jennifer Casselberry, Allison Havens, Reed Kirst, Kathy Moore, Ricardo Navarro, Mun-Jung Chang Park, Carla Paynter, Kaitlynn Radloff and Jessica Tam. The exhibition also includes pieces from the permanent collection of The Peace Museum. The exhibition is on display January 21 through March 31, 2008, at: Hostelling International Chicago, www.hichicago.org 24 East Congress Parkway, Chicago, Illinois USA Free, open to the public, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, 7 days a week 28)========================================== Chupacabras! Artists Reinterpret the Myth Artists explore a transnational figure that defies real and imaginary borders. The legend of the Chupacabras has penetrated the Latino and American myth/reality landscape for almost two decades. In this exhibition, Chicago artists interpret the lasting impact that Chupacabras sightings have had on the Latin American and North American psyche. Exhibition runs through July 20, 2008 Participating Artists: Patricia Acosta, Cirilo Esquivel, Ricardo Gonzalez, Luis de la Torre, Judithe Hernandez, Salvador Jimenez, Miguel Cortez Juan Compean, Ricardo Compean, Antonio Pazaran National Museum of Mexican Art 1852 W. 19Th Street Chicago IL 60608 312.738.1503 www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org 29)========================================== *Left-leaning political website seeks writers* New political website focused on Illinois politics seeks full-time writers to work from our office in Chicago. The writers will work in a small newsroom setting helping to organize, edit and write daily content, which will include: campaign coverage, progressive commentary, media monitoring, and original reporting. The job involves a mix of traditional journalistic skills and other skills unique to new media sites. Applicants must be conversant with the world of blogs and new media and have a familiarity with and interest in both Illinois and national politics. Salary based on experience. Benefits. Send email to chicagowritingjob@gmail.com. Please include a resume, names of two references, and a letter explaining why you're interested in the position,your background or any other relevant details you think would be helpful.