“We’re Off to See the Dolphin Show!” – Wizard of Oz Opens Tomorrow!

Feeling a little gray under this cold and windy weather? Feeling like you’re not in Chicago anymore (but rather the Arctic)? Why not warm up this weekend with a fun trip to Oz with the Northwestern Dolphin Show production of The Wizard of Oz!

Now in its 67th year, the Northwestern Dolphin show is the largest entirely student-produced musical in the country. This year the tireless group has taken on the timeless classic, The Wizard of Oz.

"We are thrilled to bring Oz to life on stage for a whole new generation to experience and appreciate. This production is certain to continue The Dolphin Show's tradition of celebrating the arts and entertaining both the Northwestern and Chicagoland communities," said executive producer and president Zachary Baer.

Director Katie Spelman feels that “The Wizard of Oz has been a part of every American childhood [and] seventy years later, Oz's message of love and the importance of family and friends is incredibly relevant. It has been an honor to translate the story we all know and love to the stage, telling it from a modern perspective."

The show opens tonight in Cahn Auditorium (600 Emerson St.)! The performance schedule is as follows:

Friday. January 23rd (8:00pm)
Saturday, January 24th (8:00pm)
Sunday, January 25th (2:00pm)
Friday, January 30th (8:00pm)
Saturday, January 31st (8:00pm)

$25 for the general public
$20 for seniors
$10 for children/students

For more information on ticketing, click here, call the box office at (847) 467-4000, or visit the box office at Pick-Staiger on Northwestern's Evanston campus. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Don’t miss this great event!

-L.A.U.R.E.N.

Long Live the Polaroids: Mapplethorpe at Block Museum

In February of last year, Polaroid announced the end of a photographic era, discontinuing the production of their iconic instant camera film. While indie hipsters and nostalgic photographers alike are deeply saddened by this loss, their cravings can be satiated in the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art exhibition of Mapplethorpe Polaroids. Open to the public on January 13th, the exhibit runs through April 5th in the Alsdorf Gallery.

Born and raised Roman Catholic, Robert Mapplethorpe couldn’t have deviated more from the social norms of his age. Breaking down traditional barriers left and right, Mapplethorpe’s erotic and provoking photographs amazed the art world. Picking up a Polaroid camera in the early 1970s to take his first photographs, Mapplethorpe focused on the themes and subjects of portraiture, sexuality, and the human form. He eventually expanded to a medium-format camera and began taking pictures of friends, artists, composers, and socialites, introducing more statuesque male and female nudes and delicate flower still life compositions. Dying in early 1989 of complications due to AIDS, Mapplethorpe ended his life and career as one of the most influential and controversial artists of our time. The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, founded by Mapplethorpe a year before his death, now preserves his creative vision and artwork and helps to raise money and awareness for the AIDS/HIV cause.

A collection of Mapplethorpe’s Polaroids from 1970 to 1975 will be showing at the Block Museum (40 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston, Illinois 60208) as a Gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. More information can be found at the Block Museum Website.

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to see a snapshot of this infamous and unforgettable photographer!

-L.A.U.R.E.N.

Free Summer Camp Open House, Jan. 24

Learn about the more than 30 summer camp programs offered for all ages (preschool through adult!). Camp directors and program managers will be on hand to answer all of your questions!

Summer Camp Open House
Sat., Jan. 24, Noon-3:30pm
Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave.

From mid-June to late August, preschoolers through adults can get outside and enjoy the summer. Half-day, full-day and evening only camp options are offered. Some camps are held for a week or two, while others extend for most of the summer. Choose from specialty camps that focus on the arts, ecology or water sports. Or mix and match the fun with general camps that include a variety of sports, activities and field trips. The Open House is a great way to discover all that is being offered.

The complete 2009 Summer Camp Guide, which includes Ecology Center and Cultural Arts camps, is available at www.cityofevanston.org/summercamps and printed copies are available at community centers. Guides also will be distributed to Evanston elementary schools in early January.

Mail-in registration for residents starts Friday, Jan. 30, with walk-in registration for residents and nonresidents beginning Monday, Feb. 16. For more information, call 847-866-2900.

February Gallery Exhibit! Sapphire & Crystals: BEyONd Race and Gender

Join the Noyes Cultural Arts Center and the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center in the City of Evanston's celebration of Black History Month. This year, we are extremely lucky to host the Sapphire & Crystals artist's collective exhibit entitled BEyONd Race and Gender.

The exhibit runs from January 23 to March 12, 2009. The opening reception will be on Sunday, January 25, from 3PM-5PM and will feature local jazz group The Walter Clark Trio.


Noyes Cultural Arts Center
927 Noyes St., Evanston, IL
847.448.8260
Gallery hours: Mon-Sat 10AM-7PM
Sun 10AM-6PM


The Sapphire & Crystals artist’s collective was established in the late 1980s because of the biases women faced as artists. Specifically, artists Felicia Grant Preston and Marva Pitchford Jolly decided to stop waiting for someone to choose them and decided to choose themselves, and other artists they knew. In 1986, the group launched the first Sapphire & Crystals exhibition at the South Side Community Art Center in historic Bronzeville. Employing the tenets of self determination, they banded together to create exhibition opportunities for themselves and other professional women artists.

Shahar Caren Weaver

That began a 20-plus year history of showing and mentoring promising and established professional women artists throughout the city and beyond. A regular component of the exhibition is the Self-Portrait Silent Auction. This year, all bids open at $125. Another feature is a collaborative altar/installation produced on site. The Noyes exhibition fills two floors of the center.

Dorothy Carter

The curator for the exhibition, artist and Chicago State University art professor Joyce Owens, has managed a series of successful exhibitions for the group in recent years. At Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, the Sapphire & Crystals: Black, White and Blues exhibition was one of 12 featured programs during Chicago Artists Month in 2005. Owens has also organized Sapphire & Crystals exhibitions at Concordia University Chicago and the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago.

The following women will be showcasing their work as a part of the Sapphire & Crystals collective:

Rose Blouin
Dorothy Carter
Arlene Turner Crawford
Makeba Kedem DuBose
Juarez Hawkins
Candace Hunter
Renee Williams Jefferson
Marva Pitchford Jolly
Nicole Malcolm
Joyce Owens
Frances Callaway Parks
Felicia Grant Preston
Joanne Scott
Janet Sheard
Patricia Stewart
Michelle Stutts
Shirley J. Sullivan
Dorian Sylvain
Pearlie Taylor
Anna M. Tyler
Shahar Caren Weaver
Rhonda Wheatley
Shyvette Williams

Camp Office News Bulletin

From the overstuffed camp office we have the following news:

1. There is going to be a camp fair on January 24th from 12 to 3:30 pm at the Levy Center where you can meet camp directors, talk about all the fun things we have planned for this summer and see samples of art created last summer, so you can make some decisions before you have to mail in your forms starting on January 30 (for Evanston residents—if you are a non-resident you have to wait until Feb 16th to register but at that point you can do it online or over the phone!)

2. If you happen to LOVE kids and have experience with them and in the arts, we are also accepting resumes and applications for summer camp staff.

Angela

Family New Years Eve Events!

Unfortunately, First Night Evanston is taking a break this year. In its abscence, we have rounded up some other options for a family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration!

1. Family Fireworks Show at Navy Pier, 7pm

Watch from the pier, hang with Ronald McDonald, or buy tickets to a boat criuse and enjoy fireworks set against the downtown Chicago skyline! http://www.navypier.com/

2. ComedySportz Family Show & New Years Eve Show, 6pm &10pm

Enjoy interactive comedy and improv at ComedySportz! Go early and enjoy the Family show or stay out 'till midnight for the New Years Eve show. http://www.comedysportzchicago.com/

3. Latin Street Dancing Family New Years Eve Party, 7pm
Countdown the new year in traditional Puerto Rican style! Advance tickets are required for this all you can eat & drink Latin celebration! http://www.laboriqua.com/

4. Kids' New Years Eve at Koi
Enjoy a family-style Chinese dinner with drinks for adults and kiddie cocktails for those under 21! Expect hats, favors and a "New Years" countdown at 7:59 p.m! Reservations required. http://www.koievanston.com/home.htm

5. "The Music Man" at Cahn Auditorium, 8pm

Evanston's Light Opera Works puts on "The Music Man" as a part of its twenty-ninth season! The New Years Eve show begins at 8pm. http://www.light-opera-works.org/

First Night Evanston: Taking a Break

First Night Evanston, Evanston's long-standing outdoor New Year's Eve tradition, is officially taking a break this year. Although they have a mailbox at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, First Night Evanston is run by an independent chairatible organization. Limited information is available on their website: http://www.firstnightevanston.org/. Sadly, we have no futher information on how to reach them.

We have posted a list of some other family-friendly New Years Eve events.

Summer Camp Guide Online Now!

Turn that frown upside-down and those snowflakes into sunflowers! The 2009 Summer Camp Guide is online now at:

http://www.cityofevanston.org/departments/parks/recreation/camp.shtml

Check out all that the City of Evanston has to offer for tots to teens!

Arts Camps are pages 4 and 5, wink, wink!