CHICAGO — Chicagoans can rejoice Black Historical past Month and town’s wealthy tapestry of Black historical past and tradition by artwork exhibitions, performances, workshops and neighborhood celebrations.
From groundbreaking museum exhibitions and neighborhood excursions to household craft classes and scholarly lectures, these occasions honor African American heritage whereas fostering dialogue about identification, resilience and progress by February and past.
Know of an occasion we should always add to this record? Please ship the main points to arts@blockclubchi.org.
Midday-6 p.m. Feb. 8, 15 and 22
600 E. Grand Ave.
Uncover a curated market showcasing over three dozen native African American artisans and entrepreneurs at Navy Pier’s Black Makers Market. Browse distinctive handcrafted objects, together with jewellery, residence items, trend, candles and ceramics, each Saturday in February within the Meals Expertise Hall.
Admission is free. View the record of distributors right here.
Black Historical past Month Workshops at Navy Pier
1-5 p.m. Feb. 8, 15, 22 and 3-7 p.m. on Feb. 14
600 E. Grand Ave.
Be a part of artist-led workshops celebrating Black Historical past Month at Navy Pier, that includes hands-on actions resembling crocheting and collage-making. These free Saturday classes embrace family-friendly crafts and artistic date evening experiences hosted by the Ladies’s Reside Artist Studio.
Admission is free. View particular person workshop particulars right here.
Hip Hop Legends Skate
7-10 p.m. Feb. 8, 15 and 22
The MLK Skating and Bowling Heart, 1219 W. 76th St.
Expertise a high-energy tribute to many years of hip-hop legends at this weekly skating and bowling occasion.
Admission is $12, plus gear rental charges for skating or bowling. RSVP is obtainable on-line.
Black Historical past Month Story Trails at Dan Ryan Woods
Midday-5 p.m. Feb. 12, 19 and 26
Dan Ryan Woods Customer Heart, South Western Ave & West 87th St.
Discover Black historical past by a self-guided out of doors path at Dan Ryan Woods, that includes tales of outstanding African American figures. Go to any time between noon-5 p.m. to expertise this enriching mixture of nature and historic storytelling.
The tour is free. View extra particulars right here.
Black Creativity Juried Artwork Exhibition on the Griffin Museum
By April 27. February occasions embrace: Black Creativity Gala, 6-11 p.m. Feb. 15; Bessie Coleman Curiosity Day Camps, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 15; Profession Showcase, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Feb. 22.
5700 S. Lake Shore Drive
Discover the nation’s longest-running Black artwork exhibition by way of Griffin Museum’s Black Creativity program. This system showcases greater than 150 works from almost 100 Black artists nationwide. Working till April 27, this fifty fifth annual exhibition options various mediums from skilled artists and Chicago teen creators and celebrates the intersection of artwork, science and Black innovation.
Admission varies relying on the occasion, ranging from $20. View extra particulars of particular person occasions right here.
11 a.m. Feb. 7, 10 and 11
220 S. Michigan Ave.
Immerse your self in a rare musical journey as almost 3,000 Chicago college students current “Afrofuturism: The Freedom Metropolis” on the Chicago Symphony Heart. This free live performance sequence celebrates Black musical heritage by jazz, soul, funk and Afrobeat.
Admission is free. You possibly can RSVP your ticket on-line.
Be taught About Artist Bisa Butler At Chicago Public Library King Department
11 a.m.-noon Feb. 8
3436 S. King Drive
Discover the colourful quilted portraits of African American artist Bisa Butler on this hands-on workshop the place households can create mixed-media artwork utilizing paint and material collages. For ages 6-13.
Make Your Personal Ice Cream At Chicago Public Library Garfield Ridge Department
4-5 p.m. Feb 10
6348 S. Archer Ave.
Be a part of younger cooks ages 5-10 in recreating Augustus Jackson’s pioneering ice cream-making strategies throughout this hands-on workshop.
Admission is free. RSVP required.
Black Historical past Month Occasions At Chicago Public Library Woodson Regional Department
3-5 p.m. Feb. 10 and 13; 3:30-5 p.m. Feb. 24
9525 S. Halsted St.
Uncover participating youth actions at Woodson Regional Department this month, from poetry writing impressed by Langston Hughes to hands-on hair braiding classes and AI-driven storytelling workshops. These occasions mix inventive expression with sensible abilities for ages 10-18.
Admission is free; view the Woodson department occasions right here.
Broadway In Bronzeville — Coverage: Working Numbers A Household Enterprise
10 a.m. Feb. 13-14; 7 p.m. Feb. 15; 4 p.m. Feb. 16
Harold Washington Cultural Heart, 4701 S. King Drive.
Expertise the colourful world of Chicago’s Black neighborhood throughout Prohibition on this dynamic musical at Harold Washington Cultural Heart, celebrating working-class households’ achievements and cultural legacy.
Ticket begins at $30 and might be bought on-line.
Black Historical past Month Trivia At Legler Regional Chicago Public Library Department
4-5 p.m. Feb. 19
115 S. Pulaski Street
Take a look at your data of Black historical past and tradition by this interactive trivia sport at Legler Regional’s YOUmedia. Free for teenagers ages 14-19.
Soul Prepare Present at Taylor Park
6-8 p.m. Feb. 20
39 W. forty seventh St.
Expertise a high-energy “Soul Prepare”-themed celebration that includes dance performances and dwell music. All ages welcome.
Black Historical past Month Celebration At Grand Crossing Park
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 20
7655 S. Ingleside Ave.
Expertise a vibrant neighborhood celebration of Black Historical past Month that includes dwell music, cultural displays and academic shows. All ages welcome.
Commemorative Day At Chicago Historical past Museum
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 22
1601 N. Clark St.
Expertise Chicago’s Black arts legacy by dwell music, audio system and interactive artwork actions, exploring how creativity has pushed social change within the African American neighborhood.
Free with museum admission. Tickets might be bought on-line.
UMOJA Celebration At Homan Sq. Park
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 22
3559 W. Arthington St.
Be a part of Homan Sq. Park’s UMOJA celebration that includes cultural dance performances, dwell music and native distributors. All ages welcome.
Black Historical past Month Crafts At Chicago Public Library Chinatown Department
4-5 p.m. Feb. 25
2100 S. Wentworth Ave.
Discover Black Historical past Month by tales and artistic crafts on the Chinatown Department Library. For youngsters ages 6 and up.
Admission is free.
Black Historical past Month Lecture Collection At UChicago
A number of lecture instances by Feb. 21
5801 S. Ellis Ave. (Completely different lectures could also be in numerous buildings on campus.)
The College of Chicago hosts an in depth Black Historical past Month celebration that includes various cultural and tutorial occasions. Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin within the Solar” gives a theatrical centerpiece at Courtroom Theatre, whereas lectures and panels discover subjects from training coverage to the historical past of the Underground Railroad.
This system emphasizes Black excellence by discussions on city innovation, social justice and spiritual research, with audio system together with Karen Freeman-Wilson and Bettina L. Love. Cultural highlights embrace a Muddy Waters documentary premiere, a Black culinary celebration and an alumni mixer, collectively inspecting Black historical past’s impression on Chicago and past.
Admission is free. Particulars about every occasion and the hyperlink to RSVP are on-line.
Black Historical past Month Celebration At Loyola Park Area Home
12:30-2 p.m. Feb. 23
1230 W. Greenleaf Ave.
Be a part of Loyola Park’s milestone twenty fifth annual Black Historical past Celebration, specializing in youth and teenage entrepreneurship whereas unveiling the brand new Teen Room within the subject home. This neighborhood gathering honors Black People’ historic achievements and enduring affect on American historical past.
Admission is free. Learn extra data right here.
Purvis Younger, Raymond Thomas Artwork Exhibition And Program
Particular program 5-8 p.m. Feb. 27
Zolla Lieberman Gallery, 325 W. Huron St. #1E
Uncover works by celebrated artists Purvis Younger and Ramond Thomas at Zolla Lieberman Gallery, offered by the Black Metropolis Nationwide Heritage Space Fee. The exhibition is ongoing, with a particular program on Feb. 27.
Ticket begins at $45, buy on-line.
‘Fats Ham’ At Goodman’s Owen Theatre
A number of showtimes by March 2
170 N. Dearborn St.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning reimagining of “Hamlet” unfolds throughout a Southern barbecue, the place a younger Black queer man confronts household dynamics, identification and his father’s ghostly demand for revenge. This acclaimed Definition Theatre manufacturing on the Goodman, directed by Definition founder Tyrone Phillips, transforms Shakespeare’s tragedy into what critics are calling a “hilarious but profound” exploration of liberation from patriarchal bonds.
Tickets begin at $40 and might be bought on-line.
Inaugural Black Historical past Month Competition Of The Arts At Oh Artwork Basis
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday by March 16
Zhou B Artwork Heart, 1029 W. thirty fifth St.
Discover the groundbreaking exhibition “Reimagining Black Identification, Energy, and Vulnerability” at Zhou B Artwork Heart, that includes works that problem conventional representations of Blackness by various creative expressions. There’s a particular music efficiency 7:30-9:30 p.m. Feb. 21 that includes Taalib-Din Ziyad, Coco Elysses, Draizig, Edward Wilkerson Jr. and Donovan Mixon.
Admission is free. Extra details about the exhibition is on-line.
‘We All the time Bounce Black’ By The Second Metropolis
A number of showtimes by March 29
230 W. North Ave.
Expertise a joyous celebration of Black comedy as The Second Metropolis’s rising stars ship recent sketches, authentic songs and dynamic improv on this interactive revue.
Tickets begin at $49 and can be found on-line.
‘Mission A Black Planet: The Artwork And Tradition Of Panafrica’ Exhibition
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays by March 30
The Artwork Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave.
Expertise the excellent exhibition of Panafrican artwork and tradition on the Artwork Institute of Chicago, showcasing greater than 350 works from a century’s value of artists from 4 continents. The works illuminate the worldwide motion for Black self-determination and cultural unity.
Common admission begins at $26. Tickets can be found on-line.
Chicago Mahogany Excursions
Saturdays and Sundays
A number of neighborhoods on the South Aspect of Chicago
Expertise Chicago’s wealthy Black historical past by award-winning historian Sherman “Dilla” Thomas’s guided excursions of Bronzeville, Englewood and North Lawndale. These neighborhood explorations spotlight the cultural heritage and architectural landmarks that formed Chicago’s story.
Tickets are $45. Scheduling is obtainable on-line.
‘Freedom: Origin and Journey’ Exhibition At DuSable Black Historical past Museum
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Sunday
740 E. 56th Place
Journey by centuries of African American historical past at DuSable Museum’s landmark exhibition “Freedom: Origin and Journey.” By 200 artifacts, archival footage and interactive shows, guests hint the trail from the Transatlantic Slave Commerce by the election of America’s first Black president, inspecting pivotal moments together with Reconstruction, the Nice Migration and the Civil Rights and Black Energy Actions.
Common admission is $14.50; scholar, kids and senior reductions can be found. Tickets can be found on-line.
Diversey Home
11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Sunday
2601 W. Diversey Ave.
Expertise a groundbreaking brewery collaboration as Steep Ravine and Black-owned Moor’s Brewing Firm unite to launch Diversey Home in Logan Sq.. The brand new venue is providing a Black Historical past Month celebration that includes menu specials and beers impressed by Black girls within the beer business. Diversey Home pairs modern craft beers with culinary creations from acclaimed chef Marc Anthony Bynum, marking an thrilling new chapter for each breweries.
View the menu on-line.
Hearken to the Block Membership Chicago podcast:
