Facets Hosts Oscars Preview | Silver Room’s Mag Mile Design Lab | Bookclub Gets Elbo Room

Saganaki at Athena Restaurant/Photo: Greektown Chicago

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DESIGN

No One’s Dressing Up

“It’s not just at restaurants that the dress code has become more relaxed; it’s pretty much everywhere. People don’t dress up for the theater, the opera, work or travel. Sometimes airports look more like giant sleepover parties than transportation hubs. And it’s been that way for some time,” observes New York Times fashion director Vanessa Friedman (gift link). Linda Przybyszewski, an associate professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, wrote a book on this. “She traces the phenomenon back to the 1960s, when a generation of young people began questioning received rules and conventions. Before that, she said, rules of what to wear were actually a part of the home economics curriculum.

“Yet if history teaches us anything, it is that what was once out comes in again. So it may be that a new generation is about to discover the fun of dressing up to go out. There is nothing better for self-expression than peacocking in finery, but if that does happen, it will be their choice, not a convention that’s forced upon them.”

Why American Cities Aren’t Building Three-Flats

“In Chicago, they’re called three-flats. In Boston, they’re called triple deckers,” surveys Moneywise. “We’re talking about triplexes, or homes with three separate housing units stacked on top of one another under one roof. And according to Stewart Hicks, an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, ‘these buildings might be the key to solving the mounting housing challenges that we’re facing in cities today.’ Yet cities are facing big challenges in having these buildings constructed. And it’s only making the affordable housing crisis even worse.” Stewart Hicks explores the topic in a new Youtube video.

Eric Williams Sites Silver Room Design Lab On Michigan Avenue

“The Silver Room, a clothing and accessories retail empire that Eric Williams groomed from its early days as a mom-and-pop shop in Wicker Park to a hype den in Hyde Park, continues to take experimental turns,” profiles Chicago magazine. “The latest is the Silver Room Design Lab, a pop-up that will be open indefinitely in the 900 North Michigan Shops… ‘I’m doing more fashion and avant-garde stuff in this location,’ says Williams, who stocks the red-splayed boutique with wares from little-known designers like Copenhagen’s Henrik Vibskov, along with local luminaries like Nick Cave and Carlos Rolón. Williams also plans to have DJs on hand and host special events… He partnered with the architecture firm Gensler on the space: ‘I’ve learned that small projects bring the biggest changes in cities.’”

MAS Context Presents Two-Day Exhibit, “Models Off-Site”

MAS Context will showcase architectural models by Kwong Von Glinow produced over the past eight years. The products are a mix of in-progress models from their office, models returned from exhibitions and models from completed projects that have been in storage. “Kwong Von Glinow sees this two-day exhibition as an opportunity to bring models from the last eight years of their practice together, unboxed, and in one space.” 2021 South Wabash, March 7-8.

Apple Exits Northbrook Court

“Apple will close its Northbrook Court store, becoming the latest retailer to leave the mall as the property’s owner works on a massive redevelopment plan,” reports Crain’s.

DINING & DRINKING

The Staley Wants To Be The South Loop’s Watering Hole

“The family-friendly sports bar and restaurant from former Chicago Bear Israel Idonije is open for business and aims to be a new haunt for Bears fans,” reports Block Club. “For Israel Idonije, the South Loop is the kind of neighborhood that deserves nice things. It’s also ripe for another sports bar and restaurant, which is why the former Chicago Bear and his team opened The Staley there last month. The Staley, 1736 S. Michigan Avenue, took over the storefront formerly occupied by Kroll’s, another beloved sports bar.”

Greektown Restaurant Week Opaa For Business

Greektown Chicago presents its annual Greektown Restaurant Week, March 1-7, with special offers from Greek restaurants and bars along Halsted Street in Greektown. Featured restaurants include 9 Muses Bar & Grill, Athena Restaurant, Greek Islands Restaurant, Mr. Greek Gyros, Spectrum Bar & Grill and Zeus Restaurant. Offers range from free saganaki and baklava with purchase, to lamb chop specials and discounted Greek wine and beer. More here.

How Panda Express Created A $3 Billion Empire

“When the Cherng family opened Panda Inn in 1973, it was a popular Chinese restaurant that catered to the neighborhood. Early menus from the 1970s and eighties included a bone-in tangerine-peel chicken, sizzling beef hot plates and a ‘Chinese Pasta’ section of noodle dishes,” reports the New York Times. “It was a nice, sit-down restaurant that also did a bit of takeout and catering. It appealed to local families, but also local developers, who asked the owners to come up with a restaurant concept for the expansion of the Glendale Galleria mall. That restaurant was Panda Express.”

FILM & TELEVISION

Facets Goes “Beyond The Red Carpet”

Hosted by Chicago movie reviewer Lee Shoquist, Facets will host a deep dive on this year’s Oscars, featuring a “look at the standout performances, behind-the-scenes politics and groundbreaking storytelling” of the past year. The event includes a pre-event reception with complimentary Prosecco and popcorn as well as a post-event dessert bar reception to meet event guests, bid on film lover-themed gift baskets and make an entry for the Guess the Winners contest. Each ticket includes a $25 contribution to Facets’ Fiftieth Anniversary Fund. Saturday, February 22, 3pm. Tickets here.

Beat Roeper

After making his predictions for this year’s Oscar winners, Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper will discuss the ninety-seventh Academy Awards on Friday, February 28, 6:30pm-8pm. Questions for Roeper should be submitted by Sunday, February 23. A question form is included when you RSVP for the event here. Also: fill out your ballot and make your entries in the annual Beat The Critic contest here.

“Be Bold Or Go Home”: Advice For Today’s Filmmakers

“Artistic leaders, filmmakers and creatives are grappling with the reality that they are now making work that will immediately be politicized and where they will be seen potentially as the ‘enemy.’ We haven’t really been down this road before,” posts journalist-programmer Anthony Kaufman. “Rather than wait to see how the President’s unconstitutional actions work through the courts, PBS shuttered its DEI office, and fired two employees, while Disney shut down initiatives aimed at amplifying underrepresented voices and development programs and fellowships for underrepresented talent… It is incumbent upon funders and supporters to step up now and step up big, especially if entertainment companies and public media is already folding. (In Orbán’s Hungary and in Bolsanaro’s Brazil, funding for the arts was [severely cut], and in these countries where public support was crucial, far fewer films are and were being made.)”

LIT

Pulitzer On The Road Brings Natasha Trethewey, Cristina Rivera Garza, Rebecca Makkai To Chopin

Pulitzer on the Road presents a free evening event featuring Pulitzer Prize-honored authors: Pulitzer Board member and 2007 Poetry winner Natasha Trethewey, 2024 Memoir winner Cristina Rivera Garza and 2019 Fiction finalist Rebecca Makkai. Theme: “Big impossible things.” A book signing follows. More here. At the Chopin Theater on Wednesday, March 5 at 6:30pm. Free registration here.

Makkai On How To Write “While Deeply Distracted”

“It’s the time to get your work done efficiently, carve out time for your art, and then devote a solid, isolated block of time to activism or protective measures,” blogs writer Rebecca Makkai. Lists, white noise apps, empty spaces and moving around are among the go-tos she gets to.

MEDIA

Lee Newspapers Hacked

“Newspaper publishing giant Lee Enterprises has confirmed that a ransomware attack is behind ongoing disruptions impacting the group’s operations for over two weeks,” relays Bleeping Computer. “As a local news provider and one of the largest newspaper groups in the United States, Lee publishes seventy-seven daily newspapers and 350 weekly and specialty publications across twenty-six states.” Among Lee holdings are The Times of Northwest Indiana and the Bloomington Pantagraph.

MUSIC

Bookclub Fills Elbo Room Space

The co-founders of the secret music venue and underground event space Bookclub talk to Block Club about their new digs in Lakeview. “Standing in the basement of a corner building on Lincoln Avenue, the former home of the Elbo Room, they saw endless potential in the space. ‘We’ve only begun to explore the limits of what we built,’ one said. ‘I’m excited to see all the different ways we can flip this place upside down and inside out.’”

Winter Jazz Fair Salutes Quincy Jones

The 2025 Winter Jazz Fair, presented by the Jazz Institute of Chicago, takes place on February 28 at the Fine Arts Building. The fair “will conclude with a heartfelt tribute to one of Chicago’s most iconic musical legends, Quincy Jones. Born in Chicago, Quincy’s remarkable journey from the South Side to global acclaim has left an indelible mark on the world of music. Experience an unforgettable evening of extraordinary music with the Clif Wallace Big Band & Friends as they celebrate Quincy’s musical works and contributions. Led by drummer and DJ Clif Wallace, the band will explore a selection of Quincy Jones’ works, blending rare arrangements with fresh, innovative interpretations of his timeless classics.” More here.

Frequency Festival Brings Contemporary And Experimental Sounds Around Town

The 2025 Frequency Festival brings contemporary and experimental music to multiple Chicago venues over the course of the week. While most of the performances take place at Constellation, this year’s festival includes a Saturday performance at the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry featuring the Chicago debut performance of violinist Angharad Davies. Bond Chapel will also host a performance. View the full Frequency Festival lineup and schedule here.

STAGE

Fifteenth Anniversary Of Joffrey Winning Works At MCA

The Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet will celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of its choreographic competition, Winning Works, with five world premieres over two weekends in March. This year’s competition winners—Karley Childress, Roderick George, Shota Miyoshi, Alejandro Perez and Keelan Whitmore—each will present an original work. Winning Works will be presented at the MCA in nine performances over two weekends, Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, and Thursday-Sunday, March 20-23. Tickets ($35) and more details here.

Hubbard Street Sets Forty-Seventh Gala

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will host Spotlight Ball 47, their annual fundraising gala, on Thursday, May 15. “Join us as we celebrate the legendary artistry of our dancers and choreographers. Guests will enjoy a special, one-night-only performance showcasing work by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon and Hubbard Street resident artist Aszure Barton, followed by a joyous rooftop dance party and dinner.” Tickets and tables here.

Susan Booth Places Age In “Betrayal”

“I think the wreckage of betrayal, of friendship, of marriage, occurring at a time when you have decades ahead of you is very different from the costs of wreckage further down the line,” “Betrayal” director Susan Booth says. This explains “why she worked to persuade Helen Hunt to make a rare foray into Chicago theater” at the Goodman, she tells Chris Jones at the Tribune. “The notion of people being at a young and buoyant age when this happens appears to me to limit the play’s impact.”

Yuval Sharon On Transforming Opera

“If, as Detroit Opera artistic director Yuval Sharon writes, ‘rebirth is opera’s true power,’ then he embodies that potential… reshaping the art form to be more inclusive, innovative and dynamic.” Heading Detroit Opera, “Sharon has revitalized the traditional, in part an effort to make opera accessible and resonant for a wider audience,” profiles Philadelphia Gay News.

Jean Claudio’s “Memorabilia” Comes To Teatro Vista

Teatro Vista has announced the cast and production team of the Midwest premiere of “Memorabilia,” created by Jean Claudio and directed by co-creator Raquel Torre, which will run May 30-June 29. The production is co-presented and staged at Filament Theatre. Tickets ($35-$65) go on sale March 10 here.

Blair Thomas Talks Puppets

Blair Thomas, founder and artistic director of the International Puppet Theater Festival, talked to the Chicago Maroon about puppets, bunraku and the seventh Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. “A puppet is any performing object. It could be an anthropomorphized human animal or a spirit. But it could also just be an everyday object as well,” says Thomas. “Puppets are surrogates in the performance. They function as metaphors for ideas—maybe historical characters, maybe fictional characters. They’re surrogates for our experience, so a puppet functions as a mirror on the stage, where the puppet isn’t feeling anything. But the puppet is going through an experience. We see that scenario playing out when we look at [the puppet] and we think, ‘Oh, the puppet is sad.’ Well, the puppet is not sad at all. It’s just a material sculpture. But we are able to project our understanding of sadness on the puppet in the context of the play, and then we feel that emotion. So, in that way, they function as a mirror for our own perceptions.”

ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.

Discover, Capital One Shareholders Okay $35 Billion Merger

Riverwoods-based Discover, the credit card company founded at Sears, may soon be acquired by Capital One: “Capital One Financial Corp. and Discover Financial Services shareholders voted in favor of the planned $35 billion merger of the two financial-services companies,” reports Bloomberg (free link). Capital One says “it expects the transaction to be completed early this year.”

CHA Owed $10 Million In Rent

“More than a thousand Chicago Housing Authority residents who are behind on rent have not paid for an average of nearly two years,” front-pages the Tribune. “CHA was owed more than $10.4 million dollars in rent by these 1,394 residents… CHA is the third largest public housing authority in the country, serving more than 65,000 households, and it also is the largest single owner of rental housing in the city with more than 21,000 public housing units. The agency has a 2025 budget of $1.3 billion.”

Yosemite Slammed: Feds Shut Down Pride Of Nation

Yosemite National Park has cut off reservations for some of the park’s most popular campgrounds, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. “The announcement comes amid a staffing shortage during a federal hiring freeze and an indefinite delay on the park’s entrance reservation system.” Three weeks shy of a permanent position in his “dream job” as Yosemite’s locksmith, Nate Vince posts that he was among those fired on Valentine’s Day.

The Truth About Recycling?

“The poorer nations of the world have never stopped being receptacles for the West’s ever-proliferating rubbish,” writes journalist and trash adept Alexander Clapp at the New York Times (gift link). “The situation now is… worse than it was in the 1980s. Then, there was widespread recognition that waste export was immoral. Today, most waste travels under the guise of being recyclable, cloaked in the language of planetary salvation. For the past two years I’ve been traveling the globe—from the plains of Romania to the slums of Tanzania—in an attempt to understand the world trash is making. What I saw was terrifying.”

Walgreens Stock Soars After Report Of Rekindled Private Equity Sniff

Deerfield-based Walgreens’ rumored sale to Sycamore Partners appeared “mostly dead a couple of weeks ago” but a CNBC commentator is “upgrading the deal to ‘alive,’” reports Bloomberg. The corporation’s “shares soared after CNBC said that a take-private deal… is still possible.”

NAACP Compiles Spending Guide For Black Americans

The NAACP has published a spending guide for Black Americans in the wake of a corporate retreat from DEI: “DEI initiatives promote the social and economic advancement of Black Americans, who are projected to consume nearly $2 trillion in goods and services in nominal dollars by 2030,” reports AP. The nation’s oldest civil rights organization hopes to steer “buying power toward companies that haven’t pulled back from diversity, equity and inclusion programs under conservative pressure.” The Black Consumer Advisory is here.

DePaul College Of Law Gets $2.5 Million Endowed Chair

DePaul University’s College of Law has received “generous support totaling $2.5 million to create the Jack Martin Endowed Chair,” relays DePaul. “The endowment will support the teaching and research of a faculty member who is an active voice in constitutional law, human rights law, immigration law and related public policy issues.”

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