Blog Archives

Registration Is Open for the Summer Term

5/30/2015

You're invited to register for the summer term of the arts workshop series that Borderbend has been offering at Mozart Park since January 2014. The summer term begins on June 8th.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the summer term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

The summer term for Borderbend's arts workshop series begins on June 15th, and you're invited to join us as we learn about great people who have influenced Chicago, and we create artworks inspired by those innovative individuals. Click here and here to register via the Chicago Park District website.

above: images of individuals and artworks they have created, which have been covered during our workshop series at Mozart Park

Tenth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival

5/28/2015

September 26-October 10, 2015

at multiple venues in the Chicagoland region

You are invited to attend the Tenth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival, a collaboration arts festival that happens across the Chicago area. Chicago Calling 2015 includes a soundwalk at the Pullman National Monument, Red Rover Experiment #89: Fight the Power, Chicago Calling: Move/Remove/ /Place/Displace, Kinesthesonichroma at Fred Anderson Park, Create Conversations 2015, Banned Books Jam Session, Chicago Calling Tall Grass, ChiCall at Mozart, and other programs.

The 2015 Chicago Calling Arts Festival is part of the 20th Annual Chicago Artists Month, which highlights the work of hundreds of artists throughout Chicago with performances, exhibitions, open studios, tours and neighborhood art walks. The 20th annual Chicago Artists Month (CAM) celebrates the City as Studio: from October 1 – November 15, 2015. Join this community-contributed showcase of Chicago's artists and creatives and experience art in the parks, dance in the neighborhoods, installations in the alley, and concerts on the front porch. CAM is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in collaboration with the Chicago Park District and numerous community partners.

Visit borderbend.org/ongoing--upcoming-programs.html for the complete festival schedule.

Links:

"Adventures in Jazz -- Chicago and Beyond" at Fred Anderson Park

5/27/2015

Wednesday, July 15th (7-9 p.m.)

Fred Anderson Park
1625 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60616

free and open to the public, all ages

The Borderbend Arts Collective presents "Adventures in Jazz -- Chicago and Beyond,” a Night Out in the Parks event that includes a performance by a jazz ensemble and art-making activities for kids. The set list includes compositions by the great jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, and ensemble members. Musicians: Jon Hey (piano), Rebecca Cohn (trombone), Paul Hartsaw (tenor saxophone), Dan Godston (cornet), Alex Wing (upright bass) and Damon Short (drums).

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks with the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Links:

(Ir)reversible River Stories

5/26/2015

Sunday, June 21st (11 a.m.-11:50 a.m.)

Wabash Avenue Underbridge
at Chicago Riverwalk

free and open to the public

Borderbend proudly presents a Make Music Chicago performance of (Ir)reversible River Stories at the Wabash Ave. Underbridge on June 21st. This debut performance of (Ir)reversible River Stories will explore ways by which humans have lived with and attempted to change the Chicago River and Lake Michigan—including the 19th C. plan to reverse the Chicago River, design and construction of moveable bridges along the river, early 20th C. plans to elevate Wabash Ave. and other streets in downtown Chicago, and current attempts to control the movement of invasive species such as the Asian carp. The score will involve a graphic score, poetry, and found text from documents regarding the plan to reverse the Chicago River.

From makemusicchicago.org: "Make Music Chicago presented by Rush Hour Concerts, links Chicago with a massive global music-making festival that takes place on the Summer Solstice every year and allows people of all ages and abilities to play together all day long – for free.

"Whether you’ve played an instrument all your life or haven’t sung since kindergarten this Father’s Day, Sunday June 21st enjoy free participatory events all over the city. Come play a part. We’ll have a few headline events and many, many more where you can either walk up and join in or just enjoy some great, free music."

Links:

Move / Remove // Place / Displace

5/7/2015

Borderbend is happy to announce that we are partnering with High Concept Labs and the Carlos & Dominguez Fine Arts Gallery on a new program called Move / Remove // Place / Displace.

Pilsen, like other Chicago neighborhoods, is constantly in transition. Some of those
changes can be seen and felt quickly, whereas other changes manifest themselves slowly over years and
generations. What tools can we use to map out our future intentions, our neighborhoods and communities, the world we envision? Projects might consider questions such as: how can we witness the changes happening around us, and actively participate in processes that relate to movement and placement—in meaningful ways?

Move / Remove // Place / Displace programming will begin in fall, including a MRPD event that will happen during the 2015 Chicago Calling Arts Festival and other programs in Pilsen.

MRPD has a call for artists; the deadline is June 15th. Click here to read the RFP. If you're a Chicago-based artist, consider applying!

2015 Chicago Calling Arts Festival

5/5/2015

Dates: September 26-October 11th, 2015

Locations: venues in the Chicago area

The Tenth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival is coming soon! Chicago Calling is a multi-arts collaboration festival; during the Ninth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival people in Chicago work with people outside of Chicago — both here in the U.S. and abroad. These collaborations include a range of art forms, such as music, dance, film, literature, and intermedia — and they are prepared or improvised. Some Chicago Calling events involve live feeds between Chicago and other locations.

Check back soon for updates regarding Chicago Calling 2015!

Links:

Our Next Workshop: Simone de Beauvoir in Chicago

5/4/2015

Monday, May 18th
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

In 1947 Simone de Beauvoir -- the author of The Second Sex, one of the early and still seminal texts on the dynamics of asymmetrical gender relations and the cultural construction of woman as inferior to men -- came to Chicago and had a famous affair with Nelson Algren. Despite de Beauvoir’s reputation and relationship with fellow philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre in France, she took a Walk on the Wild Side and fell for the macho Algren. Chicago photographer Art Shay documented their life and times in Algren’s Polish Triangle neighborhood.

This workshop will discuss the relationship between the Realist writers, de Beauvoir and Algren, and importantly, some of de Beauvoir’s pivotal philosophical ideas about subjectivity. We will discuss these ideas where we find them and go on to write, draw or improvise around the ideas of subjectivity, Realism and love in times of inequality and what that means. We will share our written, visual or musical responses.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the spring term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Our Next Workshop: Enrico Fermi

5/1/2015

Monday, May 11th
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next workshop, which is inspired by Enrico Fermi. We will:

Talk about Fermi's work, including his connection to Chicago;
Explore examples of people and organizations that are linked to and/or inspired by Fermi's work and legacy; and
Write poetry and prose based on writing experiments described in The Art of Science Writing by Dale Worsley and Bernadette Mayer.ring your musical instruments, your poetry, your art supplies! These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Discoveries by Lindsay Olson (22"x 30", silk,
DMC embroidery thread, cotton, acrylic on linen)

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the spring term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links: