Category: 1950s

Our Workshop on June 15th -- Win Stracke and Lois Weisberg

6/1/2015

Monday, June 15th
(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 Lois Weisberg and Win Stracke:

We will talk about Weisberg and Stracke's work, including their connections to Chicago;
We'll also discuss examples of people and organizations that are linked to and/or inspired by Weisberg and Stracke's work and legacy; and
Workshop participants will have opportunities to create music and writings inspired by Weisberg and Stracke. your musical

Bring your musical instruments, art supplies and notebooks. 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.

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.

Links:

Our Next Arts Workshop: Margaret Walker, Haki Madhubuti, Carol D. Lee, and Sterling Plumpp

3/31/2015

Monday, April 13th
(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 Dr. Margaret Walker, Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti, Dr. Carol D. Lee, and Sterling Plumpp. We will:

Talk about their work, including their connections to Chicago;
Make music and create text-and-image collages inspired by work by Walker, Madhubuti, Lee, and Plumpp.

Bring 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.

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: Joan Mitchell

1/28/2015

Monday, February 2nd
(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 are invited to come to our next arts workshop, when we focus on the life and legacy of Abstract Expressionist painter Joan Mitchell. This will be a lecture-workshop on Joan Mitchell, who was born in Chicago and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. We will discuss the principles of abstraction and Expressionism in painting and music and make an abstract drawing in charcoal or paper cutouts.

Bring 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.

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series 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 Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

above: Grandes Carrières, 1961–62. Oil on canvas, 78 3/4 x 118 1/4 inches (200 x 300.5 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of The Estate of Joan Mitchell. © Estate of Joan Mitchell

Our Next Workshop: Oscar Brown Jr., Abbey Lincoln & Maggie Brown

9/21/2014

Monday, September 22nd
(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 arts workshop at Mozart Park, which focuses on the work and legacies of Oscar Brown Jr., Abbey Lincoln and Maggie Brown. We will:

Learn more about those artists' work, and listen to several songs that they recorded and/or composed.
Talk about how songs composed, recorded and performed by those three artists relate to Civil Rights dynamics of the 1950s till today.
Write poetry and create music inspired by the work of Oscar Brown Jr., Abbey Lincoln and Maggie Brown.

These arts workshops are free and open to the public, and all ages welcomed. Participants are invited to bring writing utensils and paper, although supplies will be provided if needed. Sometimes we play music and explore other art forms, so if you have a musical instrument that you'd like to bring, or if you have art supplies (e.g. colored pencils, pastels, etc.) you can bring those. We often use an upright piano during workshops as well.

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series 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 Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Studs Terkel-Inspired Arts Workshop

8/6/2014

Friday, August 8th (4:30-5:30, 5:45-7:00 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 "Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys" workshop about Studs Terkel, with a focus on his radio interviews with people such as Oscar Peterson, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Alan Lomax and Joan Baez. During this workshop we will:

Learn more about Studs Terkel's life and legacy.
Listen and talk about clips from Terkel's music-centric interviews with people such as Memphis Slim, Janis Joplin, Big Bill Broonzy, Mahalia Jackson, John Cage, Alan Lomax, Oscar Peterson, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.
Create art inspired by Studs.
More info TBA.

These arts workshops are free and open to the public, and all ages welcomed. Participants are invited to bring writing utensils and paper, although supplies will be provided if needed. Sometimes we play music and explore other art forms, so if you have a musical instrument that you'd like to bring, or if you have art supplies (e.g. colored pencils, pastels, etc.) you can bring those. We often use an upright piano during workshops as well.

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series 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 Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Harriet Monroe-Inspired Workshop on July 25th

7/23/2014

Friday, July 25th (4:30-5:30, 5:45-7:00 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 "Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys" workshop, when we focus on the life and legacy of Harriet Monroe. During this workshop we will:

Talk about aspects of Monroe's biography;
Read selections of writings by Monroe;
Read poems by great poets with whom she worked;
Write poetry inspired by Harriet Monroe and her legacy.
More info TBA.

These arts workshops are free and open to the public, and all ages welcomed. Participants are invited to bring writing utensils and paper, although supplies will be provided if needed. Sometimes we play music and explore other art forms, so if you have a musical instrument that you'd like to bring, or if you have art supplies (e.g. colored pencils, pastels, etc.) you can bring those. We often use an upright piano during workshops as well.

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series 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 Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Our Next Arts Workshop: Chicago Blues Legends

7/7/2014

Friday, July 11th (4:30-5:30, 5:45-7:00 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 "Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys" workshop, when we celebrate the lives and legacies of these Blues legends -- Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy and Etta James:

We listen to and talk about music by those four artists;
We play several songs recorded by those artists;
We create contour poems, blues renga and pattern poetry inspired by Chicago Blues artists.

Borderbend is among the organizations that is presenting programming during the upcoming Armitage Arts Festival, on September 6th. Festival programming happens at four venues along Armitage Ave., including Rosa's Lounge -- which is one of Chicago's great blues venues. So the focus of our next workshop is a nice way to pay homage to the Blues, one of America's original art forms, in anticipation of the festival that will be happening in this neighborhood in less than two months!

Note: There are so many great Blues artists who are associated with Chicago (besides the four listed abovbe), including Big Bill Broonzy, Paul Butterfield, Bo Diddley, Lightning Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, Pinetop Perkins, Sugar Blue, Melvin Taylor, Junior Wells and many others. We will have more workshops that focus on other Chicago Blues artists in the future, for sure.

These arts workshops are free and open to the public, and all ages welcomed. Participants are invited to bring writing utensils and paper, although supplies will be provided if needed. Sometimes we play music and explore other art forms, so if you have a musical instrument that you'd like to bring, or if you have art supplies (e.g. colored pencils, pastels, etc.) you can bring those. The fieldhouse has an upright piano that we have used during workshops as well.

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series 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 Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Our Next Arts Workshop: The Staple Singers, Don Cornelius & Frankie Knuckles

6/26/2014

Friday, June 27 (4:30-5:30, 5:45-7:00 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 "Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys" workshop, when we focus on the lives and legacies of these musical legends -- The Staple Singers, Don Cornelius, and Frankie Knuckles. During this workshop we will:

Listen to and talk about music created, produced, and presented by The Staple Singers, Don Cornelius, and Frankie Knuckles. We will also watch a few short videos that involve those music icons.
Talk about the some of the cultural and political dynamics that pertain to their work (e.g. the Civil Rights movement, elements of Chicago's cultural landscape)
Create visual art and creative writings inspired by those American originals.

These arts workshops are free and open to the public, and all ages welcomed. Participants are invited to bring writing utensils and paper, although supplies will be provided if needed. Sometimes we play music and explore other art forms, so if you have a musical instrument that you'd like to bring, or if you have art supplies (e.g. colored pencils, pastels, etc.) you can bring those. The fieldhouse has an upright piano that we have using during workshops as well.

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series 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 Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Carl Sandburg-Inspired Arts Workshop at Mozart Park

5/19/2014

You're invited to come to our next Chicago Heroes & Arts Adventures workshop --

Monday, May 19 (6:00-7:15, 7:30-8:30 p.m.)

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

all ages, free & open to the public

Come discover, discuss & debate some of the origins of Objectivst poetics during this session, when Matthias Regan reads from his edited volume of Sandburg’s poetry and prose in the International Socialist Review. Here’s all the details:

“That’s when Sandburg was a Niceberg,” writes Edward Dorn in Book IV of Gunslinger. He’s thinking of the radical Carl Sandburg – the poetic brawler who changed the shape of poetry and politics simultaneously in the early years of modernism.

During the Chicago Renaissance, Sandburg was one of the most important innovators in English language poetry. His Chicago Poems (1916) drew on contemporary slang and Native American chants to create free verse poems that spoke to working-class people. He wrote poetry against the robber barons, the war profiteers and the false prophets of Christian morality. Given the popularity of his verse, it’s not surprising that academics and the popular press have “red-washed” Sandburg, portraying him as a bland sentimentalist by excising his early years as a Socialist organizer and muck-raking journalist.

Matthias Regan will read from his edited volume of Sandburg’s writings in the International Socialist Review – the radical journal published by Charles H. Kerr Press in which he published is first and best poems. Using a variety of pseudonyms, Sandburg wrote powerful news stories on union strikes, railroad regulation, the Eastland disaster and “Preparadness Parades.”

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series at the Chicago Park District website.

Our Next Workshop: László Moholy-Nagy & Mies van der Rohe

5/4/2014

You're invited to come to our next Chicago Heroes & Arts Adventures workshop --

Monday, May 5 (6:00-7:15, 7:30-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60624

all ages, free & open to the public

During our next workshop we will focus on the lives and legacies of László Moholy-Nagy and Mies van der Rohe. Participants will create artworks and write poetry inspired by those two geniuses who have indelibly influenced architecture and design in Chicago and around the world.

Untitled (Chicago, 1943)
by László Moholy-Nagy

Mies van der Rohe with a model
of the Farnsworth House

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 Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series 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 Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

above: László Moholy-Nagy's
Diagram of Finnegans Wake

Links: