CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The reopening of Chicago continues, with the focus now on the arts and other cultural activities that were curtailed because of COVID-19.
With apologies to Avery R. Young & Da Deacon Board "It's Not That Complicated", Roche Schulfer, CEO of the Goodman Theater, said Chicago is ready for in-person entertainment and cultural events to resume.
"Art and culture is the fabric of society, and artists and cultural groups have worked to find new ways to communicate," Schulfer said.
Mayor Lightfoot announced Wednesday “Open Culture” — the next phase of "Open Chicago", as the city takes steps to fully reopening.
“Despite the unimaginable challenges that were thrown our way last year, we were still able to persist and come together to slow and stop the spread of this virus and put our city on the right path toward a safe reopening,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Open Chicago — including Open Parks, Open Streets and now, Open Culture — is not only the direct result of these efforts, but it also serves as the latest step in our mission to fully restore a sense of normalcy within our city by bringing back and reimagining some of our favorite summer- and fall-time activities. I am grateful to every city, arts, community, and business leader who partnered with us on this incredible initiative as well as our residents, who continue to follow public health guidance and keep our COVID-19 metrics low enough to launch efforts like these.”
Some summer cultural events returning include the Taste of Chicago To-Go, the Maxwell Street Market, and concerts at Pritzker Pavilion.
There are also new events this year, like “Chicago In Tune,” a citywide festival celebrating Chicago’s diverse and legendary music scene and the 2021 Year of Chicago Music, as well as concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion featuring the 2021 season of Grant Park Music Festival.
"We will establish Chicago as one of the great world music capitals, as we celebrate our amazing music scene and our array of great music clubs and venues," said Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner Mark Kelly.
Mayor Lightfoot said there will be visual arts, music, dance, cultural events, and more.
Fans of dance will enjoy performances in Millennium Park by American Ballet Theatre presented by the Auditorium Theatre; Dance for Life presented by Chicago Dancers United; and partake in neighborhood-based Chicago SummerDance lessons and live music.
New public artworks by Nick Cave, Bob Faust, Andrea Carlson, and other celebrated artists will be on display.
Chicagoans and visitors can also mark their calendars for the return of Chicago City Markets including, the historic Maxwell Street Market, Taste of Chicago To-Go community meals, and more.
"This sector has sacrificed and suffered so much over the course of the last year. Our arts and culture community is not a nicety, it is a necessity," Lightfoot said.
"It not only feeds our bodies and minds, this community feeds our economy - over a billion dollars every year in normal years, and we need you back."
And, she said, they’ll be back everywhere.
Myrna Salazar, co-founder of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, said COVID was hard on the Latino community and the arts; but, she said, Latinos have persevered.
"In our cultural programming - the very thing that feeds our souls and elevates our spirits - were put on pause. But the Latino way, as Latinos do, we persevere," Salazar said.
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DCASE is currently reviewing Special Events applications for outdoor festivals, street and art/craft fairs, and athletic events. Events must follow the State of Illinois Outdoor Markets and Festival Guidelines. Permit approval is conditional on improved public health metrics. All events must follow guidelines in place at the time of the event.
City residents can expect many exciting summer events and cultural activities across Chicagoland — including Open Parks and Open Streets events announced last week, new Millennium Park and other DCASE programming summarized below, plus:
• The return of Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts at Symphony Center including "Fanfare" opening on May 27
• Hyde Park Art Center – Planting and Maintaining a Perennial Garden: Shrouds by Faheem Majeed open May 3 – July 24
• Rosa’s Lounge – Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band on May 7
• Pivot Arts Festival: Reimagining Utopia – A Performance Tour: Live, Multi-Arts Experience from May 21 – June 5
• Chicago Latino Theater Alliance – Sola en la pandemia está cañón at Joe's on Weed Street on June 19
• The South Side Jazz Coalition – Jazzin’ On The Steps on May 23
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago – Tuesdays on the Terrace kicking off June 1
• Old Town Art Fair on June 12 & 13
• Art Institute of Chicago – The Obama Portraits from June 18 – August 15
• Pride in the Park on June 26 & 27
• Goodman Theatre – School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play reopening in August
• Court Theatre – Othello in October
• Southport Art Fair on July 10 & 11 Smart Museum of Art – Toward Common Cause: Art, Social Change, and the MacArthur Fellows Program at 40 on view July 15 – December 19
• Chinatown Summer Fair on July 17 & 18
• Jazz Institute of Chicago – Chicago Latin Jazz Festival on July 23 & 24
• Printers Row Lit Fest on September 11 & 12
• Hyde Park Jazz Festival on September 25 & 26
• Lyric Opera of Chicago 2021/22 season including opening night featuring an all-new production of Verdi’s Macbeth on September 17
• Broadway In Chicago – Six at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place running October 5, 2021 – January 30, 2022
For these and other upcoming events, including many more to be added throughout the spring and summer, visit ChooseChicago.com/events and Chicago.gov/DCASE for DCASE summer programming details including its artist lineups and ticketing (free advance registration), which will be available in the coming weeks.
Most DCASE events will have limited capacity and require advance registration. All summer events will adhere to the latest public health and safety guidelines.
The city has not released details about Lollapalooza or the Chicago Air & Water Show.
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