With the world’s sixth-largest freshwater lake at our fingertips, Chicago’s cup runneth over with bragging rights. Climate migration is predicted for the Second City, with hordes of people from out west tapping into our water privilege: our Great, and fragile, Lake. But currently, in Middle America, there’s a city running out of water.  No, it’s […]

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When a beloved family pet finds poison intended for rodent invaders, a handful of local exotic animal hospitals can help save them.

The post Surviving rat poisoning, as a rat appeared first on Chicago Reader.

“Black Light Cinema Project” opened July 7 at the South Side Community Art Center with a focus on belonging, home, archival materials, and the self. The topic of identity saturates both galleries, although with different content, allowing them to juxtapose one another while working in unison.  The Center’s 1893 mansion, a former home in the […]

The post ‘Black Light Cinema Project’ brings film to the forefront appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Anthony Bawn’s H.I.M. follows Damien (Brandon Karson), a heartbroken college student, and his cousin, Kendall (Rahim Brazil), who finds a romance with a church boy, rocking his relationship with his mother. The film opens with a harsh conversation between Kendall and his friend—two Black gay men in the closet—where Kendall challenges his sexuality and experience […]

The post Review: <i>H.I.M.</i> appeared first on Chicago Reader.

With a projector, a screen, chairs, and drinks, Whiner Beer Co.'s garden will turn into a moviegoing oasis for south-side filmmakers.

The post South of Roosevelt screens films at south-side brewery appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Will Quam found his love of bricks by accident. While working as an itinerant theater teacher in Chicago, he would travel around the city for work, and as he traveled, he started to notice Chicago’s bricks.  “Before 2016 if you’d have asked me what a brick looks like, I would have said, ‘red,’ and I […]

The post Brick by brick appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Emmy Award-winning host and producer Geoffrey Baer takes folks on an adventure in a program premiering Tuesday, March 7, at 7 PM on WTTW called The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago. 

The post Geoffrey Baer finds ‘gems all over Chicagoland’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The nation's oldest and longest-running college film society is located right under our noses on Chicago's south side at the University of Chicago.

The post Chicago’s 90-year-old film treasure appeared first on Chicago Reader.

It isn't a conventional biography by any means.

The post In Her Hands appeared first on Chicago Reader.

“Not touching but joined in astonishment as two cuts lie parallel in the same flesh,” writes Anne Carson in the 1998 novel, Autobiography of Red. Breathing new life, ripping parts apart—it’s the painful, heart-wrenching reality of being alive, of being absolutely anything at all. This is the work of Finnish artist Kristoffer Ala-Ketola, whose first […]

The post Down the stairs and into “Dreams & Delusions” appeared first on Chicago Reader.

While living alone in the woods of northern California at the start of 2020, Lilli Carré started learning chess. Like many folks deep into the pandemic, she took up a new hobby. While trying to draw inspiration for her work, she incorporated her new vehicle for communication when all touch and connection were lost.  Carré’s […]

The post The body in focus appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The long-running porn festival HUMP! Fest (organized by Chicago Reader sex columnist Dan Savage) made its way to the Music Box last weekend after being canceled last year.

The post The 17th annual porn film festival is back in person appeared first on Chicago Reader.

There’s a young person smiling, posing—hand on their hip—in front of a lit-up sign that reads: “EMPOWER WOMEN.” It intermittently flashes to include ED, making it “EMPOWERED.” The photo is snapped, the couple walks on. I’ve just entered Andrea Bowers’s retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.  Since the 90s, Bowers has been making […]

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There’s more to fellatio than just a climax. It’s absolutely frightening, holding something that fragile in between your teeth, and hoping, wishing, praying that you’re perfecting the act— the duty of the illustrious blow job.  Comedian and author Jacqueline Novak dives right into those anxieties in her one-woman show, Get on Your Knees. The salaciousness, […]

The post <i>Get on Your Knees</i> is about more than your average blow job appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Skin and stone, organic and sterile, hard and soft: juxtapositions aren’t new in art. This push-and-pull tactic has been done, and done again, but it’s not always executed well. New York-based artist Hannah Levy manages to push and pull her viewers in the right direction for her new solo exhibition, “Hannah Levy: Surplus Tension,” now […]

The post Between the flesh and the machine appeared first on Chicago Reader.

About a month ago, I saw a magnet being hurled over the 18th Street Bridge. Initially, I brushed it off and I continued to stroll along the Chicago River bank with my friends. But the sound of the splash carried some weight, like an anchor or rock colliding with the water. I expected the line […]

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The new art space, Juliet Art House, introduces the work of Rebecca Baruc.

The post An examination of the self and of others appeared first on Chicago Reader.

And the massive survey of artists does it well.

The post Tiger Strikes Asteroid comes together in ‘It feels like the first time’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Workers at the pioneering south side space organize against unfair labor practices.

The post Unionizing to keep the Experimental Station community alive appeared first on Chicago Reader.

This common condition affects more people than we think. We shouldn’t ignore it anymore.

The post Painful sex shouldn’t be a mystery condition appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Evoking memory and mystery, two artists collaborate on an art piece.

The post Theorem is more than a book of poetry appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Working with the unknown encourages the “known.”

The post Bursting and bubbling, Susan Smith Trees opens at Evanston Art Center appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Anything goes during this evening on Twitch.

The post Food, health, sleep, and screens: We Series focuses on the essentials appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Tufting their way through the pandemic

The post The rug revival appeared first on Chicago Reader.

When the pandemic hit, I ran to the woods.

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Landscape photographer scott b. davis treks into the wild and discovers the undiscoverable.

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Artist Selva Aparicio puts obstetric devices on the examination table.

The post Frenzied, lascivious, and licentious: a woman in hysterics appeared first on Chicago Reader.

These small performative objects exemplify disability and protection.

The post Em Kettner creates elaborate casings for her sacred sculptures appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Tales of the Southside Pod swimmers

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In 1958, the mortality rate of children born with spina bifida was 90 percent. Riva Lehrer tells her story of beating those odds.

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The swinging lifestyle creates solace and friendship for those seeking sexual freedom.

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An art party of women artists opens at Heaven Gallery.

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Tonika Johnson’s multimedia project expands with a new film.

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“There’s a spirit in my neighborhood that is as tough as the steel we produced.”

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How the class of 2020 learned to adapt for their final exhibition

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The Hyde Park Art Center is bringing back the spaces we’ve all missed.

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From the Hideout to Zoom, community finds a way.

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These museums and galleries are reopening.

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Supporter groups the Plastics and the Black Fires are demanding change.

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Essays on the hopes and horrors of returning to “normal”

The post (Re)opening up appeared first on Chicago Reader.

“Visionaries + Voices” presents sincere and humble work from an Ohio-based nonprofit that supports artists with disabilities.

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How the 90s flop and 2020 documentary reference our current bubble life

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Media broadcasting network COVIDtv takes on dating.

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Lifestyle and event brand Peach launches a digital headspace.

The post Queer self-care straight from the Vine appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Muralists use boarded-up storefronts as their new canvas as part of Paint the City.

The post How Chicago artists are spreading the message that Black Lives Matter appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A comprehensive guide to donating your money to fight white supremacy and police brutality

The post If you can’t protest, open your wallet appeared first on Chicago Reader.

“Za Woka Genava” means “I think you are hot” in Simlish, and I think that’s beautiful.

The post Growing up queer with The Sims appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The virtual world is still a sanctuary for folks leaning into their sexual fantasies.

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Three people spill their post-breakup thoughts.

The post Breaking up in isolation appeared first on Chicago Reader.

With HUMP! canceled, a new online fest is born.

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Howard Brown delivers free sex kits right to your door.

The post Jump someone’s bones, safely appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Ditch Amazon and support local bookstores.

The post Peruse these virtual bookshelves appeared first on Chicago Reader.

How to quarantine while dating multiple folks

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The author and comedian shares her techniques while also bringing people together with a daily livestream.

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The Quarantine Times is virtually helping folks keep their cool.

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How canceled BFA and MFA shows are persisting during the COVID crisis.

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Where to stream your local instructor’s classes.

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What staying at home has taught us about our city and ourselves

The post Essays on isolation appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Here’s how DIY face masks can help our local hospitals

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How Chicagoans, from creatives to nonprofit staff, are being affected by the novel coronavirus—and what we can all do to help

The post ‘I’m still in shock’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Gwendolyn Zabicki’s attention to time is the focus of her exhibition at Heaven Gallery.

The post Motherhood changes you—and your art appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Nearly five decades after her career began, the pioneer performance artist, musician, and activist is now a permanent fixture at the Art Institute.

The post Vaginal Davis steps into the mainstream spotlight appeared first on Chicago Reader.

An exhibition in two parts—Part II: The Smart Museum of Art

The post Smart Museum’s take on ‘Allure of Matter’ spends time on the details appeared first on Chicago Reader.

An exhibition in two parts—Part I: Wrightwood 659

The post ‘The Allure of Matter’ pushes boundaries appeared first on Chicago Reader.

8,000 uses comedy to discuss a painful reality.

The post Endometriosis, vibrators, and sex education, oh my! appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Metal art breaks into the white-wall gallery.

The post ‘You Will Die’ reminds us of our mortality appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Brendan Fernandes’s bronze sculptures congeal pain and pleasure.

The post ‘Restrain’ appears static, but the works (and the viewers) dance appeared first on Chicago Reader.

2020 has some big shoes to fill.

The post Six visual art shows that made 2019 bearable appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The artist’s piece Querida is a personal performance presenting sexuality, sensuality, and healing from trauma.

The post Darling Shear is ready to fly appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The dismal depiction of Japan’s “missing million” features more than 70 paintings and drawings.

The post Tetsuya Ishida’s first U.S. retrospective isn’t for the faint of heart appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Brian Herrera’s magazine features the work of nine artists creating in a world that won’t let them represent themselves.

The post Crossin’ Borders shines light on undocumented queer artists appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Oslo-based multimedia artist’s installation uses sound to speak volumes about Chicago’s social and political history.

The post Camille Norment’s (red flame) brings the heat appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The sex-positive film festival is making a stop at the Leather Archives & Museum.

The post CineKink is back with another lineup of raunchy films appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Learning about your bits just got a little bit more fun.

The post Super Tasty brings sex education to Constellation appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The kinksters, the queers, and the artists who live in both worlds.

The post When sex work and art work collide appeared first on Chicago Reader.

This fall has plenty to offer from spaces big (Navy Pier) and small (Pilsen's Baby Blue Gallery).

The post Feast your eyes on these art exhibitions appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Riot Fest crowd may not have been howlin’ at the moon, but the Memphis band still created a rip-roaring good time.

The post Alt-country band Lucero are still undoubtedly rock ’n’ roll appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Riot Fest grounds themselves provide a pretty different experience than, say, Lollapalooza or Pitchfork.

The post Once Riot Fest has you, how does it treat you? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Riot Fest has its traditions, and it’s hard to hate Andrew W.K. or Gwar—but here are some bands we’d like to see.

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From allosexual to zaza and zir, terms you won't find in your Funk & Wagnalls

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Your guide to some of the biggest LGBTQ events this weekend

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Here are ten shows that show a variety of LGBTQ identities.

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A roundup of art events happening this weekend

The post From the Bubbly Creek festival to sculptures made from straws appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Inside the world of “beautifully shot, ethically made, and sexy smut.”

The post Meet the new pornographers who want to make adult entertainment better for everyone appeared first on Chicago Reader.