Category: events

New Moon on the Lagoon: slideshow

Tech day, test run.

Tech day, inside the moon.

Tech day, inside the whale.

Lulla-Bike rider.

Lulla-Bikes.

Lulla-Bikes and moon.

Last week the magicians at Opera-Matic created another enchanting spectacle, this time in beautiful Humboldt Park. From the horse’s mouth:

Join Opera-Matic and the community for an evening of musical migration as we celebrate Humboldt Park in spring, a place we all come to find our way. Humboldt Park’s namesake, Alexander Von Humboldt, was a naturalist, a geographer, and an explorer. This community spectacle uses the inspiration of Von Humboldt to present the natural areas of Humboldt Park’s lagoon and the theme of altered migration through creative geography and public participation.

Bring your friends, your family, and your flashlights for this special Humboldt Park lagoon twilight get-together. The paths around the Humboldt Park lagoon have been activated with unique beacons of lost light. Come whale watch a whale who can’t move from its spot, track a lost moon who can’t stay awake, and blink your own S.O.S. to a zeppelin pilot stranded without flight. The Lullaby Parade, guided by lull-a-bikes and a flashlight flag corps, tour the lagoon’s lost light spots, and find community in the process. Come be part of our joyful night time parade, powered by people and song.

 

Ramova Grill

Ramova Grill panoramic photo

Here’s a 360 degree panorama I shot at the legendary Ramova grill in Bridgeport (the neighborhood where last night’s enormous warehouse fire took place) not long before it closed last May. This will be part of an interactive documentary project that filmmaker Jen Kienzler is producing, which will include brief audio stories as told by many of Ramova’s regulars. (She is currently seeking tech help to put it together; if you might be available, please email her.)

The counter, stools, and booths have been relocated to Benton House where they are hosting a “soup kitchen” tomorrow night, with help from Soup and Bread.

Click and drag on the image to pan; use shift and control keys to zoom in and out.

Improvisers exhibit opens tomorrow at Elastic

Tomorrow night an exhibit of my photographs opens at Elastic. Improvisers is a series of 25 portraits of musicians, including Von Freeman, Ken Vandermark, Mike Reed, Jeff Parker, Jason Adasiewicz, Mars Williams, Hamid Drake, Fred Anderson, Ab Baars, Josh Abrams, Tomeka Reid, and Jim Baker (pictured above), to name a few. Also on display will be a selection of street pictures I shot in the 80s and 90s. This is a soft opening; the official reception for this is on December 14th.

Following the reception, at 9PM, there will be a performance featuring Jacques Demierre, Lou Mallozzi, and Vincent Barras. And don’t miss the Umbrella Music Festival this Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday, November 6th, 6-9PM (concert at 9).
Elastic: 2830 N. Milwaukee (2nd floor) Chicago IL 60618

Photo Exhibit at Saki

I have a photo exhibit at Saki for the month of August, and tomorrow night (Friday, August 3rd) there’s an opening reception from 7 until 10, featuring Mike Bulington on the turntables. The CocoRosie portrait above–shot at the Empty Bottle in 2004–is one of the images in the show. Other subjects include The Coctails, Liam Hayes and Plush, The Ponys, Insane Clown Posse, Sir Paul McCartney, Mekons, Autumn Defense, Bill Callahan/Smog, David Yow, André Williams, The Sea and Cake, Andrew Bird, and My Gold Mask (and more!).

Friday, August 3rd, 7-10pm
Saki, 3716 W. Fullerton Ave. Chicago, IL 60647

Theater Oobleck: Hunchback Variations

Theater Oobleck‘s new show, The Hunchback Variations Opera, opens tonight at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater. I haven’t seen it yet, but from all indications it’s outstanding. The libretto’s by brilliant playwright Mickle Maher, and music by the lovely and talented Mark Messing, bandleader of Mucca Pazza and one of the geniuses behind Opera-Matic (he’s second from the left in this photo). Info about tickets, etc here. I shot promo photos for the show, here are a couple.

Print sale at Hideout: Tuesday, Dec 13th

Tomorrow night I’ll be taking part in the Hideout Holiday Sale, selling fine art photographic prints alongside many other very talented artists, listed below. Come on by and have a drink; even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on art, there will be a bevy of first rate people to mingle with, and I’ll be there too.

I shot the picture above on Maxwell Street not long before it was completely wiped out.

Hideout Holiday Sale! Tuesday, December 13th, 6PM to 9PM. Free.
1354 W. Wabansia Ave. Chicago, IL 60642

Participating Artists

Rock Candy by Helen Tsastos – Exquisite hand-made-in-Chicago jewelry featuring pearls & gems, vintage treasures and original artwork
Sarah Bortt – Hand Maid soaps, lip balm, bath bombs, wallets, cases & purses from truck tire inner tubes plus jewelry
Souldier – Handmade guitar straps and belts
Dollybird – Metalsmith jewelry
Nomadic Ant – Jewelry, leather hip bags, belts
Kiku Handmade – Fused glass jewelry, buckles and house wares
Greg Schultz – Wood fired ceramics
Tim Wood – Wood works
Martha Bayne and Sheila Sachs – Soup & Bread cookbooks, recipe cards
and boxes, aprons, and art prints and knit items
Vera Videnovich – Hand-spun yarn, knit items & homemade preserves
Winter Session – Handmade canvas/upcycled bags, scarves, aprons
Bloodshot Records – All kinds of swag
Jo Snow – Flavored syrups for coffee, snow cones, Italian sodas and
cocktails
Sarah Steedman – (20th only) Handmade stuffed animals
Petula Bay Frangias – Books, journals and photo albums
Studio Relativity – (13th only) Custom holiday stockings and wine gift bags
Alison True – (13th only) Hand drawn insect décor and proofreader’s marks posters
Chivas Goat Milk Skin Care
Black Dog Gelato
Puffs of Doom
Pleasant Plot CSA

Map to the Hideout

Friday photo exhibit: 15 years of life at the Hideout

UPDATE: Here’s a link to the interview. Thanks to Alison Cuddy for having me on the show, and to Andrea Jablonski, the hardworking curator of the exhibit.

This Friday I’m participating in an exhibit with 9 other photographers. We’re showing photographs depicting life at Chicago’s greatest music venue, the Hideout. I’ll be on WBEZ’s Eight Forty-Eight tomorrow morning discussing my pictures for this show.

Above is a portrait of Shellac‘s comely drummer and flower arranger, Todd Trainer. I shot it at the Touch and Go 25th Anniversary concert, which was hosted by the Hideout.

The show is called Scrapbook, and here’s the info:

Friday, September 23rd, 2011 6-11PM
High Concept Labs: 1401 W. Wabansia, Chicago (catercorner from the Hideout)

Featuring photographs by:
Paul Beaty
Brooke Blocki
Carmelo Espanola
Robert Loerzel
Emily Long
Dan Lutger
Suzanne Nathan
Jim Newberry
Chris Roo
Ryan Sweeney
Angeline Evans
Javier Ayala

And posters from Steve Walters, Alana Bailey, Kathleen Judge…and more!

Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements: this weekend!

Ariele Ebacher
Amanda Crockett
Ambidextrous
Zoppé Circus (photographed in 2008)
Mike Reed, the man behind the curtain.

Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements happens this weekend at Eckhart Park, and from all indications it promises to be fooking righteous. Here you can read about the multitude of attractions available to all comers.

The amazing women featured in the top three photos will perform at the show with El Circo Cheapo Cabaret. I shot those portraits recently for a project I’m working on involving acrobats, aerialist, and other circus artists. Also appearing this weekend will be the incredible Zoppé Circus. The suave dude in the bottom picture waiting for a drink is composer, drummer, and culture kingpin Mike Reed, who created BCPA. You might remember him from this post or if not that one, maybe it was this one.

(All photos by Jim Newberry.)

Chic-a-go-go Soul Train dance party at Expo 72

Last Friday I was fortunate to have an assignment shooting video for a Chic-a-go-go hosted Soul Train party . I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see a roomful of people dancing in 1970s style without the slightest trace of irony. Everyone was having so much fun. Thanks to impresario Jake Austen, host Mia Park, the beautiful, inspring dancers, DJ Bob Abrahamian, and the great City of Chicago.

The woman in this picture was blowing everyone away, dancing with abandon in her motorized wheelchair. I pity the fool that challenges her in a Valor Game.

Be sure to check out the superb exhibit of photos taken on the Soul Train set during its heyday.