As the community wakes up from a long winter filled with snow and pandemic-enforced isolation, the Beverly Area Arts Alliance (The Alliance) is ready to welcome neighbors for a full schedule of visual and performance arts.
“We have an amazing line-up of art and music events,” said Alliance co-founder Monica Wilczak. New this year is a reenergized mission of supporting local artists and businesses, both of which have been impacted by the pandemic. According to Wilczak, The Alliance is waiving artist and business participation fees and doing extra fundraising to cover the costs of pop-up exhibits, concerts and the Beverly Art Walk, all of which provide artists with opportunities to generate audiences and income.
Among the artistic fundraising options, The Alliance is offering very limited edition screen prints of the popular Beverly mural on 99th and Walden Parkway to donors contributing $250 or more.
The Alliance is also collaborating Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Pat Odom on a series of artist profiles.
Keeping in mind that events and locations may be affected as the world changes, following are what’s planned for the Alliance’s flexible vision for the arts.
Multitaskers, a group show curated by street artist Won Kim, opens Fri., May 14, 5 to 9 p.m., at the Alliance Contemporary pop-up gallery at Nicky’s of Beverly, 105th and Western. The show features works by Brian Morris, Lisa Gray, Anne Heisler, Katherine McCarthy, Raul Deleon, Won Kim, Sammy Faze and Kevin Demski. Musical guest at the opening reception is DJ John Simmons.
Let’s Get Funky: Celebrating Chicago’s Blues History, is a tribute to how seminal Delta Blues musicians
made their way to Chicago’s south and west sides during the Great Migration, forever changing the musical and cultural fabric of Chicago and America, and planting the seeds for Rock n Roll. Let’s Get Funky (named for a song by Hound Dog Taylor) celebrates the people and places in Chicago that pulsed with the rhythmic power and intensity of The Blues and helps bring that inspiration to the next generation.
The show in three parts at three locations opens Fri., May 28, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. The Blues Coffee Clutch with artist Tim Anderson will be Sat., June 12, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Two Mile Coffee Bar, 9907 S. Walden Pkwy., and the Let’s Get Funky Arts and Blues Jam
with Melody Angel, Larry Taylor and Jon Langford will be hosted at Alliance Contemporary 105th and Western, Sat., June 12, 6 to 10 p.m. The show continues at all locations through July 6.
Tim Samuelson, Chicago’s Cultural Historian Emeritus, will share iconic artifacts of Blues history from his collection. A portion of sales of artwork from Let’s Get Funky will help fund projects with Chicago Blues Revival and the Bronzeville Blues Collaborative.
Also on the Alliance calendar are the Summer Solstice Festival, Sat., June 19; Aliance Outdoor Concert Series, June to Aug. (dates to be announced); The Frunchroom outdoor edition, August; and the Beverly Art Walk, Sept. 18. Find details at beverlyarts.org.
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