DCASE Part I

This week I want to introduce you to the Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events also referred to as DCASE.
 
As described on the website, the DCASE “offers more than 2,000 high-quality free exhibitions, concerts, theatrical and dance performances, films, lectures and discussions, family events, festivals and other programs each year at the Chicago Cultural Center, Grant Park, Millennium Park and other venues throughout the city.”




In a few weeks you’ll learn about many of the DCASE programs offered around the city, but today I want to give you an idea of the many free programs DCASE sponsors on a regular basis at the Chicago Cultural Center.
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​The Chicago Cultural Center is located on Michigan Ave between Washington Street and Randolph Street. The address is 78 E Washington St, but there are entrances on both Washington and Randolph Streets.

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The building was completed in 1897 and was the first permanent home of the Chicago Pubic Library and for many years also served as a meeting place for Civil War Union Army veterans. Today it is a great example of adaptive reuse.
After the library moved to its new location in the 1980’s the building was converted into the country’s only free city-run cultural center. It is one of the most visited attractions in Chicago and often referred to as the “People’s Palace”.  The building is on the National Registry of Historic Places and designated as a Chicago Landmark.
 
Open to the public daily (except for holidays) you are welcome to roam throughout the building on your own.  As you walk through, take time to appreciate the beautiful interiors.  Be sure to look at the floors..

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the walls...

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the ceilings...

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even under the staircases

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The interior is made from such precious materials as marble, mother of pearl, polished brass, luxurious hardwoods and features mosaics of Favrile glass, mother-of-pearl and colored stones.  The building boasts 2 large stained-glass domes, one of which is credited as the largest Louis Comfort Tiffany glass dome in the world.

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You will see mosaics with the names of authors and philosophers and quotes from well-known historic figures…

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and military symbols in the GAR Memorial Hall and rotunda honoring the Grand Army of the Republic

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 As I mentioned you can explore the building on your own or you can go on a free guided tour.
 
Friendly and knowledgeable DCASE volunteers conduct free tours of the Chicago Cultural Center every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday throughout the year when the building is open. The tours start from the Randolph Street lobby at 1:15 PM and take about an hour. You will explore the many art galleries, hear about the architecture and learn about the history of the People’s Palace.  (Ask your guide about the friendly ghosts who inhabit the building and what movies were filmed there.)
 
What else is there to do at the Chicago Cultural Center? Well, if you are visiting during the work week you can enjoy a free concert.
 
Chamber Mondays at 12:15 PM highlight weekly performances by Chicago classical, jazz and ethnic musicians.
 
During the winter, spring and fall months, you can enjoy “Juicebox”, a free music and movement series specially designed for the “stroller set” and their families.  The program is offered from 11 to 11:45AM on the 1st and 3rd Fridays.
 
For the more hip audience come to Wired Fridays, a dance party offered during the fall and winter months on the 1st and 3rd Fridays at 12 PM. DJs play original Chicago house music and other electronic dance music.
 
If classical music is more your thing, then stop by any Wednesday at 12:15 PM for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert which features performances by emerging musicians. The concerts are also broadcast live on WFMT 98.7 fm and streamed on www.fmt.com
 
On Wednesdays from 5-7 PM you can hear student musicians in the Jazz Links Jam Session.
Want to join in?  If you are a student musician between 9 and 19 years of age, bring your instrument and play with the professionals from the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
 
Finally, the Musicians Club of Women  sponsors concerts on the 4th Monday of every month at 12:15 PM. The MCW offers performance opportunities to women artists and has been promoting women musicians since 1875.
 
But wait there’s more!
 
Perhaps the visual arts are of interest to you. The Chicago Cultural Center also serves as the backdrop for many of the DCASE Visual Arts Programs. 
 
Art exhibits in all media change throughout the year.  Both historic and contemporary art is shown with an emphasis on “emerging and underrepresented artists…who live and work in Chicago area”.  Opening receptions of the exhibits often include a gallery talk by the artist or curator.
 
Exhibit spaces include the Yates Gallery and Exhibit hall on the 4th floor; the Chicago Rooms on the 2nd floor, and the Michigan Avenue Galleries on the 1st floor. 
 
Also located on the 1st floor is the Landmark Chicago Gallery with photographs and drawings of the exteriors and interiors of significant buildings in the city. 

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Movies, Movement and other Matters
 
Periodically films are screened, dance performances are presented and lectures given on a wide range of topics.  Check the DCASE website for all events.
 
Other Programs
 
If you live in the city of Chicago and are 55 years of age or older you can request a “Participation Card” from the Department of Family & Support Services, Senior Services-Area Agency on Aging.  
The card is free and allows you to participate in the hundreds of social and educational programs offered to our mature residents at regional Senior Centers across the city.
 
One such center is the Renaissance Court located off the Randolph Street lobby in the Chicago Cultural Center. Even if you aren’t a Chicago resident or not quite 55 you can stop by the Renaissance Court and enjoy the artwork created by some of its members and exhibited there.
 
The Cultural Center is also the home of After School Matters. a not-for-profit organization offering after school and summer opportunities to thousands of Chicago teens each year.
Some of their events are free and open to the public. Their spring session starts in February so check their calendar of events at http://www.afterschoolmatters.org/calendar/.
 
And there’s even more!
 
You can leave your legacy for future generations at StoryCorps®. StoryCorps® offers you the opportunity to record, preserve and share the stories of your life or that of a friend or family member.  You can record a 40-minute conversation about a life experience or interview someone you know. Tips to assure a great conversation and suggested questions to use in your interview are available on the StoryCorps® website. storycorps.org/Chicago
 
Afterward, the storyteller is given a CD of their interview and with permission the interview will be permanently archived in the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. In addition, excerpts from some interviews may be shared in radio broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.
 
Recordings are made every Thursday from 12 PM to 6 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM to 4 PM (excluding holidays). You do not have to be a US citizen to participate and you can speak in the language of your choice, but you must make a reservation in advance.
 
Reservations can be made on line at www.storycorps.org/reservations or by calling 1-800-850-4406.
 
If you aren’t coming to Chicago right away and you want to leave your legacy now, you can record your story on the StoryCorps® App.  The App is free, available for IPhone and Android devices and is user-friendly.
 
And if that’s now enough…
 
On the website you can sign up for the DCASE monthly e-newsletter.  You can also follow what DCASE is up to on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
 
If you prefer, you can pick up a hard copy of the DCASE calendar at the Chicago Cultural Center. The calendar covers 3 months of events and includes descriptions of the current art exhibits and programs including music, films, lectures as well as theater and dance performances.
 
For you techies out there, you can get free WiFi at the Cultural Center.  Just search for ChicagoWiFi and you’ll be linked to the world.
 
You missed it - but it's coming back.
 
Sorry to tell you, this week marked the end of the first ever Chicago Architecture Biennial.  It was a citywide event that provided opportunities to show the future of architecture and how space can be used to improve our lives. The Chicago Cultural Center served as the primary site with every public space in the building devoted to the exhibits.
 
But don’t worry, the event was such a success it is expected to return bigger and better in 2 years, so start making your plans to visit Chicago in 2017. 
 
 
So that’s it for today. You learned about the free tours of the Chicago Cultural Center and the free concerts and art exhibits offered by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, some of the other organizations offering free programs there and leaving your legacy at StoryCorps.
 
Because of the ever changing art exhibits and new music programs offered each week, the Chicago Cultural Center should be on your “must see” list every time you come to town.
 
Next week I will tell you about some other free things to do and see around the Chicago Cultural Center. I call it: “While You’re in the Neighborhood”. The following week I’ll post “DCASE Part II” and include some of their programs offered across the city.
 
 
All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the DCASE website www.cityofchicago.org/dcase to get the most up-to-date information.
 
 If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at chicagofreeforall@gmail.com
 
Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit (see 1/1/2016 post) at www.chicagogreeter.com
 
I plan to publish a new post every Friday so until then I hope to see you in Chicago!
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