Your Chicago Weekend...

Hey Chicagoans - We survived the Blizzaster of 2011! WOO! Give yourself a pat on the back and take a shower (I know you have all been just lounging around in PJ's all day!) because it's time to get out of the house and DO SOMETHING. So here is a list of some really cool, artsy things to do this weekend or the next....

1. First, check out this video on PBS about an unknown artist who was recently discovered when her storage space was auctioned off and someone discovered 1000's of pictures that had never even been developed. It is an amazing story...

Watch the full episode. See more Chicago Tonight.

2. Aren't you interested in seeing some of Vivian Maier's photos now? You can check out about 80 of her photos at the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago until April 3rd. For the address, hours, and other info, click here.

3. After you check out the Vivian Maier exhibit, head over to the Gene Siskel Film Center, also downtown, to see Louder Than a Bomb, a documentary that follows some Chicago-area high school poetry teams as they prepare for and compete in the largest youth poetry slam competition. The documentary will be shown through February 10th, 2011. To see the schedule, click here. Click here to hear some of the youth's poems being performed on WBEZ.

4. Warm up with some coffee or tea and check out the gallery at Three Peas Art Lounge.

5. Get on Pandora Radio, Reverbnation, or Youtube and search for some new music to get you inspired, like Melodic Yoza:


6. If you truly consider yourself a Chicagoan and you have never seen Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, then go NOW. It's creative, different, and you are sure to have a rowdy good time.

7. If you are more in a jazzy or poetry mood or if you have never been to the Green Mill, then you must go this weekend or you will be deleted from my "followers list." JK. But seriously, you need to check out the Green Mill. They have jazz every night and Mark Smith has been hosting the Uptown Poetry Slam for the last 25 years. AMAZING.

8. By Sunday, you should be tired and can relax in bed and watch an artsy movie (maybe I suggest 2 of my favorites?...Frida and Rivers and Tides) and be rested enough to go back to a full work week!

(I got the wall hanging in Pakistan and the bedspread was handmade by my father-in-laws mother)