The Candlelight Concert series returns to the Arts Center of Oak Park Jan. 11 to Feb. 28, featuring a Coldplay tribute performed by the Metropolis String Quartet.  The tentative program for the Coldplay tribute includes hits like “Clocks,” “Fix You,” “Paradise,” and “Yellow,” along with “Something Just Like This,” “My Universe,” and other hits.   Candlelight […] The post Candlelight concerts returns to Oak Park with Coldplay Tribute appeared first on Austin Weekly News ..read more

A group of Chicago-based musicians are hosting a community birthday to kick off the opening of their nonprofit.  Their aim is to revive the history of soul and blues music in the West and South sides while inspiring the next generation’s artists. On his 69th birthday party Friday, Larry Taylor, a drummer and singer from […] The post Nonprofit aims to bring blues back home to the community appeared first on Austin Weekly News ..read more

The Cook County Health Austin Health Center is getting a new mural in its main waiting room to celebrate healthcare workers. Full-time artist Robert Valadez is painting the mural, which will be completed June 12. “I wanted to tell a story about how important healthcare workers are to everyone’s daily life,” Valadez said. The Cook County Health Foundation put out an open call late last year for muralists to create public art at four of their health centers, including Austin Health Center, 4800 W. Chicago Ave. The foundation also paid three muralists last year to decorate Cook County health cen ..read more

About eight years ago, Bau Graves, the former executive director of the Old Town School of Folk Music, expanded the school’s community ventures with Music Moves.  Through grant-funded programming, Music Moves offers arts and wellness programs to roughly 30 community partners and schools across 10 Chicago neighborhoods, including Austin.  Graves “was really interested in challenging the popular narrative of the school, which is that it primarily serves affluent white families on the North Side,” said Arif Smith, Music Moves’ manager. Music Moves started in Chicago’s Englewood neighbo ..read more

Nearly a decade ago, Bonni McKeown, an Austin-based writer, decided to draft her first screenplay. Her script followed the life of Eddie Taylor Sr., a Chicago blues guitar legend in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, covering his family drama and relationship with the music industry as a Black guitarist.   Taylor moved to Chicago’s West side from Mississippi and, though he never achieved stardom like other blues musicians of the time, he played an important role in the Chicago blues scene.   “The music is the most important part of the story,” said Darryl Pitts, a Chicago-based producer ..read more

A vast collection of documents and photographs reflecting the life and legacy of civil and human rights activist Brenetta Howell Barrett is on display at the Austin Branch Library as part of a traveling exhibit that started last March at a different location. “The name of the exhibit is No Brick on My Tongue: Brenetta Howell Barrett for the People’s Liberation display, which was directly pulled from one of her campaign slogans,” said Raquel Flores-Clemons, unit head of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection. The extensive collection – 93 archival boxes of various sizes – chronicles Howell Ba ..read more

BandWith, a free performing arts program, will be moving into a permanent home in a former East Garfield Park casket factory. The Glasser & Rosenthal families donated a 25,000-square-foot building in East Garfield Park on South California Avenue, a block away from where the program started 10 years ago. “It’s going to be beautiful. We’re super excited,” said Annie Palomino, founder of BandWith. Palomino founded BandWith, a nonprofit organization, in 2013 after LEARN Campbell Charter School in East Garfield Park dropped the band program because of budget cuts. The total cost of the project ..read more

This season, West Side is alive with the holiday spirit. This weekend alone features plenty of places where kids can pick up free toys, enjoy tasty treats and take pictures with Santa. There are also some events for adults and seniors. This list isn’t intended to be all-comprehensive, but we tried our best to include as many as we could. Friday, December 15 Better Life Faith Church, 5401 W. Lake St., is hosting a Christmas Spectacular Spectacle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., but the festivities will kick off at 7 p.m. The church promises a “LipSync Battle, great music, giveaways and an entertainin ..read more

Music, photo op with instant print, art, free food and a mini-ball. Loud and fun, that is how the social campaign  PrEP4Teens launched to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention. Teens, young adults, their parents and local residents gathered to celebrate the launch of the social campaign and unveiling of a new mural in mid-November at West Side’s Taskforce Prevention and Community Services, campaigns main partner.  The highlight of the evening was the reveal of that two-sided mural on the windows of Taskforce’s building. “It’s a lot easier to digest an image than it is an essay ..read more

The mural is seen off of North Avenue on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Oak Park, Ill. | ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer The North Avenue District and the Oak Park Area Arts Council are working to put up murals on both the Oak Park and Galewood sides of North Avenue. However, the Oak Park plans are much further along than the Galewood ones. Adding street art has been a long-term goal for Judith Alexander, the chair of The North Avenue District, an organization that works to revitalize both the Oak Park and Galewood sides of the section of North Avenue between Harlem Avenue and Austin Boulevard. I ..read more