4+ hour, 32+ min ago   (614+ words) Don Wachter, also known as Bearman, applies face paint in his bathroom as he gets into costume at his home in Plainfield. After everything was in place, Don Wachter had finally transformed into Bearman and gave us all a signature…...

17+ hour, 21+ min ago   (523+ words) Larry Hart poured his multi-disciplinary artistic talents into fostering the Off-Loop theater movement in the 60s, 70s and beyond. "He was part of this group of people who started doing really interesting plays and helped Chicago develop its own unique identity in…...

23+ hour, 32+ min ago   (552+ words) The seven utility boxes that artist Gabi Bozeman has painted in Andersonville feature a day of the week and video game theme. This one at North Clark Street and West Balmoral Avenue represents Level Two: Tuesday Rhythm. When Gabi Bozeman…...

1+ day, 5+ hour ago   (706+ words) The Art Institute of Chicago added more than 1,000 artworks to its already-massive collection in 2025, including the rare Indian textile, "A Nayaka Nobleman with Courtiers and Courtesans." The Downtown institution also added works from notable Chicago artists like Amanda Williams and…...

1+ day, 5+ hour ago   (732+ words) The historic Jackson Park pavilion will be restored. The Burnham Building, a century-old, temple-like pavilion in Jackson Park that for years has lain in near ruin, appears finally set to receive the restoration it rightly deserves. Designed by D.H. Burnham & Co.,…...

1+ day, 13+ hour ago   (1152+ words) Face paint, shoulder pads, bear head hat and fake fur separate Don Wachter from the Bearman. The costume, which Wachter has fine-tuned over three decades, changes him from a mild-mannered Plainfield truck parts delivery driver to someone widely considered the…...

1+ day, 17+ hour ago   (564+ words) In 1954, Vera Jeanne Materre was featured on the cover of Jet magazine alongside the caption: "Pretty Chicago Schoolmarm also doubles as nightclub singer." Mrs. Materre, who went by Jeanne (Jet misspelled it "Jean") sang jazz standards in South Side clubs…...

2+ day, 32+ min ago   (188+ words) The Carl Sandburg poem "Chicago" has inspired prideful political speeches, coined a comic series and even decorated buildings. Here, the poem is written on the outside wall of Damen Tavern in West Town. The Carl Sandburg poem "Chicago" has been…...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago   (642+ words) Lindsay Brown holds her baby, front, during "RAIN: for babies and their carers" at Filament Theatre in Portage Park, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Portage Park's Filament Theatre is trying a novel approach for their latest show: The audience is allowed " even encouraged…...

2+ day, 18+ hour ago   (102+ words) The Music Box matinee series "Working Girl: The Films of Barbara Stanwyck" features films including Preston Sturges" "The Lady Eve." Bill Murray & his Blood Brothers, a blues-rock collaboration, plays Thalia Hall on Jan. 9 and 10. Singer-songwriter Amethyst Kiah performs at SPACE…...