Life on the road for a Riverdance pro is hectic but ‘happy’
By Sally Ehrmann and Michaela Schirra Medill Reports Riverdance has dazzled fans onstage with sparkling costumes, rhythmic beats and lightning-fast footwork for 25 years. The dancers behind the showcase blend artistry and athleticism that is nothing short of spectacular. Patrick O’Mahony, 33, began Irish dancing at the age of two in his hometown of Rusheen, […]
Eternal Light exhibit features many of Tiffany’s stained glass windows and other masterpieces
By Michaela Schirra Medill Reports The Eternal Light exhibition at the Driehaus Museum showcases works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of Tiffany & Co. founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany. From stained glass to sketches, the exhibit highlights the creative process and the artisans involved in creating Tiffany’s reputation. Catherine Shotick, curator of the Eternal Light exhibition, […]
Chicago curling clubs embrace the ice
By Leah Vann Medill Reports During an otherwise miserable Chicago winter, local curling clubs are hosting classes to teach people about the ancient sport. Curling is like life-sized shuffleboard on ice, where players slide large stones and melt the path ahead to drive them toward a target, accumulating points. Its origins date back as far […]
Chicagoans make a splash in Lake Michigan, raising over $35,000 for families in need
By Sally Ehrmann Medill Reports More than 300 brave souls took a dip in freezing-cold Lake Michigan on Jan. 25 to raise money for three Chicago families in need, part of the shivering tradition of the annual Chicago Polar Bear Plunge. The event raised over $35,000 for families, to be split evenly. Jumpers paid a […]
Chicago youth unemployment hits African Americans hardest, driving population declines
By Alison Saldanha Medill Reports More African Americans are out of school and out of work than among any other racial group in Chicago, according to a new report released recently by the Great Cities Institute of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Professor Teresa Cordova, director of the Great Cities Institute, linked this disparity […]
Middle Eastern and North African residents in Chicago feel excluded by upcoming census
By Whitney Tesi Medill Reports Middle Eastern and North African communities have been lobbying for their own category on the census for decades, even though they have been classified as “white” since the government first started conducting the survey in 1790. Although the idea for a Middle Eastern and North African category for this year’s […]
A critical take: Film reviewer talks Oscars, underrepresentation of women and people of color
By Gurjit Kaur Medill Reports Allison Shoemaker will be live tweeting her Oscar reactions from her home this Sunday with two close friends. The 35-year-old film and television critic, who studied theater arts and English at Western Michigan University, writes for The A.V. Club, Consequence of Sound and RogerEbert.com. A lifelong fan of stories, Shoemaker […]
Blurring borders: A Chicago-based Turkish artist explores changing identities, gender-based art
By Zack Fishman Medill Reports Hale Ekinci’s portraits don’t have faces. Her life-size paper images depict blank-slate figures surrounded by collages of Turkish culture: military lineups, women’s protests, wedding celebrations. In other pieces Ekinci obscures already blurred faces in textile-mounted family photos with small black dots. And in more than a dozen of her creations, […]
Ski jumping competition lives on for 115 years in Illinois
By Leah Vann Medill Reports An uncharacteristically large, steep hill lies in the depths of the Fox River Forest Preserve in Fox River Grove. More than 100 years ago, a group of Norwegian immigrants deemed it fit for one of their favorite sports, creating a tradition that persists today. Every year, world-class ski jumpers migrate […]
Chicago organizers worry New Way Forward Act won’t pass
By Anabel Mendoza Medill Reports A sparsely attended town hall discussion on a major immigration bill intended to advance racial justice for immigrant communities showed the challenges of gaining local support for more inclusive immigration policies. The Organized Communities Against Deportations, a local nonprofit focused on advocating against the deportation, detention and criminalization of immigrants, […]