{"id":64568,"date":"2017-10-26T14:11:16","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T19:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=64568"},"modified":"2017-10-27T08:28:51","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T13:28:51","slug":"arts-in-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/arts-in-the-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago artists let their freak flags fly at Halloween Arts in the Dark parade"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Naomi Waxman<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

Chicago celebrated the wicked, the wild and the weird Saturday, as artists from across the\u00a0 country strutted their stuff before crowds of excited fans lined up along Columbus Drive. Residents of all ages watched fire-spinning skeletons, a bulbous blue anglerfish and even a train of hearses, owned by local enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

New local arts non-profit LUMA8, conceived Arts in the Dark to unite Chicago artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about declaring Halloween as the artists\u2019 holiday and creating a moment for all of Chicago\u2019s cultural communities to come together and plant their flag on one night,\u201d said Sharene Shariatzadeh, president and CEO of LUMA8.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mark Kelly, the city\u2019s commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, served as ringmaster, complete with a top hat. For Kelly, the event was a welcome change from a typical Chicago parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love parades, but I hate Chicago parades because they\u2019re formulaic,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cThis is meant to hearken to Mardi Gras and Brazilian Carnival, to the power of mass and spectacle, dance and performance, all coming together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly said he hopes the parade will become an iconic Chicago event that will draw participants of all artistic shades and stripes.<\/p>\n

Organizations including the Art Institute of Chicago and its school, West Town Bikes, Aztec Dance Chicago and the Hardcore Hearse Club made their way from Balbo Drive to East Monroe Street, waving, beeping and grinning all the way.<\/p>\n

Chicagoan and performance artist Gwen Klemenz came to the parade clad in her spookiest skeleton costume ready to show off her skills with fire poi, swinging flaming tethered weights in rhythmic patterns, much to the crowd\u2019s delight.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really cool when we get to take what we love and do for each other and share it with the city and community at large,\u201d said Klemenz.<\/p>\n

Klemenz came with Full Moon Fire Jam, an organization centered on monthly events that coincide with the full moon. The gatherings are intended to attract professional performance artists, as well as hobbyists, for an evening of fun and creative freedom.<\/p>\n

She said city officials are very supportive of artists like her, and the parade seems like a natural extension of that relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cChicago really lets its freak flag fly on this parade!\u201d said Klemenz. \u201cHow often do you get to hear a commissioner say, \u2018Ok everybody, line up behind the hearses\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FINAL_DSC_0004\"<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Jamie Nelson (left) and Mark Anderson came with the Chicago Gay Men\u2019s Chorus to add a little Christmas spirit to the proceedings and promote their holiday show, \u201cCGMC presents Naughty or Nice.\u201d (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FINAL_DSC_0023\"<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Lori England (left) and Valerie Pennington are members of B.U.R.N. 501\u00a93: Banana Bike Brigade. They made the trek from St. Louis to join fellow \u201cburners,\u201d or fans of the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FINAL_DSC_0061\"<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Members of the Latin and Spanish Dance Ensemble perform the Festive Tinku, a ritualistic dance of indigenous Bolivians. (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FINAL_DSC_0129\"<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Members of the West Side Bikes swarm down Columbus Drive on their overgrown insects. (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Final_DSC_0206\"<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
(Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FINAL_DSC_0224\"<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Independent artists add to the otherworldly atmosphere taking the \u201cUp in the air and under the sea,\u201d theme to heart. (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FINAL_DSC_0246\"<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
The Hardcore Hearse Club rolls into the festivities. (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Arts<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
One Hearse Club driver impressed the crowd with pyrotechnics from his tailpipe. (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n
Photo at top: Fire spinner and performance artist Gwen Klemenz lights up the night with her friends from the Full Moon Fire Jam. (Naomi Waxman\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Naomi Waxman Medill Reports Chicago celebrated the wicked, the wild and the weird Saturday, as artists from across the\u00a0 country strutted their stuff before crowds of excited fans lined up along Columbus Drive. Residents of all ages watched fire-spinning skeletons, a bulbous blue anglerfish and even a train of hearses, owned by local enthusiasts. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":64569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,3912],"tags":[665,61,192],"class_list":["post-64568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-fall-2017","tag-arts-and-culture","tag-chicago","tag-promo"],"yoast_head":"\nChicago artists let their freak flags fly at Halloween Arts in the Dark parade - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/arts-in-the-dark\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chicago artists let their freak flags fly at Halloween Arts in the Dark parade - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Naomi Waxman Medill Reports Chicago celebrated the wicked, the wild and the weird Saturday, as artists from across the\u00a0 country strutted their stuff before crowds of excited fans lined up along Columbus Drive. 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