Posts tagged Samuel Kelly
West Side music center thrives in the heart of Garfield Park

The Chicago West Community Music Center began in a North Lawndale kitchen. It was 1999, CPS had cut music and art funding from public schools, and Howard and Darlene Sandifer were frustrated with the lack of opportunities that young people in their home of North Lawndale had to pursue an affordable, accessible arts education. So, they took matters into their own hands.

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Building beauty from darkness: Black Monument Ensemble to bring hope in upcoming showcase

It’s not yet the holiday season but Damon Locks thought Chicago deserved a gift. On Nov. 15, Locks and the Black Monument Ensemble will present “Where Future Unfolds – Flowers for Chicago,” a sprawling 80-minute music-and-dance performance hosted at the Garfield Park Conservatory as part of the month-long Red Bull Music Festival.

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AMFM gallery has closed its doors but its artists live on

In a small, dimly lit art gallery in Pilsen, a projected video montage of prior concerts, fashion shows, and gallery parties plays in a loop on the main room’s western wall, while a rotating cast of DJs spin a high-octane blend of contemporary hip-hop. Partygoers comfortably trade laughs and dance moves in equal measure, soaking in their last night at the influential AMFM art gallery.


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