"Free, Free, Free!" is an e-newsletter and website that provides a monthly curated list of free programs, events and activities happening throughout the city in our libraries, museums, cultural centers and parks. We encourage you to express your culture through the arts and take advantage of the many opportunities the City of Chicago provides you to engage, create and participate!
 |
 |
|
Rahm Emanuel
Mayor
|
Mark Kelly
Commissioner |
|
Street Level Open House
Saturday, February 3, 10am-5pm
Street Level, 1637 N. Ashland Ave.
Drop by for a FREE Open House and learn about classes, programs, & opportunities at Street Level, a youth digital media center in West Town! Tours, refreshments, conversations with youth & staff, and more.
|
Jazz Links Jam Sessions
Wednesday, February 14, 5:30-7:30pm
Chicago Cultural Center, Studio Theater, 1st Floor North, 78 E. Washington St.
Students age 9-19 perform with one another and with the Jazz Links Mentors in the house band. Musicians, parents, students, siblings, and friends are all welcome and encouraged to attend these free events. For more information on how to participate visit the website.
|
Nina Chanel Abney: Royal Flush
Saturday, February 10 - Sunday, May 6, 2018
February 9, 5-8pm: Exhibition Open House
Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor North, 78 E. Washington St.
Royal Flush is the first solo exhibition in a museum for the Chicago-born artist. The exhibition is a 10-year survey of approximately 30 of the artist's paintings, watercolors and collages. Abney, born in 1982, is at the forefront of a generation of artists that is unapologetically revitalizing narrative figurative painting, and as a skillful storyteller, she visually articulates the complex social dynamics of contemporary urban life. The exhibition is organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts to the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
|
Clarke House Museum Tours
Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1pm and 2:30pm
Clarke House Museum, 1827 S. Indiana Ave.
The Clarke House Museum is Chicago's oldest home. Tours of this 1836 Greek Revival-style house reveal what life was like for a middle class family in Chicago, when the city was in its formative years before the Civil War. Hour-long guided tours of Clarke House Museum are now free. Tours are limited to 15 people, available on a first-come, first-served basis. For groups of 5 or more, please contact [email protected].
|
Museum of Science and Industry
February 1, 5-8, 12-15, 20-22, 26-27, 2018, 9:30am-4pm
5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.
One of the largest science museums in the world, the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) has both an illustrious history and a focus on the future of science and science education. In February, MSI will be holding several Illinois Free Days where museum entry is free for all Illinois residents who show valid proof of residency. For more information, please visit their website.
|
Presented by Mayor Rahm Emanuel,
Night Out in the Parks brings over 1,000 cultural events to neighborhood parks each year. Chicagoans and visitors alike, enjoy the breadth of world-class events in every one of the city's 77 community areas. Here are a few programming highlights happening in February, but be sure to check out their
website (or
download the app!) for a full listing of events!
|
UMOJA Black History Month Celebration
Saturday, February 17, 2018, 10am-4pm
Homan Square Park, 3559 W. Arthington St.
UMOJA highlights the cultures of Africa and African Americans. There will be special performances of music, dance, and spoken words. The event is designed to showcase how the rich legacies of the African experience have enhanced the lives of Chicago communities, national communities as well as global communities.
|
Black History Family Night Out at Brainerd
Friday, February 2, 2018, 6-8:30pm
Brainerd Park, 1246 W. 92nd St.
Families cone out and celebrate Black History Month while playing games and learning about Black History.
|
Black History Month at Franklin Park
Friday, February 23, 2018, 4-6pm
Franklin Park, 4320 W. 15th St.
|
Since first opening our doors in 1873,
Chicago Public Library has served all Chicagoans with free and open places to gather, learn, connect, read and be transformed. The libraries are that special third place-beyond home and work-where people come to improve their lives, nourish their intellect or savor entertainment. Their 80 locations host a variety of free events ranging from performances, arts and crafts, writing and poetry, continuing education and more.
|
Stories with Baba Tony and Kucha
Thursday, February 1, 2018, 4:30-5:30pm
Manning Branch Chicago Public Library, 6 S. Hoyne Ave.
|
Film Screening: Mavis!
Wednesday, February 21, 2018, 6-7:30pm
West Englewood Chicago Public Library Branch, 1745 W. 63rd St.
Join us for Mavis!, the first feature documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. From the freedom songs of the '60s and hits like "I'll Take You There" in the '70s, to funked-up collaborations with Prince and her recent albums with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots, kept her family close, and inspired millions along the way.
|
Music and Art During the Great Migration
Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 4:30-5:30pm
Thurgood Marshall, 7506 S. Racine Ave.
This program focuses on the Great Migration period, between 1916 and 1970, when millions of African Americans traveled from the South to the North, seeking better lives. Program participants will learn about the arts of that period and the people who were behind it, as well as be engaged through music and creating an art drawing.
|
Global Connections
February 10 & 24, March 1, 2018, 1-5pm
Navy Pier, Aon Ballroom, 600 E. Grand Ave.
This FREE, three-part series celebrates the global cultural traditions of Carnivale, Chinese New Year and Holi. Visit the website for a full schedule of events!
|
|
