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ART

Frieze Sells To Ari Emanuel

“A long-suspected game of musical chairs for the ownership of Frieze, the group that includes an influential London-based magazine and several art fairs around the world, has come to an end,” reports ARTnews. “Endeavor Group Holdings, the parent company of the Hollywood talent agency, has sold it to a new company formed by Ari Emanuel, Endeavor’s former CEO. The deal is expected to close by the third quarter of this year, and the company was valued at almost $200 million, according to the Financial Times… According to a release, Frieze’s current leadership, including CEO Simon Fox, will stay in place in the new company.”

Anthony Gallery’s Isimeme “Easy” Otabor Does Sneakers

“Chicago gallerist Isimeme ‘Easy’ Otabor, who got his start in fashion by buying for the late Virgil Abloh and Don C’s RSVP Gallery retail store in the aughts, is one of the few to emerge from the designer’s inner circle who managed to do something different—and successfully,” newsletters Puck. “He started his own brand, Infinite Archives, in 2015, before becoming a fine art dealer and opening Anthony Gallery in 2019. In September, Nike will launch his new sneaker, a collaboration between Jordan and Infinite Archives. The $300 shoes will be released in two colors: one rumored to have a Chicago Bulls red accent (for obvious reasons) and the other purple, inspired by Mike Bibby’s custom Jordans during his Sacramento Kings days.”

DESIGN

Casino Construction Halted Due To Contractor With Alleged Mob Ties

“Two decades ago, as Rosemont and its controversial Mayor Donald E. Stephens were trying to secure a coveted casino license for the tiny but politically powerful northwest suburb, reputed mob ties proved their undoing, and the project landed instead in neighboring Des Plaines as Rivers Casino. Among the concerns… the use of D&P Construction Co., Inc., dumpsters on the site that Stephens was prepping for a casino that never materialized for his town. That waste hauling company was, according to the FBI, controlled at the time by reputed leaders of the Chicago mob,” reports the Sun-Times. “Despite that ugly history, the Chicago Sun-Times discovered that D&P is being used on the River West site where Bally’s is developing a permanent casino—and the Illinois Gaming Board has now halted the project following questions from the newspaper.”

Landmarks Illinois Names Ten Most Endangered Historic Sites

Landmarks Illinois has announced its 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, “calling attention to ten culturally and architecturally significant sites across the state.” Places include: Chicago Vocational High School; JJ Walser House; Meramec Caverns Barns; the Outdoor Theater at the South Shore Cultural Center; and the Stephens Brothers Opera House in Watseka.

Oklahoma Wright Tower Sold For $1.4 Million

McFarlin Building LLC was the only bidder to purchase the Price Tower, built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, reports the Examiner-Enterprise. “Often called ‘the tree that escaped the crowded forest,’ the Price Tower remains one of Oklahoma’s architectural crown jewels—a nineteen-story tower of copper and cantilevers designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the only skyscraper he ever realized.”

Studio Gang’s First Canadian Project Rises

The first panels of a distinctive cladding system at One Delisle in Toronto’s Deer Park neighborhood are being installed, reports Urban Toronto. “Designed for Slate Asset Management by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects with Toronto-based WZMH Architects as Architect of Record, the forty-four-story condominium is rising at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Delisle Avenue. As the tower climbs, its unique spiralling geometry, formed by rotating, receding floor plates, has become more pronounced.” More from Studio Gang on their first project in Canada here.

DINING & DRINKING

Milly’s Pizza In The Pan Leaving Uptown For Noble Square

“Milly’s Pizza in the Pan, one of the city’s best deep-dish pizzerias, is closing its Uptown location to move into a new location,” reports Eater Chicago. “Owner Robert Maleski announced on Instagram that his restaurant will relocate to Noble Square inside a space at the southeast corner of Ashland and Walton. Milly’s debuted in 2020 in a Logan Square ghost kitchen, making ten pizzas a day,” and in 2022 moved to Argyle in Uptown. The new location should open by the end of July. “Maleski layers quality ingredients onto a crust that carries the caramelized ring popular at fellow pan pizza spots Burt’s Place and Pequod’s Pizza.”

Chicago Gourmet Returns This Fall

Chicago Gourmet will return in September, with a new sports theme, “Step Up To The Plate,” which “celebrates the best in food and sports, with all-star chefs, big-time bites and championship-level sips,” the group relays. “With a new event lineup, including the popular Hamburger Hop, will feature a crosstown classic this year, Northside and Southside chefs will be swinging for the fences with their best burgers on Friday. Co-hosted by Chefs Joe Flamm (Southsider) and Sarah Grueneberg (Northsider), two burgers will be crowned at the Hamburger Hop–the coveted Judge’s Award and the fan-favorite People’s Choice.” More here.

FILM & TELEVISION

Producer-DJ Vince Lawrence On House Music Doc, “Move Ya Body”

Producer-DJ Vince Lawrence talks about the origins of the historical doc “Move Ya Body” and house music with Web Behrens at Chicago magazine: “‘When I went to the Warehouse the first time, I was in awe of all that freedom,’ says recording artist and producer Vince Lawrence. He’s talking about the long-gone but iconic West Loop nightclub with an inclusive, predominantly queer Black clientele and legendary DJs like the late Frankie Knuckles. Indeed, the term ‘house’ comes from the venue itself. Lawrence is a major character in a new documentary, ‘Move Ya Body: The Birth of House,’ directed by Elegance Bratton and produced by Hillary Clinton’s Hidden Light company.”

CineYouth Fest Streaming Free Until May 4

CineYouth 2025 is streaming worldwide through May 4 at no charge. “Get ready to experience seventy-nine incredible short films created by emerging filmmakers from around the world,” writes the Chicago International Film Festival. More details here. Ticketing here.

What Ann Hornaday Learned From A Year Off Reviewing Movies

“For the past year, I’ve been on a leave of absence from The Washington Post, working on a book,” writes critic Ann Hornaday at the Washington Post (gift link). “The break afforded me invaluable time to research, report, think and write without the weekly crush of movies to critique. My return earlier this month felt both reassuringly familiar and disquieting. I haven’t missed any revolutions, but I do feel the effects of some seismic shifts.” Hornaday’s take includes the shifts in movie distribution and exhibition: “Blockbusters and pop-culture events like ‘Barbenheimer’ are terrific, but for theaters to thrive—and for attendance to resume pre-pandemic levels—they need a steady stream of big, small and medium pictures that appeal to wide swaths of the population.”

LIT

Meet The New Owners Of Quimby’s

“Peter Miles Bergman and Cody Kasselman have bought the beloved bookstore, which has sold self-published zines, comics and graphic novels for three decades,” profiles Block Club. They “have vowed to keep the store mostly as-is while improving behind-the-scenes processes and eventually expanding community engagement efforts.” Longtime owner Eric Kirsammer said late last year he was looking to sell “as he and longtime manager Liz Mason planned to move on.” Says Kasselman, “We want to preserve as much as possible about the institution while developing value-add opportunities for more community gathering… We want to keep everything ‘as-the-same’ as possible and just provide more opportunities for Quimby’s fans to interact with Quimby’s.” Quimby’s posts on Instagram here.

Join The Chicago Comic Book Shop Crawl This Saturday

“Neighborhood shops plan to take this year’s Free Comic Book Day festivities to a new level, starting with a pre-party Friday,” reports Block Club, with a list of participating stores and more.

Diamond Comic Distributors Find Deal

Diamond Comic Distributors “said that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland has approved a combined bid by Universal Distribution and Ad Populum to acquire the assets of the bankrupt company. The two companies had filed a joint bid for $69.1 million for all of Diamond’s assets with the exception of Diamond UK.”

MEDIA

Sitting Senator Ted Cruz Brings His “Verdict” To WGN Radio

WGN-AM has booked Texas Senator Ted Cruz for a sabbath slot, reports Axios. Broadcasting “Verdict With Ted Cruz” “signals the station’s shift to be a more conservative outlet… WGN was bought by Texas-based Nexstar in 2019 and has drastically changed its lineup since then.”

MUSIC

Pitchfork’s Mike Reed On Inaugural Sound & Gravity Fest

“With Pitchfork in the rearview mirror, Reed is curating a multivenue ‘music experience’ unlike any we’ve seen before,” reports WBEZ, on Reed’s new Sound & Gravity Fest, running September 10-14 in Bricktown/Avondale. “Organized through Reed’s Constellation Performing Arts, forty-eight music acts will take to the stages at six venues—Constellation, Hungry Brain, Judson & Moore, Beat Kitchen, Guild Row and Rockwell on the River—over the course of the five-day event.” Acts and more here. More from Block Club here.

Car Crashes Into Billy Corgan’s Highland Park Teahouse Again

The second car in six months has crashed into Madame Zuzu’s, reports WGN-TV. Stereogum embeds video reports and the teahouse’s Instagram here.

STAGE

Broadway In Chicago And Steppenwolf Make Mark In Tony Nominations

The nominations for the seventy-eighth Tony Awards were announced, with strong showings for Chicago openers and Steppenwolf. “‘Death Becomes Her,’ a musical that tried out in Chicago, scored a formidable ten nominations, including an all-important nod for best musical, as well as nominations for both of its stars, Jennifer Simard and Megan Hilty,” tunes up Chris Jones at the Trib.

Steppenwolf’s “Purpose” received five nominations, including best play, for “its world premiere production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ drama… a bold play very loosely based on the family of political activist Jesse Jackson Jr.” “Purpose” also got nods for best actor (Jon Michael Hill), best featured actor (Steppenwolf artistic director Glenn Davis); LaTanya Richardson Jackson for best actress, Harry Lennix for best actor and for best featured actress, Kara Young.

Writes Jones, “The longtime Chicago director David Cromer was nominated for his work on the musical ‘Dead Outlaw.’ Chicago lighting designer Heather Gilbert, a frequent Cromer collaborator, was nominated (with David Bengali) for her work on Cromer’s production of ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ and former Steppenwolf artistic director Anna D. Shapiro’s Broadway production of ‘Eureka Day’ was nominated in the category of best revival of a play.” Chicago tryout “Boop! the Musical” was nominated for lead Jasmine Amy Rogers, costume designer Gregg Barnes and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Star James Monroe Iglehart was nominated for Chicago tryout, “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical.” The New York Times has the complete list here.

TCG Issues Report On Stage Governing Boards

Theatre Communications Group has released “In Whom We Trust VI: Governing Boards Survey 2024,” the first national study of its kind in over a decade. Based on data from 141 theaters across the country, this report provides fresh insight into the evolving role of boards in a rapidly changing field. Read here.

ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.

Cultural Philanthropy Crashing In Manhattan

“Funding shifts at three of the largest philanthropic foundations have brought turbulence and uncertainty to the intricate New York support system for the performing arts,” reports the New Yorker. “In the past half decade, whole strata of this intricate New York support system have been smashed… According to a forthcoming study by the service organization A.R.T./New York, post-pandemic audiences for nonprofit theatre remain down eleven percent, and, just in the year from 2022 to 2023, corporate giving dipped eighty percent… We’ve lost directing labs, nearby retreat centers for theater and dance, and support spaces dedicated to new writing. There has been less ferment, less activity, less art. Already, financially strapped venues are producing far fewer shows.

“In the past five years, the number of Off Broadway productions eligible for the Lucille Lortel Awards has dropped by half. And then… several private philanthropic foundations pulled out the rug. Three of the largest arts funders in the United States—the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation and the Ford Foundation—stopped supporting many components of the arts infrastructure in New York that they helped create… Despite the timing, these shifts and defundings were not inspired by the incoming Trump Administration; they were set in motion, in some cases, years beforehand—it’s only a coincidence that they amplify the Administration’s fund-pulling chaos.”

New Chief Development Officer At MSI

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry has named Daniel Solow chief development officer. “Bringing more than twenty years of experience in philanthropy and institutional advancement, Solow will lead the fundraising strategy and donor engagement for one of the world’s largest science museums,” relays MSI.

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