From a new wine bar to must-see opera, here’s what to see, do, taste and more in Chicago this month.
A postcard of the “House of Tomorrow,” the first glass house in America, designed by architect George Fred Keck for the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago
EXPERIENCE Celebrating 25 years of inspiring and enriching the community through art, education and architecture programming, the Elmhurst Art Museum presents an anniversary exhibition that honors the midcentury solar innovations of Chicago’s award-winning architecture firm Keck & Keck in its latest multimedia installation, Houses of Tomorrow: Solar Homes from Keck to Today. The firm was headed up by brothers George Fred Keck (who originally designed the glass-walled “House of Tomorrow” for display at the 1933 Chicago World Fair) and William Keck; the exhibition features a dedicated gallery illustrating Keck & Keck’s history, a commissioned interpretation project by Jan Ticky utilizing original 1933 artifacts of the visionary home model and more, all in honor of the sibling duo’s breakthrough in energy-efficient architecture and solar power long ago. Through May 29, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst, elmhurstartmuseum.org
Rising star soprano Michelle Bradley portrays iconic heroine Floria Tosca at Lyric Opera of Chicago
SEE How about a double dose of opera? Two new productions, Tosca and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, arrive at Lyric Opera of Chicago this spring. An emotional tale of an irresistible Italian diva bravely fighting for what she wants, Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca follows Floria Tosca in Rome as she navigates two men in her life: the revolutionary Mario Cavaradossi, who loves the opera’s heroine, and vicious police chief Baron Scarpia, who lusts after her. Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the widely acclaimed, moving memoir by The New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow that reveals the Black experience through the lens of his traumatic youth in Louisiana, is presented onstage with inspiring music composed by six-time Grammy Award winner Terence Blanchard. Fire Shut Up in My Bones runs through April 8; Tosca runs through April 10. 20 N. Wacker Drive, lyricopera.org
An image from Jessica Chou’s 2013 Suburban Chinatown series of teens outside Los Angeles
SEE The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at Columbia College Chicago has unveiled its latest thought-provoking exhibition: Beautiful Diaspora/You Are Not the Lesser Part, featuring the work of 15 global artists of color. Hailing from the Philippines, the Ivory Coast and elsewhere, these artists possess uniquely personal approaches to image-making through the vast medium of photography, notes MoCP associate curator Asha Iman Veal. “The visual conversation among this group of artists is full of hope as it defies the imposed political distances and legacies that prefer they/we neither align nor meet.” Through June 26, 600 S. Michigan Ave., mocp.org
Belly up to the bar at GoodFunk for natural wines and no pretension.
SIP GoodFunk, a new natural wine bar and cafe in the Loop from the Bonhomme Hospitality team, invites you to taste grape varieties crafted by forward-thinking winemakers from lesser-known regions of the world. With an ever-evolving wine list due to the inherently limited production of these must-try bottlings, GoodFunk will frequently change its by-the-glass and bottle offerings (sometimes daily, always weekly) for guests to savor new tastes each visit. Paired with equally funky, wine-friendly dishes like housemade charcuterie and Spanish-style flatbreads, GoodFunk reminds you wine can be affordable, quirky and, most importantly, fun. 180 N. Wacker Drive, goodfunkchicago.com
Golf, but make it glam: Chic looks from PXG’s latest collection are on offer at the brand’s latest Chicagoland location.
SHOP Here’s some exciting news for Chicago-area golf pros and budding novices alike: Premier golf equipment and apparel company PXG has opened its second Chicago-area location, this one in Oakbrook Terrace. Complete with three state-of-the-art fitting bays, a practice putting green, an extensive retail showroom and more, PXG delivers a firsthand, immersive in-store experience for customers. Don’t miss the label’s new spring/summer 2022 apparel collection, with colors inspired by the sunrises and sunsets of Scottsdale, the company’s hometown, along with the PXG signature black and white palette—including must-wears like the men’s asymmetrical stripe button-up jacket. 17W705 E. Roosevelt Road, Oakbrook Terrace, pxg.com
Photography by: COURTESY OF INDIANA LANDMARKS AND COLLECTION OF STEVEN R. SHOOK; BY TODD ROSENBERG; ©JESSICA CHOU, COURTESY ANASTASIA PHOTO, A DIVISION OF AG GLOBAL, NEW YORK; BY BARRY BRECHEISEN; COURTESY OF PXG
