Facebook icon Twitter icon Instagram icon YouTube icon
search icon
Playlist Culture

Culture

The Penthouse Hyde Park. Photo: Anna Munzesheimer

Where to Go During Open House Chicago 2021

Open House Chicago is back, allowing you to peek inside more than 100 sites across Chicagoland on October 16 and 17. Given all the standout options, we've chosen a few highlights that we think are especially worth visiting. 
Viola Spolin. Courtesy: Viola Spolin Estate

Exploring the Surprising Chicago Roots of Improv

Improv "was born out of a need to communicate with a new immigrant population, from a woman who loved theater," says the producer of our new upcoming documentary Inventing Improv: A Chicago Stories Special.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Celebrate the Holidays with Charlie Brown on WTTW

Last year, WTTW and other PBS stations started a new holiday tradition by airing the Peanuts Thanksgiving and Christmas specials, but missed out on Halloween. This year, the tradition gets even better: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will air on public television in addition to the other beloved classics. 

Alma and her family in 'Alma's Way.' Image: Courtesy Fred Rogers Productions

A New PBS Kids Series from a Veteran of 'Sesame Street'

Sonia Manzano, who broke ground as one of the first Latino characters on national television by playing Maria on Sesame Street, is the creator of a new PBS Kids show produced by Fred Rogers Productions that focuses on a young girl's adventures in the Bronx. 
The Punch Brothers performing in 'Kennedy Center at 50.' Photo: Michael Butcher, Elman Studios

The Stars Celebrating the Kennedy Center's 50th Anniversary on PBS

Hosted by multiple Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald, Kennedy Center at 50 celebrates 50 years of the Washington, D.C. institution with performances by a huge range of artists. Meet them here. 
Rita Moreno in West Side Story rehearsals. Photo: MGM Media Licensing

What to Watch in October

Fall is here, which means several new seasons of favorite dramas as well as one new to WTTW, a profile of one of the few EGOT-winning performers, a series on veterans, and a new WTTW documentary about improv.
Brandis Friedman hosting 'Chicago Tonight: Black Voices'

WTTW Has a New Weekend News Lineup

Beginning Saturday, September 25, WTTW will have a new weekend news lineup.
Rita Moreno Putting On Lipstick In Mirror, 1954. Photo: Getty Images

WTTW's 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month Programming

Discover WTTW's programming celebrating this Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins September 15. 

Katherine Dunham dancing and Katharine Kuh smiling and reading papers

Two Avant-Garde Women Who Took Big Risks in Chicago’s Art Scene

Dancer Katherine Dunham and curator Katharine Kuh are part of an upcoming exhibition at the Newberry Library called "Chicago Avant-Garde," which tells the story of five Chicago women who took risks throught their art.
A robot pushes a cart in a factory. Photo: Courtesy Pond5

What to Watch in September

There's a huge amount of worthwhile TV out there nowadays, so it can be hard to choose what to watch. But who better to recommend shows than the person who programs them? Lisa Tipton, WTTW’s Head of Programming and Pledge, constructs the WTTW schedule by searching through offerings from many different sources which include the national PBS network, the BBC, and independent filmmakers to put together a varied and engaging broadcast schedule.

Rahmaan Statik in front of his Muhammad Ali mural. Photo: WTTW/Liz Markel

A Chicago Artist Honors Muhammad Ali

“Muhammad Ali is the athlete equivalent of an artist," says the visual artist Rahmaan Statik, a South Side native and former Nation of Islam member who has painted a mural of Ali at 2847 S. Kedzie Avenue in Little Village. 
Muhammad Ali enjoying a spontaneous encounter with his fans in Detroit, MI. Circa 1977. Photo: Courtesy Michael Gaffney

What Muhammad Ali Means To Me - A Personal Reflection

Muhammad Ali was the greatest; a symbol of a strong, unapologetically Black man; an example of how a person can grow and change. WTTW's Tim Russell reflects on his memories of Ali and the boxer's importance. 
Pati Jinich at the U.S.-Mexico border. Photo: Alan Jinich/Mexican Table LLC

Coming Up on WTTW

From a special examining the U.S.-Mexico border via the medium of food, to profiles of pioneering women Sandra Day O'Connor and Rita Moreno, to a scientific examination of marijuana as it becomes increasingly accepted, take a look at upcoming PBS shows. 
Princess Diana visits Leicester. Photo: PA Images / ALAMY Stock Photo

What to Watch in August

A look at the myth-filled life of Princess Diana in her own words, two documentaries marking the approaching twentieth anniversary of 9/11, a marathon mystery, and a popular musical in concert form.
Joanna Hernandez on the set of 'Chicago Tonight'

A Chicago Native Returns Home to Become the Newest WTTW News Reporter

Joanna Hernandez spent the past five years as a journalist in New York City, but she has always wanted to return to Chicago to tell the stories of her native city. "I’ve talked about it since day one,” she says.