Culture

For a brief period, the new Apple Store off the Chicago River looked like a giant Macbook. What other buildings take inspiration from objects, in subtle or outrageous ways? Discover examples from the blatant to the futuristic and inspired.

Chicago Ideas Week wants "to help people process all the tumult in this country by positing questions, giving them ideas, and getting them thinking" by presenting innovative thinkers in conversations and talks, says the director of programming.

The jazz pianist was an iconoclast in his style, playing, and compositions, which explains why he was so progressive and influential (he is the second-most recorded jazz composer). Vocalist and radio host Dee Alexander discusses the master on his 100th birthday.

During Open House Chicago, which is October 14 and 15, you can see things you've never seen before as more than 200 sites across Chicago, Evanston, and Oak Park open to the public for free. So many choices are overwhelming, so we've chosen a few highlights.

Axis Lab seeks to preserve the culture and history of the Vietnamese community centered on Argyle Street in Uptown, as well as support the local businesses, through innovative artistic means. "It's up to us to continue our parents' work," says the executive director.

There’s a huge amount of worthwhile TV out there nowadays, so we have some highlights from WTTW's Dan Soles, who programs WTTW's schedule. This month there's a timely investigation, a charming dramedy, an acclaimed musical, and a spooky profile.

The first Chicago International Latino Theater Festival features eleven plays from companies both local and international, in venues across Chicago. It presents a wide array of Latino perspectives and aims to achieve more visibility for Latino theater in Chicago.

The renowned Chicago-based artist Kerry James Marshall is painting a mural on the side of the Chicago Cultural Center that will honor twenty women "who've worked to shape the cultural landscape of the city, past and present."Who are they?

In the upcoming The Chicago River Tour with Geoffrey Baer, Geoffrey boards six diverse vessels to explore Chicago's waterways by boat. From a canoe to a tugboat, discover the different boats and how each represents a different part of river traffic.

Even though they're the ones who create what you see and love in Disney films, animators, designers, and art directors aren't household names. Discover the people responsible for Fantasia, Jafar, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and more, and learn about their adventurous lives.

The Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, responsible for the artistic look of Bambi and subject of a new American Masters documentary, lived to be 106 years old. What famous artists born more than a century ago are still living – some even working – today?  

You might have Richard Linklater pegged as a philosophizing director fixated on subdued, musing moments, but he's made a wide range of films. From School of Rock to Fast Food Nation to Bernie to Boyhood, explore some of his films, including two upcoming ones.

There’s a huge amount of worthwhile TV out there nowadays, so we have some highlights from WTTW's Dan Soles, who programs WTTW's schedule. This month, there's a bucket list, a haunted comedy, a documentary about financial injustice, and veteran stories.

The free Chicago Jazz Festival, which runs from Thursday to Sunday, celebrates the centennials of Dizzy, Ella, and Monk this year – but it also features creative new projects. Dee Alexander, a performer in the Fest, and Neil Tesser, an organizer, discuss the programming with us.