You're invited to come to the Third Annual Armitage Arts Festival, a multi-arts celebration that connects community members, artists, neighborhood organizations and businesses in Chicago’s Hermosa and Logan Square neighborhoods. This festival includes live music and other activities in venues along W. Armitage Avenue—at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Mozart Park, Rosa's Lounge and Weegee’s Lounge.

Friday, September 9th (7:30-9:00 p.m.)

Mozart Park
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647

community drum circle led by John Yost

all ages, free and open to the public

Friday, September 9th (9-11 p.m.)

Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
4048 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL 60639

BBF's Open Spirits

Environmental Encroachment

all ages, suggested donation

Saturday, September 10th (7:00-9:00 p.m.)

Weegee's Lounge
3659 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647

Participatory Music Coalition
Emelda Lawson Bekkal -- keys, flute, shakuhachi
Xristian Copal -- drums, tenor saxophone, percussion
Sura DuPart -- drums, percussion
Adam Zanolini -- tenor saxophone, bass, keys, congas

21 and older, free and open to the public

Saturday, September 10th (9:30 p.m.-midnight)

Rosa's Lounge
3420 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647

Corey Dennison Band

21 and older. Admission: $10 / $15. Free tickets for first 30 people (first come first serve), use the code ARMITAGE ARTS FESTIVAL: rosaslounge.com

The 2016 Armitage Arts Festival is brought to you by a coalition of organizations and businesses that comprises a community-building initiative along W. Armitage Ave—including SRBCC, Rosa’s Lounge, Borderbend Arts Collective, En Las Tablas Performing Arts, Mozart Park, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and Weegee’s Lounge. The first public program presented by this coalition was the 2014 Armitage Arts Festival; other Armitage Arts programs have happened several times a year since A2’s inception.

Saturday, June 25 (1 p.m.)
 
Mozart Park
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647
 
free and open to the public

You’re invited to come to Armitage Arts: Summer City in a Garden, a multimedia Night Out in the Parks event presented by the Borderbend Arts Collective. Armitage Arts: Summer City in a Garden includes a set of live painting with phonography, collaborations with writers and musicians, and an art making workshop for all ages.
 
Program:

• 1st set: Chicago Phonography
  
• 2nd set: Alpha Bruton (painting) and Jon Hey Quartet (Jon Hey (piano), Dan Godston (cornet), Alex Wing (electric bass) and Lou Ciccotelli (drums))
  
• 3rd set: Writers & Musicians -- Regina Baiocchi (poetry), Andrea Change (poetry), Tanner McSwain (fiction), Kenyatta Rogers (poetry), Valerie Wallace (poetry) & quartet
  

Armitage Arts: Summer City in a Garden is part of a community arts initiative along W. Armitage Ave; other Armitage Arts programs have included the 2014 and 2015 Armitage Arts Festivals, as well as events at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Rosa’s Lounge and Weegee’s Lounge.

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks with the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan. “Urbs in Horto” (“City in a Garden”), which is Chicago’s Latin motto, is part of the inspiration for this event’s title. 
 
Funding for this program is also being provided by Poets & Writers. Support for Readings & Workshops events in Chicago is provided by an endowment established with generous contributions from the Poets & Writers Board of Directors and others.  Additional support comes from the Friends of Poets & Writers.

Thursday, June 2nd (7 p.m.)

Weegee's Lounge
3659 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647

$30 suggested donation

Weegee's Lounge's 10th Anniversary Party will be a lot of fun, and it's for a great cause -- to benefit Mozart Park. Weegee's Lounge is a unique local establishment that has been an important supporter of the arts and culture in this neighborhood.

Weegee's Lounge has been a big supporter of Armitage Arts since its inception in spring 2014.

Wednesday, May 18th (7 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647

Join us for a Mozart Park community meeting and contribute to the Mozart Park Advisory Council and future planning of Mozart Park programs and events. Your input will help guide future development and ensure that Mozart Park continues to represent the interests and priorities of the surrounding neighborhood.
 
Spanish language interpretation will be available at the meeting.

After School Matters Arts and Tech Fair

Saturday, April 9th (11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
4048 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60639

free and open to the public

75 teens will showcase their talents at the first After School Matters Arts and Tech Fair at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center in Hermosa, co-hosted by After School Matters, Borderbend Arts Collective and the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. Attendees will have the chance to watch performances and demonstrations of the teens’ work. The fair is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.

The After School Matters Arts and Tech Fair features showcases from the following programs: Chicago Kaleidoscopes at Marine Leadership Academy (creative writing), Level UP Youth Maker Space (robotics), Nature Museum TEENS at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (environmental science), Spoken Word Academy of Chicago at the Kelly Hall YMCA (spoken word), Traditional Puerto Rican Bomba at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (dance and drumming)

Thursday, January 21st (6:30-8:30 p.m.)

Rosa's Lounge
3420 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647

free and open to the public

You're invited to come to Armitage Arts' Winter Jam at Rosa's Lounge. Jump out of Chicago's January chill to join us with performances and community building in Logan Square!

Our program includes:

• performance by Mozart Park Drum Class and Friends, led by John Yost
• Armitage Quintet: Roger Carroll (tenor saxophone), Jon Hey (piano), Adam Zanolini (flute, tenor saxophone, bass, djembe), Dan Godston (cornet) and Lou Ciccotelli (drums)
  
• presentations by Armitage Arts partners

$5 donation

"Melody Angel: In This America" immediately follows Armitage Arts' Winter Jam (8:30 p.m.).

Date: Saturday, September 12th (1-8 p.m.)

Venues: SRBCC, Mozart Park, and Weegee's Lounge
in the Hermosa and Logan Square neighborhoods

free and open to the public

The Armitage Arts Festival is a multi-arts celebration that connects people of all ages, artists, and neighborhood organizations and businesses in Chicago’s Hermosa and Logan Square neighborhoods. This festival includes live music, literary performances, visual art, and other activities in venues along W. Armitage Avenue—at Mozart Park, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, and Weegee’s Lounge.

Thursday, April 16th (8:00-9:30 p.m.)

Rosa's Lounge
3420 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60647

$5 suggested donation

You're invited to come to “Armitage Arts at Rosa’s Lounge,” which includes performances and community building. This program, which is part of the ongoing Armitage Arts series, includes: 

• Presentation by Amber Mohammad-Castañeda about the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
• Performance by Mozart Park Drum Class and Friends, led by John Yost
• Presentation by Ra Joy from the Arts Alliance IL, including invitation for community members to participate in "Accelerate Culture"
  
• Music with Poetry -- Charlie Newman (poetry), Wayne Allen Jones (poetry), Adam Zanolini (saxophone, flute, mbira, djembe), Dan Godston (cornet, pixiphone, kalimba) and Lou Ciccotelli (drums)
• Live Painting by Joe Vajarsky
  

“Armitage Arts at Rosa’s Lounge” is brought to you by a consortium of organizations and businesses that comprises a community-building initiative along W. Armitage Ave.; the first public program presented by this consortium was the inaugural Armitage Arts Festival, which was a huge success. The Armitage Arts series also included “Armitage Arts at SRBCC” (Feb. 28th)—will continue later this year with “Armitage Arts: Summer Edition” at Mozart Park, and the 2015 Armitage Arts Festival.

Links:

• "2015 Lifetime Achievement Award: Buddy Guy" by Jeff Beck (The 57th Grammys, 1/27/2015)
• Accelerate Culture
• Arts Alliance Illinois
• Chicago Drum Circle Meetup Group
  
• Rhythm Rhythm
  
• Rosa's Lounge
• "Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center Thrives with Possibilities" by Amelia Orozco (EXTRA, 3/5/2015)
• "Sweet home Chicago? The house where Muddy sang the blues awaits a rescue" by Mark Guarino (The Washington Post, 7/18/2014)

Saturday, February 28th (8-10 p.m.)

Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
4048 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60639

$5 suggested donation

You're invited to come to an Armitage Arts event hosted by the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. The program includes:

• presentations by organizations and businesses in the Hermosa and Logan Square neighborhoods that are associated with the Armitage Arts initiative
  
• live painting by Joe Vajarsky
  
• performance by Mesostic -- Jon Hey (keyboards), Jon Godston (soprano saxophone), Dan Godston (cornet, voice), Sam Bradshaw (upright bass) and Bonbonfera Tim Keenan (drums). This set includes poetry by Sandra María Esteves and Ed Roberson.
• Rhythm Revolution drum circle facilitated by Rick Neuhaus

Refreshments will be provided. Attendees are invited to contribute to the food and drinks, so feel to bring something potluck-style.

This event is brought to you by a consortium of organizations and businesses that is a community-building initiative along W. Armitage Ave.; the first public program presented by this consortium was the inaugural Armitage Arts Festival (Sept. 2014), which was a huge success. The Armitage Arts event at SRBCC on Feb. 28th builds on the momentum that was started with the 2014 Armitage Arts Festival, and which is part of a program series continues throughout 2015.

Links: 

• The 606
• Armitage Arts
• Borderbend Arts Collective
• En Las Tablas Performing Arts
• Logan Square Neighborhood Association
• Mozart Park
• Opera-Matic
• Rosa's Lounge
• Rhythm Revolution
• Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
• Weegee's Lounge

Closing reception for Nelson Armour's photo installation
At Work/At Home, En el Trabajo/ En Casa

Saturday, January 31 (1:00-3:30 p.m.)

Art on Armitage
4125 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL  60639

Refreshments will be served, All are welcome. 

Click here for more info. 

Nelson Amour's artist statement, from artonarmitage.com: "Lake County, Illinois, is an excellent place to live. The County boasts of many wealthy suburban communities along with its largest city, Waukegan. Overall, the County is racially and ethnically diverse with a Hispanic/Latino population of over 14%, African American population of almost 7%, and an Asian population of close to 4%. Yet, depending on your home community, residential diversity is lacking. In many Lake County communities, most of the service workers are minorities, Latinos or African American. For example, in my town of Highland Park, a majority of landscape crews are Latino. Many first generation immigrants have started their own landscape businesses or found employment in these enterprises. Today, many Mexican Americans have pursued the “American Dream” through landscape businesses, either as owners or workers.

"The hard work and effort of these small business people and workers are evident in the well-cared lawns and gardens of the area. These workers contribute to the high quality of life in these communities, but rarely live in them; their homes and communities are often separate from many Lake County suburbs. While visible on the job, they are some times invisible as individuals.

Above: Mr. Efrain Delgado

"In At Work/At Home, En el Trabajo/En Casa I highlight these workers. Through formal portraits, I hope to bring out their individuality and hard work. Each portrait is paired with another taken at the person’s house or in the community. This pairing of “at work” and “at home” provides recognition of each individual’s work and personal life. This work was inspired by Milton Rogovin’s series, 'Working People.'"