In A. Martinez’s pieces remember to bring her flowers and I hear you still even now, remembrance of this maternal labor is key. Two figurative paintings are displayed side by side, sewn into a woven frame of dried flowers and hemp cord. https://bit.ly/4aNaRIr
But this year, audiences were out for blood, too. Read the full piece by @juggaloreporter.bsky.social: chicagoreader.com/best-of-chic...
Whatever’s going on, it’s renewed an appreciation for the materiality of the body and experiences that emphasize its capacity and limitations. A combat sport and entertainment source dating back to ancient times, wrestling has long been associated with the modern underground.
This cultural moment feels medieval. Maybe it’s something about the collapsing of traditional social models, the rise of authoritarian hierarchies, or the spreading of once preventable diseases and viruses that can kill large swathes of people.
"I can never resist the allure of lamb on a menu, and the plov at North Park’s Faiza Chicago is no exception. Featuring just a few simple ingredients, the dish’s main flavor comes from the large chunks of fatty lamb—a staple meat in Uyghur cuisine." https://bit.ly/4tRYmCW
Adam Rapp’s Red Light Winter had its world premiere in 2005 at Steppenwolf and ended up being a finalist in 2006 for the Pulitzer Prize. Joliet native Rapp specializes in stories about disaffected people and the forces that pull them together and apart. https://bit.ly/4u4LDN5
Congratulations to all the winners! We're only featuring a small portion of the City Life ballot here, which has 29 winners total.
Explore the full ballot of 200+ Best of Chicago winners at chicagoreader.com/best
Over 86K votes were cast in the City Life category, which includes everything from where Chicagoans are getting their news to the elected officials that lived up to their campaign promises.
📸 Section photography: Kirk Williamson
In Muffed, Peercy delivered a gloriously goofy deconstruction of documentary-style theater through the story of a group of thespians researching and devising a piece about a festival celebrating the inventor of earmuffs. https://bit.ly/4rKQVeZ
In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. https://bit.ly/4rdw577
i also had the pleasure of editing the issue's city life section.
here are some of my favs from @chicagoreader.com staff/contributors:
The Reader’s Best of Chicago issue is out today, I wrote 10 percent of the critic’s picks, which I’ll thread below. But first, here’s all the editorial contributions to the music and nightlife section
chicagoreader.com/best-of-chic...
for the @chicagoreader.com's 2025 best of chicago issue, i wrote about cops!
for the best conglomeration of local police to protect a murderous army of federal agents, look no further than the unified command of broadview, illinois.
Explore the issue now at chicagoreader.com/best or pick up a print copy near you at chicagoreader.com/findacopy. Distribution begins Wednesdays and continues through Saturday—and we're restocking all month long.
What else is inside our love letter to the city? The issue includes a handpicked editorial list of the people, places, events, and everyday marvels that make our city so special.
Print cover of the Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago issue.
Best of Chicago is out now! Check out this year's ballot winners voted on by nearly 40,000 Chicagoans in over 200 categories. 🏆 chicagoreader.com/best
Suzannah Herbert’s Natchez makes a compelling case against the sanitization of history to suit the desires of the ruling class. But as a piece of storytelling, Herbert misses the mark, toying with the audience’s perception of the film’s subjects. https://bit.ly/4l556ch
Catholic clergy entered the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Ash Wednesday, following months of protests and legal action seeking to allow religious ministers inside. https://bit.ly/4076txK
Best of Chicago drops on March 4! The ballot was chosen entirely by almost 40,000 Chicagoans who voted for their favorite things about our city. Find out who made the final cut this Wednesday!
Take a sneak peek as our production department photographs this year's cover.
“Spaces for People, Systems for Spaces” at Western Exhibitions features 15 artists who make art about architecture. With maps, skylines, floor plans, and sculptures, these artists show how our built environments are living, breathing ecosystems. https://bit.ly/46hgUlT
Whether it is sweet or spicy, send us your opinion about a story in this month's issue.
Brotman’s solo exhibition “It Had to Be You” inhabits the guts of an apartment building in Pilsen—the project space Basement—presenting paradoxes at skewed heights under the low ceiling of pipes and concrete. https://bit.ly/46MoJA0
The viewer is asked to reckon with the hard, concrete edges of urban life colliding with the lush fecundity of the natural world. Queerness is defined both in the chic power of a skyscraper and the vibrant mundanity of soft summer grass. https://bit.ly/4aykkDi
new: highlands reit, a small chicago-based real estate firm, is renting an empty prison it owns in colorado to ice and private prison giant geo group.
highlands is part of a network of private contractors hoping to get a cut of the $45 billion allocated to warehouse immigrants through 2029.
Peoples Gas filed yet another rate-hike request with the ICC in January, which would increase the average Chicago home-heating bill by $10 per month if approved by the commission. https://bit.ly/3ZNZQjJ
with talk of public funding for a new bears stadium yet again ramping up in springfield, perhaps it’s a good time to revisit this piece from @joeengleman.bsky.social that explores who actually benefits from publicly funded stadium projects (hint: it’s not us!).
Bouncing between the father’s misdirected frustrations and a desire to set a good example, My Father’s Shadow reckons with masculinity and its manifestations. Read the full review by Cortlyn Kelly: https://bit.ly/3OvSChV
I wrote about My Place Ohio, a Chicago DIY spot that shut down shortly after hosting All-American Rejects—the founder is moving to Louisville and aiming to set up a DIY spot there
[pushes glasses up the bridge of my nose with my index finger] CDs are the new vinyl, DVDs are the new VHS, Blu-ray Discs are the new DVDs
Revisit Kerry Cardoza's reporting on Loyola University’s development plans and the lack of communication that has set Rogers Park residents on edge for years: chicagoreader.com/arts-culture...
