Friday 2/8 – Thursday 2/14
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The images of blossoming plant life on display in Steppenwolf Theatre’s second-floor gallery, 1650 N. Halsted, aren’t all roses, but the exhibit is called Bed of Roses to complement the many rose garden scenes in Steppenwolf’s main stage production of Maria Arndt, a mother-daughter drama. Featured works include photographs by Reader contributor Jim Newberry, prints by David Solzman and Sandra Frank, Erica Erdmann’s screen prints and etchings, and Carrie Notari’s painted glass jars full of seeds, dirt, and photographs of poppies. The exhibit is sponsored by Anatomically Correct and there’s a free opening reception tonight from 5:30 to 7:30, with music by jazz group Fish Triad. The show runs in tandem with Maria Arndt through March 31 and is open to the public one hour prior to all performances. Call 312-514-1802 for more information.
9 SATURDAY Hollywood has consistently depicted white cavalry coming to the rescue of settlers on the western frontier, but often the soldiers were black. After the Civil War, one in five U.S. Army soldiers was African-American. Between 1866 and 1912, black soldiers fought in 85 percent of conflicts with Native Americans, some of whom dubbed them “buffalo soldiers,” likening their fighting spirit to that of the Plains buffalo. Today at 3 Anthony Powell, the grandson of a buffalo soldier, lectures on the men who escorted settlers, guarded mail, protected herds of cattle, strung miles of telegraph wire, and rebuilt army posts. His slide presentation accompanies an exhibition of his collection of memorabilia, which Powell obtained from his grandfather and his contemporaries. The Buffalo Soldier: The African American Soldier in the U.S. Army, 1866-1912 opens today in the main gallery of the DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th (773-947-0600), and runs through April 7. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 to 5 and Sunday from noon to 5. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and seniors, $1 for children ages 6 to 13; kids under six get in free, and it’s free to all on Sundays.
14 THURSDAY Lots of marriages end up on the rocks, but few begin on ice. This Valentine’s Day at 8:45 AM, a bride and groom elected by viewers of Fox News in the Morning will exchange vows at the ice rink at Millennium Park (Michigan and Randolph) in the city’s ninth annual Wedding on Ice. The public is invited to watch from the sidelines; the nuptials will be broadcast live on Channel 32.
