Blair Thomas & Company Present HARD HEADED HEART, 2/16

Blair Thomas & Company presents Hard Headed Heart, a 75-minute puppetry performance for adults on Thursday, February 16, 7:30 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, the show is divided into three acts and will be performed on two stages. Admission is free; reservations are highly recommended. To register, call 312.742.TIXS (8497), visit ExploreChicago.org/richardharris or stop by the Chicago Cultural Center Ticket Office.

Act One features The Puppet Show of Don Cristobal by Frederico Garcia Lorca in the Claudia Cassidy Theater. Based on the rough folk humor of the traditional trickster Don Cristobal, this is a bawdy telling of Cristobal’s wooing and marriage to the delectable Dona Rosita.

Act Two features St. James Infirmary, the story of a man who dances away his grief when faced with the death of his lover, presented in the Claudia Cassidy Theater.

For Act Three, audiences move to the GAR Rotunda for Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens, the story of how doubt inexplicably finds its way in-between the love of a man and a woman.

Blair Thomas & Company creates and performs contemporary puppetry and visual theater locally, nationally and internationally. Dedicated to the art of the puppet and its relationship to live music as an expressive form, in addition to the art as a spectacle form, the company creates unique, artistic experiences that are vital to the cultural life of Chicago and influential to the field of contemporary performance nationally and internationally.

The Chicago Cultural Center will host several engaging lectures, performances and events in conjunction with the six-month run of a provocative new exhibition, Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection, which explores the iconography of death.

“We are truly honored to partner with such extraordinary innovators, performers, scholars and institutions on a dynamic roster of free programming that will further the discussion sparked by Morbid Curiosity’s powerful subject matter,” said Michelle T. Boone, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

For the full schedule and updates, visit ExploreChicago.org/richardharris, follow us on Twitter (@ChiCulturCenter) or “Like” the Facebook page, facebook.com/chicagoculturalcenter.

Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection: Open Through July 8
Morbid Curiosity showcases Richard Harris’s wild and wonderfully eclectic collection of fine art, artifacts, installations and decorative objects, including creations by many of the greatest artists of our time, which explore the iconography of death across a variety of artistic, cultural and spiritual practices from 2000 B.C.E. to the present day.

The two major components of this exhibition are the “War Room,” highlighting the atrocities of war in notable works from the 17th century to present day in the 4th floor Exhibit Hall; and the “Kunstkammer of Death,” a modern-day “cabinet of curiosities” housed in the Sidney R. Yates Gallery, featuring a wide-ranging survey of mortality across cultures and spiritual traditions.

Morbid Curiosity is curated by Lucas AnTony Cowan and Debra L. Purden of the Visual Arts Department of the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture. Exhibition viewing hours are Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The Chicago Cultural Center is closed on holidays. For more information on Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection, visit ExploreChicago.org/richardharris, follow us on Twitter (@ChiCulturCenter) or ‘Like’ the Facebook page atfacebook.com/chicagoculturalcenter. Note: This exhibition contains explicit imagery that may be disturbing to younger or sensitive viewers.

Public programs, exhibitions, and related educational programming presented at the Chicago Cultural Center by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Transportation support is provided by United Airlines, The Official Airline of the Chicago Cultural Center. Lawry’s The Prime Rib is the restaurant sponsor of Chicago Cultural Center exhibitions.

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to promoting and supporting Chicago’s arts and culture sector. This includes, but is not limited to: fostering the development of Chicago’s nonprofit arts sector, independent working artists, and for-profit arts businesses; presenting high-quality, free or low-fee cultural programs accessible to residents and visitors; and marketing the City’s cultural assets to local, regional, and global audiences. DCASE produces nearly 2,000 public programs, events and support services annually, generating millions in economic benefits for the City of Chicago.

Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture
The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture markets Chicago as a premier cultural destination to domestic and international leisure travelers; provides innovative visitor programs and services; and familiarizes visitors and residents with the city’s vibrant neighborhoods, cultural attractions and creative industries. The Chicago visitor industry serves 40 million visitors annually, generates $11 billion in direct spending and $616 million in taxes, and sustains 124,000 jobs. For more information, visit www.ExploreChicago.org.

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