The measles ‘is not a benign disease’
March 5, 2025
This week’s weather is finally feeling like spring, making it the perfect time to give your décor a seasonal refresh with the annual arts and crafts fair. And for those already dreaming about summer, hit the pool for movie night with Northwestern Recreation. Here’s what else to add to your calendar this week. As always, all are welcome!
Handmade art
Come to Norris for the 2025 Spring Arts and Crafts Fair. See and buy all kinds of art made by members of the Northwestern community. Materials will also be available for you to make your own themed crafts.
The fair is at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in the Louis Room, Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston.
The power of music
In 1732, Handel’s “Esther” baffled London audiences but found new meaning when Sephardic poet David Franco Mendes reimagined it in Hebrew. In this lecture-presentation, Northwestern Ph.D. candidate and Presidential Fellow Paul Feller-Simmons explores how this adaptation transformed Esther into a statement of identity and belonging — asserting that Jewish voices could share in the Enlightenment’s soundscapes.
The event is at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in McClintock Choral and Recital Room, Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston.
A modern ‘Man of La Mancha’
See a reimagined version of “Man of La Mancha” during its opening weekend. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote,” this play-within-a-play production was originally set during the Spanish Inquisition, with Cervantes in prison awaiting trial. The new staging sets the musical in a modern detention center on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 25, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, at the Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Buy tickets here.
A museum doubleheader
Explore The Block Museum of Art and the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in celebration of exhibitions “Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland” and “Living Stories: Contemporary Woodland Native American Art.” Shuttles will run between the two museums so participants can enjoy open galleries, artist talks and activities at both museums.
The Gichigamiin, 3001 Central St., Evanston, opens at 10 a.m., and The Block, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, opens at noon on Saturday, April 26. Shuttles begin running at noon. RSVP and learn more here.
Lights, camera, splash
Northwestern students are invited to the first-ever “Flick-N-Float” movie night from Northwestern Recreation. Relax in the pool or poolside and enjoy a screening of “Moana.” Free snacks and limited pool floats will be provided.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, at Norris Aquatics Center, 2311 Campus Drive, Evanston.
Lose yourself in the (new) music
The Bienen School of Music caps off this year’s Northwestern University New Music Conference with a performance from the International Contemporary Ensemble. Highlights of the program will include music by special guest composer George Lewis, as well as a work by Bienen Ph.D. candidate Carlos Bandera.
The concert is at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Buy tickets here. See the full conference schedule here.
Taking the diamond
Grab a seat in the bleachers to cheer on men’s baseball in its home game against Butler.
The team plays at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park, 2750 Ashland Ave., Evanston. Buy tickets here.
