Programs, Exhibits and Events

These programs took place in fall 2009.

Quicklinks: Films and Performances | Lectures and Panel Discussions | Exhibits | Community Discussions | Courses, Fairs, Tours and More | For Teens

Kickoff Event

Chicago Visionaries—From Burnham to Today and Beyond
Tuesday, August 4, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Chicago today is as much on the brink of progress as the Chicago of 100 years ago. Join some of our city’s most innovative thinkers in a discussion of how to keep Chicago vital and vibrant in the 21st century. Panelists include One Book, One Chicago author Carl Smith; Nichole Pinkard, director of innovation at the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute; architects Sarah Dunn and Martin Felsen of UrbanLab and Archeworks; and Angela Hurlock, director of Claretian Associates, developers of green and affordable housing on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Moderated by MarySue Barrett, president of the Metropolitan Planning Council.
Presented in partnership with the Newberry Library, Chicago Matters and The Burnham Plan Centennial.

Films and Performances

Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City
This documentary film explores the fascinating life and complex legacy of Daniel Hudson Burnham and how his vision to organize the chaos of 19th century America shaped the nation’s towns and cities for generations. The film, the first full-length documentary about Burnham, was directed by Judith McBrien and produced by The Archimedia Workshop in consultation with Kartemquin Films. Runtime is approximately 60 minutes.

• Wednesday, September 2, 7:30 p.m.
  Millennium Park, Pritzker Pavilion
  201 E. Randolph Street

The following screenings also offer a discussion after the film with the director and other great Chicago thinkers:

• Tuesday, September 15, 6:00 p.m.
  Harold Washington Library Center
  Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
  400 S. State Street
• Thursday, October 1, 6:30 p.m.
  Sulzer Regional Library
  4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
• Wednesday, October 7, 6:30 p.m.
  Woodson Regional Library
  9525 S. Halsted Street

Our Future Metropolis: Mr. D.H. Burnham Presents a Plain Talk for the Development of Chicago
Monday, September 14, 6:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Lookingglass Theatre presents this one-man performance, adapted and directed by ensemble member John Musial and starring ensemble member Raymond Fox as Daniel Burnham. The performance recreates the initial presentation of Burnham’s plan to the public. Musial’s staging brings out the genius in Burnham’s project while visually linking his plan with today’s Chicago through both authentic original slides and modern-day photography.

Lectures and Panel Discussions

South Chicago Celebrates the Burnham Plan
Tuesday, September 15, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
South Chicago Branch
9055 S. Houston Avenue
Join a special South Chicago Advisory Committee meeting for a celebration of the Plan of Chicago and what Daniel Burnham’s legacy means to this evolving community. Hear from speakers on how the plan is still being implemented today for the betterment of South Chicago and learn about the latest community plans and improvements from local advocates—including Angela Hurlock of Claretian Associates.

Chicago’s Transportation History and Future
Wednesday, September 23, 7:00 p.m.
Sulzer Regional Library
4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
Newberry Library map historian James R. Akerman and urban planning policy expert Joseph P. Schwieterman of DePaul University join forces to explore Daniel Burnham’s treatment of transportation in the Plan of Chicago and to examine the region’s identity as the nation’s crossroads.
Presented in partnership with the Newberry Library and the Burnham Plan Centennial.

The Unraveling of Chicago Public Housing
Tuesday, October 6, 6:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Join D. Bradford Hunt, associate professor of social science at Roosevelt University and author of Blueprint for Disaster: The Unraveling of Chicago Public Housing, as he reflects on Chicago public housing from its New Deal roots through the current Mayor Daley’s Plan for Transformation.
Presented in partnership with Chicago Matters and the National Public Housing Museum.

One Writer on Home
Wednesday, October 14, 6:00 p.m.
DePaul University
John R. Cortelyou Commons Building
2324 N. Fremont Street
Chicago-based fiction writer Bayo Ojikutu (47th Street Black, Free Burning) reads from his latest work and discusses the manner in which recent civic phenomena—gentrification, the city’s bid for the 2016 Olympics and the emergence of President Barack Obama from the city’s South Side—have affected how Chicago writers speak to the city’s burgeoning global identity and its 21st century aspirations.
Sponsored by DePaul University’s Department of English. For more information, go to depaul.edu/~oboc or call (312) 325-7485.

From City Beautiful to City Green
Thursday, October 22, 7:00 p.m.
Vodak-East Side Branch
3710 E. 106th Street
Join the Newberry Library’s Diane Dillon, Loyola University’s Harold Platt and Openlands’ Glenda Daniel for a discussion of how the Plan of Chicago responded to lack of public open, green spaces and the weak relationship of the city to the region and how similar environmental questions are being addressed today.
Presented in partnership with the Newberry Library and the Burnham Plan Centennial.

Carl Smith: Chicago—The American City
Saturday, October 24, 11:00 a.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Join the author of the Fall 2009 One Book, One Chicago selection! Smith gives an exciting and engaging illustrated talk about the remarkable effort to create and implement the Plan of Chicago. What put Burnham at the helm of this gargantuan task to restructure our city? How did Burnham’s plan change the way that Chicago and other American cities are built?

Parks, Squares, Lawns, Woods and Dales: The Burghs of Fictive Chicago
Monday, October 26, 6:00 p.m.
DePaul University Student Center, Room 120
2250 N. Sheffield Avenue
Chicago writers Billy Lombardo, Gina Frangello and Eric May read from their work and consider how Chicago has defined them as writers, teachers and editors. The authors will address this city of interwoven villages, and how it has informed the insights offered in their poetry and prose.
Sponsored by DePaul University’s Department of English. For more information, go to depaul.edu/~oboc or call (773) 325-7485.

Sustainability Through Lighting Design
Tuesday, October 27, 6:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
From “big plans” to the finest detail, the architect plays a significant role in how both public and private spaces make use of valuable energy. Learn more about the models used for conserving electrical power with how we light our homes and workplaces with architect Patrick H. Grzybek of Perkins+Will.

The Biography of Chicago
Wednesday, October 28, 6:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Join historian Dominic Pacyga as he traces our city’s storied past, from the explorations of Joliet and Marquette in 1673 to the new wave of urban pioneers today. Pacyga’s latest book, Chicago: A Biography, is filled with all of the city’s characters and defining moments.
Presented in partnership with Columbia College and Chicago Matters.

Bold Plans for the Next 100 Years
Saturday, November 14, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
In 2109, what change will have come to our dwellings, roadways and transit, communications networks, technology and economies? Join moderator Adele Simmons and a panel including urban designer Bruce Mau, architect and planner Doug Farr and Cheryle Jackson, president of the Chicago Urban League for a look into an imaginative future.
Presented by the Chicago Humanities Festival, in partnership with the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Matters. Tickets are $5, on sale to CHF members on Tuesday, September 8 and to the general public on Monday, September 21. Go to chfestival.org or call (312) 494-9509.

The Future of Chicago—How We Get There
Saturday, November 14, 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
From neighborhood to city to region, how are innovative planners, activists and policymakers leading our city forward? Panelists include John Fregonese, a regional planning and transportation expert; Sadhu Johnston, the City of Chicago’s chief environmental officer; and Carlos Nelson, executive director, Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation.
Presented by the Chicago Humanities Festival, in partnership with the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Matters. Tickets are $5, on sale to CHF members on Tuesday, September 8 and to the general public on Monday, September 21. Go to chfestival.org or call (312) 494-9509.

Bonus CHF Program: Think Big Youth Expo
Saturday, November 14, 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Reception Hall
400 S. State Street
During the recent school year, the Chicago Humanities Festival worked with area elementary school students to explore the city’s relevance to them, reflecting on Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago and their own roles in moving the city forward today. Come view a selection of student writings and artwork that represent the big ideas of Chicago’s youth, and hear from student docents who participated in the project.
Presented by the Chicago Humanities Festival, in partnership with the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Matters. Free, reservations not required. Space may be limited. For more information go to chfestival.org or call (312) 494-9509.

Exhibits

Make Big Plans—Daniel Burnham’s Vision of an American Metropolis
Through October 31 unless otherwise noted below
This exhibition, curated by the Newberry Library, commemorates the Plan of Chicago and emphasizes its relevance to metropolitan development now and into the future. Reproductions of compelling images from the plan and other sources engage audiences in the history and implications of Burnham’s regional vision. In addition to the below CPL locations, the exhibit can be viewed at various suburban libraries, Midway and O’Hare airports and online at burnhamplan100.org.

• Albany Park Branch
  5150 N. Kimball Avenue
• Bucktown-Wicker Park Branch
  1701 N. Milwaukee Avenue
• Chicago Bee Branch
  3647 S. State Street
• Harold Washington Library Center
  Congress Corridor
  400 S. State Street
  (Through September 13)
• Lozano Branch
  1805 S. Loomis Street
• Rogers Park Branch
  6907 N. Clark Avenue
• Roosevelt Branch
  1101 W. Taylor Street
• South Chicago Branch
  9055 S. Houston Avenue
• Sulzer Regional Library
  4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
• Thurgood Marshall Branch
  7506 S. Racine Avenue
• Vodak-East Side Branch
  3710 E. 106th Street
• Woodson Regional Library
  9525 S. Halsted Street

Burnham Pavilions
Through October 31
Millennium Park, South Chase Promenade
The iconic centerpieces of the Burnham Plan Centennial are two temporary architectural pavilions in Millennium Park. World-renowned architects Zaha Hadid (London) and Ben van Berkel (UNStudio, Amsterdam) designed these bold Pavilions to echo the audacious future-looking images and words of the Burnham Plan. Free and open to the public, they are intended to provide a focal point for the centennial events taking place throughout the region.
Presented by the Burnham Plan Centennial in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park Inc. For more information, visit burnhamplan100.org.

Inspiring Dreams! Promoting the Burnham Plan
August 3, 2009 – February 2010
Harold Washington Library Center
Chicago Gallery, Third Floor
400 S. State Street
This exhibit explores how Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago was promoted to Chicago’s citizens, from the Wacker Manual, to church sermons and department store window displays.

Chicago Model City
Through November 20
Chicago Architecture Foundation, Atrium Gallery
224 S. Michigan Avenue
From Burnham’s Plan of Chicago to the 2016 Olympic bid, Chicago Model City features the stories of the people who made Chicago a symbol of urban transformation. The exhibition centerpiece—a large-scale architectural model of the city—will inspire you to imagine the future of metropolitan regions everywhere.
For more of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s tours and programming related to the Plan of Chicago and Daniel Burnham’s legacy, go to architecture.org.

Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago
Through December 15
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Avenue
This exhibition, launched in September 2008, presents prized illustrations from the Art Institute of Chicago Department of Architecture and Design’s collection in five separate and insightful rotations. The exhibition offers an extraordinary opportunity to view historically significant and artistically exceptional documents that, because of their fragility, are rarely displayed publicly.
For more information, visit artic.edu.

Burnham Memorial Design Competition
July 20 through October 31
The Field Museum, Brooker Gallery
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
The exhibit will showcase the winning entry model, three finalists entries and a video loop of all 19 original submissions for this invitational competition to create a lasting memorial to honor the memory of Daniel Burnham and his Plan of Chicago and provide inspiration for the future.
The Competition is a joint effort of the Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust, The Field Museum and AIA Chicago Foundation. For more information, visit burnhamplan100.org.

Big. Bold. Visionary. Chicago Considers the Next Century
September 4 through October 4
The Chicago Tourism Center
72 E. Randolph Street
This exhibit taps current Chicago architects, planners and landscape architects for their visions of the city and region in the 21st century and beyond. Their rich and diverse ideas are representative of the many influences that have made this city the world capital of architecture. All are fundamentally Big, Bold and Visionary in the mold of Daniel Burnham.
Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the Burnham Plan Centennial. For more information, call (312) 744-6630 or visit burnhamplan100.org.

Community Discussions

What’s Next?
Eleven CPL locations will host community discussions featuring facilitators whose insights into the Plan of Chicago and related topics will bring added depth to the conversation. Using Carl Smith’s book as a launching point, these programs will ask: How has the city been shaped by our needs these past 100 years and how will it evolve in the next 100? What’s next?
Presented in partnership with Chicago Matters, The Great Books Foundation and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

• Saturday, October 3, 3:00 p.m.
  Rogers Park Branch
  6907 N. Clark Street
  (312) 744-0156
• Monday, October 5, 6:30 p.m.
  Albany Park Branch
  5150 N. Kimball Avenue
  (312) 744-1933
• Tuesday, October 13, 6:00 p.m.
  Roosevelt Branch
  1101 W. Taylor Street
  (312) 746-5656
• Wednesday, October 14, 7:00 p.m.
  Sulzer Regional Library
  4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
  (312) 744-7616
• Thursday, October 15, 6:00 p.m.
  South Chicago Branch
  9055 S. Houston Avenue
  (312) 747-8065
• Saturday, October 17, 11:00 a.m.
  Bucktown-Wicker Park Branch
  1701 N. Milwaukee Avenue
  (312) 744-6022
• Saturday, October 17, 1:30 p.m.
  Mayfair Branch
  4400 W. Lawrence Avenue
  (312) 744-1254
• Thursday, October 22, 7:00 p.m.
  Woodson Regional Library
  9525 S. Halsted Street
  (312) 747-6900
• Saturday, October 24, 10:15 a.m.
  Thurgood Marshall Branch
  7506 S. Racine Avenue
  (312) 747-5927
• Tuesday, October 27, 2:00 p.m.
  Vodak-East Side Branch
  3710 E. 106th Street
  (312) 747-5500
• Wednesday, October 28, 7:00 p.m.
  Lozano Branch
  1805 S. Loomis St.
  (312) 746-4329

Courses, Fairs, Tours and More

The Burnham Pavilions: Talks with the Team
September 2, 9 and 30; October 14 and 28, 5:30 p.m.
Burnham Pavilions in Millennium Park, South Chase Promenade
The series of free informal tours and talks about the Burnham Centennial Pavilions features Burnham Centennial staff and professionals who were involved with the project. Learn directly from the insiders about the planning, design, construction, techniques, artistry and technology involved in making the pavilions a reality. Meet at the north end of the South Chase Promenade.
Presented by the Burnham Plan Centennial, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Millennium Park Inc. For more information, visit burnhamplan100.org.

DePaul University Course – Chicago in Literature: Beyond the Burnham Plan
DePaul University’s Department of English offers a course dedicated to exploring literary facets of the city’s One Book, One Chicago selection. In autumn 2009, English 378: “Literature and Social Engagement – Chicago’s One Book: Issues and Perspectives” will celebrate the Burnham Centennial and will be taught by Bayo Ojikutu, acclaimed Chicago-based fiction writer. The course looks at the manner in which the city’s place so near the historic crossroads of this America has allowed Chicago to function as the lever of East-to-West cultural exchange. We will explore this functionality as it informed Daniel Burnham’s brilliant cityscape then innervated Chicago’s bevy of well-regarded creative writers and the literature most readily entwined with the city’s legacy. This 10-week course meets Mondays and Wednesdays, from 11:20 a.m. – 12:50 p.m., beginning on September 9.
Sponsored by DePaul University’s Department of English. This is a paid tuition-based course. For more information, go to depaul.edu/~oboc or call (773) 325-7485.

DePaul Burnham Birthday Celebration
Friday, September 11, 6:00 p.m. reception; 7:30 p.m. dinner and program
Maggiano’s Little Italy
516 N. Clark Street
In honor of the plan centennial and the 163rd birthday of Daniel Hudson Burnham, DePaul University will be hosting a reception and banquet dinner. Recognize the great programs being offered as part of the centennial and celebrate the future of our region.
This is a paid, ticketed event. $55 for dinner, cash bar. For more information or to RSVP, please email Burnham@depaul.edu or call (312) 362-5731.

Bold Plans. Big Dreams. Community Showcase Tours
October 10, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Explore the unique stories and bold plans of six diverse Chicago neighborhoods as told through the voices of community leaders and residents. The three-hour tours will leave and return from downtown and include:

• Gateway to the World (Albany Park)
• Rebuilding a Classic Chicago Community (Auburn Gresham)
• Discover Pilsen (Pilsen)
• From Civil War to Civil Rights and Beyond (Quad Communities)
• From Pollution to Solution (South Chicago)
• Gateway to India (West Ridge)

Presented by the Burnham Plan Centennial in collaboration with LISC Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Alliance and six community organizations. The tours are free, but registration is required. Contact info@burnhamplan100.org or visit burnhamplan100.org.

Chicago Area Archivists Fair
Saturday, October 24, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Reception Hall and Multi-Purpose Rooms
400 S. State Street
It’s impossible to celebrate a centennial of any kind without thinking of how we learn about the past! The Chicago Archives Fair showcases the remarkable research facilities available in area museums, libraries, universities, historical societies and associations.
Sponsored by Chicago Area Archivists, Chicago Metro History Education Center and the Chicago Public Library.

Programs for Teens

Daniel Burnham Meets YOUmedia at the Chicago Public Library
The change-makers no longer dwell in smokey rooms and high-back leather chairs. They are students, gamers, musicians, designers, photographers, filmmakers, bloggers and tweet-ers. YOUmedia is a dynamic new space in the Harold Washington Library Center that connects young adults with books, digital technologies and Chicago’s educational and cultural communities, inspiring collaboration and creativity. In celebration of the Burnham Plan Centennial and the rising generation of urban innovators, YOUmedia will offer a series of digital media workshops designed to further equip young adults with the technical and critical skills needed to shape the world around them.

The YOUmedia Centennial Series Workshops include:

• Viral Reform: Ignite social change via Twitter, YouTube and social networking.
• Being Daniel Burnham: Apply the practice of gaming to design a 21st Century Plan for Chicago.
• Tracing Changes: Capture the city’s oral history through digital photographic and cinematic documentation.
• The Great Persuasion: Build a digital “soap box” through the mediums of blogging and podcasting.
• Progressive Propaganda: Create messages promoting a new vision for urban beautification using graphic design.

For up-to-date information about these workshops and YOUmedia, visit youmediachicago.org.

Experience the Plan of Chicago Through Geocaching
Wednesday, August 12, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
YOUmedia
400 S. State Street
(312) 747-4780
This hands-on experience allows participants to discover the history of Chicago while using 21st century tools. Join experienced geocachers (treasure-hunters who use global positioning system devices) in a hunt to rediscover 1909 Chicago. Using handheld GPS units, participants will tour several historic spots that Daniel Burnham used to create the Plan of Chicago while hunting for clues to enhance this journey through time.
For teens ages 14 and up, parents and educators. Registration is required and attendance is capped at 36 participants per program. Presented in partnership with Science Chicago.

Special Online Geocaching Challenge: Check out the online independent geocaching GPS Classroom challenge from July 27 through August 27. Complete your activity sheet and turn it in to any Chicago Public Library location. After your sheets are scored, you will be eligible to win a prize in a Teen Volume raffle of books, wristbands and more. Winners will be contacted in early September!

Discover Chicago: A Fun and Educational Two-Part Workshop Series
For teens ages 14 and up, parents and educators. This two-part workshop series is presented in partnership with DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development (las.depaul.edu/chaddick). Attendance is limited and registration is required. Please call the branch phone numbers listed below.

• Part One: Who was Daniel Burnham? Play “Metro Joe” trivia games and participate in activities to learn about him; urban planning and the Chicago region; and the amazing grid system that Daniel Burnham proposed in 1909 that makes our city both beautiful and easy to navigate.
  • Saturday, September 12, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
    Blackstone Branch
    4904 S. Lake Park Avenue
    (312) 747-0511
  • Saturday, September 12, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
    Harold Washington Library Center
    YOUmedia
    400 S. State Street
    (312) 747-4780
• Part Two: Experience the Plan of Chicago firsthand. Take a field trip to the Loop to see Chicago’s world-famous architecture as well as Grant Park, the wide expanse of green grass preserved for Chicagoans like you!
  • Saturday, September 19, 1:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
    Blackstone Branch
    4904 S. Lake Park Avenue
    (312) 747-0511
    Transportation will be provided by chartered bus from Blackstone to and from the Harold Washington Library Center to teens, parents and educators with permission slips signed by a parent or guardian (if under 18). Meet at Blackstone at 1:00 p.m. and plan to return at approximately 4:45 p.m. The program will be from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 downtown.
  • Saturday, September 19, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
    Harold Washington Library Center
    YOUmedia
    400 S. State Street
    (312) 747-4780

Our Future Metropolis: Mr. D.H. Burnham Presents a Plain Talk for the Development of Chicago
CANCELED
Harold Washington Library Center
YOUmedia
400 S. State Street
Lookingglass Theatre presents this one-man performance, adapted and directed by ensemble member John Musial and starring ensemble member Raymond Fox as Daniel Burnham. The performance recreates the initial presentation of Burnham’s plan to the public. Musial’s staging brings out the genius in Burnham’s project while visually linking his plan with today’s Chicago through both authentic original slides and modern-day photography.
For teens ages 14 and up, parents and educators.