Stories by Marc Vitali

Elena Diadenko aids the war effort in her native country. When she isn’t teaching she raises funds through art-related events — although now she has a heightened sense of urgency due to the new administration in Washington DC.

In the news this week: Doctors in Switzerland are expanding their range of prescriptions to include visits to art galleries and museums. You don’t need a prescription to experience the arts in Cook County.

This morning, I took my first-ever Irish dance lesson and got my butt kicked from here to Killarney. At the Irish American Heritage Center, two “Riverdance” dancers led a workshop of 35 to 40 dancers of varying age and experience.

The exhibition “Myth and Marble – Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection” has works span hundreds of years, with the earliest piece dating from the 5th century BCE.

Sculpture from Italy, theater from Peru, the inspiration for “Rent” — this week’s offerings include rare imports, an operatic favorite and a homegrown songwriter with a cinematic mind. See you at the show.

The lives of artist Adrián Viajero Román's family members are reflected in the new exhibition “Archivos Vivos” at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture.

Billy Corgan is teaming with the Lyric Opera to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Smashing Pumpkins’ epic double LP “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” for a week of performances in late November.

Next year will mark 50 years since the founding of Chicago’s Black Ensemble Theater. Many well-regarded theaters have come and gone in that time, but BET is still growing under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Jackie Taylor.

Tariffs won’t affect the price of theater, concerts or museums, and that’s a good thing. Here are five ways to take in what Chicago has to offer.

“I make the work so people feel seen and cared about and have a voice,” Kenn Cook Jr. said. “That’s what the work is — I just amplify the voice of people who live here and give them a chance to tell their own story, not letting that story be written for them.”

Say farewell to February and welcome March by embracing the seemingly limitless choices we have in the Chicago area. We reside in the metropolis of the Midwest, so make big plans.

A gentle reminder: It is important to embrace the culture and free expression that define us as Chicagoans and Americans. In other words, buy a ticket and see a show. Here are five to consider.

Stylist Jonathan Van Ness has been the guide to glamour through nine seasons of the Netflix series “Queer Eye.” Van Ness is one of the Fab Five — a quintet of advisors who use humor and empathy as they apply their skill sets toward improving someone else’s life.

While recovering from open heart surgery in 2021, Chicago-based artist Shar Coulson experienced trippy visions that ultimately shaped her artwork.

The Super Bowl is over, and we are now in the 40th year since the Chicago Bears won the big game. Meanwhile, the arts and culture scene in Chicago just keeps winning. Here are a few favorites and underdogs to place your bets on.

The upgrades at North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival will take place in phases over the next few years. Everything is expected to be renewed and enhanced by the 2029 season, when Ravinia celebrates its 125th anniversary.

These five picks spotlight Black History Month, including one absolute must-see that will cost you just a dollar.

In “Lobby Hero,” four characters get caught in a web of lies as they try to provide cover for themselves, their family and their friends.

Neko Case has written the book on her sometimes wild life. She returns to Chicago this week to talk about her memoir, “The Harder I Fight the More I Love You.”

The winter theater season in Chicago is a reliable source of heat. Here are five promising productions.

Here are five excellent places to reflect and recharge. Just don’t everybody go at once.

Beat the January blahs with some blues — or a prize-winning play or an art show. In a few months when everyone is complaining about the heat, you’ll recall that time in the dead of winter when you bundled up and defied the season.

The beloved American roots music club has been honored with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s the first Illinois music venue to be recognized by the National Park Service.

Chicago’s been invaded by puppet people, and resistance is futile. If you wish to experience theatrical wonder — and who doesn’t? — surrender to these inventive invaders.

Billing itself as a farm-to-fable tale, “Shucked” reminds audiences that it’s OK to have a great time at the theater. It has hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt songs to go along with the bushels of cornball humor.

If you’ve never been to the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, now is an opportune time to go on a cultural expedition. The museum’s third floor gallery is currently filled with “beLONGING: Lithuanian Artists in Chicago — 1900 to Now.”