Stories by Marc Vitali

She’s been on the scene for 10 years – and just turned 14 years old. Ada Grey tells us about her experiences as a Chicago theater critic.

Inside a new exhibition that looks at the art and legacy of the founding fathers of the museum.

A change in state law will ensure first responders are equipped with EpiPens. Meet the mother of the girl who inspired the legislation.

On the 100th anniversary of his birth, Charles White is being recognized with the first major retrospective of his work since 1982. 

A studio performance with harmonica hero Howard Levy and Chicago folk legend Bonnie Koloc.

East meets West in an art show that began with a collection of photos found at an estate sale 27 years ago.

We visit the local gallery and museum that preserves and promotes unusual art made by unusual people.

Theater critic Hedy Weiss gives us her take on a Tennessee Williams classic, an Elvis musical full of glitz and hits and more on Chicago-area stages.

Was the 2011 sale of Chicago’s Goose Island Beer Co. to the Anheuser-Busch InBev company a great American success story, or an epic sellout? We talk barrel-aged beer with Chicago Tribune reporter Josh Noel.

Two Chicago bands get ready to bring the noise this weekend when they make their debuts at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Nearly 30 years ago, artist Keith Haring enlisted the help of 500 Chicago students to paint a 488-foot long mural. Chicago Tonight caught up with a trio of those teens who grew up to be artists themselves. 

An art exhibition takes you inside the digital domain of the internet and explores how the internet has changed the way we experience the world. 

Often called “the people’s poet,” Martin Espada was recently awarded one of the nation’s top literary awards. 

An unusual new art show looks at fantastic and strange paintings made by Chicago and Midwestern artists in the mid-20th century. We visit the Arts Club of Chicago.

A new exhibition conveys the role of the publishers of Ebony and Jet magazines in spreading the word on black culture from their onetime offices at 820 S. Michigan Ave.

By all accounts, Ivan Albright was a lighthearted fellow – but in the mid-20th century, the Chicago artist painted some very dark pictures.

On the 100th anniversary of his birth, Charles White is being recognized with the first major retrospective of his work since 1982. 

An unusual new art show looks at fantastic and strange paintings made by Chicago and Midwestern artists in the mid-20th century. We visit the Arts Club of Chicago.

We peek behind the scenes at an exotic butterfly sanctuary in Chicago, and learn how volunteers help scientists track butterfly populations.

We stop by Delmark Records, where a blues summit took place this week in preparation for the 35th annual Chicago Blues Festival in Millennium Park.

CPS graduate Shawn Harrington is at the center of a harrowing but hopeful new book by Rus Bradburd, his former New Mexico State basketball coach-turned-author.

RVs and camper culture hit the highway in a book that celebrates the “moveable American dream.” 

A former industrial corridor along the North Branch of the Chicago River could be turned in to the city’s newest entertainment district. Rock critic Jim DeRogatis sounds a warning.

The actor known for his role as Dwight Schrute on NBC’s “The Office” talks about his dual roles in Matthew-Lee Erlbach’s new play “The Doppelganger.”

Theater critic Hedy Weiss gives us her take on shows from American Blues Theater, Shattered Globe, Porchlight, the Paramount Theatre and more.

By all accounts, Ivan Albright was a lighthearted fellow – but in the mid-20th century, the Chicago artist painted some very dark pictures.