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This week’s gig poster features a fantasy concert at a real but defunct Chicago venue. Artist Eric J. Garcia created this image in honor of former Pilsen community center and neighborhood anchor Casa Aztlan.
Garcia wrote the following to explain his inspiration for the poster: “Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, the famed poet and intellectual genius of 17th-century New Spain, LIVE! Her brilliance was so powerful that she was banished from the public and cloistered away by the Catholic church. Now, for one night only, on the eve of Dia de los Muertos, she’s back to RE-RE-occupy the famed Casa Aztlan auditorium in Pilsen. Initially occupied by Brown Berets during the Chicano movement, Casa Aztlan became a center for arts, culture, and social struggle in this Mexicano community for more than four decades. Now having been sold off and whitewashed by gentrifying realtors, Casa Aztlan is being re-re-occupied for this special performance. All proceeds will go to the real-life activists of the Pilsen Housing Cooperative, who are hard at work stemming the tide of gentrification in Pilsen. Even if you can’t come see the Tenth Muse at this historic event space, please support the Pilsen Housing Cooperative in keeping working families and artists from being displaced.” Thank you, Eric, for this poster and for your contribution to the Reader Coloring Book.
The Reader is still accepting submissions of Fantasy Gig Posters to be featured in this column. To participate, please e-mail [email protected] with your name, contact information, and your original design or drawing (you can attach a JPG or PNG file or provide a download link). We won’t be able to publish every submission, but we’ll feature as many as possible while the pandemic continues. Your submission can also include a nonprofit, fundraiser, or action campaign that you’d like to bring to the attention of our readers.
Not everybody can make a fantasy gig poster, of course, but anybody with a few bucks to spare can support the out-of-work staffers at Chicago’s music venues–here’s our list of fundraisers. And don’t forget record stores! The Reader has also published a list of local stores that will let you shop remotely.
ARTIST: Eric J. Garcia
FANTASY GIG: Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz & the Hypocrisy of the Inquisition at Casa Aztlan on Sun 11/1
ARTIST INFO: ericjgarcia.com
NPO TO KNOW: Pilsen Housing Cooperative