54th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Winning Poster Design

54th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES WINNING POSTER DESIGN Graphic Designer Michael Zhang's Poster Selected After Global Contest to Represent Festival, October 10-21 CHICAGO - Cinema/Chicago and the 54th Chicago International Film Festival announced the winner of 2018's poster design competition, Chicago's own Michael Zhang. Zhang's design will be the signature look of the Festival, held October 10-21, 2018. Zhang won a truly global contest, which in the past three years has featured winners from Scotland, Taiwan and the Netherlands. His design was chosen from more than 200 submissions spanning 30 countries. The poster depicts the façade of a vintage movie theater, presenting the exciting thrill of a neon-lit marquee and a classic art deco design. This year's event tagline, "Everybody Loves Movies," runs across the marquee alongside the Festival's beloved "eyes" logo. Zhang, a Chicago resident, also incorporated the City of Chicago's time-honored four-star flag design into the poster. "This competition is meant to gather diverse perspectives on what the Festival is and what it means to people," Cinema/Chicago Founder and CEO Michael Kutza said. "Michael's design captures the glamour and allure of a visit to a classic movie house while also being very contemporary, and we loved his personal connection to the art, Chicago and the Film Festival itself." "I'm honored and so excited to see it in print at the Festival. I've been attending the Festival for a few years now, so this really means a lot to me," Zhang said. "No matter what theater you go to, the excitement of marquee lights are a part of every movie-goer's experience. For me, the lights were always a sign that I was about to leave the real world behind and get lost in a story on screen. When designing this poster, I wanted to evoke a similar sense of wonder and nostalgia." As the winner of the competition, Michael will receive a $2,500 USD prize and his design will be utilized in marketing materials throughout the city, including on the cover of the Festival guide, posters and merchandise. About Michael Zhang Zhang is a graphic designer and illustrator living in Chicago. He volunteered at the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival in 2017 and studied graphic design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently freelancing and available for design or illustration work. You can find more of his work by following him on Instagram @mzhangart. About Cinema/Chicago Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, is a year round non-profit arts and education organization dedicated to fostering better communication among people of diverse cultures through the art of film and the moving image. In addition to the Chicago International Film Festival, Cinema/Chicago's programs include: International Screenings Program, Chicago International Television Festival, CineYouth Festival, and year-round Education Program. Celebrating its 54th edition October 10-21, 2018, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive film festival. STAY CONNECTED:

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Top Ten Real Estate Deals >> Jackie Gleason's UFO House & Frank Lloyd Wright’s Schoolhouse

Jackie Gleason's New York compound of spaceship houses and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Chicago schoolhouse are for sale and featured this week at TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.  

“Jackie Gleason's UFO House & Frank Lloyd Wright’s Schoolhouse”
In the 1950s and ‘60s, one of television's most popular shows was the “Jackie Gleason Show,” broadcast live from Studio 50 in New York City. Jackie's former home in the New York City suburb of Westchester County, shaped and named for the UFOs that he was sure were real, was recently for sale at $12 million.
A man of diversified interests with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in “The Hustler,” producer of mood music albums that stayed at the top of the charts for months, and over 40 years in radio, stage and television, there was another side to Gleason that wasn’t widely known and which he did not discuss publicly. He had a strong belief in UFOs and the paranormal. It was so strong that in addition to his salary and royalties while under contract to CBS in the mid 1950s, the studio gave him six acres of land and a house in Peekskill, New York, which he was free to design and build to his own specifications. He built a series of spaceship houses - a main house, which he called the Mother Ship, a guest house named the Scout Ship, a round storage building and two swimming pools, all of which were completed in 1959. It was part studio, part home and part party house. It was also where he housed his ever growing library on UFOs, parapsychology and the paranormal. The compound was recently for sale at $12 million. 

“Frank Lloyd Wright’s Schoolhouse”
One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most unique designs was also a testing ground for new architectural ideas. Wright’s original preschool commissioned in 1912 as the The Cottage School and later turned residence in the Riverside bedroom community outside of Chicago is on the market for the first time in 40 years - priced at $800,000.
Designing a school was a new creative adventure for Wright. It was the first time his design theme would revolve around children, which allowed for a touch of whimsy to be included. The architecture displays Wright’s first use of the flat roof, and the first shift from the squares and rectangles in his previous art glass windows to colorful circles, representing balloons. Tiny, grouped mosaic-like pieces of glass create the impression of movement and the windows are the only time he also incorporated the American flag. Several of the original windows still exist and the others have been replaced with impeccable replicas. The Art Institute of Chicago is now home to the original triptych window that has been viewed by Wright students and aficionados around the world.
Whether referred to as The Cottage School, the Avery Coonley School or the Avery Coonley Playhouse, Wright’s design was a practical and cheerful design that was successfully repurposed into a single-family residence by his assistant. Now for sale for the first time in 40 years, the listing agent is Mike McCurry of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Chicago, Riverside, Illinois.

Visit TopTenRealEstateDeals.com for more historic, spectacular and celebrity homes and real estate news.

Chicago Jazz Festival to be broadcast by the WFMT Radio Network locally, nationally and in Asia and Europe

THE 40TH ANNUAL CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL WILL BE BROADCAST LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND IN ASIA AND EUROPE THROUGH THE WFMT RADIO NETWORK The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is pleased to announce that, for the second consecutive year, the Chicago Jazz Festival will be heard in various Asian and European countries, as well as across the United States and locally in Chicago through WFMT Radio Network broadcasts and a partnership with Choose Chicago. A favorite Labor Day weekend tradition, the free admission Chicago Jazz Festival is August 24–September 2 in various neighborhood venues, Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) showcasing live performances by Chicago artists alongside some of the greatest names from around the world on multiple stages. The 40th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival is produced by DCASE and programmed by the Jazz Institute of Chicago (JIC). “The world comes to Chicago each year to celebrate this city’s rich music legacy at events like the Chicago Jazz Festival,” said Mark Kelly, DCASE Commissioner. “Through our partnership with the WFMT Radio Network and Choose Chicago, we intend to expand the worldwide audience for the Jazz Festival and for Chicago as a music capital and a global cultural destination.” Chicago Jazz Festival radio partner 90.9FM WDCB will present live broadcasts of three Festival sets from the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, including the Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic: Legends and Lions on Wednesday, August 29 at 6:30 p.m.; the Kurt Elling Sextet featuring Marquis Hill and Jeff “Tain” on Thursday, August 30 at 7:45 p.m.; and Ramsey Lewis for one of his last live Chicago performances on Saturday, September 1 at 7:45 p.m. The local broadcasts will be co-hosted by WDCB host Dan Bindert and WFMT Radio Network announcers, including jazz vocalist Dee Alexander, WFMT host Dave Schwan and Grammy® Award-winning jazz writer and former WBEZ host Neil Tesser. Additionally, WFMT Radio Network and its nationally-syndicated Jazz Network, in partnership with DCASE and Choose Chicago, will showcase select recordings of the Chicago Jazz Festival to a broader national audience, across more than 40 stations around the country in 2019. Selected recordings will also air internationally via the European Broadcasting Union and select Asian broadcasters, extending the reach of the festival to hundreds of thousands of listeners worldwide. Admission to the Chicago Jazz Festival is free. New this year, the expanded festival schedule includes free performances August 24–29 in neighborhood clubs and venues. Hours for Wednesday, August 29, in Millennium Park are 6:30–9:30pm, and for Thursday, August 28, are noon–4:30pm at the Chicago Cultural Center and 6:30pm–9:30pm in Millennium Park. On Friday, September 1, through Sunday, September 3, the festival will be in Millennium Park, 11am–9:30pm. For the complete lineup, visit chicagojazzfestival.us The Chicago Jazz Festival is sponsored in part by American Airlines, Chicago Jazz Magazine, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Tribune, CLTV-ChicagoLand Television, Communications Direct, Downbeat Magazine, Stella Artois, WGN-TV and 90.9FM WDCB. For the latest information on the Chicago Jazz Festival, visit chicagojazzfestival.us, like us on Facebook at Chicago Jazz Festival and follow us on Twitter (@ChiJazzFest) and Instagram (@ChicagoJazzFestival). #ChicagoJazzFestival. For information on the Jazz institute of Chicago, visit jazzinchicago.org/jazzfest. Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events: The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. Jazz Institute of Chicago: Founded in 1969, the not for profit Jazz Institute of Chicago has programmed the Chicago Jazz Festival in partnership with the City of Chicago since the festival began in 1979. The organization’s mission to promote and nurture jazz in Chicago is carried out by providing jazz education for youth and adults, supporting the creation of new work by Chicago jazz musicians; growing the audience for jazz by presenting programs that are free and available for all and fostering a thriving jazz community. Millennium Park: Millennium Park is Chicago’s town square, the #1 attraction in the Midwest and among the Top 10 most-visited sites in the U.S. Millennium Park is located on Michigan Avenue, bordered by Randolph St. to the north, Columbus Dr. to the east and Monroe St. to the south. The Park is open 6am–11pm daily. For the latest news and events, download the Millennium Park app, visit millenniumpark.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @Millennium_Park. WFMT Radio Network: The WFMT Radio Network (www.wfmt.com/network), a division of Window to the World Communication Inc., is a Chicago-based non-profit creator and distributor of programs about arts and culture that are syndicated to hundreds of stations around the world. For decades, the WFMT Radio Network has worked with some of the most admired arts organizations such as Carnegie Hall, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Poetry Foundation, Edinburgh Festival, and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Its Jazz Network is heard on 50+ stations reaching approximately 200,000 weekly listeners nationally. WDCB 90.9FM WDCB, “Chicago’s Home for Jazz,” is a listener-supported, public radio station that broadcasts more than 130 hours of jazz each week from the campus of College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. WDCB serves Chicagoland with jazz, blues, roots music and arts programming. WDCB can be heard throughout Chicagoland on 90.9FM, also from WDCB’s 90.7FM booster signal in the West Loop, via streaming worldwide on www.WDCB.org and in the city of Chicago via cable television on CAN TV42. Choose Chicago Choose Chicago® is the official destination marketing organization for Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to bring regional, national and international business and leisure visitors to Chicago for the economic benefit of the city, the community and its membership. For more information, visit www.choosechicago.com.

You’re invited! Join us for the Chicago Ideas Week Preview Party (Chicago, IL.)

Join us at Boleo's gorgeous rooftop bar for drinks, bites, and the inside scoop on Chicago Ideas Week. You’ll hear directly from our programming team about what makes this year’s program so special. They’ll be sharing their picks for the events you’ll want to snag your tickets for when they go on sale the next day for Members. Wednesday, September 5, 2018 5:30 - 7:30 pm ********** Boleo 122 W. Monroe St. Not a Member? Join today and come party with us to celebrate another year of changemaking ideas.  Get Tickets *Must be 21 or older to attend. SPONSORS BECOME A MEMBER Copyright © 2018 Chicago Ideas, All rights reserved.