Chicago, IL, April 6, 2007--There is so much energy and excitement at Coverings that regardless how hard exhibitors and attendees work during the show, the buzz and vitality from the show floor continue long after the lights go off in the convention center.
In fact, the after-hours programming of Coverings has become an integral extension of the daily activities of the four-day show and conference, which this year is April 17-20 at McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL. “Cocktail receptions, dinner parties and other entertainments have proven to be effective and valuable means for doing additional business,” acknowledged Tamara Christian, CEO of National Trade Productions, the show’s producer. “After a day on the aisles, the opportunity to segue into a more relaxed social scene strengthens the networking process.”
The Coverings schedule is so jam-packed, here is a recap of the highlights. The opening ceremony is Tuesday, April 17, 8:30 a.m., when the $37,000 in Spectrum and Prism Award prize money is presented for outstanding architectural projects featuring tile and stone, followed by the keynote address by Bernard M. Markstein III, the top economic forecaster for the National Association of Home Builders. There are 75 other free conference sessions throughout the show, most CEU-accredited plus live installation demonstrations on the floor. The show itself is comprised of 1,200 exhibitors from more than 50 countries. In fact, there are 10 pavilions themed by country, plus an entire Art Tile Village dedicated to the independent artisans and world of handmade tiles. All told, there’s more than 500,000 net square feet of exhibit space which is equal to about eight miles, so be sure to bring a pair of comfortable shoes.
Yet as much as there is to cover at Coverings, each evening—with or without a break in between—untold numbers of the 33,000 guests will progress on to that next series of after-hours events and activities, taking full advantage of the business-building potential.
“In choosing Chicago for this year’s show, we upped the ante on entertainment venues, restaurants and culture for our Coverings guests which everyone is appreciating,” said Christian. “Because the show concludes on a Friday afternoon, many are bringing their families and electing to stay on through the weekend, because there’s so much to do here.”
There is so much to do in Chicago—from sun up to sun down and in the wee hours in between. Though most who are traveling to Chicago will be well-occupied by the show all hours, on the chance there’s “down” time, “found” time or a decision, as Christian said, “to stay on through the weekend,” here are some ideas to consider during your visit.
In Part One of our series (October 30, 2006), we offered “Best Bets” suggestions on Dining and Nightlife Entertainment (including which Sports teams are playing when Coverings is in town). Now, in Part Two we bring you Museums, Special Events and other interesting attractions and diversions. We’ve also supplied you with an update on a few music bookings and sports teams in town.
Museums/Exhibits
Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
312-443-3600
www.artic.edu
From Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant Garde
Through May 13
Ambroise Vollard (1867-1939) may well have been the most prescient contemporary art dealer of his generation who commissioned paintings, prints, and illustrations from artists who have since become household names—Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri Matisse. He was an innovative patron and a powerful catalyst in turn-of-the-century Paris. The exhibit promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event featuring major loans from international collections.
361 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story
Through May 20
An American story of bravery, honor and idealism, this exhibition commemorates the events of 1955 that became the genesis of the modern civil rights movement, including Rosa Parks’ extraordinary act plus the courage of 50,000 people who forced a segregated bus system to open its doors to equality.
Museum Campus
The Museum Campus is a scenic 57-acre lakefront park connecting three of Chicago's most popular destinations: the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, The Field Museum and the John G. Shedd Aquarium.
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
1300 S. Lake Shore Drive
312-922-STAR
www.adlerplanetarium.org
Shoot for the Moon
This new permanent exhibition highlights the exciting stories of space exploration and America's bold plans to return to the Moon. It begins with A Journey with Jim Lovell, featuring the fully–restored Gemini 12 spacecraft and the Lovell Collection of personal space artifacts. In Mission: Moon, young visitors discover the thrills and dangers of being an explorer and imagine their own futures in space.
StarRider Theater
Shows in the StarRider Theater provide an exciting experience in a virtual reality environment that launches you into the outer reaches of space.
Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
Daily Show Times: 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m.
TimeSpace... Time Travel Only at the Adler
Daily Show Times: 10:45 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m.
Astronomy Day
April 21
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Enjoy hands-on activities, telescope viewing of the Sun, and tours of the Doane Observatory (weather permitting). At 2 p.m., astronomer Dr. Paul Davies will discuss his new book, "Cosmic Jackpot: Why Our Universe is Just Right for Life." Activities are free with paid museum admission. No reservations are needed for educational activities.
The Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
312.922.9410
www.fieldmuseum.org
Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
March 30—September 3
Dinosaurs with feathers? It’s true. What you thought you knew about history takes an unexpected turn in this fascinating exhibition. Cutting-edge technology and newly discovered fossils reveal the evolutionary link from prehistoric dinosaurs to modern-day birds, and shatter your previous ideas of how dinosaurs looked, moved, and behaved.
Treasures of the Titans
Through June 3
This exhibit features exquisite jewelry and fine accessories associated with iconic figures of the 20th century such as Elvis Presley and Sophia Loren. Presented in the Grainger Hall of Gems, the exhibition highlights spectacular objects that reflect the character and style of the people who possessed them.
Impressions of Tsavo
Through July 7
Dazzling color photographs by The Field Museum’s own scientists and resident photographer reveal the remarkable wildlife, landscape, and people of the Tsavo region in East Africa.
Eskimo and Inuit Carvings: Collecting Art from the Arctic
Through June 17
Discover historic and contemporary carvings in stone and animal bone created by Eskimo and Inuit artists from Alaska and Canada.
The Ancient Americas (new permanent exhibit)
The Field Museum's ground-breaking new exhibition, The Ancient Americas, takes you on a journey through 13,000 years of human ingenuity and achievement in the western hemisphere, where hundreds of diverse societies thrived long before the arrival of Europeans.
John G. Shedd Aquarium
1200 S. Lake Shore Drive
312-939-2438
www.sheddaquarium.org
Wild Reef: Sharks at Shedd
Newest Permanent Exhibit
Get as close as you want to sharks. The exhibit has more than two dozen sharks in a 400,000-gallon tank and 20 different habitats featuring 500 species. Explore underwater gardens of iridescent corals and garden eels. Wander through a lagoon and mangrove forest and visit a fishing village where residents saved their reef from destruction — all in this award-winning exhibit.
Oceanarium
See what it takes to train and care for Shedd’s magnificent marine mammals in five daily presentations.
Waters of the World – Travel the world in 90 Habitats
Dive to the ocean floor and wade through a wetland. Visit rivers big and small and explore a Great Lake. Meet thousands of amazing animals, from coral shrimps to giant octopus, from blue iguanas to bluegills, and from sunfish to moon jellies and sea stars. We even have map turtles, in case you get lost.
Museum of Science & Industry
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
773-684-1414
www.msichicago.org
Body Worlds 2
Through April 29
This new exhibit offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see and understand our own physiology and health and to gain new appreciation and respect for what it means to be human. See more than 20 new full-body plastinates and 200 fascinating human specimens that have been preserved through the process of “plastination,” a technique that replaces bodily fluids and fat.
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 East Chicago Avenue
312-280-2660 or 800-622-7858
www.mcachicago.org
Exposed: Defining Moments in Photography
Through July 29
It wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that photography was accepted as a legitimate art on a par with traditional media such as painting and sculpture. By examining the function of photographs within a larger cultural and social context, artists began to explore photography in ways that diverged greatly from its documentary and journalistic tradition. The proliferation of photographs as fine art has coincided with the history of the MCA, from roughly 1967 to the present.
Chicago History Museum
1601 North Clark Street
312-642-4600
www.chicagohistory.org
Chicago Roots Music
Through May 20
Discover Chicago's long and rich history of musical traditions—jazz, blues, gospel, country, and folk. Played and enjoyed at home, on the streets, in places of worship, and at clubs throughout the city, these sounds became synonymous with Chicago and influenced popular music as we know it today.
Dior: The New Look
Through May 28
This exhibition highlights selections from Dior’s revolutionary clothing collection, which he introduced in 1947 and remained popular through the designer’s death in 1957. It explores his revolutionary impact on women’s fashion, dramatically changing the look of clothing after World War II and throughout the 1950s.
Chicago Children’s Museum
700 E. Grand Avenue, #127
312-527-1000
www.chichildrensmuseum.org
Blue Man Group: Making Waves
Through May 20
This exhibit encourages learning and development through sensory engagement and interactive entertainment. Children of all ages can learn to play the unique Blue Man Group instruments, while learning how air and other media transmit sound. This exhibit will enhance the whole family’s appreciation of light and sound.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Tulip Days on The Magnificent Mile
April 16 – May 31
Free & Open to the Public.
You’ll know spring has sprung as Chicago greets its guests with this glorious welcome mat of color and nature. Michigan Avenue, a/k/a the Magnificent Mile, is one of the world’s 10 best shopping boulevards, and stores and restaurants in the district will be offering Tulip Days specials, as well.
Spring Flower Show
Lincoln Park Conservatory
2391 N. Stockton Dr.
312-742-7736
www.chicagoparkdistrict.com
Through May 13
This year’s flower show will feature a changing selection of spring blooming plants including Azaleas, spring flowering annuals and spring flowering perennials.
Green Festival
April 21-22
McCormick Place/ Lakeside
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive
www.greenfestivals.org
Experience Green Festival in one of the greenest cities in the nation. See more than 150 dynamic speakers on 5 stages and take in more than 300 exhibits in the nation’s largest eco-mall. Celebrate Earth Day, Sunday, April 22.
ATTRACTIONS
Hancock Observatory
875 N. Michigan Ave. - 94th Floor
312-751-3680
1-888-875-VIEW (8439)
www.hancock-observatory.com
You'll get one of the best views of Chicago and Lake Michigan from the 94th-floor Hancock Observatory. Take a self-guided audio Sky Tour, then step onto the Skywalk, an open-air viewing deck located 1,000 feet above the Magnificent Mile.
Lincoln Park Zoo
Cannon Dr. at Fullerton Pkwy.
312-742-2000
www.lpzoo.org
One of the oldest zoos in the country (opened in 1868), and it's free! Experience country life right in the middle of the city at the Farm-in-the-Zoo, get up close and personal with a gorilla in the new Regenstein Center for African Apes, greet the newest arrivals at the Pritzker Family Children's Zoo and paddle along the lagoon in a swan boat.
Millennium Park
Millennium Park is the city’s award-winning 24.5-acre centerpiece where art, music, architecture and landscape design exquisitely converge. It is the result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, and features the work of world-renowned talent such as Anish Kapoor, who created the reflective Cloud Gate sculpture, Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, responsible for the provocative imagery fountain, and Frank Gehry, who designed the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for live stage performances. Millennium Park is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Street to the South. The park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Admission is always free. Free audio tours are available for download. For more information call 312-742-1168 or visit www.millenniumpark.org.
Navy Pier
600 East Grand Avenue
312-595-PIER
800- 595-PIER
www.navypier.com
Located right on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is home to the Chicago Children's Museum, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, an IMAX theater, and unique shops and restaurants. Find outdoor fun with the 15-story Ferris wheel, an old-fashioned carousel, tour boats, the Skyline Stage and fireworks.
Sears Tower
233 S. Wacker Dr. (entrance on Jackson Blvd.)
312-875-9696
www.theskydeck.com
Get a panoramic view of Chicago from the top of the nation's tallest building. Check out the interactive exhibits, multi-language computer kiosks that highlight city landmarks and high-powered telescopes for a bird's-eye view.
Sears Tower Skydeck
ARCHITECTURAL TOURS
Chicago Architecture Foundation
224 S. Michigan Avenue
312.922.3432
www.architecture.org
Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) offers numerous architectural tours in and around the City of Chicago. Reservations are strongly recommended for boat and bus tours. For walking and bike tours, arrive at the specified meeting place, at or just before, the stated time and look for a docent with a CAF tag or pin. Groups of ten or more cannot join public walking tours without prior approval from the Tour Department. Tours typically meet at the ArchiCenter Shop in the Santa Fe Building, 224 S. Michigan Avenue. However not all do – check website for individual price, tour length and meeting place. Below please find a list of select tours available during Coverings.
Architecture of Culture & Commerce – Daily 2 p.m.
Downtown Deco - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 11a.m.
Highlights by Bus - Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Historic Skyscrapers – Daily at 10 a.m.
Louis Sullivan: Lost & Found – April 14th
Magnificent Mile – April 14 & 17 - 10 a.m.
Modern Skyscrapers – Daily at 1 p.m.
Segway on the Lakefront – Every Saturday at 10 a.m.
Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park - Sundays at 11 a.m., 12 p.m , 1 p.m., 2 p.m.,
3 p.m., 4 p.m.
Millennium Park Revealed – Friday & Sunday at 11a.m.
Devil in the White City Companion Bus Tour – April 20
Mies & Modernism: The IIT Campus Tour – April 21
Bike the Lakefront – April 22
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower
Through May 4
The Price Tower Arts Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has the distinction of being the only fully-realized skyscraper Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed. Built in 1956 and inspired by a tree, at 19 stories tall, the building transformed the flat prairie upon which it was built, altering the horizon with Wright’s bold architectural statement. This exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of this milestone in American architecture and features drawings, photographs, building components and some of the original furnishings designed by Wright.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
951 Chicago Ave.
Oak Park, IL
708-848-1976
www.wrightplus.org
This complex was Wright’s private residence, studio and architectural lab during the first 20 years of his career.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Frederick C. Robie House
5757 S. Woodlawn Ave
773-834-1874
www.wrightplus.org
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple
Unity Temple Restoration Foundation
875 Lake St.
Oak Park, IL
708-383-8873
www.unitytemple-utrf.org
Wright self-described this building as his “contribution to modern architecture.”
Farnsworth House
14520 River Road
Plano, IL
630-552-0052
www.farnsworthhouse.org
For any Mies groupies compelled to make the pilgrimage, know that this National Landmark is about 58 miles southwest of Chicago, open Tuesday – Sunday,
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last tour at 3), and is $20 per person, requiring advance reservation.
MUSIC - UPDATE
Since our last report, we learned of some additional bookings we thought might be of interest.
The Chicago Theatre
175 N. State St.
312-902-1500 (Ticketmaster)
www.thechicagotheatre.com
Opened in 1921, The Chicago Theatre was the first large, lavish movie palace in America and was the prototype for all others. It has since found new life as stage for live entertainment.
4/13 – John Legend
4/14 – Diana Ross
4/21 – Frankie Valli
Allstate Arena
6920 N. Mannheim Road
Rosemont, IL (near O’Hare)
847-635-6601
www.allstatearena.com
4/21 – Christina Aguilera with the Pussycat Dolls
SPORTS – UPDATE
Take me out to the ball games…
Chicago Cubs
Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark in the majors behind Boston's Fenway.
1060 West Addison
773-404-CUBS
www.chicago.cubs.mlb.com
April 15 versus Cincinnati Reds at 1:20 p.m.
April 16 versus San Diego Padres at 7:05 p.m.
April 17 versus San Diego Padres at 1:20 p.m.
April 20 versus St. Louise Cardinals at 1:20 p.m.
Chicago White Sox
U.S. Cellular Field
333 West 35th Street
866-SOX-GAME (769-4263)
www.chicago.whitesox.mlb.com
It’s a three-day spree versus the Texas Rangers
April 17 –19 at 7:11 p.m.
Chicago Fire
Toyota Park
7000 S. Harlem Avenue
Bridgeview, IL
708-594-7200
Ticket Information: 888-MLS-FIRE
www.chicago-fire.com
April 21 versus Kansas City Wizards
