Friday 10/15 – Thursday 10/21
Peter Dunne, director of New Jersey’s Cape May Bird Observatory, is often called “the bard of birding” for his amusing avian tales. The Chicago Audubon Society has imported him to give a talk tonight to benefit the society; it’s at 6 at Kenyon Oppenheimer Gallery, 410 N. Michigan. Admission is $45, which includes wine and snacks. Call 773-539-6793 for tickets.
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16 SATURDAY More bird news: Hawks are heading south for winter, and one of the best places to spot them is along the western shore of Lake Michigan–provided the conditions are right. “A good day is any time there are west winds that stack the birds up against the lakefront,” says David Johnson of the Evanston North Shore Bird Club. He’ll lead a search for Merlin and sharp-shinned hawks today at Illinois Beach State Park. Meet at 7:30 AM in the parking lot of Mathon’s restaurant, 6 E. Clayton in Waukegan. It’s free, and even if the hawks don’t show up, “we’ll have plenty of other fall migrants, including lingering shorebirds, to look at.” Call 847-578-2713 for more information.
Video artist Bill Viola got his start in fifth grade, as captain of the TV squad at P.S. 20 in Queens. Since then the former AV geek has generated an impressive output of images combined with amplified sound. The new exhibit Bill Viola: A 25-Year Survey includes video installations and a changing program of videotapes made by the artist between 1972 and 1994. It opens today (and runs through January 9) at the Art Institute, Adams and Michigan; admission is $8, $5 for students and seniors. Call 312-443-3600. There are also a couple of pieces being shown off-site, including Nantes Triptych, an installation at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn (773-702-2100). Admission to that is free.
19 TUESDAY Not too long ago Kathy Kane quit a good job at Motorola to start her own consulting business. The change allows Kane to juggle five children and her work; today she’ll explain how you can do the same at a seminar called Finding Balance Between Work and Family. It’s from noon to 1:15 at Women Employed, 22 W. Monroe, suite 1701 (312-782-3902), and costs $20.
