In celebration of the 125th birthday of Henry Darger, NON:op Open Opera Works and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art present FEED: to play, to be happy, and to dream. Honoring Darger as a Chicagoan and outsider artist, join us as we present performances by a range of artists from the disability art and culture movement and gender fluid performers.

The evening’s performances will include five courses of food from Chicago chef Mickey Neely of Castle Door Supper Club and beer courses by Lagunitas Brewing, all within a lavish visual environment.

Doors at 6, seating at 6:30.
Tickets: $75

PERFORMERS

Matt Bodett (performance artist) lives and works in Chicago, but hails from Boise, Idaho where he received his MFA. His greatest education came from being diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder, and through that he has learned about identity, language, and healing. Since being diagnosed thirteen years ago, Bodett has sought ways to express the symptoms and struggles of having a mental illness to those who are not diagnosed. Bringing everyone together in dialogue and empathy has been his artistic mission. He is currently on the advisory board for the Institute for Therapy through the Arts and teaches for Northeastern University and Loyola University Chicago.

Title: What I’m Trying to Say
Note: In this performance Matt explores language in schizophrenia by using two typewriters, one which the letters have been altered, to send the same message back and forth to each other. The language, by nature of the type, becomes confused as time progresses and as the type begins to cover and interact with its counterpart. Does this diminish the content? Does this change the nature of language?

Sarah Hollenbeck (author) has published personal essays in Dogwood and TriQuarterly. Her essay “A Goldmine” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and received a Notable Mention in Best American Essays 2014. She has performed at Story Club, Essay Fiesta, You’re Being Ridiculous, and The Bodies of Work Festival, among other live literary shows. Sarah is in the very early stages of writing a collection of essays that explore the experiences of women living with visible and invisible disabilities. But she’s often distracted from her writing by her day-job running Women & Children First, one of the last remaining feminist bookstores in the country. As the store’s co-owner she has been featured in New City’s Lit50 and in Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch, which honors 40 young people who are making a difference in the U.S. publishing industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_2PFj4Qlco&t=2s

Alex Temple (composer)

Michael Herzovi (spoken word) has belonged to the Artistic Development Work. He performed in the ensemble for Bodies of Work in 2006. He has been a featured performer with Small Fish Radio Theatre since their inception. He has been a mentor, writer, and performer with Tellin’ Tales Theatre since 2006, and in 2016 he helped write and performed with Tellin’ Tales in FREEDOM: Out of Order, produced with the Chicago Voices project of the Lyric Opera.

DHF Express returns to rock Intuit, led by frontman Adam “Hollywood” Hines and bassist Louis “Las Vegas” DeMarco. More than just a soulful, high-energy band, DHF Express is on a mission: to make you smile and to make you think. Adam and Louis are dynamic performers and amazing visual artists—and they both place somewhere on the autism spectrum. In 2004, when Adam and Louis were students at Walter Payton High School, they teamed up with special education teacher/drummer Andrew “Edmonton” Frost and his brother, guitarist James “NYC” Frost, to form DHF Express. They have been rocking ever since, with their signature blend of power pop covers and quirky original songs.

In addition to his joyful vocals and infectious wit, Adam Hines is well known for his cardboard drawings of Chicago landmarks, tourist spots, and people with the same name. Louis DeMarco is a talented musician, singer, and songwriter, whose thought-provoking output includes original songs about his own beautiful mind, and drawings that attempt to map his unruly thoughts. Giant murals of Louis’ drawings entitled Cloud Chart, Halo Chart, and Pay Attention are on view at Churchill Park on The 606. Adam and Louis both participate in Project Onward, a nonprofit studio and gallery for artists with disabilities, located at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago (projectonward.org), where their work can be viewed.

Official Website

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Tags: Alex Temple, Chicago, DHF Express, Feed the Darger Salon, Intuit Center for the Intuitive and Outsider Art, Matt Bodett, Michael Herzovi, near west side, Sarah Hollenbeck