Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

🤔 Can you guess how tall our Athenaeum sign is? Comment below your guess.

Keep following for the answer!

Deep within each human soul, there exists an intense craving for connection, purpose, and love — a thirst that only God can satisfy. Yet, the question remains: How does one fulfill this yearning? The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is the most profound means by which God shares Himself with humanity. However, a 2019 Pew Research Study unveiled a concerning reality: only one-third of practicing U.S. Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

In Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist, we embark on a global journey to rediscover and revive the transformative power of the Eucharist.

We are excited to host a screening with Noelle Mering, who appears in the film and is the author of the popular Theology of Home Series and Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology.

Pet Sounds LIVE is way more than The Beach Boys tribute. More than a band. More than an homage. It's a rock and roll story come to life on stage like like no other show before.

🎟 Tickets are on sale! Head to our website to snag the best seats before they're gone!

https://ow.ly/fgHI50TfSwh

TFW you look back on your art. What you made, how finessed it was, what was happening in your life at the time

Dear laborers, enjoy your day off of labor 🛌

Grant Wood, American Gothic, Oil on beaverboard, 1930

Join us for a 40th anniversary screening of “Shawshank Redemption” and Q&A with cinematographer Roger Deakins and his longtime collaborator and wife, James Deakins, moderated by Richard Roeper.

Perhaps Deakins’ most widely known film, Shawshank frequently appears on lists of the best movies ever made, and is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the enduring power of friendship and redemption.

We’re honored to be joined for this event by Richard Roeper, a Sun-Times contributor since 1987 and a Chicago native, is the author of seven books and the former co-host of “Ebert & Roeper and the Movies.” He is the film critic for ABC-7’s “Windy City Live.”

Thanks to our sponsors!
Team Deakins Podcast Daufenbach Camera Fuse Technical Group Damiani The Fields Studios Illinois Film Office

Can you guess what year our theater was built?

Comment below and follow for the answer!

🎷 Happy 100th birthday the Queen of Blues, Dinah Washington!

To celebrate her centennial birthday, we are hosting .fayebutler for a tribute concert on October 3rd at 7:00 PM. Ticket go on sale today!

https://ow.ly/38VT50Ta77J

This also kicks off our Chicago Concert Series. Follow for more info!

✨ So many new lights

Join us for a screening of The Man Who Wasn’t There, followed by a Q&A with Team Deakins.

The Man Who Wasn’t There, directed by the Coen Brothers, is a neo-noir tale set in 1949 California, following the quiet, unassuming barber Ed Crane, who becomes entangled in a web of deceit and murder. Ed, played by Billy Bob Thornton, sees an opportunity to change his mundane life when he becomes involved in a blackmail scheme, but his plans spiral out of control as he grapples with the consequences of his actions.

With its atmospheric cinematography, sharp dialogue, and unexpected twists, the film explores themes of identity, fate, and the consequences of ambition in a world where reality is as elusive as the shadows it casts.

Thanks to our sponsors!
Team Deakins Podcast Daufenbach Camera Fuse Technical Group Damiani The Fields Studios Illinois Film Office

To our 1934 production of Go West, Young Man.

🤐 What do you think Mozart meant by this?

Join us in our Paradiso Gallery for the official public opening of the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition with Sir Roger & James Deakins.

The exhibition is a curated selection of images from Byways and unpublished work from his collection. The world has changed a lot in the years since 1971, when the earliest of the photos were taken. Yet the overarching sense of these stills is one that points to the immediacy of the temporal moment.

Deakins’ cinematography is very simple when compared to many modern filmmakers. He is incomparably attentive to his subject matter, and he beautifully understands the communicative aspect of visual storytelling.

He is a firm believer in the substantive meaning of art, and the result is films—and photos—that are saturated with meaning. In his capable hands, the artistic reality reaches out to touch the truths it signifies.

The Public Exhibition Opening is October 18, 2024—the Exhibition will run through April 30, 2025.

Thanks to our sponsors!
Team Deakins Podcast Daufenbach Camera Fuse Technical Group Damiani The Fields Studios Illinois Film Office

🏃🧑‍🎨 The submission deadline is fast approaching for our Annual Alighieri Art Competition.

We love Dante's Inferno so much, we have an art competition for artwork inspired by this impactful allegory.

Learn more and submit artwork 👉 https://athenaeumcenter.org/2024-alighieri-art-competition-and-exhibition-dante-360/

Are you a performance artist or part of a group and you need a place to share your talent?

Check out this free guide to renting our venues 👉 https://ow.ly/mCY850T4wmJ

The Ultimate Guide to Rentals at the Athenaeum Center in 2024 Discover the seamless process of renting the historic Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture in Chicago. Find out why our theater venue is perfect for rental events, offering flexible spaces, great amenities, and excellent client support. Book your event at ACTC today!

🧐 What's behind our curtain?

Follow to find out!

Byways is the first monograph by the legendary Oscar-winning cinematographer Sir Roger A Deakins, best known for his collaborations with directors such as the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes and Denis Villeneuve.

Deakins’ work showcases his incredible attention to detail. His mastery of the language of film is almost unparalleled in the field. His films are often regarded as modern classics, particularly because of his genius ability to invoke centuries’-old artistic traditions in a modern context.

Deakins is captivated by the construct of light and dark, for example, and his incorporation of highlight and shadow into his frames falls in the tradition of the illustrious Caravaggio, among others.

This shines through in this collection of photographs that contains previously unpublished black-and-white photographs spanning five decades, from 1971 to the present.

Join us for a book signing and a chance to meet Roger & James Deakins. There are two dates and times available to attend this VIP experience.

Your ticket gets you:
Admission to the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibit
Copy of Byways book
VIP book signing and meet & greet with Roger and James Deakins
Admission to the film screening with post show talkback with Roger and James Deakins and special guests

Thursday, October 17th Schedule
4:30-6:30pm – Book Signing
7:00pm – The Man Who Wasn’t There film screening

Sunday, October 20th Schedule
11:30pm-1:30pm – Book Signing
2:00pm – Shawshank Redemption film screening

Thanks to our sponsors!
Team Deakins Podcast Daufenbach Camera Fuse Technical Group Damiani The Fields Studios Illinois Film Office

🙏 Comment if you agree!

Come and see a special screening of Jesus Thirsts on September 18th!

https://ow.ly/VcH350T4bRn

Roger & James Deakins will be here in Chicago for Opening Week October 17–20. Join us for one (or all!) of the following events.

Thursday, October 17, 2024
4:30pm – 6:30pm Byways Book Signing

Thursday, October 17, 2024
7:00pm Film Screening: The Man Who Wasn’t There + Q&A with Team Deakins

Friday, October 18, 2024
7:00pm - 9:00pm Public Opening for Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition

Sunday, October 20, 2024
11:30am – 1:30pm Byways Book Signing

Sunday, October 20, 2024
2:00pm Film Screening: Shawshank Redemption + Q&A with Team Deakins

Thanks to our sponsors!
Team Deakins Podcast Daufenbach Camera Fuse Technical Group Damiani The Fields Studios Illinois Film Office

Sir Roger Deakins and collaborator/wife James Deakins (aka Team Deakins) will be in Chicago for a week of events during our public opening of the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition.

Acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins is one of the foremost artists of our day. He is the recipient of five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography, and has had 16 nominations and two wins for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. His work on films like Shawshank Redemption, O Brother Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and Fargo has heavily influenced the landscape of the film industry.

Deakins was named Commander of the British Empire in 2013 and knighted in 2022, the first cinematographer to receive these honors.

The Exhibition runs October 17, 2024–April 30, 2025, with Opening Week events from October 17–20.

The week will include artist appearances with Team Deakins featuring movie screenings, book signings, and more! Full schedule will be announced here on Wednesday, and is available on our website.

Link in bio.

Thanks to our sponsors!
Team Deakins Podcast Daufenbach Camera Fuse Technical Group Damiani The Fields Studios Illinois Film Office

We've had a busy few days setting up The Daily Show on our Historic Main Stage. Check out it all came together!

The Daily Show's Chicago Set Being Built | The Daily Show to The Daily Show:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA/?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Daily Show:Twitter: htt...

"Now it's a zombie town, there's a lot of undead. They wander around looking underfed. And on their TV kitchens, they watch the politicians. Who try to hypnotize with the conviction in their eyes. When my heart was broke I thought life was a joke. It was just at that time He removed the yoke."

If you were about to walk into our Historic Main Stage theater...

What show do you hope it would be?

We are beyond excited to announce that we are hosting the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition—opening in October.

The Exhibition runs October 17, 2024–April 30, 2025, with Opening Week events from October 17–20.

Stay tuned this Monday for more details!

Thanks to our sponsors!
Team Deakins Podcast Daufenbach Camera Fuse Technical Group Damiani The Fields Studios Illinois Film Office

"A man paints with his brains and not with his hands." –Michelangelo

Furthermore, an artist creates from the soul.

Where do you think creativity comes from?

Inferno. Purgatorio. Paradiso.

Travel through the nine circles of hell and seven layers of purgatory to reach the nine circles of heaven.

This whirlwind journey filled with art and music will feed your mind and your soul.

Join us on an adventure into uncharted seas.

On stage in Chicago this November. Single tickets on sale now.

https://athenaeumcenter.org/events/2024/dante-360-2024/

What does a “Heavenly choir” sound like?

We think it sounds like The Tallis Scholars, a choir that brings to life the best of Renaissance era Sacred music.

We are thrilled to announce that The Tallis Scholars, the UK-based Renaissance supergroup, will be making a stop at the Athenaeum as part of a limited run of tour dates in spring of 2025.

Tickets are now on sale, so snag the best seats before they’re gone!