A year ago, in the midst of the Persian Gulf war, Judith Sloan called a radio talk show to offer a few less-than-gung-ho observations and found she was, for the most part, roundly ignored.
So she called back, but not as Judith Sloan, a 30ish New York actor and
”performance activist.” This time, she adopted the persona of one of her favorite characters in her one-woman shows: ”Sophie,” an archetypal Jewish grandmother, Holocaust survivor, dispenser of wisdom and occasional juggler.
Sophie`s questions and comments on the war took up the next 10 minutes. And Sophie wound up calling quite a few talk shows.
That`s a measure of the verisimilitude Sloan invests her characters with, and there`s quite a few of them. In addition to Sophie, there`s a punk-rock beautician with delusions of show-biz success, an Upper West Side housewife desperately trying to keep up with fast-paced urban life, and Muriel, who`s running for president on the platform of Women Exploring Women`s Occupancy of the White House Action Committee, with the catchy slogan ”Peace is just another word for nothing left to kill.”
Sloan and her imaginative entourage troop into Club Lower Links Thursday for a performance mixing social commentary with humor and pathos. Previous shows have focused on such themes as ”How I Healed Myself, with Sugar and Caffeine” and ”It`s My Laundry and I`ll Cry If I Want To.”
Sloan is half of a double bill with Chicago`s Lynn Book, who will be performing the vocal solo ”Tongue,” a linguistic exploration of poetic eroticism. Performances start at 8 p.m.; admission is $8, or $5 for students. Lower Links is at 954 W. Newport Ave. Call 312-248-5238.
– At 8 p.m. Saturday, critically acclaimed installation/performance artist James Luna will present ”The Red Album” at the Randolph Street Gallery, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave., in his first Chicago appearance.
Luna, a member of the Luiseno Tribe of Southern California, recently won a Bessie Award for his work, which confronts issues affecting American Indians such as alcoholism, unemployment, crime and apathy.
”I make art about the life here on LaJolla Reservation and many times that life is not pretty,” Luna says. ”Our problems are not unique; they exist in other Indian communities. That is the Indian unity I know, unity in pain.”
Luna`s performances combine many media, including objects, sound, video and slides. ”The Red Album” is a collage of selected performances that includes ”Half Indian/Half Mexican,” ”The Artifact Piece” and ”Old Songs- New Meanings.”
Admission is $6, or $4 for students and Randolph Street Gallery members. Reservations are suggested. Call 312-666-7737.
– In conjunction with the College Art Association conference, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago`s Gallery 2 presents an evening of
performance, film and video by local graduate students at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Admission is free. Gallery 2 is at 1040 W. Huron St. Call 312-226-1449.
– Critic Coco Fusco and performer Guillermo Gomez Pena will present a lecture on their ”1992 Project,” a live performance and multimedia installation challenging the history and interpretation of the ”discovery of America,” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Columbia College, 623 S. Wabash Ave.
Admission is free; reservations are necessary. Call 312-663-1600, extension 670.
