In its 11th year, the Chicago Humanities Festival continues to test minds and question culture.
But this year’s event has a slightly different focus, said Eileen R. Mackevich, the festival’s president and executive producer. “NOW!” will treat life like a time capsule and try to identify what should be included in the capsule to describe society’s values, she said.
“We won the Cold War. But what is our mission?” she said. “How will we be judged by succeeding generations? . . . We are looking at questions in terms of all the arts and artistic legitimacy. It seems like everything goes and people have to discover it on their own. That is why it is important to have festivals like this because it gives people the opportunity to weigh things against each other.”
From Nov. 2-12, about 220 presenters will be discussing various avenues of the humanities, from fine arts to drama to even poker. Tickets are needed for most events. For more information, visit the Web site at www.chfestival.org.
The Chicago Humanities Festival has been a staple in the community and has shadowed the issues affecting society. Whether the topic was the impact of the information age or the approaching millennium, some of the world’s best minds have offered their opinions.
1999: Theme: New & Old. In conjunction with the millennium and because of the festival’s 10th anniversary, the event discussed society’s relationship with preservation and change. As the year 2000 approached, there was a growing need to keep a balance between evolving for the better and safeguarding the past.
1998: Theme: He/She. Discussions of the opposite sex dominated the festival, and playwright Wendy Wasserstein and dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones topped the list of speakers. The year also marked the centennials of a number of artists, including George Gershwin, who was remembered with a performance at Symphony Center.
1997: Theme: Work & Play. Actor Peter O’Toole and author Garry Wills were among the many speakers, and the theme was analyzed through subjects such as workers’ unions, the sports business and today’s working classes.
1996: Theme: Birth and Death. Through painting, poetry and philosophy, the subjects of existence were analyzed. Chicago museums, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, got involved and presented displays.
1995: Theme: Love and Marriage. Theater composer Stephen Sondheim addressed the complexities of sustaining a relationship, while Stevie Wonder spoke about how love inspired his music.
1994: Theme: Crime and Punishment. The goal was to address how crime and punishment have become a problem throughout society. Novelist Tom Wolfe discussed changes in the concept of crime, and performances featured works by composers who perished in World War II concentration camps.
1993: Theme: From Communication to Understanding. The festival looked at whether the age of instant communication is helping society comprehend the increasing amount of information. Speakers such as Phil Jackson, then coach of the Chicago Bulls, discussed the pressures to comprehend messages that are constantly altered and repackaged.
1992: Theme: From Freedom to Equality. The opera “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” was a highlight, and authors John Updike, Fay Weldon and Norman Rush addressed topics of struggle in the fight for equal treatment.
1991: Theme: Culture Contact. Novelist Toni Morrison gave the keynote speech as lecturers were encouraged to address multiculturalism and pluralism and the debate surrounding both subjects.
1990: Theme: Expressions of Freedom. In its first year, the festival addressed the role members of the arts have in fighting for freedom. Playwright Arthur Miller spoke on the problems with censorship.
