Here’s what’s happening in and around Hyde Park this week.
October 10
SECC Symposium: The SECC is hosting its seventh annual Southside Connection Symposium on Friday. This year’s theme is “Unlocking the South Side Advantage.” This forum is focused on economic development, specifically business development, marketplace changes and investments in the Southeast Chicago lakefront region. Friday, October 10, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. David Rubenstein Forum, 1201 E. 60th St. Free or $23 to enter the drawing. secc-chicago.org/symposium.
Friday Tour: “Unto Thee”: Join a one-hour guided tour of “Theaster Gates: Unto Thee,” Gates’ first solo Chicago exhibition. The tour is led by Smart Museum fellow Ian Brundige. Friday, October 10, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. Free. RSVP is encouraged, as space is limited. Register at smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/events/2313/friday-tour-unto-thee-oct-10/.
Chicago Stage: Michael Davenport Quintet: Michael Davenport , a Jazz Institute of Chicago alum, and his quintet will perform a free one-hour set as part of the Logan Center for the Arts’ Chicago Stage series. Friday, October 10, 6 p.m. Café Logan, Logan Center, 915 E. 60th St. Free. Register at events.uchicago.edu/event/253553-chicago-stage-michael-davenport-quintet.
“Punishment Park” Screening: Join for a screening of Peter Watkins’ “Punishment Park” (1971), a work of speculative fiction set in an alternate timeline in which the 1950 McCarran Act has been invoked to quell the civil unrest of the late 1960s. To avoid long prison sentences, those detained by federal forces can elect to play a grueling game of capture-the-flag across 53 miles of California Desert in Punishment Park. The screening is presented as part of the Year of Games, with support from the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights. Friday, October 10, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Free. events.uchicago.edu/event/252500-punishment-park.
UChicago Presents: Sullivan Fortner & His Galactic Friends: The UChicago Presents season kicks off with Sullivan Fortner, a Grammy Award-winning musical shapeshifter of New Orleans jazz tradition. With his band, Fortner celebrates the “cosmic chaos of Sun Ra, channeling the icon’s boundary-smashing spirit through kinetic rhythms and searching harmonies.” Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m. Logan Center for the Arts, Performance Hall, 915 E. 60th St. Tickets are $12 for students, $22 for under 35, $33 for faculty and staff and $43 for reserved. chicagopresents.uchicago.edu/concerts-and-events/sullivan-fortner-his-galactic-friends.
October 11
2025 Hyde Park Used Book Sale: The Hyde Park Used Book Sale returns to Kimbark Plaza this weekend. Long attracting collectors and book enthusiasts, the sale has low-priced hardcovers, paperbacks, magazines, sheet music and other media. On Monday, charitable and nonprofit organizations and individuals distributing books to places like schools and prisons can take books for free between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Monday is also bag and box day, giving individuals the opportunity to fill a bag with books for $4 and a box for $5. Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday, October 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. downtownhydeparkchicago.com/event/2025-hyde-park-used-book-sale/.
Science Works at Griffin MSI: The Griffin MSI is inviting community members to learn about science and STE(A)M careers directly from science professionals. Attendees can meet more than 200 experts in different fields including astronomers, biologists, chemists, ecologists, engineers, food scientists, microbiologists, neurosurgeons and physicists. Saturday, October 11, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Included with general admission, $26 for an adult and $15 for a child non-resident. eventvesta.com/events/117559/t/tickets.
Race & Place: Rev. Keni Kuramitsu, LCSW, is leading a guided Hyde Park-Kenwood walking tour tracing the legacies of racism and resistance in the city connecting the living past with the ongoing struggle for justice and peace. Saturday, October 11, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The tour starts at 50th Street and Dorchester Avenue. Tickets are $30. Register at hydeparkwalkingtour.com.
Reel Black Filmmakers 13th Anniversary Screening: Reel Black Filmmakers, a program of the Community Film Workshop of Chicago, will celebrate its 13th anniversary with a screening of works by filmmakers Shahari Moore, Reginald Rice and David Weathersby. Co-founded by the late filmmaker Kamau Tyehimba, the Reel Black Filmmakers foundation aims to build a community of filmmakers of African descent, who adhere to some of the basic tenets of the role and relevance of Black artists and Black arts in the lives of Black people. Saturday, October 11, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Tickets are $13, all proceeds will support ongoing programming for the Community Film Workshop and Reel Black Filmmakers. Purchase tickets at events.uchicago.edu/event/253561-reel-black-filmmakers-13th-anniversary-screening.
October 12
Cinematic Concert: “Il Fuoco”: A leap into the past ahead of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, the Italian Cultural Institute presents a screening of Giovanni Pastrone’s “Il Fuoco” (1915) accompanied by Maestro Stefano Maccagno’s live piano improvisation. Sunday, October 12, 4 p.m. Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Free. Register at events.uchicago.edu/event/cinematic-concert-il-fuoco.
October 13
Honor Boxes: Flowers While They’re Here: An all-ages community event to create flower boxes, share affirmations and honor loved ones through art, gratitude and joy. Monday, October 13, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Free. Get tickets at eventbrite.com/e/honor-boxes-flowers-while-theyre-here-tickets-1730358632249?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.