Sun-Times Arts Calendar — Oct. 13-18, 2014

BY KYLE MACMILLAN | FOR SUN-TIMES MEDIA

Some cultural arts highlights this week:

Architecture

From factories to sacred spaces and office buildings to private residences, more than 150 of the city’s most significant architectural treasures will be on view Saturday and Sunday during the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s annual Open House Chicago. Whether you’re a fan of art deco, neo-classicism or high modernism, there are structures that fit your tastes. While some of the buildings are generally open to the public, many are not, so this free event is a prime opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at often off-limits architectural history. Hours vary building by building. For a complete list of participating sites, visit openhousechicago.org. (312) 922-3432; architecture.org.

Visual Art

Here’s an unexpected way to celebrate Halloween in an unexpected place. The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan, just opened the exhibition, “Ghosts and Demons in Japanese Prints,” a group of about 30 works from the museum’s Clarence Buckingham Collection. Supernatural beings have long haunted Japanese legends, and this compact show features woodblock prints from the early 18th century to the late 19th century that draw upon well-known folk tales and and their Kabuki stage adaptations. The show runs through Jan. 4 in Gallery 107. Free with regular museum admission. (312) 443-3600; artic.edu.

Chamber music

The recent burst of visits to Chicago by top international quartets continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan, with a concert by one of most respected such ensembles in the world — the Takács Quartet. Hearing the quartet alone would be reason enough to attend, but there is bonus. The group is teaming up with noted pianist Marc-André Hamelin in Cesar Franck’s Piano Quintet, a work they are scheduled to record together next year. Also on the program are Franz Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 64, No. 3, and Claude Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10. Tickets, $34-$88. (312) 294‑3000; cso.org.

Visual art

Allison Smith, an internationally known artist who heads the sculpture program at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, is fascinated by historical re-enactments and the social history that is embedded in traditional crafts. For her first solo exhibition in Chicago, “Allison Smith: Set Dressing” at the Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario, Smith is exploring the “relationship between materiality and performativity.” In addition to photos taken at living-history museums, it includes images of a re-enactment of Raphaelle Peale’s “Venus Rising from the Bath — A Deception” (ca. 1822), a trompe l’oeil painting in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. The show opens with a public reception from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday and runs through Jan. 31. Free. (312) 787-3997; artsclubchicago.org.

Jazz

How about some jazz with a Dutch twist? Trumpeter Eric Vloeimans, who is billed as one of the stars of the vibrant jazz scene in Holland, will appear at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Avenue West, as part of the HotHouse Old and New Dreams Festival. He will be featured as part an unorthodox trio, Oliver’s Cinema, which incorporates Belgian accordionist Tuur Florizoone and German cellist Jörg Brinkmann. According to his publicity materials, the trio formed when Vloeimans “decided to tackle his aversion to the accordion” and found his way to Florizoone. Tickets, $20-$25. (312) 801-2100; promontorychicago.com.

Kyle MacMillan is a local freelance writer.