As previously announced, tickets to the upcoming “David Bowie Is” exhibition at Chicago’s the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) go on sale July 31 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $25, which includes admission to see the rest of the museum. Because the exhibition is ticketed by time, people need to select a date and time for a ticket to be issued. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.mcachicago.org/bowie or by calling the MCA Bowie Hotline at (312) 397-4068 during museum hours. Tickets are sold in half-hour slots ending two hours before the museum closes for the day. “David Bowie Is” was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and is on view at the MCA from Sept. 23, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015.
NOTE: The MCA will have extended hours during the run of the exhibition.
Meanwhile, special programs related to the exhibit have been announced. They will include:
± Theatrical Release of “David Bowie Is Happening Now,” a documentary film of the exhibition, created by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It is scheduled for exclusive screenings in movie theaters across the U.S. on Sept. 23 in coordination with the exhibition opening at the MCA. The tickets for the 100 selected U.S. theaters are on sale on July 31, distributed by Omniverse Vision. To see the film trailer and book movie tickets, visit http://www.davidbowie.com/davidbowieisfilm.
This film takes the audience on a journey through the “David Bowie Is” exhibition with special guests including legendary Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, Pulp front-man Jarvis Cocker, and other collaborators, to explore the stories behind some of the key objects that document Bowie’s artistic career. The exhibition curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, provide insights into the most memorable works in the exhibition, revealing the creativity and evolution of Bowie’s ideas. The documentary was filmed on the closing night of the V&A exhibition in London and directed by Hamish Hamilton, the BAFTA-winning Director of the Academy Awards and the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
± MCA TALKS:
± Bryan Ferry and Michael Bracewell (Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.; tickets $5): Renowned singer, musician, and songwriter Bryan Ferry joins writer and curator Michael Bracewell, author of “Roxy Music: Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Art, Ideas and Fashion,” to discuss fame, music, and creative inspiration in anticipation of the exhibition David Bowie Is.
± Curating Bowie (Sept. 21 at 1 p.m.; tickets $10): “David Bowie Is” curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London preview the exhibition and discuss Bowie’s life and work.
± Todd Haynes and Sandy Powell on Glam Rock (Oct. 5 at 3 p.m.; tickets $10): Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell and Oscar-nominated director Todd Haynes discuss movie-making, glam rock, and David Bowie. Haynes and Powell collaborated on the film “Velvet Goldmine” (1998) starring Christian Bale and Ewan McGregor in a tribute to the 1970s glam rock era, drawing on the histories and mythologies of David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop.
± Simon Critchley leads a panel discussion (Nov. 7 at 2 p.mm; tickets $5): Bowie, a new book by Simon Critchley, Chair of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York, combines personal narratives of Bowie’s life with meditations on identity and an exploration of Bowie’s songs. Critchley and panelists from a variety of disciplines discuss the singer’s life and music.
± Kevin Barnes on David Bowie (Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.; tickets $10); Kevin Barnes is the singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist for the indie rock band of Montreal. Barnes performs a selection of David Bowie covers and discusses the impact Bowie has on his work.
± MCA LIVE
± Covering Bowie: On select Tuesdays, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. (free for Illinois residents or with museum admission): Throughout the exhibition run of “David Bowie Is,” local Chicago musicians cover Bowie songs and albums, with White Mystery Covers Bowie (Sept. 23); Tim Kinsella Covers Hunky Dory (Oct. 7); ONO Covers Bowie (Nov. 4).
± MCA FAMILY DAYS:
+ Dare: (Oct. 11, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.; free for families with children ages 12 and under). Inspired by David Bowie, families explore risk and chance with bold and daring art activities.
± Changes: Nov. 8, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; free for families with children ages 12 and under). Inspired by David Bowie, families explore transformation, change, and different points-of-view.
± MCA STAGE:
± David Bowie Variety Hour (Sept. 26–27, tickets $20; students $10): An eclectic combination of Chicago performers celebrating David Bowie. Curated by Jyldo and accompanied by Nick Davio’s house band, the program features Chicago club and stage stars, including BAATHHAUS, Chicago Tap Theatre, BOOM CRACK! Dance Company, dance tribute queen Kasey Foster, and LADY/WATCH.
± Michael Clark Company in “come, been and gone” (Oct. 25–27, 2014, tickets $28; students $10): In his first Chicago appearance, British choreographer Michael Clark presents this critically acclaimed production performed primarily to the music of David Bowie. Clark creates work that combines classical ingenuity with an experimental sensibility, exploring contrasting themes of virtue and vice, abandon and control, grace and embarrassment. Clark collaborated with pioneer dance filmmaker and video artist Charles Atlas on the production’s lighting design.
± Bowie Changes (Tickets $20; students $10; each performance is ticketed separately). Chicago musicians re-create three of David Bowie’s classic albums in this performance series, as follows:
Bobby Conn (Nov. 15): Wearing glitter and high heels, Conn plays “Station to Station,” channeling Bowie’s Thin White Duke persona.
Jon Langford and Sally Timms (Nov. 21): Jon Langford and Sally Timms, former collaborators in the post-punk band The Mekons, reunite to perform Bowie love songs, including Modern Love.
Disappears (Nov. 22): The indie rock band Disappears re-creates the studio album “Low,” bringing to light Bowie’s first collaboration with Brian Eno.
