The Cliff Dwellers

Lunch in Honor of Bill Drennan
2024-12-03 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Longtime member Bill Drennan is stepping down as chair of the membership committee.
By Past President Bill Bowe:
Throughout my time as a Cliff Dweller, Bill has been one of the club’s most devoted and hard working members.
Beginning as club Secretary, more recently Bill has served as Membership Committee chair. In this important role, Bill has been unflagging in working to help the club bounce back from the negative effects of the COVID period’s closure.
Bill’s event is certain to underscore some of the enduring values that have made The Cliff Dwellers one of Chicago’s long term cultural treasures.
A buffet lunch will be served in his honor.
Reservations only.
Please reserve by Wednesday, November 27th via reservations@cliff-chicago.org or by calling 312-922-8080.

Vince Girardi Charlie Brown Christmas-Jazz Night
2024-12-05 17:00 - 21:00
A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio was performed in it’s entirety by Chris White on piano and Joe Policastro on bass.

Monthly Lunch Buffet
2024-12-10 12:00 - 14:00
A monthly buffet lunch served from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.

Club Open for LUNCH ONLY
2024-12-10 12:00 - 14:00, 2024-12-12 12:00 - 14:00, 2025-03-04 12:00 - 14:00
Club will be open for LUNCH ONLY due to a private event.

Holiday Lunch
2024-12-13 11:00 - 14:00
Please join us for our annual Member’s Holiday Lunch! We will enjoy a festive buffet created by Chef Erick and warm conversation between members.
The buffet lunch begins at 11:30 am. Cost is $38 per person.
Please reserve by emailing reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or calling 312-922-8080. Reservations are required by December 6th.

Sketch Club
2024-12-14 10:30 - 13:00 | Lurie Garden
The Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club will meet starting around 10:30 am, through lunch, on Saturday, October 26th.
All are welcome!
What is the Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club?
Open to all skill levels.
Casual, non-judgmental
Use what you like (pen, pencil, watercolor, etc.)
Sketch what you want (start in the Kiva)
Learn from each other, meet, sketch, and have fun!
Please join us to make a sketch and share it with others!
Buffet lunch available at 12pm, $35 per person
Reservations are required:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or by calling 312-922-8080

Children's Holiday Party
2024-12-14 12:00 - 14:00
Our annual Children’s Holiday Party is back! Featuring a child-friendly seasonal buffet, a visit from Santa, crafts, games and entertainment. It will be a magical time for children of all ages!
The party begins at 11:30 am. Cost is $35 per person.
Reservations are required by December 6th by emailing reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or calling 312-922-8080.

Songs About Buildings and Moods
2024-12-18 17:00 - 20:00
“Songs About Buildings and Moods” uses storytelling and performance to create a unique series exploring the connection between music and architecture. What do the buildings we create say about us? How does a musical interpretation change our perception of a building? The series airs on PBS stations around the country. This screening at the club includes several buildings from the second season and offers club members a sneak peek before it airs on PBS, starting in January.
The featured buildings include the Wrigley Building, the Stony Island Arts Bank, the Driehaus Museum and Biblioteca Vasconcelos in Mexico City.
Following the presentation there will be a brief discussion and talkback with ACM founder Seth Boustead, and Cliff Dwellers member architect Trish VanderBeke, President of the Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation.
Seth Boustead is the founder and Executive Director of Access Contemporary Music (ACM), which created this series. Mr. Boustead is the creator, host and Executive Producer of the PBS series Songs About Buildings and Moods.
ACM assembles musicians every week to read through, record and post music by living composers to their website. The idea is to make musicians accessible to composers and composer’s music accessible to the public.
Bar opens 5 PM
Presentation of the TV show 6 PM
Discussion following the show.
Cost: $20 per person
Reservations are required by December 11th by emailing reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or calling 312-922-8080.

Club Open for LUNCH ONLY
2024-12-19 12:00 - 14:00, 2024-12-20 12:00 - 14:00
Club will be open for LUNCH ONLY due to the holiday season.

Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society Meeting
2024-12-20 12:00 - 13:30
Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society
Meet & Eat
The Cliff Dwellers poet society will meet for lunch at the club at noon on Friday October 18. Order a delicious lunch, or just come and sit with us!
Please RSVP if you’ll be dropping in: reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or call 312-922-8080

Holiday Closure
2024-12-21 - 2025-01-13
Club will be closed for the hol;idays.

Club Open for BUFFET LUNCH ONLY
2025-01-14 12:00 - 14:00
Club will be open for LUNCH ONLY (the monthly buffet) due to a private event.

Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society Meeting
2025-01-17 12:00 - 13:30
Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society
Meet & Eat
The Cliff Dwellers poet society will meet for lunch at the club at noon on Friday January 17. Order a delicious lunch, or just come and sit with us!
Please RSVP if you’ll be dropping in: reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or call 312-922-8080

Sketch Club
2025-01-18 10:30 - 13:00 | Lurie Garden
The Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club will meet starting around 10:30 am, through lunch, on Saturday, January 18th.
All are welcome!
What is the Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club?
Open to all skill levels.
Casual, non-judgmental
Use what you like (pen, pencil, watercolor, etc.)
Sketch what you want (start in the Kiva)
Learn from each other, meet, sketch, and have fun!
Please join us to make a sketch and share it with others!
Buffet lunch available at 12pm, $26 per person
Reservations are required:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or by calling 312-922-8080

The Cliff Dwellers Book Club - Who Is The City For?
2025-01-18 11:00 - 13:00
Who is the City For? – Blair Kamin
The Cliff Dwellers Book Club will meet on Saturday, January 18, at 11:00 a.m. in the Sullivan Room
We will be discussing Blair Kamin’s book, Who is the City For? Architecture, Equity, and the Public Realm in Chicago. Joan Pantsios will moderate the discussion. We will gather for a buffet lunch following the meeting. If you plan to stay for lunch,
Please be sure to make a reservation:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or 312-922-8080.
New members are always welcome, and, as the books for the rest of the year are as yet to be determined, please come with ideas!

Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival - Theatre Club
2025-01-22 17:45 - 21:30
Join the Cliff Dwellers Theatre Club for our next, very adventurous outing. We’ll be heading down Michigan Avenue to the Fine Arts Building see one of the Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival’s featured events:
J.M. COETZEE’S LIFE & TIMES OF MICHAEL K
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 7:30PM
Studebaker Theater at the The Fine Arts Building – 410 S. Michigan Ave.

“A MARVEL TO BEHOLD”
“A Radical Artistic Gesture”
“Captivating and Transportive”

– The New York Times‘ Critic’s Pick
In this stunning transformation of Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee’s Booker Prize-winning novel by the same name, a humble man finds solace in nature as he takes an epic journey through a mythical, war-torn landscape. In search of his mother’s ancestral home, he finds strength in his own humanity and a profound connection to the earth. With puppets by Handspring Puppet Company, known for building the War Horse and Little Amal, Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre brings us a new level of exquisite bunraku puppet theater.
The show is GENERAL ADMISSION, and runs 115 minutes with no intermission.
Tickets are
$49 (adults)
$41 (seniors 65+)
We’ll stroll down to the Fine Arts Building after dining at the Club! Dinner will be at 5:45 pm, and will be a set menu, three-course meal. As the show is general admission, we won’t have a block of seats, but we will reserve the tickets in advance.

BECAUSE OF LIMITED AVAILABILITY, WE NEED TO RESERVE TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT BEFORE THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.
Please contact Rick Frendt (rfrendt@comcast.net) no later than Sunday, December 15 if you are interested in attending.

NOTE: If you’ll be joining us for dinner, just let Rick know instead of calling the Club. He’ll arrange for the dinner reservations with the Club directly.

Burns Supper
2025-01-23 17:00 - 21:00
SOLD OUT!
Cliff Dwellers Burns Supper

Scottish poet Robert Burns was born in Alloway, Scotland on January 25, 1759. Burns is widely regarded as the authentic voice of the Scottish people. Every year around the world, the enduring resonance of Burns’s writing is celebrated near the end of January.
We will be trying whisky at the bar, presenting a traditional dinner including haggis, and looking forward to members delivering the Toast to the Lads, the Toast to the Lassies, singing and poetry, and other demonstrations to entertain the crowd.
If you would like to perform one of these entertainments, please sign up at reservations@cliff-chicago.org. Not everyone needs to perform!
Members and Guests $60 per person
Bar opens at 5 pm for whiskey tasting
Dinner and festivities will begin at 6 PM
Reservations for the evening are required by January 16 at reservations@cliff-chicago.org.

Please RSVP if you’ll be dropping in: reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or call 312-922-8080

Rembrandt Chamber Musicians
2025-01-31 17:00 - 22:00
Members of the Cliff Dwellers are cordially invited to attend a concert By the Rembrandt Chamber Musicians, who will be performing at our club on January 31, 2025.
An advance ticket is required for anyone attending the concert. Tickets must be purchased directly from the Rembrandt Musicians. Tickets are available right up to the time of the concert unless the concert is sold out.
To purchase tickets, use this link, and the code for a club discount. There are tickets for many different performances on this site, so be sure you choose the one at the Cliff Dwellers on January 31.
https://rembrandtchambermusicians.vbotickets.com/events
Discount code: VILLAGE2425

Program: Andrey Rubtsov – Divertimento in E Major for Flute and String Quartet
Beethoven – Serenade for flute, violin, and viola in D Major, Op. 25
Amy Beach – Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet, Op. 80
Musicians: Flute: Jennifer Gunn Violin: John MacFarlane Violin2: TBD Viola: Carol Cook Cello: Calum Cook
Members attending the concert who would like an à la carte dinner prior to the performance should make reservations at reservations@cliff-chicago.org 5pm-Bar opens 5:30pm-Dinner, $45 3-course meal 7pm-Performance

Lecture: The History of the Ox-Bow School
2025-02-05 17:00 - 21:00
The History of the Ox-Bow School
Shannon Stratton, Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency Executive Director, will present on Ox-Bow’s 115-year history as a summer school with deep roots in the Chicago art community. Ox-Bow founders and patrons were Cliff Dwellers, including Thomas Tallmadge and John W. Norton who was a member of the Carl Street Studios with Edgar Miller.
Shannon Stratton has been Ox-Bow’s Executive Director since 2020. Previously she was Chief Curator at The Museum of Arts and Design in New York, NY. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Stratton holds an MFA in studio and MA in Art History Theory and Criticism.
As an artist-built and run school and residency, Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency is dedicated to the creation and preservation of time and space for arts education, research, practice, and community-building for artists at all stages of their artistic journey. Faculty, Visiting Artists, Residents, staff, and students live together in community on our campus in Saugatuck, Michigan, where they share meals, social time, and the exchange of ideas. Ox-Bow is a a 501 (c) (3) organization.
More information at www.ox-bow.org
Reservations are required by January 29:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or by phone 312-922-8080.
$30 per person includes one drink of wine or beer at the bar and the light appetizers.
Bar opens 5:00 PM
Light appetizers 6 PM
Talk starts at 7 PM.

Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society Meeting
2025-02-14 12:00 - 13:30
Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society – Love Poems
Meet & Eat
The Cliff Dwellers poet society will meet for lunch at the club at noon on Friday February 14. Order a delicious lunch, or just come and sit with us!
Please RSVP if you’ll be dropping in: reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or call 312-922-8080

Valentine's Day Dinner
2025-02-14 17:30 - 19:30
Come join us for this very special dinner at the Club. Chef Erick and Sous Chef Nicole have outdone themselves! Elsa is crafting a Valentine themed cocktail list that you don’t want to miss!
Reservations are available from 5:30 pm through 7:30 pm
Please make your reservation before February 10th by calling 312-922-8080, or by email at
reservations@cliff-chicago.org

Sketch Club
2025-02-15 10:30 - 12:00 | Art Institute of Chicago
Sketch at the Art Institute!
The Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club will meet at 10:30 am in the lobby of the Art Institute of Chicago, on Saturday, February 15th. We’ll draw at the Museum, as the Club is not open this day. As several sketchers have memberships at the AIC, we should not have to buy many, if any, admission tickets. AIC only allows pencil sketching, so please plan accordingly. As is our custom, we’ll meet to share our work at noon and then decide where to gather for lunch afterwards.
All are welcome!
What is the Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club?
Open to all skill levels.
Casual, non-judgmental
Learn from each other, meet, sketch, and have fun!
Please join us to make a sketch and share it with others!

POSTPONED - What's Up With Bronzeville?
2025-02-19 17:00 - 20:00
This event will be rescheduled for a later date.
Executive Director Bernard Turner will discuss how the Black Belt became the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area and how we are developing a cultural heritage tourist destination. A question and answer period will follow the talk.
Bernard Turner is the executive director of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area, focused on preserving the history and culture of our community. Author of several books about Chicago and African American History, including “A New View of Bronzeville” and “Tate and His Historic Dream,” Turner conducts citywide and neighborhood tours, and works with schools. Bernard taught German and Spanish on the secondary level in the Chicago area for several years.
The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area contains the Black Metropolis Historic District, a Chicago landmark since 1997, consisting of eight historic buildings, and one monument, as well as the homes of entrepreneurs, Civil Rights activists, cultural, and scientific icons, as well as a Civil War Union Army Camp.

Pirates of Penzance Songs and Ensembles
2025-02-27 17:00 - 21:00
Join Us for a Rolicking Evening of Gilbert and Sullivan
Cast members from the upcoming production of The Pirates of Penzance at Mandel Hall on the University of Chicago campus, along with artistic director Shane Valenzi, will present at the Cliff Dwellers select songs and ensembles from the production. Valenzi is a scholar of Gilbert and Sullivan, and of Pirates in particular, and will share insights, analysis, and fun facts in between performances by some of Chicago’s finest up-and-coming operatic voices.
The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company of Chicago was founded in 1960 by Roland Bailey, Robert Ashenhurst, and Nancy Lorie. They have been delighting audiences since their first production, The Gondoliers, in 1960 at the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall. As the oldest theatrical company in the Chicago area dedicated solely to producing Gilbert and Sullivan’s complete works, the company has staged more than 65 productions.
Reservations are required by February 20
at either reservations@cliff-chicago.org or 312-922-8080￼
Cost for the event is $56 for members and $60 for non-members.
This includes dinner and the performance.
Performance only, $20
Bar opens at 5 PM
Dinner will be served at 6 PM
Performance will begin at 7 PM

Business of Art Forum
2025-03-06 18:00 - 20:00
First meeting scheduled!!
Thursday March 6, 6:00 PM
Reservation required by noon on the 6th, if you’re having dinner
To further the Cliff Dwellers Club as “a rallying point for the Midlands arts” as its charter states, a Business of Art Forum is being initiated to join the club’s other groups with the purpose of continuing that original charter as a hub for the promotion of the Arts in Chicago.
The Forum will be a monthly gathering to engage both artists, arts administrators, patrons and creatives across disciplines to discuss common issues. The group’s goal will be to share knowledge, skills and resources to forge collaborations in support of the challenging business of maintaining the arts and artists.F
Programs will cover issues related to surviving as an artist or arts organization: the Arts as a career and a passion. Topics for focus include, but are not limited to business basics, collaboration as a survival tool, co-op galleries and workspaces, balancing work for income versus creating, arts organizations best practices, and understanding the customer.
Programs will showcase successful artists, art organizations, galleries and collectors. The first meeting of the Business of Art Forum will beused to solicit input and plan logistics.
Anyone can join! contact Rick Yorde CD’24 at color2wood@gmail.com
or text 740.504.0189.

The Joy in Women's Arts
2025-03-07 11:30 - 14:30
In celebration of International Women’s Day, The Cliff Dwellers presents:
The Joy In Women’s Arts
Art enriches our lives, and women’s joyful creativity colors our world. So, let’s gather and put the spotlight some of the amazing women working in the arts today. This event will feature personal stories and enchanting presentations on the art of poetry (Nina Sudhakar); music (Yulia Lipmanovich) sculpture (Michele Corazzo, Debra Hand, Sonja Henderson, Seonyoung LEE); and global production (Lela Dyrkacz).
We’ll engage in warm and lively conversation over lunch and also welcome educators and students to our tables. Come and be part of this exciting and early celebration of International Women’s Day!
Reservations are required by February 28:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or by calling 312-922-8080
Lunch Buffet & Program
$42 members; $48 non-members
Note: Let us know if you are willing to sponsor a student.

The Cliff Dwellers Book Club - Give the Lady What She Wants
2025-03-08 11:00 - 13:00
Give the Lady What She Wants: the Story of Marshall Field & Company, by Lloyd Wendt and Herman Kogan
The Cliff Dwellers Book Club will meet on Saturday, March 8, at 11:00 a.m. in the Sullivan Room
Maxine Flack will moderate the discussion. We will gather for a buffet lunch following the meeting. If you plan to stay for lunch,
Please be sure to make a reservation:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or 312-922-8080.
New members are always welcome, and, as the books for the rest of the year are as yet to be determined, please come with ideas!
