Time Out Chicago editors take a look back at the year in art, books, comedy, dance, gay and lesbian life, entertainment, music, film, shopping and Chicago news.
Two thousand and eleven will be remembered as a year when a desire for political change took to the streets in capitals the world over. Here in Chicago, there was change, too. A new mayor took the reins of a cash-strapped city, and we also saw street protests in our downtown. But change is also a constant we have come to expect here. In the arts, dining and shopping scenes, Chicago continued to be a hot spot—so much so that maybe it has gone to our heads. In music, too, the local scene was fertile. Here in 2011 in review, our editors drill down into their local arts and lifestyle scenes with year-end lists and commentary on the recent past. We will be posting dozens of online exclusives here before the end of the year, so be sure to come back again and again.—John Dugan
Vivian Maier, Bertrand Goldberg and other rediscovered Chicagoans made this an exciting year.
By cutting funding for the library, Rahm proved himself out of touch with his constituents.
With its biggest year yet, there was a lot going on in the dance music world in 2011.
Change? Econonic innovation? Hey, at least it happened in the world of classical in 2011.
We look back on the funniest folk of 2011
2011 offered a rainbow cornucopia of highs and lows.
Radiohead and Kate Bush top our list of 2011 albums. Argue away.
Ben Kenigsberg and A.A. Dowd count down their favorite movies of the year.
We pick the year’s best productions.
It was a year of unexpected pleasures.
They serve attitude first, steak second.
Four news stories that didn’t get enough attention.
Time Out Chicago takes a look back at ten store openings that mattered in 2011.
Ten top dances from beyond Chicagoland
The on- and offstage moments we won’t forget
The best of the year’s crop of new classical recordings.
Performers swam in gorgeous designs this year—here are our favorites.
Twelve movement and performance artists who rocked our world.
