Free Stuff to do this weekend in Chicago, Jan 26-29

Ben Franklin said, "A penny saved is a penny earned." So, in the interest of saving pennies, we've gathered some great ideas for FREE things to do this weekend.

Thursday 26

6-8pm, Boulevard Bikes
Winter Happy Hours
Fight off seasonal blues with live pop, country and folk music. A small spread is provided, and minglers are encouraged to bring their own spirits. Raffle prizes of bike gear are up for grabs. Have you always wanted to date a bike dude (or lady)? Here's your chance, get in there and charm yourself a grease-stained cutie.

7pm, Three Peas Art Lounge
RGN Game Night
At this weekly mixer, unwind with a glass of red from the quaint gallery's own label, then test your card and board game skills in rounds of Spades, Taboo or Catch Phrase.

Friday 27

11am-7pm, DePaul Art Museum
Re: Chicago
For the first exhibition in its new building, DPAM asked historians, collectors, curators and other members of the local art scene to nominate past and present notable Chicago artists. Their choices include local stars, more obscure figures such as George Healy and Macena Barton, and contemporary up-and-comers, many of whose works DPAM has acquired. The guest curators’ commentaries tend to have a defensive, “second city” tone; it’s more satisfying to see this exhibition expose pockets of artistic production and innovation across the city. Through Mar 4.

6pm, Art Institute of Chicago
Claire Chase
ICE flutist and founder Chase premieres a new work by Marcos Balter, based on Cy Twombly's minimalist scribble painting The First Part of the Return from Parnassus (Part One). The piece inspired Chase and Balter to write a work for solo flutist and doubling voice. The text comes from Dante.

Noon-5pm, Museum of Broadcast Communications
Entryway Display
While two floors of exhibits remain unfinished and closed to the public, if you wander inside the entry hall, you’ll find a little treat: the Oprah Winfrey Show’s purple-tinted, sponge-painted studio door. Be a tourist for a day and snap a photo of yourself in front of it—maybe some of the big O’s glory will rub off on you.

9pm, Parlour
Lipstick
Parlour's night of filthy, gorgeous lady fun ushers in the weekend.

10pm, Late Bar
Subculture Fridays
Each Friday, the family of Late Bar residents sets its sights on one genre—ranging from ska to rockabilly and mod to psych rock—dedicating the night to showcasing its sounds.

Saturday 28

9am-5pm, Gallery 180
Human
Twenty artists from across the U.S. explore "the human form as well as the human condition" in this exhibition benefiting the Heartland Alliance.

10am-5:30pm, Russell Bowman Art Advisory
Respect: Thornton dial and Gee’s Bend
The women of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective exhibit a sense of color, shape and line on par with artists such as Mark Rothko and Piet Mondrian in “Respect,” which pairs their work with Dial’s drawings and rather overworked assemblages influenced by the 83-year-old artist’s background in industrial manufacturing. The show proves that Dial and his fellow Alabamans from Gee’s Bend deserve more than to be pigeonholed as “outsider artists.”

9pm, The Call
Andersonville’s Video Party
The Call pumps a little nightlife into A-ville with get-on-the-floor-and-groove anthems and $5 Absolut cocktails.

10pm, Empire Liquors
The Truth
Resident DJ Hiroki hosts every Saturday night, inviting in a rotating lineup of in-the-know selectors like Willy Joy, Zebo, Boy Wonder and more. Like the DJs, the genres stay in a steady flux with a mix of house, hip-hop, Top 40 and classics.

Sunday 29

Noon-5pm, Hyde Park Art Center
David Leggett: Coco River Fudge Street
Almost 200 of Leggett's funny, disturbing small-scale drawings, prints, collages and paintings on paper riff on pop culture, his personal relationships and overheard conversations. Reception Feb 12, 3–5pm.

7:30pm, The Burlington
Sunday Night Sex Show
At this semi-monthly series, listen to sexy readings, talk to erotic writers and have your saucy bedroom questions answered. Score prizes from Batteries Not Included and the Pleasure Chest.

10pm, Evil Olive
Nachos y Muchachos
Evil Olive continues its quest to combine food and dancing with this hilariously themed Sunday bash. DJs Zebo and Phenom curate an eclectic array of movies that air from 10pm to midnight while people munch on a $5 all-you-can-eat nacho bar. Once the bell tolls 12am, the needle drops and the beats go till close.