The Dwell Guide to Events in Your City

Wednesday, April 30

Four Midwest brewers mastermind this dinner at Uncommon Ground, courtesy of the Slow Food movement's Chicago chapter. 6:30 p.m.; Uncommon Ground, 1401 W Devon Ave.; (773) 465-9801; www.slowfoodchicago.org/events.asp

Daniel Bluestone, author of Constructing Chicago, will talk about the city's historical preservation efforts. 6-7:30 p.m.; The Chicago Architecture Foundation, John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery at the ArchiCenter, 224 S. Michigan Avenue; (312) 922-3432; www.architecture.org

Thursday, May 1

Barbara Geiger, design consultant for heritage landscapes, traces the history of the sustainable design movement in Chicago using landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted, O.C. Simonds, and Jens Jensen's work to illustrate. 6 p.m.; Millennium Park, 201 E Randolph St.; www.cityofchicago.org

Exoticism in French decorative arts (read: the French Court's Ottoman obsession) is the topic of today's lecture by Meredith Chilton, founding curator of the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto. 11 a.m.; The Alliance Francaise de Chicago, 54 West Chicago Ave.; (312) 337-1070; www.af-chicago.org

Friday, May 2

Fledgling fashion designers strut their stuff at SAIC, the school that trained Cynthia Rowley, Gary Graham, Laurence Steele, and other known names. 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; School of the Art Institute of Chicago,111 South Michigan Ave.; (312) 443-3600; www.artic.edu    
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Through maps and multi-media artwork, Spertus' latest exhibition, Imaginary Coordinates, probes our geographical conception of the Holy Land from antiquity to today. Through September 7. Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 610 S. Michigan Ave.; (312) 322-1700; www.spertus.edu

Saturday, May 3

Word bubbles abound during Free Comic Book Day, where local retailers open their doors and close their cash boxes to celebrate our spandex-clad saviors. Various locations. www.freecomicbookday.com

Sunday, May 4

Last Chance:  Gordon Matta-Clark is best known for the dissection, destruction and re-presentation of buildings and other man-made structures. Catch the MCA's exhibit of Matta-Clark's work before it closes today. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; (312) 280-2660; www.mcachicago.org

Tuesday, May 6

As global warming worsens, Seasonal Defective Disorder may apply as much to your mood as to your wallet. This seminar helps you predict how your business might be affected by climate change – and what to do to lower your carbon footprint meantime. Pre-register with the Foresight Design Initiative here. 3:30–5:30 p.m.; IIT Stuart School of Business, 565 W Adams; (773) 271-1990; www.foresightdesign.org

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