Free Chicago Museum Admission for Bank of America, Merrill Lynch Members

This weekend, and every first weekend of the month for the rest of the year, all Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders are eligible for free admission to Chicago's top museums.

Good news for all Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders. Your respective financial institutions would like to add some culture to your life. That’s why they’re offering free admission to various Chicago museums to cardholders every first full weekend of the month throughout the rest of the year. They’re kicking it off this weekend, March 2 and March 3 in honor of National Women’s History Month. Just show your bankcard and an ID to the museum admission desk for free access. The deal applies to cardholders, exclusively. Anyone without a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch card will have to pay. The following museums are participating:

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McCord Students Act in Accord for Art Show

Late-blooming area artists display their work during "In the Studio" exibit at Palos Park gallery

Art students of the McCord Gallery and Cultural Center in Palos Park have a chance to show the public what they learned. Their work will be on display in a gallery called “In the Studio” through Aug. 25 at the facility, located at 9602 Creek Rd. Some of the students are adults who have never painted pictures before. Frankfort’s Peggy Finnegan, who has paintings of a finch and wine bottles on display, said she started painting at  McCord five years ago. “I don’t sell my paintings but I do give them away,” she said after completing a painting of a friend’s dog named Otis. Palos Park’s Nancy Mitchell said she started painting six years ago and also has some paintings on display. She is currently working on painting a church in Greece and …

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Art Helps Mokena Teen Handle Autism

Alex Joss, 13, of Mokena, has been drawing since he was 2 years old as a way to calm himself. Some of his drawings will be on display starting next week at a student show in Frankfort.

A 2 year old playing with a Magna Doodle is nothing new. A 2 year old producing recognizable drawings with one is. That's what Laurel Joss found after giving her son the Fisher-Price drawing toy—recognizable pictures. Soon, Alex Joss was drawing everything, from his preschool teachers to family members to buildings around him. Alex Joss, now 13, of Mokena, suffers from autism, a developmental disorder that affects social and communication skills. "He kind of has an idiosyncratic way of communication," Laurel Joss said. The Summit Hill Junior High School seventh-grader has difficulty interacting with people, often pulling inside himself when situations become too stressful. And then there's his drawing. "I think it relaxes him," Laurel Joss…

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SouthScene

SouthScene Arts Round-up: Brits, Baseball, Bogosian and Black Oak Arkansas

Find your town in our alphabetic breakdown of the best arts and entertainment hitting the Southland.

Alsip Park District kicks off its free, family and all-ages summertime Concerts on the Green series tonight with the Girls Next Door, billed as the fun, friendly, female rock cover band. Bring chairs or blankets but no outside food or beverages. The Club House bar and restaurant at the club will be open during the concert. When: 7:30-9:30 p.m., June 24 Where: Fountain Hills Golf Club, 12601 S. Kedzie Ave., Alsip Cost: Free Information: Alsip Park District online and 708-389-1003  Saint Xavier University presents the Roy Vombreck Orchestra in a free concert on the front lawn of the campus. It's open to all the public, not just students. Picnickers are welcome and several food vendors also will be present selling a variety of yummy food and …

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It's a Wrap: Gallery Owner Preserves Local Moms' Pregnancies in Plaster

Artist Patty McWilliams uses a wrap technique to help mothers-to-be keep their baby bellies forever.

It’s no surprise that Patty McWilliams doesn’t just own the Monkey Mind Art Studio and Gallery in Frankfort. She’s also an artist who continues to practice what she teaches. McWilliams’ undergraduate work was in sculpture, using a variety of media—clay, plaster and plaster wrap. Little did she know at the time that one day she’d be using the plaster wrap technique for more than mask-making. McWilliams said she’d been teaching out of her home studio and making masks with kids when she got the idea to wrap her pregnant nieces’ bellies. “It was just for fun and for family members,” she said. Shortly after McWilliams opened Monkey Mind in October 2010, fellow Frankfort Chamber of Commerce member Lori Dunkman, owner of The Belly Factory, called…

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What's Ahead

A Look at the Next Five Days: Dec. 27-31

Just because it's the last week of 2010 doesn't mean there's nothing to do.

When: Tuesday, Dec. 28-Thursday, Dec. 30 Where: Monkey Mind Art Studio & Gallery, 3 Nebraska Ave. The newly opened studio hosts a three-day collection of workshops and events for kids. Here's what is on tap: Go here for more information. When: Tournament tips off at 3 p.m. and runs through Thursday, Dec. 30. Where: Lincoln-Way East High School, 201 Colorado Ave.; and Lincoln-Way North High School, 19900 S. Harlem Ave.  The girls and boys basketball teams from L-W North and East participate in this holiday tournament, which also boasts L-W East Principal Brenda Jensen as its honorary chair. Here are the schools' matchups through Wednesday: Check out Frankfort Patch this week for coverage of the tournament. When: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, …

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