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The Freedom Principle Opening Day

One of many performances throughout the opening day celebration, Natural Information Society plays with Lisa Alvarado. Photo: Claire Fey, © MCA Chicago.
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The MCA celebrated the opening of The Freedom Principle in a way that we thought would honor the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians’ (AACM) spirit of collectivity and experimentation: with a day of free admission for Illinois residents and free musical performances showcasing the AACM’s legacy. We were thrilled that almost 2,000 visitors packed the museum, and we’ve gathered some of our highlights from the opening day events in a roughly chronological order.

Images

Museum visitors gather to watch Natural Information Society play, © MCA Chicago.
Artist Chad Kouri thumps his markers in time to the music. Throughout The Freedom Principle Chad is sharing artwork made in response to the music on this blog, check past posts for his contributions, © MCA Chicago.
A look over Kouri’s shoulder at what he’s creating during the performance. Keep following MCA DNA to see these drawings, © MCA Chicago.
Cocurator of The Freedom Principle Dieter Roelstraete converses with artist and musician Lisa Alvarado whose work acts as a backdrop for the day and is also on display in the exhibition, © MCA Chicago.
Visitors look at Lili Reynaud-Dewars’s installation, © MCA Chicago.
An array of artworks by Muhal Richard Abrams captures visitors’ attention, © MCA Chicago.
Roscoe’s Target by Rashid Johnson sparks conversation in the gallery, © MCA Chicago.
Visitors packed the gallery to see AACM artwork and ephemera in one of the first galleries, © MCA Chicago.
Later in the afternoon, cellist and composer Tomeka Reid and double bassist Silvia Bolognes performed music based on two graphic scores by artist Anthony Braxton. At far left Chad Kouri contemplates a new kind of surface to work on, © MCA Chicago.
As Tomeka Reid and Silvia Bolognes make music based on art, Chad Kouri translates the music back into a new artwork, drawing in washable ink on our windows as the musicians play, © MCA Chicago.
A close-up of artist Chad Kouri at work, © MCA Chicago.
Another performance view of cellist and composer Tomeka Reid and double bassist Silvia Bolognes, © MCA Chicago.
Museum visitors gather to watch Natural Information Society play, © MCA Chicago.
As rain started to fall outside, Mike Reed’s People, Places & Things closed out the day inside, © MCA Chicago.
Visitors watched performances and galleries were full right up to closing time at 7 pm, © MCA Chicago.

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