Rhythm & Love: A Valentine’s Day Pop-Up featuring Reginald Robinson

Rhythm & Love: A Valentine’s Day Pop-Up featuring Reginald Robinson

Celebrate South Side love with the premiere of the re-mixed Spinning Home Movies episode “Rhythm & Love” on the big screen!

Gather for an afternoon dedicated to Black love in all its forms with activities for all ages, including:

• Personalized Love Notes - collaging with visual artist Candace Hunter
• DIY Bouquet Bar - build a unique floral arrangement for someone special
• Holiday Refreshments - hot chocolate and cookies
• Reginald R. Robinson and South Side Home Movie Project director Jacqueline Stewart in person

This event is perfect for couples, families, and friends of all ages!

Created by composer and musician Reginald R. Robinson, in collaboration with film scholar Allyson Nadia Field, “Rhythm & Love” draws upon fragments of historic Black life — ragtime tunes, rare clips of early Black cinema, South Side Home Movie Project footage, house music beats — to present a unique mix of film and music both historic and contemporary. Features original music composed, produced and performed by Reginald R. Robinson, with percussionist Coco Elysses and saxophonist Fred Jackson. Co-produced by Chip E. Spoken word performance by Staccato.

This program also features the remarkable short film Something Good—Negro Kiss (1898) and early films showcasing Black ragtime performers alongside recently digitized home movies from SSHMP’s Roberts Family Collection and selections from the Ramon Williams, Leroy Roberson, Philip Maxwell Sr., Charles Merrifield, Ellis Family and Buford Family Collections.

Spinning Home Movies is a unique series that pairs vintage home movie footage shot by South Side residents with original soundtracks by local DJs. Explore the rich history of the South Side through the lens of these personal films, curated and soundtracked by talented Chicago artists. Learn more about the Spinning Home Movies and South Side Home Movie Project

Host or Publisher Arts + Public Life