Things to do this weekend: Oct 24 - 26

This week’s featured shot from the TOC Flickr group comes to us from find a city to live in.

Clearly you know what's on our minds this week.

Here are some things to do this weekend:

FRIDAY

ART & DESIGN - Jacques Rancière: The Pensive Image
The philosopher’s keynote, which examines the role of images in a democracy, kicks off the MCA’s symposium “Disruptions: the political in art now.” Rancière’s lecture is presented by Critical Inquiry in cooperation with the MCA and the Open Practice Committee/Department of Visual Arts, University of Chicago. 4pm. University of Chicago, Swift Hall, 1025 E 58th St at University Ave (773-702-8477). Bus: 172 U. of C./Kenwood. Metra: Elec Main to 59th. FREE!

CLUBS - Things that go BUMP in the night
The rock upstairs, electro down format tends to agree with us and other fickle partiers. Finally, someone does it at the dirty, lovable Liar's Club. The Halloween season gets off to an electro-charged start tonight. Lady FourSquare, Bukkake Battle Kru, ChipsNSalsa and Moody Jay spin electro, house, techno, mash-ups, club, juke and tech-house downstairs to the sweaty dancers. Upstairs, Black Automatic, Rebel! Rebel! and Ballroom Blitz bang out the rock and punk. There's a costume contest and giveaways galore. Liar’s Club, 1665 W Fullerton Ave. (773-665-1110, liarsclub.com). Bus: 9 (24hrs), 73, 74. Tickets: $5, free before 11pm w/R.S.V.P. to RSVP@Custom-Vibes.com

DANCE - Studies N Blackness: Bewitching Black Mojo
Two nights of awesome programming highlighting radical African-American aesthetics start tonight, when the totally brilliant Monstah Black & the Sonic Leroy make George Clinton look conservative. Tomorrow, Awilda Rodriguez Lora presents a screening of A Portrait of Black Transmen. 8pm. Links Hall, 3435 N Sheffield Ave at Clark St (773-281-0824, linkshall.org). El: Red to Addison. Bus: 22 Clark (24hrs), 152 Addison. $15.

FILM - Zero for Conduct/Man’s Castle
We haven’t quite worked out the Siskel’s logic in pairing the boarding school rebellion drama Zero for Conduct with Frank Borzage’s Depression melodrama Man’s Castle (hobo Spencer Tracy takes care of a homeless waif), but they’re both good, and it’ll be fun to see critic Jonathan Rosenbaum connect the dots. 6pm. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St at Randolph St (312-846-2600). El: Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple (rush hrs) to State/Lake; Red to Lake; Blue to Clark/Lake. $9, students $7, members $5.

GAY & LESBIAN - Ask
A combination fashion show and exhibition dedicated to the mask as fetish object? You bet! Leather Archives and Museum, 6418 N Greenview Ave at Devon Ave (773-761-9200). El: Red to Loyola. Bus: 22 (24hrs), 36, 151 (24hrs), 155. 6pm; $5, members free.

THEATER - Celebrity Row
At one point in the ’90s, Colorado’s “supermax” federal prison held Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and Latin Kings leader Luis Felipe in adjoining cells. Itamar Moses’s play steps off into fiction from that chilling fact; David Cromer directs. 8pm. American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron Ave between Wolcott and Lincoln Aves (773-929-1031). El: Brown to Addison. Bus: 11, 50, 80. $40.

SATURDAY

ART & DESIGN - Hyde Park Mural Walk
The Chicago Public Art Group leads this tour of new and restored murals by artists including Margaret Burroughs and Calvin Jones. 11am–1pm. Meet at 5600 S Lake Park Ave and 56th St (312-427-2724, cpag.net). Bus: 6 Jackson Park Exp, 28 Stony Island. Metra: Elec Main to 55-56-57th St. FREE!

DANCE - Zephyr Dance 2008 Gala
Party down with members of Zephyr Dance company to raise money for future creative and educational projects. 7:30pm. DePaul University, Cortelyou Commons, 2342 N Fremont St between Fullerton and Belden Aves (773-489-5069, zephyrdance.com). $80.

MUSEUMS & CULTURE - Holistic Animal Well-Fair
Pampered pets are nothing new, but this animal fair adds a New Age twist to the cross-species indulgence. Treat yourself and your little buddy to a reiki massage, consult with a holistic veterinarian or partake in some energy balancing to forge a stronger tie between the two of you. Healthy-pet-food vendors, a pet psychic and a pet portrait artist will also be on hand. 10am–6pm. Golf Mill Shopping Center, 239 Golf Mill Center, Niles (847-622-4433, ahaworks.org). FREE!

SHOPPING & STYLE - Macy’s birthday
Early birds get the worm today in honor of the department store’s 150th birthday. The first 150 customers to glide through the store’s front entrance will score a $15 gift card (valid only for the day). Come with an empty stomach—not just so you can fit in those skinny jeans—because there’ll be cupcakes awaiting your arrival, as well. 9am–10pm. Macy's, 111 N State St at Washington St (312-781-1000, macys.com). El: Red to Lake; Blue to Washington. Brown, Orange, Purple (rush hrs) to State/Lake.

SPORTS & REC - Orbitz Go Go Green 5K Run/Walk
Orbitz should be lauded for its backing of this first-ever run/walk that hopes to raise awareness about our urban ecosystem. With that in mind, before the 5K kicks off, participants are encouraged to bring household recyclables, old batteries, used crayons and gym shoes to be recycled by the Nature Museum with the help of the City of Chicago and Niketown. The Beatles Group will provide the soundtrack, and the first 1,000 registered adults will receive a long-sleeve wicking sports shirt. 9am. The Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N Cannon Dr at Fullerton Pkwy (naturemuseum.org). Bus: 74 Fullerton, 151 Sheridan (24hrs). $32, kids ages 12 and under free.

SPORTS & REC - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote
Although the middleweights Anderson Silva and Patrick Cote get top billing, fans of MMA will have a full slate of bouts to feast on for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first visit to Chicago. Goran Reljic vs. Thales Leites; Junior “Cigano” dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum; Tyson Griffin vs. Sean Sherk; and Gray Maynard vs. Rich Clementi are just a few of the bouts lined up. Even if you can’t get a ticket into Allstate for the fights, the night’s proceedings will be broadcast on pay-per view. 6:45pm. Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim Rd, Rosemont (312-559-1212, ticketmaster.com). El: Blue to Rosemont, connect to Pace 221. $50–$600.

THEATER - Beauty on the Vine
Zak Berkman’s play imagines where our cosmetic-surgery culture is headed: An attractive, female right-wing radio host inspires young women to alter their faces to look like her. Jason Kae directs the Chicago premiere. 8:30pm. BackStage Theater Company at Raven Theater, 6157 N Clark St between Hood and Granville Aves (800-838-3006). El: Red to Granville. Bus: 22 Clark (24hrs), 155 Devon. $25.

SUNDAY

ART & DESIGN - East Garfield Park Open Studios
Artists at three sites open their workspaces to the public. Noon–6pm. Switching Station Artist Lofts, 15 S Homan Ave at Madison St (773-722-2003). 3200 West Carroll Avenue Studios, 3200 W Carroll Ave at Kedzie Ave (847-977-3834, westcarrollopenstudios.blogspot.com). Carroll Albany Arts Building, 319 N Albany Ave between Carroll Ave and Fulton St (773-638-3500). El: Green to Kedzie. Bus: 20, 52, 82. FREE!

DANCE - Luminous Blackness—Studies N Black Closing Event
This hybrid performance-party closes the weekend of groovy African-American music, dance, film and performance art at Links. 7–10pm. Links Hall, 3435 N Sheffield Ave at Clark St (773-281-0824, linkshall.org). El: Red to Addison. Bus: 22 Clark (24hrs), 152 Addison. $20.

GAY & LESBIAN - Madonna
A night with Madge is gayer than IML, Pride and Market Days combined. Have fun. United Center, 1901 W Madison St between Wood St and Damen Ave (312-455-4500). El: Blue to Medical Center. Bus: 19, 20 (24hrs), 50. 8pm. $55-$350.

MUSEUMS & CULTURE - Sunday Parkways
This is the South Side installment of Sunday Parkways, a day that banishes traffic from select boulevards for a few hours. Sponsored by the city and various Chicago community organizations, the plan frees up space for Sunday biking, scooter riding, ball playing and general revelry. Activity stations will be set up in parks and other spots throughout the morning. 9am–1pm. Central Park between Madison St and Jackson St, Independence Blvd from Jackson St to Douglas Blvd, Marshall Blvd from Douglas Blvd to 24th Blvd (312-377-5727). FREE!

SHOPPING & STYLE - Victorinox/Swiss Army sample sale
Perhaps you’ve been familiar with Swiss Army since you first spotted their slick, frill-free watches as a kid, but there’s more to this brand than fine accessories. Stop by His Stuff to peruse the selection of seriously discounted apparel,including down-filled parkas (regularly $800, now $175), technical jackets (regularly $250, now $50) and swimsuits (regularly $80, now $2O). Noon–6pm. His Stuff - Lakeview, 3162 N Broadway at Briar Pl (773-281-6111). El: Red, Brown, Purple (rush hrs) to Belmont. Bus: 8, 22 (24hrs), 36, 77.

SPORTS & REC - Fall Picnic Ride
The Chicago Cycling Club closes out its summer riding season with a ride to the Harms Woods Forest Preserve, followed by a potluck picnic. At least one rider will have a trailer to haul all the goodies, but you’ll need to call ahead to let the club know what you plan to bring to the potluck (you know, so everyone’s mother can go to sleep content with the knowledge that her kids are eating a balanced meal). 10am. Waveland Clock Tower, 3600 N Recreation Dr between Addison St and Irving Park Rd (contact Jim Adgate at 773-551-8242, chicagocyclingclub.org). Bus: 80, 144, 146, 148, 151 (24hrs), 152. FREE!

THEATER - RadioLab: Martian Invasion!
Victory Gardens hosts a live taping of WNYC’s public-radio science show (broadcast locally on WBEZ); the episode uses Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds to examine mass media’s panic-inducing power. 7:30pm. Victory Gardens Theater at the Biograph, 2433 N Lincoln Ave between Fullerton Ave and Montana St (773-871-3000). El: Red, Brown, Purple (rush hrs) to Fullerton. Bus: 8, 11, 74. $30.