Goethe-Institut Chicago

Make a collaborative Wesley Willis zine with us!

Join us at KIOSK on Saturday, October 10th for a collaborative zine workshop led by Naomi Shintani Deibel, whose work is on view in the group exhibition I Am A Rock I Am A Roll. All ages and experience levels welcome, whether you’re a longtime zine fan or can’t remember the last time you picked up a pair of scissors!

Drop in any time between 12-6pm and create a page for our collaborative zine about the legacy of iconic Chicago artist and musician Wesley Willis. Starting at 12:15pm, Naomi Shintani Deibel will share a brief history of the medium using zines and artist books from her personal collection, including those she has made and those by other artists.

Participants are invited to contribute their own perspectives, experiment with different materials and tech­niques, and collectively create a zine. There are no fixed rules or boundaries. Memories of Wesley Willis shows, graphic scores of his songs, Willis-style architectural drawings, and other explorations of art, music, and Chicago DIY histories are all welcome.

After the workshop, the artist will copy, bind, and finish a zine made up of all participants' work, which will be available for pickup in the second half of October at the Goethe-Institut Chicago and KIOSK. Participants are also welcome to come with their own project in mind and complete a zine to take home day-of.

This workshop is presented in partnership with KIOSK and Soho House Chicago.

Join us for a panel conversation exploring Chicago’s punk history, the legacy of Wesley Willis, and the future of the scene. Bringing together artists, organizers, and longtime participants, the discussion will reflect on the venues, moments, and collaborations that have shaped Chicago punk. This program is presented in collaboration with KIOSK and Mouse Arts and Letters Club.

Featured speakers include Francisco “Pancho” García, musician and co-founder of hardcore venue Casa Cafe Shows; Kenn Goodman, founder of Pravda Records, one of Chicago’s longest running independent record labels; K Hagood, musician and part of dance core punk band ; and , artist and longtime friend and tour manager of Wesley Willis.

Light refreshments will be served. Please register via Eventbrite in our bio to help us plan accordingly.

East Berlin, summer 1989: A young East Berliner navigates the final months of the GDR. Enrico has quit his apprenticeship to focus on the punk band Sperrmüll (‚Bulky Trash‘), which he founded with three friends from their high-rise housing development. Making music with what other people discard helps him let off steam and frustrations with his family, politics and his country. When his mother and sister move to West Berlin, he holds on to his beliefs and decides to stay and insists on maintaining his cultural identity even after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

After fourteen years away, Hein returns to the remote North Sea Island where he grew up only to find that no one—not even his childhood friend Friedemann—recognizes him. As the close-knit community convenes a village court to determine whether he is truly who he claims to be, suspicion gives way to hostility and Hein’s sense of identity begins to unravel. Desperate to prove his past, he searches for evidence to validate his memories, only to confront a truth he has long denied.

Blending mystery and psychological drama, this haunting tale, which won the Teddy Award Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, explores memory, belonging, identity, and the personal cost of repressing one’s true self.

is the second-longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. For 44 years, it has helped bring those stories that go from the heart and jump to the page, and land on the screen, where they can be watched, celebrated, and experienced together.

A powder keg of music, art and chaos erupts in 1980s West Berlin, fueling a creative melting pot that influences subculture and pop culture far beyond its borders. This blistering documentary, featuring appearances by Nick Cave, Christiane F., Mark Reeder, Einstürzende Neubauten and even David Hasselhoff, fuses unreleased film footage and original interviews with an iconic soundtrack.

Documenting the punk era, the early DJ scene, and the fall of the Berlin Wall, 'B-Movie' is a gritty and glamorous journey through music culture and creative life in the divided city.

We welcome Michael, our new director!

Dr. Michael Heinst, who was born and raised in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, started as director of the Goethe-Institut Chicago in August.

With a background in German studies, he has been passionate about international cultural exchange ever since an internship at the Goethe-Institut London. He initially worked in the communications department at the Munich head office, then served as director at the Goethe-Institut in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and Bangalore (India).

Commenting on his new role in Chicago, Michael says: “I’m excited to be here in this beautiful city, and grateful for the warm welcome. I look forward to working with our partners to deepen and expand the cultural and educational collaboration between Germany and the U.S.—from Chicago and the Midwest to Houston, Texas.”

We wish him a great start and every success!

Join the excellent team over at the German International School Chicago!

We're hiring a full-time Development & Communications Manager to strengthen fundraising initiatives, expand community engagement, and tell the stories that make our school unique.

If you enjoy building relationships, telling compelling stories, and combining strategic thinking with hands-on ex*****on, this role could be a great fit.

👉 Learn more & apply: https://german-school-chicago-nfp.careerplug.com/j/032w7y6

❗️We‘re Hiring❗️

The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chicago is seeking a driver starting on October 1, 2026.

Please send your application

by: September 18, 2026

to: [email protected]

Please ensure to include: résumé, driver’s license, copy of high school diploma, employment references, copy of your passport / Green Card or visa and work permit if applicable

For more information, please follow the link in our bio.

Opening Saturday, September 5th, 5-9pm! This exhibition explores the intersections of punk, DIY, and self-taught art through the work of two American and two German artists: Naomi Shintani Deibel, Jonas Müller-Ahlheim, Betsy Odom, and Wesley Willis.

Part of Alle gegen Alles. Punk@50, a transatlantic, multi-city initiative marking the 50-year anniversary of punk taking place at Goethe-Instituts across North America in fall 2026, ‘I Am A Rock I Am A Roll’ is a collaboration between KIOSK and the Goethe-Institut Chicago and will feature film screenings, a zine workshop, a conversation on Chicago’s punk history, and other programs at both locations.

Special thanks to Intuit Art Museum for the loan of three beautiful Willis works for this exhibition!

Design by eli schmitt , original image by Naomi Shintani Deibel.

Join us for an evening of film and discussion for the closing of Maya Nguyen's LATERAL ENTRANT.

In the documentary HAO ARE YOU, German director Dieu Hao Do explores the fragmentation of his family after the US-led war in Vietnam scattered them across three continents. Nearly fifty years after their escape, contact between the seven family members has all but broken down.

The film will be introduced by Zach Ramon Fitzpatrick (University of Wisconsin Madison), who will also discuss the histories of Vietnamese-German communities in West Germany and the GDR. Zach also runs the Instagram account , where he posts about media, history, people, and community events, with the goal of empowering and lending visibility to the Asian German diaspora.

Photos: ©Florian Mag