MONDAY, JAN. 21
MLK Day Celebration: “The Fierce Urgency of Now” St. William Catholic Church Free | 1:30-3:30 p.m. A long list of locally-operating nonprofits, including The Bail Project and Cultivating Connections, have put together this Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, which offers music, drumming, movement, poetry and “a puppet parade alongside an exciting variety of voices for justice.” Those voices include mini-talks on environmental justice and immigrant rights. The program is meant to transform King’s messages of the past into a call for action of today.GRLwood / Ellen Siberian Tiger / Bird-Dog & His Coyote Gospel Choir Zanzabar $5 | 7 p.m.-midnight Start your week off loud with performances from Louisville’s GRLwood and Bird-Dog and His Coyote Gospel Choir. From Philadelphia, the four-piece feminist indie rock band, Ellen Siberian Tiger, joins.
TUESDAY, JAN. 22
Thunderdome: Fantasy Kaiju No cover | 9-11 p.m. Every month, local comedians converge on Kaiju to flex their skills in this uproarious competition. This time, they might break out their dragons and weapons to win. January’s theme is fantasy.WEDNESDAY, JAN. 23
Is It Decision Time for Castleman? Old Jail Court Room Free | 5:30 p.m. In what might be the rowdiest event of the week, the Cherokee Triangle Architectural Review Committee is scheduled hear why the John B. Castleman statue should go. Some five months after first calling for the removal of the monument to the former Confederate soldier (and civic leader), Mayor Greg Fischer is formally requesting approval from the committee.The Portland Puzzler Portland Branch Library — Louisville Free Public Library Free | 5:30-6:30 p.m. Compete to see who’s the smartest in the Portland Brach Library’s Brain Teaser Game for adults aged 18 and up. There will be rebus puzzles and riddles. Call 574-1744 to register.
The 2019 Jane Morton Endowed Lecture: Hasan Elahi Cressman Center for Visual Arts Free | 5:30-7:30 p.m. Hasan Elahi, who will be speaking at this event, is an international multimedia artist with an interesting story. In 2002, Elahi discovered that he had accidentally been added to the FBI’s terrorist watch list, and the agency had been tailing him for some time. His artwork reflects that experiencing, focusing on issues from surveillance to the challenges of borders and frontiers.
THURSDAY, JAN. 24
Couture Season Launch Party KMAC Museum Free | 6-8 p.m. Meet the couture artists who will be creating the wearable art for the KMAC’s “Art Walks the Runway” show in April. This free event includes refreshments and a chance to sponsor a look.'Death by Magic' Screening Pints & Union, New Albany No cover | 7:30-9:30 p.m. In what’s sure to be a truly magical evening, watch a screening of the new Netflix series, “Death by Magic,” which follows magician Drummond Money-Coutts as he travels around the world and attempts potentially fatal tricks. Afterward, grab a pint and engage in a discussion with local magician Brent Braun, who served as a consultant on the show.
Bent Paw / Wintermute / Tender Mercy Kaiju $5 | 9 p.m.-midnight Tender Mercy (Louisville singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Kramer) and Wintermute (Bloomington experimental trio) are releasing a split tape this months, and they’re celebrating with this show. Brent Paw, an improvisational jazz ensemble, will be joining.
