The Little Things are Global Things: Nerd Nite Apr 26, 2025

Join us at The Lincoln Lodge for Nerd Nite Chicago’s spring quarter! Because nerds are brave and hopeful but also actionable, our three outstanding presenters will connect the small to the all:

What's on the Menu?

1. “How understanding fabric will save the world” [Ann Hinterman] Your sweater is trash. But it doesn't have to be that way! The secretly obvious, ancient/modern world of textile production, maintenance, and where it all ends up. Ann is a local Chicago grant writer and sewist who concentrates most effectively when her hands are busy. She spends a lot of time thinking about trash, textiles, and how to keep textiles from becoming trash.
2. “Whole-Life Buildings” [Amber Ginsburg] Amber ran headlong into the bureaucracies that shape our future, converting a 1923 Woodlawn building into a carbon neutral co-making space and home. From this exercise in siloed information she developed the idea for the Municipal Department of Carbon, where our zoning, permitting, taxes, banking, and our urban green spaces would streamline and support our collective future. Come hear the hilariously painful anecdotes of green building renovation, but also a map to making Chicago carbon neutral by 2040. People, we can do this.
   Amber Ginsburg is an artist and teacher in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago. She creates site-generated projects and social sculptures that insert historical scenarios into present-day situations, as well as engaging present-day histories to imagine alternative futures. Her background in craft orients her projects towards the continuities and ruptures in material, social, and utopic histories. Her works engage multiple communities and elicit working relationships with experts in the fields of botany, biology, legal scholarship, activism, and science fiction.
3. “World events and their resulting pastries” [A. Aardvark] Pastries are political speech! Bringing it home, we connect large-scale events out the world to the buttery, flaky goodness you can hold in your hand. 
   

What is Nerd Nite?

Imagine the Discovery Channel coming to life in your favorite bar. That's Nerd Nite! It's a monthly gathering where nerds unite to sip beer and share their passions through hilarious and informative slideshow presentations. From Dracula ants to wimpy black holes, from the art of breadmaking to the science of, well, anything – if it's nerdy, it's fair game.

Want to Share Your Nerddom?

Got a burning desire to educate the masses about your obscure obsession? Know someone who needs a gentle push into the spotlight? Like a cozy motel chain, we'll leave port 22 open for ya. Reach out and claim your spot in Nerd Nite history!

Join us for an evening of intellectual stimulation, hearty laughs, and cold brews. Because nothing pairs better with mind-expanding knowledge than a frosty pint!

Be there and be square