The Union celebrates 10-year anniversary May 8

The mission of The Union is simple: to inspire meaningful social change through the arts. Its core values—being socially conscious, student run, artist friendly, locally rooted—are student-inspired.

Since its May 1, 2005, launch at North Central College, The Union has served as an off-campus venue for emerging and touring artists and a place for all students to hang out. It’s remained centered on spiritual reflection and social action, with the goal to unite the campus and community, art and life, and faith and action.

This Friday, May 8, The Union celebrates 10 years with an anniversary party called “NXNC” (North by North Central) at its off-campus venue at 129 W. Benton Ave. All are invited to the celebration, which features two sets of music by The Quiet Revelry and The Gray Havens at 7 p.m. followed by student performers and Kevin Andrew Prchal & The Wheeling Birds at 9:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance and at the door; visit tickets.noctrl.edu. Admission is free to North Central students with a student ID.

Ten years and hundreds of events later, The Union has become one of the premier underground music and arts venues in the Chicago suburbs. The 300-person, standing-capacity room is often filled to the brim and draws people of all ages. More than just an entertainment venue, The Union still operates on the presumption that great art can inspire both personal and social change—it can make dry bones dance, speak life into the human spirit and move people to action. If an event and The Union’s student-run operation can transcend entertainment and connect in ways that are significant both socially and spiritually, there is hope that those who unite in a shared experience can enact positive change locally and globally.

For more information visit theunionnetwork.com or follow @theunionnetwork on social media.