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PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY COUGHLIN (DANCE CRASH); SAVERIO TRUGLIA (MARIE ANTOINETTE) Water World EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHER MICHAEL T. NOONAN CAPTURES THE DRAMATIC BEAUTY OF BODIES OF WATER AROUND THE GLOBE. With their stunning shimmers of light, rippling patterns, and waves of color, the works of Chicago photographer Michael T. Noonan could easily be mistaken for masterful abstract paintings. All are strikingly different—one a soothing landscape of nearly monochro- matic greens and blues, another interrupted by jarring splotches of acid green—yet the story behind each is the same. Taken over the past several years, Noonan's images are raw, unedited photographs of water reflections around the world, from Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor to the Gulf of Finland and the Aegean Sea. "I had been fiddling around with all different types of photos related to water," explains Noonan—who, fittingly, was a collegiate swimmer for Boston University—"and I became mesmerized by what the cam- era did when water reflected other things." The Chicago art world has certainly taken notice: Work by the photographer is currently on display at the Olympia Centre on Michigan Avenue, has recently been snapped up by several high-profile collectors, and on March 1 will debut in renowned designer Holly Hunt's new Dallas showroom. And though upcoming shooting trips will take him to beach-centric destinations St. Barth's and the Riviera Maya, Noonan intends to stay focused on his camera—and staying dry. "I typically avoid getting in the water at all costs," he laughs. "Even as a swimmer I preferred being out of the water looking at it than being in it." On view through mid-May at Olympia Centre, 737 N. Michigan Ave. (entrance at 151 E. Chicago Ave.), 312-751-1615; michaeltnoonan.com MA profile calendar onstage "I'm a bit of a girly-girl myself," says actress Alana Arenas, who dons opulent dresses and towering wigs as the titular queen of play- wright David Adjmi's Marie Antoinette at Steppenwolf. The production explores the extravagant lifestyle (and tragic downfall) of France's notorious teen idol through a modern lens, ushering her out of 18th-century Versailles and into a contemporary high-end fashion house. Adds Arenas, "I'm excited about getting to walk around [as] somebody who said 'yes' to the dress." February 5–May 10, 1650 N. Halsted St., 312-335-1650; steppenwolf.org Dramatic style: Alana Arenas as Marie Antoinette. The Artist and His Family by Adam Buck, 1813, will be part of "Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design" at the Art Institute. Chantelle Mrowka and David Ingram of Chicago Dance Crash. 3.6, taken on the Baltic Sea in Stockholm by Michael T. Noonan, 2010. PRIDE OF THE IRISH The city's epic St. Patrick's Day Parade is just the tip of the shamrock when it comes to Irish-inspired events this month. The Art Institute of Chicago's showcase exhibi- tion, "Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690-1840" (March 17–June 7, 111 S. Michigan Ave., 312-443-3600; artic.edu), promises to be an "eye-opener," says curator Christopher Monkhouse. "It's going to be a revelation to people who think the Irish never leave their little island," Monkhouse asserts. "[Ireland is] very sophisticated and international." The exhibition reveals the Emerald Isle's history as a land of artists, collectors, and patrons through 320 objects, including portraits, landscape paintings, furniture, and more. Highlights include an 18th-century Celtic harp ("the earliest outside of Ireland or Scotland," notes assistant research curator Leslie Fitzpatrick), and the Getty Museum's Mazarin Venus. Meanwhile, the Irish American Heritage Center commemorates its 30th anniversary with multiple St. Patrick's Day celebrations, including its dinner, danc- ing, and live music at the annual Wearing of the Green Dance on March 1; traditional and contemporary Irish music, dancing, food, and an arts and crafts fair at an all- day March 14 festival; and music, dancing, food, and face painting at a party on St. Patrick's Day proper (March 17). 4626 N. Knox Ave., 773-282-7035; irish-american.org Green Season TEEN DREAM // high performance // FANCY FOOTWORK FUSING CONTEMPORARY DANCE, HIP-HOP, and acrobatics, Chicago Dance Crash brings its high-energy style of movement to its debut performance at Columbia College's Dance Center. "Each piece stands alone and tells its own story," says artistic director Jessica Deahr of the evening's program of six dances by six different choreographers. That includes Deahr's own work, The Generator, of which she says, "The idea behind it [is] the dancers [are] video game characters being commanded by an outside source to perform really demanding, physical, painful movements to generate power." February 19–21, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., 312-369-8330; chicagodancecrash.com 62 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM CULTURE Spotlight