On today’s agenda: the art of everyday items with Nick Albertson, a celebration of the late musician Mark Linkous, and Salonathon’s late-night show at Steppenwolf.

“Single Use”

Plastic plates, paper cups, and everyday detritus gets an artistic makeover courtesy of photographer Nick Albertson

Artist Nick Albertson doesn’t believe in wasting materials, no matter how mundane or disposable. In Single Use, which closes tomorrow at Aspect/Ratio (119 N. Peoria St., Unit 3D), the photographer draws out the beauty in mass production through photos of artfully arranged, endlessly repeating household items. By pausing the one-and-done lives of everything from plastic dinner plates to the cone-shaped paper cups found at most water coolers, Albertson also slows down our judgment of them. Given all the time in the world to stare at these pictures, you’ve got to admit: we throw away some pretty elegant stuff. (Noon to 5 p.m. The show runs through Friday, March 7. Admission is free.)

An Evening Dedicated to Sparklehorse

Four years after Mark Linkous’s suicide, Sparklehorse fans gather to remember his music and raise money for mental health awareness

We thought we’d drained our “sobbing about music” reservoirs during January's tribute to the late Jason Molina at the Hideout. As another sad anniversary approaches, it looks like we were wrong. It’s been four years since the suicide of Mark Linkous, the haunted songwriter best known for his work as Sparklehorse. His death robbed the indie world of one of its most wry, emotionally precise singers and left behind a body of work ready for reevaluation. Tonight, the Tonic Room (2447 N. Halsted Ave.) hosts An Evening Dedicated to Sparklehorse, a celebration of Linkous’s life combined with a retrospective of his work. A crew of Chicago musicians including Brian Morrissey of The Dirty Pigeons and Chris Anderson of Old Fashioned War will share their  best-loved Sparklehorse tunes, with all proceeds benefiting Box of Stars, “a non-profit organization that promotes mental health awareness through music.” (8 p.m. $7; buy tickets here)

Salonathon at Steppenwolf

Salonathon ventures out of Beauty Bar’s cozy confines for a late-night show at The Garage at Steppenwolf

As Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s black-box incubator, The Garage (1624 N. Halsted Ave.) is known for hosting boundary-pushing, expectation-challenging theater. As Chicago’s hippest weekly cabaret, Salonathon is known for filling Beauty Bar with genre-bending performances by Chicago’s avant-garde artists. Thus, it’s fitting that the two will meet tonight, during the kickoff of The Garage’s annual spring Late Night at Garage Rep series. Curated by Salonaton founder and impresaria Jane Beachy around the theme of “Say My Name,” tonight’s gig includes laugh with the Puterbaugh Sisters, enthralling movements by Erik Strebig and Erin Long, and a performance by Steppenwolf’s own Ike Holter. (11 p.m. $5; buy tickets here)

Photo provided by Aspect/Ratio