Housed in the historic Lake Bluff train station, the Artists on the Bluff gallery offers a…read morewonderful opportunity to enjoy beautiful, original art work and purchase unique gifts or home decor items. Prices are reasonable and items for sale range from small note cards to large oils to reproductions of the train station's murals and jewelry. The entrance to the gallery is track-side. Browsing is welcomed by volunteers from the local artists' organization who staff the gallery Wednesdays and Fridays 10am -1pm and 3pm - 6pm and Saturdays 9am - 1pm.

Art festival that is not overly crowded so you can actually enjoy yourself and see mall the amazing…read moreartwork. There's all types of art to admire. Glen or is a suburb that's very nice and safe and to enjoy it in a beautiful day makes it better. There's street parking around the festival for easy access to downtown Glencoe and if you don't drive there is a Metra station so you can sit back and relax on the way here without driving.

We love going to Art in the Park in Northbrook at the Village Green.  This year it happened during…read morethe Mother's Day weekend on May 9 and May 10.  There were over 80 artists covering many categories.  I have observed that there was more art in the homey and traditional style and less modern art, targeting a more mature and senior audience.  Of course, it was suitable for art-goers of all ages, even for kids.  There was even a Kids Art Zone that featured  bingo, spin art, and sand sculpture.  When we were there, there was live music by a 2-men band on stage belting out songs that were rhythmic and very pleasing to the ears.  For us, dog spotting is always fun!  Many dogs walked in the art fair with their humans.  We love getting to socialize with some outgoing ones.  There are many eateries and restaurants around the park, and it's not hard finding free parking nearby.  This year the weather was perfect, making it a very enjoyable walk in the park!

Too many dogs. Need more different medias. Much too much jewelry. More music venues. All in all s…read morenice day to be out.

I'm so happy to be able to post the first review of 1100 Florence! First and foremost I love that…read morethis former Polish grocery store has taken on a creative and artistic life. The owners--local artists and arts advocates, are giving back to the community by repurposing the front of the building into a gallery space, event space, and pretty much a space for any and all things creative. I recently had the pleasure of attending a photo shoot there. The morning light was absolutely ideal, and the white walls with the wood floors made for a perfect backdrop. The owner, Lisa, also in attendance, mentioned that she rented the space to the photographer on an hourly basis (can't remember, but the rate was very reasonable). Such a great addition to Evanston, and I loved the vibe so much I want to dream up my own exhibit for the future. Note: If you're lucky, you might be able to catch a glimpse of the really cute bunny that takes up residence in the building and roams freely.

The craziest part is that I grew up a block from this gallery and I remember what it was a butcher…read moreshop and for years it was vacant. Along comes a visionary couple who turned it into an art gallery. The first exhibit featuring artist Ben Blount is politically charged in mind opening. Don't miss it!

My daughter and I saw a play here that we really enjoyed and it encouraged me to get on their…read moremailing list and follow them on social media to learn about future events. But what impressed me yesterday was that my cousin passed away and the venue where my family planned to have his celebration was booked for the date we wanted. His sister called around and learned that Noyes Cultural Center rents space for special events. We got a room that was perfect for our event. We were able to bring food, music and a slideshow and the staff there were very helpful. They have a small (metered) parking lot adjacent to the entrance and additional street parking nearby, plus a park on the side of the building. They have art classes, the theater, and a lot of other offerings that we weren't aware of, making this center even more impressive.

Sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone. We bought tickets to Circus in Progress (part of…read morethe Actor's Gymnasium) and found ourselves in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for the very intimate and impressive show. What we first noticed was the large space. The building is obviously older and has the wide halls and high ceilings you can only get in an older building like this. Upstairs there is an open art gallery which we enjoyed checking out before the show. It would actually be a cool place to host a party or two there as well. There is a small parking lot. I mean tiny considering how many people can be there. But it's literally a jump off of the L and you are there. And there is public parking just a block away. Classes abound in this local arts community. There were tons of flyers, brochures and post cards for upcoming shows, classes (for ALL ages), productions and art shows. Noyes Cultural Arts Center is located in Nothern Evanston and houses a number of art-related organizations, including The Actors Gymnasium, Evanston Children's Choir, Piven Theatre Workshop, Arlen Music / Ken Arlen Orchestra, Art Encounter, Evanston Art Center and the Next Theatre Company. Next time you're in the area, take a peek inside. Or check out what's playing. Tickets are ridiculously cheap and the production we saw was a lot of fun.

Wow, this place is the local hidden gem I thought it was.  I tried to come here a couple of years…read moreago, but it was closed due to Covid.  It's a quiet, unassuming place but for just a modest $5 admission ($5 for seniors, and $7 otherwise), you can see a lot of neat American Indian artifacts, artwork, history, and information.  I really enjoyed my 75 minute visit, and that's maybe all you may need (1-2 hours) to peruse their two floors.  You can look at my photos for an idea of what's there, but I had 2 notable personal highlights.  One was seeing a map of North America that showed the names of 1200 tribes(!) and their locations, and that was quite impressive I thought.  Most you wouldn't know, but many of the famous ones you would, from movies and what not.  The other highlight was meeting and chatting with Josee Starr, the staffer that initially greeted me.  There were actually 2 friendly staffers - her and a fellow named Joseph Gackstetter, but I met Josee upon entering and she was the only one there at the time.  After my milling around, I finally got up my nerve to ask her if she was at least partially American Indian as she looked the part, and yippee-yayaay, she told me she was 99% American Indian and 1% French (fur trader French).  Very cool, and she has tracked her genealogy back 9 generations!  I only really knew of one other full native American in my life (an old work colleague), so this was a treat.  I also took the opportunity to give her fellow staffer Joseph some hell for being just a regular Caucasian working here (lol, and he took the kidding in stride).  I highly recommend this place for some cultural enlightenment, and also as a great place to educate youngsters.

I've been wanting to visit the Mitchell Museum since I learned about it about a year ago. It's a…read morevery small museum--you might pass it and not realize what it is, or maybe think it's a church or something. In two stories, they tell you a bit about the history of Native Americans the US and Canada, with a particular emphasis of the history of Native peoples in the city and region. The museum is about 45 years old and one of the few that focuses exclusively on this population. I spent about an hour and a half viewing the exhibits. The various exhibits introduced various indigenous groups (Plains, Woodlands, etc.) and how those groups lived. There were displays of the crafts, both ceremonial and utilitarian, that each tribe was known for, and they were careful to share in most or all instances how those crafts and traditions changed pre- and post-contact. Upstairs there was a section that talked about the presence of American Indians in Chicago and the near region, from explaining the atrocities that the government perpetrated against them to simply explaining the origins of well-known Chicago areas such as Portage Park, Sauganash, and Caldwell Woods. When I visited, there was an exhibit about missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW). Long ignored, indigenous women are by far the most endangered when it comes to the murder or disappearance of these women. Women on reservations are ten times more likely to end up part of the MMIW, and in just the last few years (2019, I believe) over 5,500 indigenous women were missing or murdered. Too long this has been a crisis that has been ignored by majority culture. Although the exhibit as a whole was very powerful, Nayana LaFond's contribution to the exhibit was especially moving. She paints images of MMIW that have been provided to her by family or friends of the missing women. She explained that she hadn't intended for it to become a project, but once she started receiving dozens of requests for paintings she couldn't turn down some and not others. The Mitchell Museum will be doing some programming soon, and I think that part of that programming in May will be related to MMIW education and causes. There's a small parking lot in back--probaly enough for three to four cars. But when I was here (on a Tuesday in April), I was the only one here for most of the time so I think parking won't be an issue. For an adult non-tribal member, entrance was only $7 (2023). There is a lift (not an elevator) from the main floor to the lower level, but I'm not sure if there's any way to ascend to the second floor besides the stairs so you may want to inquire about that if climbing the stairs would be difficult.

The Raupp Museum in Buffalo Grove is out of the way but is well worth the visit. This Museum tells…read morethe history of Buffalo Grove. There is one exhibit that follows the village from its founding to the present day. There are artifacts and displays that the whole family will enjoy. Here you are encouraged to open drawers and explore in the exhibits. Another exhibit features a life size train platform and a general store. This is perfect for the kids. There are rotating special exhibits on the lower level.

Hidden on top of a hill, a little off Mchenry Rd. and Checker Rd. is a small, but well designed…read moremuseum with high quality displays like the ones you see off the Rt 66 museums. This covers a wide timeframe from the Potawatomi Indians all the way through the late 20th century. In addition to Buffalo Grove and other local history, there is also items significant to each time period on display like cameras, food, irons, and various tools and machines. These displays have plenty of descriptions to help visitors understand what they are looking at. Overall, worth a visit if you're in the area. Like other local historical museums, admission is free and there's plenty to learn.

Thirsty Ears Festival held by ACM is Chicago's only classical music street festival. For two days,…read moretwo blocks of Wilson Street between Hermitage and Ravenswood were closed to traffic, with the main stage featuring stellar ensembles and soloists performing classical music. This year's festival took place on Saturday, August 22, from 2:00-11:00 pm, and Sunday, August 23, from 1:00-9:00 pm, with a different ensemble or soloist featured each hour. This was our first time visiting the street fair, and we were fortunate to have gorgeous weather for an outdoor event. It was perhaps a little too sunny for me -- even with my bucket hat and sunglasses, the sun was still a little too strong on my back when I sat in the front row for half an hour. I joined my husband and daughter after an open studio at Lillstreet Art Center. From there, it was only a six-minute walk to the festival. When I arrived around 4:30 pm, they had already been comfortably sipping beer and enjoying classical music for hours. From 4:00 to 5:00 pm, Lakeshore Rush was performing, and they played beautifully. I especially enjoyed the last few pieces, which were upbeat and lively. The festival offered much more than beer and wine. There were numerous vendor booths, kid-friendly activities, and food trucks on both days. It was wonderful to see people of all ages having a good time while enjoying live classical music in such a relaxed outdoor setting. The suggested $10 entry donation felt very reasonable, especially since the festival was supporting a good cause. We had a lovely time, and I'm glad we finally discovered this unique Chicago event. I would definitely consider coming back next year.

Thirsty Ears Festival has been on my list to visit for a while because it's just a few blocks away…read more This year I finally made it, toddler in tow. A friend and her kiddo came along too. The festival is the brain child of Access Contemporary Music (ACM), the music school on the block, and it's the only classical music party in the city. It's a very small festival, spanning just the block on Wilson between Ravenswood and Hermitage. There's a packed schedule for the two days of the festival, with various musical ensembles and composers performing throughout the day. Of course the music was the main attraction, but there were a couple booths selling some food as well. Alcoholic beverages were available and pizza, and I think possibly another snack but I can't recall. Of course there's also a couple restaurants nearby as well, and the two that are right on this block have a bit of outdoor seating. Most of the booths were local artists selling their work; I saw a booth that made crochet wall hangings, a pottery booth, a local author selling his novels, and more. I was really glad that we happened to be here there when a small choral ensemble was performing. The other musician we hard was a pianist performing when we arrived. The main stage was on the eastern edge of the festival along the Hermitage end, and there were folding chairs set up for people to enjoy the concert. A kid's area and stage was on the Ravenswood end. They had some kids activities like face painting and balloon animals in addition to the musician playing children's music. It was great that they had a children's space since otherwise they might get bored quickly. On the weekend, the parking along Ravenswood is super easy. There's also the Metra, of course, with the Ravenswood stop a block away.