—Peter Marshall
LIFESTYLE & ARTS
NORTH SHORE DOINGS
EDITED BY CHEYANNE LENCIONI THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
NOW THROUGH JULY 31
JULIA JENSEN EXHIBIT
See Julia Jensen’s work this month at Vivid Art Gallery in Winnetka. Jensen is an impressionist painter who creates landscapes based on the expansive views she experienced in Vermont and Nantucket. vividartgallery.net
NOW THROUGH AUGUST 2
“WHERE WE DWELL”
The Art Center of Highland Park, in partnership with Echt Gallery, presents “Where we dwell,” a new group show that explores the interplay between art, interior design, and the natural world. Featured artists include Michelle Peterson Albandoz, Arlene Byster, and Michael McGuire. theartcenterhp.org
NOW THROUGH AUGUST 25
FOOD TRUCK MONDAYS
Enjoy food trucks and live music at Kenilworth Assembly Hall from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. kenilworthparkdistrict.org
NOW THROUGH AUGUST 31
FLOW: PAINTINGS ABOUT WATER
“Flow: Paintings About Water” is on display at Grove Gallery in Evanston through August 31. Forty percent of all sales from this exhibit will be donated to Alliance for the Great Lakes. grovegallery.shop
NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21
PATTERNED BY NATURE
Celebrate our universal attraction to patterns through playfully planted gardens and nature-inspired artistic installations that stretch the imagination at the Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Patterned by Nature” event. Visitors are
invited to explore garden beds and installations throughout the garden that feature dynamic patterns, transformational art, and upcycled fashion. chicagobotanic.org
NOW THROUGH JULY 20
THE QUEEN’S MUSEUM
Enjoy an outdoor musical from Citadel Theatre at Lake Forest Open Lands featuring pirates, treasure, and a weekend of fun. Shows will be performed Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. citadeltheatre.org
NOW THROUGH JULY 20
HIGHWOOD DAYS
Highwood Days returns to the North Shore. Enjoy four days of carnival rides, live music, food, and community fun. This year will coincide with the debut of Taste of Highwood, which also runs this weekend. celebratehighwood.org
JULY 19 TO 20
HONKY TONK WEEKENDS
28 Mile Distilling Company will transform into a vibrant Nashville-style hotspot with live music across all three venues. This includes the Bourbon Lounge, The Tasting Room, and the Rooftop. See live music from artists around the country that evoke the feeling of Music City. 28miledistilling.com
JULY 19 TO 20
GLENCOE FESTIVAL OF ART
Visit more than 100 vendors with food, art, and fun this weekend at the Glencoe Festival of Art. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., you can enjoy the Kids Art Zone, cold beer, tasty wine, live music, and live art demos. Parking is free. amdurproductions.com
JULY 20
SUSTAINABLE YARD TOUR
Go Green Wilmette presents a tour through several private yards from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants will learn how gardeners make attractive, pesticide-free, and insectfriendly spaces using green practices such as composting, rain barrels, and native plant species. gogreenwilmette.org
JULY 21 TO AUGUST 24
OUT OF OFFICE: ON THE TRAIL
Join coach Dave O’Connor at Middlefork Farm Nature Preserve’s George Beach Trail from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. for a private, small-group coaching experience designed for senior-level leaders who are navigating tradition, burnout, or big decisions. lfola.org
JULY 22 TO SEPTEMBER 23
SUNSET YOGA
From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. each Tuesday, immerse yourself in the beauty of Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s Mellody Farm Nature Preserve while relaxing into a gentle, restorative yoga session that will incorporate breathwork and mindfulness. All abilities welcome! lfola.org
JULY 23
WINNETKA HISTORIC WALKING TOURS
Winnetka Historical Society has two upcoming walking tours for the month of July. The first is the Early Settlers Home on July 15. Participants will visit 10 homes built in the 1800s beginning with Clinton House. The second tour will be on July 23 covering Linden/Ridge Historic Corridor. Both tours will be from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and registration is open. winnetkahistory.org
JULY 24
SIT & KNIT
Spend the afternoon with fellow knitters from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Northfield Public Library. Basic supplies will be provided and library staff will be present to assist. Registration is required. wnpld.org
JULY 24 TO 26
CENTRAL STREET
SIDEWALK SALE
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Street will be lined with merchants with their best deals. Shoppers can expect discounts up to 80 percent, local eats, lively entertainment, and fun for the whole family.
JULY 25 WICKED
Enjoy a one-of-a-kind movie night experience—right on the turf at Lake Forest High School’s Varsity Field on West Campus! Bring a blanket, lawn chairs, your family and friends, and enjoy popcorn, candy, and dinner options from local food trucks as you settle in for a free, family-friendly showing of Wicked. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at 7 p.m. lakeforestschools.org
JULY 25 TO 27
SUPERBLOOM
The Seldoms present a weekend of dance, live music, animation, and costume and lighting design at Chicago Botanic Garden’s Superbloom event. Watch five dancers in a multimedia performance about radical beauty, wildness, and wildflowers. chicagobotanic.org
JULY 25 TO AUGUST 3 HAIRSPRAY
The Grand Theater at Highland Park High School presents the high-energy production of the Broadway smash hit, Hairspray. Tickets are on sale now. uptownhp.org
JULY 26
THE GULF OF GLENVIEW
Enjoy an evening of improv comedy from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Northfield Public Library. This adult program requires registration. wnpld.org
JULY 26 TO 27
CHINATOWN SUMMER FAIR
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy a unique outdoor event in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood for a celebration of beauty and culture including art, food, and music. chicagoevents.com
JULY 30
CHICAGO CHORALE SING ALONG
The Music Institute of Chicago Chorale offers its annual Sing Along performance conducted by Daniel Wallenberg and accompanied by Gregory Schifrin. Rehearsals are $75 and the sing along is $15. Performers will rehearse on July 22 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall. The performance is at 7:30 p.m. Audience attendance is free. musicinst.org
JULY 31
FAMILY BINGO NIGHT
From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., bring your family to Family Bingo Night at Lake Bluff Library. Prizes will be available for all ages. Registration is required. lakeblufflibrary.org
AUGUST 6
LEGO DROP-IN
Children ages 6 to 11 can
stop by Lake Bluff Library to play with LEGO bricks from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. lakeblufflibrary.org
AUGUST 9
HISTORY LOVER’S GUIDE TO CHICAGO
From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., awardwinning writer Greg Borzo will share Chicago’s unique history at Northfield Public Library. Hear about all of the city’s fascinating nooks and crannies. Registration is required. wnpld.org
AUGUST 14
FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS Food Truck Thursdays continue in Highland Park’s Ravinia District from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. More than a dozen food trucks will service food accompanied by live music and a family-friendly atmosphere. cityhpil.com
AUGUST 17
MOLLY SHANAHAN
At 1 p.m., 2010 Meier
Award-winning choreographer Molly Shanahan will perform Spiral Body Techniques with the Mad Shak ensemble. All proceeds will benefit the Women Club of Wilmette and the performers. womansclubofwilmette.org
To submit your event for consideration, please email events@nsweekend.com
Highwood Days
BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
DANNY VAN ‘CHAMP’
Recent Lake Forest High School graduate Danny Van Camp heads to Yale University as a two-time lacrosse state champion.
About an hour after capping off his twosport athletics career at Lake Forest High School (LFHS) by helping the Scouts’ boys’ lacrosse team capture its second straight state title in Hinsdale, Danny Van Camp— also a quarterback—tossed a cap due north on June 7.
His graduation headwear might still be soaring.
“We missed a bunch of graduation day speeches,” says Van Camp of that most festive day, when he and his senior teammates received their first-place medals after defeating New Trier Township High School (New Trier) 8-5 in sweltering conditions and then motored back to LFHS to receive their high school diplomas.
“But we did make it in time to take the stage while holding the state trophy and wearing medals around our necks.”
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Van Camp can’t wait to test his mettle at the next level as a Yale University defenseman.
“Yale’s men’s lacrosse program,” he says, “is built in the weight room and it attacks
that approach diligently. You don’t see that often in lacrosse. I’ve been lifting a lot this summer, trying to get stronger in lacrossespecific ways.”
As a freshman varsity lacrosse player in 2022, Van Camp thought he’d hang his lax stick up on the final day of his senior season. But his love for the sport grew deeper each season.
“There’s something about lacrosse,” says Van Camp, a 2025 All-American and All-Academic honoree. “I wanted to keep playing it. Every opportunity to play lacrosse is a privilege to me. I get excited each time I compete, doing my job for my team and doing what I can to keep the ball away from the cage.”
New Trier, which led 3-2 at halftime of the 2025 state title game, found LFHS’s cage only twice in the second half.
“So much of that championship game came down to our physical and mental toughness after intermission,” recalls Van Camp, one of four team captains. “It was an incredibly hot day, but that didn’t stop
everybody from giving it their all. We churned that win out, making plays, passes, shots, and stops on defense.”
He collected five ground balls against the Trevians, tying him for team-high honors in the loose-ball category with junior defenseman Finley Michael and senior middie Jack Walsh.
“Danny,” LFHS coach David Hone says of the future chemical engineering major, “is a unique combination of intelligence, athleticism, size, and leadership. As a defenseman, his stickhandling, transition abilities, and lockdown one-on-one skills are unparalleled.”
In addition to playing a vital role in each of the Scouts’ two lacrosse state championship seasons, Van Camp quarterbacked LFHS’s football program to a combined three playoff victories in two seasons, including last fall’s dramatic 23-17 defeat of host Libertyville High School in the second round.
“High school was so much fun, especially sports, but academics always came first,” says
Van Camp, who is interning as a data analyst at AbbVie this summer. “I met so many great people through lacrosse and football, and I’ll always be grateful for the bonds I made with teammates.”
Thirty-two years of hands-on experience makes Premier Building & Development one of Chicagoland’s leading builders.
#HASHTAG
EDITED BY REDDING WORTH ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
#ON MY NIGHTSTAND
Right now, I’m immersed in all things home renovation! Growing up, there was always some project going on, so the house being ripped apart is familiar, but diving into the technical side of things is a whole new adventure. I’ve been reading anything and everything covering color palettes and appliance sizes to lighting trends, warranties, and DIY blogs. The amount of detail that goes into designing a home is endless. It’s not the most exciting reading, but it’s been educational— my home ownership and renovation skills have definitely leveled up!
#IN MY EARBUDS
My podcast rotation is pretty varied! The Martha Stewart Podcast—her ability to stay relevant and always reinvent herself is so inspiring. Girlboss Radio—I love hearing stories of women who’ve carved their own paths and found success on their own terms. When I’m in need of some personal reflection, Expanded Podcast by To Be Magnetic is great. And for a bit of fun, I turn to Armchair Expert—Armchair Anonymous stories. I can’t get enough of those!
#ON MY MOBILE
I’ve always been drawn to historical art and architecture, so I’m constantly seeking info about those creative disciplines. I’m obsessed with Fashion Week coverage from Paris, London, and New York. The creativity of each collection never fails to inspire me. I find myself pulling bits and pieces to incorporate into my home décor choices. Fashion and interior design go hand-in-hand, and I love drawing from both to shape my living space.
CHRISTINE WITT, a Lake Bluff native, TV producer, and entrepreneur, has a journey shaped by family, creativity, and coming full circle. Growing up in Lake Bluff, she describes her childhood as magical, with strong family bonds and unforgettable experiences that ignited her lifelong love for storytelling. Journaling her thoughts and adventures became a constant, capturing the inspiration from her surroundings. After earning a degree in communications, Witt dreamed of working for Oprah. While that dream didn’t come to fruition, it did lead her to New York, where she built a years-long successful career in TV production, working on popular shows like Chopped and 90 Day Fiancé However, when the pandemic hit, Witt decided to return to Lake Bluff to be closer to family, reflect, and reconnect with her roots. During this period of self-reflection, Witt turned back to journaling for comfort, which ultimately sparked the creation of PurposeFull. “With Josh’s (Co-Founder & Creative Director of PurposeFull Goods) design expertise and my passion for storytelling, we fused our talents to explore the powerful connection between scent, memory, and well-being,” she explains. PurposeFull became more than just a business venture—it was the result of years of friendship, creativity, and a shared mission to promote mental wellness.
BY ALESSIA GIRARDIN
After a post-school workout at New Trier Township High School, Jonah Rosenthal will grab either a guitar or a pencil— his tools of choice for creatively whiling away the afternoon or finding escape from the intensity of the Trevian workload.
The high school sophomore has created art for as long as he can recall. “It’s just something that’s special to me—no matter what happens in my life,” he says.
As a fourth grader at West School in Glencoe, Rosenthal put his emerging skills to work creating comic books based on his friends’ lives. It was around that time he adopted his nom d’artiste—“Jonis,” after his principal accidentally mispronounced his name and it stuck.
His artistic talent could very well run in his genes—his mother painted in college, his father sketched in high school, his great-aunt is a pastel artist, other relatives have been cinematographers and photographers, and his sister is a dancer.
Inspired by famous paintings and internet images, Rosenthal enjoys recreating surrealistic, Impressionist, and neoclassical images. Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksiński, English
artist Ivan Seal, and French artist Claude Monet are among his favorites.
Most of Rosenthal’s work is done in graphite, found in a #2 pencil, and some in charcoal. He likes mechanical pencils best, using them to create Summer 2024 Cicada and the fanciful Valentine’s Angel
“I prefer mechanical pencils because the tips don’t get dull, and the erasers are usually better,” he explains. “Charcoal makes mistakes stand out, so it’s more of a challenge.”
Rosenthal usually doodles in 10 to 15-minute sessions at a time (dryly noting that he finds it an effective tactic for procras-
tinating on his homework) or sets aside time to draw during the weekend. It takes him between 5 to 10 hours to complete a drawing, with breaks in between. His longest work of art took him two months to complete.
“It’s a prolonged process,” he says. “The works take longer than you’d expect, just looking at them.”
The time spent on these pieces is not only a measure of his dedication but, Rosenthal argues, also makes his work worth looking at in our digital age.
“Especially right now, with AI and art, you can create a hyperrealistic, detailed image from your imagination in 30 seconds that would normally take 10 hours to draw,” he explains. “But I find beauty in the fact that a human toiled over a piece of paper for 10 hours—I think it’s special that so much human effort can be put into an art piece, especially in pencil.”
Despite his never having formal art training, the level of sophistication has grown dramatically over the years. His recent pieces not only show incredible technical skill but also convey a rich emotional depth.
The most difficult piece he has done was based on The Death
of Marat by Jacques-Louis David, which was painted during the French Revolution in the neoclassical style. The painting depicts the assassination of the French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat, who was stabbed to death by Charlotte Corday while taking a bath.
“It’s this pretty intense and dramatic painting,” Rosenthal says. “Recreating it let me explore creating textures, like making the cloth look different from the skin. I like doing drawings like that because it gives me a lens into the processan artist goes through. When you recreate the work, you can understand why the artist made certain stylistic decisions.”
Rosenthal also references magazines as an artistic aid.
“There’s a lot of great photography in old magazines from the ‘50s and ‘60s for drawing or learning shadows,” he says.
When the weather is nice, Rosenthal has a fondness for creating art outdoors. During summer camp, he would visit a spot overlooking a lake to draw. He now finds the North Shore to be the perfect sanctuary for art.
“Churches in Glencoe have nice courtyards, it’s gorgeous and serene—any excuse to get around churches is brilliant,” he notes.
The young artist spent last summer as an intern at The Art Center Highland Park, where he was exposed to different styles and types of media. Watercolor is his latest medium.
“I find watercolor expressive,” he says. “It’s kind of a midpoint between oil painting and sketching because you can still see the outlines of the sketches.” Rosenthal offers this advice to other young artists: “Don’t be afraid to start. The most important thing to know is that if you take 10 to 15 minutes to doodle every day, you’ll get better. Keep doing it for a year, and you’ll be far better than the average person.”
Jonah Rosenthal accepts requests for portraits through his Instagram @stillindeep.
Sketch of a scene from the Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Bryullov
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
DRAWN
Jonah Rosenthal PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIA PONCE
Sketch of a Greek statue
BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
CLEARLY STYLISH
Eye Magic by Michael Scott offers uniquely tailored luxury styles hand crafted with the highest quality materials.
Optician Michael Scott Friedman steps to the sleek display case of Cazal eyewear at his eponymous Eye Magic by Michael Scott in Highland Park, plucking one of the beautiful bespoke pieces from the collection.
“I love Cazal,” he says. “They do so much inspired detailing.”
Tilting the glittering, hand-beveled glasses in the morning light, Friedman points out the steam-punk inspired side shields and titanium frame and explains that it can take Cazal master craftsmen up to eight months to make each pair—a hallmark of their fine craftsmanship.
“My store has an exclusive partnership with Cazal for the northern suburbs,” Friedman proudly confides, adding that he has similar partnerships with Mykita, Akoni, and Matsuda brands: “Just as the best watches are still made in Switzerland, the best eyewear brands handmake their products in Germany and Japan, which is true of the makers we partner with.”
Close association with best independent brands is a strategic choice that sets Eye Magic apart from others in the marketplace.
“I align best with independent eyewear manufacturers because they stress the importance of handmade products that use very natural and organic materials,” Friedman explains. “Materials that are non-allergenic such as titanium and stainless steel.”
In contrast to this, he says there are many well-known brands out there that sell massproduced and machine-made eyewear where the quality is simply just not there.
“But consumers are becoming smarter eyewear buyers, and they know the difference,” he continues. “They understand the benefits of the products I carry compared with those made from cheap materials that are loaded with chemicals such as petroleum.”
Among trends in eyewear today, performance eyewear is a fast-growing category.
“There is a largely untapped market for prescription wearers who need eye protection while exercising or during sport,” he adds. “We have catered to this by partnering with Rudy Project, an amazing performance eyewear company that specializes in running, cycling, and pickleball eyewear.”
Friedman took ownership of longtime Highland Park business Eye Magic last year,
after working more than 15 years in the optical industry. He started during his high school years, answering phones and scheduling eye exams. In the decade that followed, he immersed himself in every aspect of the business— from teaching contact lens how-tos to running a multimillion-dollar flagship eyeglass store for six years.
“It was only a matter of time before I took the leap of faith to ownership,” he says.
Maintaining and improving the level of care and customer service that has been a part of Eye Magic throughout its 36-year history is important to Friedman. Dr. Inna Goldberg, the practice’s optometrist for the last 30 years, will continue in that capacity. The store’s former owner Marla also still works there, along with Ray, the lab manager who has been with Eye Magic for more than 25 years and is a master of his craft.
“We are keeping our same roots, just putting a new spin on things and adding a little bit of my New York City swagger,” smiles Friedman, who grew up on the East Coast and schooled at New York City College of Technology (CUNY) where he completed the Vision Care Technology Program.
In addition to offering personalized eyewear, comprehensive eye exams, and eyeglass and lens repair services on premise, Eye Magic by Michael Scott will continue to operate an onsite lab
“Having an onsite finishing lab makes our turn-around times faster and steps up our quality control so that we can make sure that anything that leaves our store is absolute perfection,” he concludes. “Customers are willing to travel long distances for our services and for my stylings because we offer something they can’t find just anywhere. A truly personalized experience built on deep expertise in both optics and fashion. It's a combination of technical precision and aesthetic intuition that people recognize and trust. I don’t just help customers choose glasses, I help them express their identity, enhance their features, and feel confident in their look.”
For more information about Eye Magic by Michael Scott, visit eyemagicbymichaelscott.com.
Optician Michael Scott Friedman, owner of Eye Magic by Michael Scott. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS
GUNS UP
Christina Ricci gives a standout performance in this bullet-riddled redemption story.
BY FELIX MCMILLAN, MAN ABOUT FILM
ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
VERDICT:
Guns Up is the cinematic equivalent of finding a steak sandwich at a gas station—warm, a bit greasy, and strangely satisfying but you’ll question yourself afterward. It’s not a classic, nor does it pretend to be. But thanks to Ricci’s last-act heat, James’s low-simmer restraint, and the film’s bare-bones simplicity, it earns a reluctant nod.
I’ve long maintained that action films should come with a warning label when they try to smuggle in heart. Guns Up, directed by Edward Drake, attempts just that—a gritty, 92-minute bullet-riddled redemption story that wants to be both Taken and Blue Valentine. It doesn’t quite succeed—but not for lack of effort.
Kevin James plays Ray Hayes, a former cop trying to leave behind a life of mob entanglements and open a diner with his wife, played with surprising sharpness by Christina Ricci. The plot is lean—one last job, things go wrong, all hell breaks loose. And yet, the film’s greatest asset is its refusal to sprawl. There’s no mythologizing, no endless subplots—just a man, his marriage, and a trunk full of firearms.
James, to his credit, doesn’t phone it in. He’s not exactly reinventing himself, but he sheds just enough of the mall cop baggage to give Ray a lived-in weariness that works. He still carries that Everyman likability, but here
it’s edged with regret rather than gags. It's not a revelation, but it’s a reminder: he’s capable of more than pratfalls and punchlines.
Ricci is the standout here. What begins as the standard worried-wife role shifts abruptly—and rather thrillingly—into something more feral and fascinating in the final act. It’s not exactly Widows, but it’s a welcome reversal of expectations.
The violence is adequate, if uninspired. Luis Guzmán and Melissa Leo are criminally underused, which is either a production limitation or a missed opportunity—or both. The script has moments of genuine emotional clarity but often defaults to stock dialogue when it matters most. Visually, it looks like the budget was spent on dry ice and stunt glass.
Still, there’s something oddly watchable about the whole thing. Drake keeps the pacing tight, if not always coherent. There’s an admirable smallness to it all—a willingness to keep the scope intimate, even as the guns go up.
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NORTH SHORE FOODIE
AJIACO BOGOTANO
(Creamy Chicken Potato Soup with Avocado & Sweet Corn)
BY MONICA KASS ROGERS FOOD EDITOR THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
I love this unusual summery soup! It features heaps of fresh avocado, sweet corn kernels cut off the cob, tender chicken breast chunks, and cilantro over a silky base of blended chicken and potato soup. Adapted from famed chef Joyce Goldstein’s recipe, this beautiful bowl is a refined, easier-to-eat version of Columbia’s rustic Ajiaco Bogotano (chicken soup of Bogota). Also, although traditionally served with cream—(Goldstein’s recipe included a cup and a half of it!), the soup is just as tasty without, or, with just a swirl. We’ve garnished it with fresh chopped cilantro leaves, but you can substitute capers or snipped chives if cilantro is not your jam. A nice feature of the soup? You can make the potato and chicken stock base the day before, prepping the chicken breasts, avocado, and corn right before you want to serve the soup. And if you like, you can grill the chicken breasts and corn on the cob rather than poaching and steaming, to add a bit of smoky char to the soup.
Serves 6 INGREDIENTS
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 large onions, peeled and diced
• 1 ½ Tbsp ground cumin
• 1, 1 ½ lb bag mini yellow potatoes, scrubbed and diced into small pieces
• 6 cups chicken stock, divided (5 cups for soup base; 1 cup for poaching chicken)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Heavy cream (optional) to taste
• 3 or 4 ears of sweet corn, steamed or grilled, kernels cut off cobbs
• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 avocados, peels and pits discarded; flesh cut into small cubes
METHOD
MAKE SOUP BASE In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add onions and cover. Remove lid to stir the pot occasionally, cooking until onions are very soft and translucent. Once onions are soft, remove lid and stir in cumin. Cook for 1 minute. Add diced potatoes and 4 cups of the chicken stock. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and tender. Using an immersion (stick) blender, or regular blender, pulverize soup until very smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
STEAM CORN Grill corn OR add sweet corn cobs to a pot with water over high heat. Cover and steam corn until kernels are tender. Remove from heat, strain off water. When corn is cool enough to handle, cut corn kernels from the cobbs. Set aside.
POACH CHICKEN
BREAST Add remaining 1 cup of chicken stock to a sauté pan and heat until simmering. Add bite-sized pieces of chicken breast and poach, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and no longer pink inside. Remove from heat. NOTE: If you prefer, you can grill the chicken breasts whole, rather than poaching them, and then chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces after grilling.
PREP VEGETABLES Dice avocado and chop cilantro.
TO SERVE Just before serving, heat soup base to a simmer. Swirl in heavy cream to taste, if using. If soup is too thick, add in some of the 1 cup of stock in which you poached the chicken. Place poached chicken pieces in base of each soup bowl. Ladle soup over the chicken. Top each serving with generous portion of cubed avocado and several spoons of sweet corn kernels. Sprinkle with fresh snipped cilantro.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS
PETER CHENG
300 Grove St, Glencoe
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TRIBE SCRIBE
Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Sharon Hoogstraten is an author, photographer, and a descendant of the Ouilmette family—for which the Village of Wilmette was named.
BY BILL MCLEAN
ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT
Sharon Hoogstraten sits in a room on the second floor of the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston.
Her striking, colorful photographs of Potawatomi in regalia adorn the walls just outside the room, as pieces of her exhibition “Living Stories: Contemporary Woodland Native American Art.”
Hoogstraten later opens a large format, 304-page book for an inquisitor. It’s a copy of the second printing of her award-winning book, Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium (University of Oklahoma Press, 2025).
Most coffee tables would buckle under the weight of the volume.
It, too, features her photographs of Potawatomi (more than 150) in regalia, along with each subject’s handwritten personal narrative of their regalia.
“Look at these people,” says Hoogstraten, slowly flipping the pages. “Every person in the book would be interesting even in street clothes.”
Not far from 3001 Central Street—where the museum sits—is the Village of Wilmette, named in honor of the Ouilmette family.
Hoogstraten’s fifth great-grandparents: none other than Archange Ouilmette, a Potawatomi woman, and Antoine Ouilmette, a French Canadian fur trader.
“My objective was to create a compelling visual record, a permanent archive for our place on the timeline of Potawatomi and American history,” says Hoogstraten, whose Citizen Potawatomi Nation membership allowed her the access to portray the soulful pride of tribal members from all nine Potawatomi Nations in their regalia.
“I call myself a storyteller,” she continues. “I’m a guardian of history. Regalia isn’t another word for ‘costume’; a costume is what you wear to be someone else. It was humbling, putting the book together because I had so much to learn. The book is my gift to future generations and a
Sharon Hoogstraten
My objective was to create a compelling visual record, a permanent archive for our place on the timeline of Potawatomi and American history.
reminder to all Americans that we are still here.”
A resident of Chicago since 1978 and the mother of sons Alexander, 40, and Dillon, 38 with her late husband (data analyst/author/astronomer Bob Gray), Hoogstraten clicked shots of Potawatomi in Oklahoma, Michigan, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Canada beginning in 2010 and started writing Dancing for Our Tribe in 2020; the book’s first printing was published in 2022.
Hoogstraten’s home reservation is in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and she grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“Forced removals and multiple treaty-era relocations resulted in cultural chaos and an enduring threat to Potawatomi connections
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to the ancestors,” she writes. “Despite these hardships, they have managed to maintain or restore their rich heritage. (The book) portrays the fresh reality of today’s Native descendants and their regalia: people who live in a world of assimilation, sewing machines, polyester fabrics, duct tape, tattoos, favorite sports teams, proud military service, and high-resolution digital cameras.”
Hoogstraten was a 3.97 student and a flutist at Otsego High School in Michigan before earning her first degree, a bachelor’s in professional photography, at the Rochester Institute of Technology. For close to three years, she worked as a photography tech for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Kansas City, Missouri, converting satellite data into 16mm animated weather films.
“It was a tedious job, but I got to wear a cool Space Division ID,” cracks Hoogstraten.
Degree No. 2 was a Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Communication from the University of Illinois Chicago in 1980. She also taught photography as a graduate assistant while earning a National Education Association Design Fellowship.
Hoogstraten later entered the world of broadcast television as a full-time graphic designer/photographer for WLS-TV (ABC) and WTTW-TV (PBS), garnering three Emmy nominations and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design, as well as a number of Broadcast Design Association Gold and Silver awards for program packaging and graphic-animated program opens.
Dancing for Our Tribe received recognition from the Eric Hoffer Foundation and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
But none of the book awards can compare to the heartfelt feedback Hoogstraten continues to receive from Potawatomi readers.
“The constant refrain has been, ‘The book honors our ancestors,’” she says. “Honoring ancestors, as well as remembering them, is critical to Native American culture.”
So is the motto, “Stay on the Red Road.” The Red Road in Native American tradition represents a commitment to living in a good way and respecting oneself, others, and Mother Earth.
“I live by it,” says Hoogstraten.
Sharon Hoogstraten’s exhibition “Living Stories: Contemporary Woodland Native American Art” runs through December 30 at the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston. The second printing of her book Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium is available at oupress.com (cpn.news/DFOT), at amazon.com, and in bookstores. Hoogstraten will be featured this fall in the documentary Ouilmette, by Lake Forest filmmaker Susan Kelsey.
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