Whirl Wind

The last month has been a whirl wind of projects and places. Thanksgiving came late this year and fell very close to Christmas. I traveled back to the bluegrass of central Kentucky to celebrate all the things I'm thankful. On arriving back into the city, my drunkness off turkey and stuffing wore off immediately. I faced the realization that the program that I have grown to love would be ending in a few short weeks. Here are some of my favorite moments during those weeks that flew by.

Showing off Chicago to my Father

My father drove me back to the city after Thanksgiving. This gave me the opportunity to show him around some of my favorite spots in the city. Being able to take him on the CTA with confidence was a type of closure experience to the program for me. A bitter sweet moment was when he commented that "you have really found a home here." When in just in two weeks this place that has become my home will no longer be my "home". 

Finishing Core Course

Core Course has been a whirl wind experience. I've been exposed to so many different view points and opinions in this class. Our final project revolved around using our asset mapping to help a particular problem in our neighborhoods. 

Sus the Amazing

Sus, a girl in the Chicago Program is very talented in songwriting and singing. As part of her ISP she wrote songs about Chicago and preformed them at open mics. This video is from an open mic that she won! 

The Last Thing

Everyone has milestones in their lives. Your first car, graduating, your first date, etc. Well, coming to Chicago would be the single biggest milestone of my life so far. This journey has been a tipping point for me. I've become a different, better person than I was one I came. I'm more informed, more bipartisan, calmer, and braver. Chicago has both hardened and softened me. I think I learned more about myself from this experience than I learned about Chicago and I learned more about this city than I could ever have imagined.

Now, with the golden light spilling across Broadway and tracing the lanes down Montrose, I feel like I really see the city. This time, this place, these people--it will never be this way again. So, I'm going to spend the next few hours packing my things and cataloging every experience I've had here. Here's my final goodbye, in my own words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qo6JZtOVmA

It's been real.

Later,

Sara Wines

Hanover College

The Next-To-Last Thing

So, yet again, you suffer and go days without any word from us, hanging on the edge of your seats, waiting for an update. And now, it's almost over. It's too soon. But, before I get into all this sad stuff I'm gonna give you a run down of what's been happening since November 9th.

I explored one of the only parts of Uptown I haven't really been to, Clark Street. It's filled with all these crazy import stores where stuff is just insanely cheap.

They carry all kinds of things--mind blowing variety, I'd say. Bet you can't guess where my fam's getting Christmas presents from~

I also ran into the Puppet Bike downtown and had a great time! It was super duper adorable!

Totally precious. Only minimally creepy (but maybe that's just me and my own issues with puppets). There's always two characters and they dance with each other. It looks totally real, and it blows my mind how much expression there can be in the body language of a doll.

Plus my BFF from college came home from her studying abroad in Australia at the University of Wollongong, and we did some cool site-seeing type stuff I haven't had the time to do yet. We went ice skating, which I'd never done before, and it was really fly. I managed to not fall and embarrass myself, but I probably did get hypothermia or something.

waiting in line for skates for 45 minutes, getting pumped

(I probably didn't need that double shot of espresso)

causing accidents and trying not to freeze to death

(wind speeds of 30mph+personal velocity=nope)

And, while all this was happening, I was busy trying to wrap up my ISP (reference my last post) and my Core Course assignments and my Arts Seminar and my Internship. Wowza. I can tell you now that I'm extremely satisfied with the end products, but there were a few super long nights and some near melt downs.

a practice portrait for my ISP

And here's all of us, all the now alumnus of 2013--with all our assignments behind us and accomplishments to bear with us into the next thing.

Later,

Sara

It's Been a While

Wow guys. Sorry I totally dropped you on your bum--I've been around 400 different kinds of busy. Let me give you the DL on some crazy life stuff:

So, for my internship, I've been working on a huge project: the Peace Parks of North Lawndale. It's in response to the 10,000 Ripples project, created by artist Indira Johnson. She gave 10 different neighborhoods in Chicago 10 Buddha heads as a symbol of peace. Part of the gift of the Buddha heads was a challenge to the communities to find a way to promote peace. North Lawndale's response was the Peace Parks--the revitalization of 10 vacant lots into beautiful parks.

Basically, I've been running all over Lawndale (a good hour and a half from my apartment) talking to community organizations trying to get their support and emailing tons of people who've already agreed to help, all in preparation for our press conference yesterday. Yeah, yesterday. So, there's that to keep in mind. Also, we served hot chocolate and passed out brochures and all kinds of things. Busy busy busy busy....

Then, as Vaughn told you guys, our ISP group hosted the Chicago History Murder Mystery (I can't deal with how clever we are either). I was the dashing John Dillinger (okay, yeah, he was a mobster in real life but I look super good with a beard).

(No shave November lol)

Also, my hair is so curly that pounds of hair cream could not hold down its whimsy)

I was on both the story group and the decorating group for this project. So I had a hand in writing the actual story and in decorating the space. I made a linocut (a carving made in a linoleum plate) and used it to stamp read paint onto walls to give it a wall paper vibe.

(my cool linocut)

Pretty fly. Pretty fly. I made that design up. Plus, this was kind of creepy. It looks more bloody in person.

And we had a really intense writing workshop in my Art Seminar with Shanna Yetman, where we wrote 5-6 page creative nonfictions and reviewed them for each other. It was a really great experience. I'm primarily a visual artist, so it was really different for me to work through text.

I also got to visit my college and go home for the first time since I've been here. I desperately missed my friends and my mom, so that was a much needed relief. 

Also, Halloween was a thing that I did. My friend Patricia and I went to Chicago Hot Glass for a glass blowing event. Artists and their apprentices were there doing demonstrations and talking with interested people. Plus you got $5 off on entry with a costume.

(we're so spooky)

Also, I had the best milkshake of my life this week. Like, oh my lord you have no idea. 

(it tasted like the food of God)

And today I visited the Graceland Cemetery (it was cool) and I visited La Tacorea, a Mexican/Korean fusion. It sounds horrible, but it's actually some of the best things I've ever eaten. I would recommend it!

So I guess I'm going to go back to the ol' grind now. I'll be better about keeping up now that these large events are out of the way and I have a little more time to manage.

Later,

Sara 

Five on Friday by Vaughn

Each week as I sit down and work on my Five on Friday posts I get lost on how much time is actually passing by. It always seems that I could be doing more and seeing more in this amazing city. This week had a lot of reflection of my time spent in the city and the things I will take back to my own campus. Whether it be skills learned from the city, appreciation of the now or just some good memories.. 

#DOERS2013 

This silly hashtag or saying is the motto for the rest of the time here in Chicago. Basically it means - Take life by horns - Go out and see new things in the city and just be spontaneous with life! A couple of the students in the program came up with this saying. The concept of it just resonates so much with my life right now. So here is to another week. DOERS!! 

GROUPON VISIT 

Our Business and Entrepreneur Seminar group were lucky enough to spend the day at Groupon. The Chicago based company has been an instant success since its start in 2008. I talked to Patrick McNight of Beloit who is in the Business and Entrepreneur Seminar about his visit. 

What was your overall visit like at Groupon? 

Our visit overall was great, because there was a nice balance between very experienced workers who knew a ton about the company and workers who were still learning but could offer more insight that pertained to us as students more directly as well. Everyone was very receptive and Zach [our guide] even made the effort to send us some questions as a prompt for our discussion that related to very current dealings of Groupon. 

How did the visit add to your learning experience in Chicago? 

The visit was another chance for us to do some research on a company and interact with its website, and then see up close and personal whether out expectations from that research were met, or if things surprised us. I think this a valuable experience because it helps us as students and future workers to keep things in perspective when it comes to findings from research and other's perceptions of a person, company , etc. It was also a chance to see a company that started from nowhere and became the fastest growing company ever according to some (they have 12,000 employees and deals running in 48 countries) and now is working to sustain growth, and seeing this kind of success for a company in a big city helps us as potential entrepreneurs understand that although competition is fierce in a city like Chicago, there is also a lot of opportunities is you can gain traction with a business or even an idea. 

Did you learn anything new? 

My biggest takeaway from the visit was the continued emphasis on the importance of experiencing and learning from failure that has become a theme of many of our visits with entrepreneurs or people working in business in Chicago. It was also great to see how even a company considered to be the fastest growing ever had to consider the limits of their own business strategies and incorporate something new when the opportunity to do so was there. I also saw the power of the networking because Phil was able to secure a job at Groupon by working there as a temp, which was made possible by a Beloit alum who gave him an opportunity to see how it worked out for Phil and the business before hiring on full time. 

Would you consider working in Chicago after being in the Business and Entrepreneur seminar? 

Definitely. One reason I had for doing the program overall was to see whether or not I might like to live and/or work in Chicago someday, and the exposure i have gotten during seminar has shown just how many different types of successful businesses are out there, whether that be because of the industry, market, size, philosophy or about any way you could imagine businesses being different. For this reason, I think there is a good fit for anyone who has a passion for doing something and is comfortable as well as excited to work in the city. 

Being Sick in the City

Now, Five on Friday is supposed to highlight my favorite things of my past week. Being sick is not one of my favorite things. However, knowing how to fight being sick away from home is some GREAT advice for any student in the Chicago Program. Until this past weekend I had been illness free. But the after the weekend I was unlucky enough to have a sinus infection. Here are my tips of getting over a cold without going to the doctors. 

6 Papers, 2 Workshops, 2 Days

There are a lot of creative individuals in our Art Seminar. Not all who are visually creative. But the majority of who are writers! For the past couple of weeks we have all worked on a creative non-fiction piece about ourselves. Shanna Yetman from 2nd Story, a Chicago based live lit collective, came in to lead a intensive 2 day workshop for the papers. As an art history major writing I write papers all the time. However, this was different for me. This was a story about me. The 2 intense days were rough on all of us in my Art seminar class. But it was worth it in the end! 

ELIVIS IS ALIVE... Or just for one night

Flyer created by ACM Student Carly Ellefsen

Yes, Chicago History Murder Mystery. Doesn't it just roll off the tongue? The Art ISP group wanted to play with the idea of space and collaboration for our group project. In the end we came up with a night filled with food, conversation, Chicagoans and murder. The old ACM office served as our venue for the night. A visual group worked to decorate the space into a creepy, yet elegant space. While the writing group created our murder mystery. One of my favorite part of the murder mystery was the character list we chose. Oprah, Frank Lloyd Write, Bertha Palmer, Mrs. O'Leary, Don Dillinger, Al Capone, Velma Kelly and Roxy Hart, H.H Holmes, Resurrection Mary, Marshal Fields, President Obama were all in attendance. Food and drinks were served when our guests arrived. Until suddenly we were all notified that two young girls the Grimm sisters had been found dead. Clues and motives were given to help find the killer who was revealed at the end of the night.  It was a fantastic time and serve as one of my favorite memories of Chicago!! 

Sarah Longfellow as , Cynthia Cruz as  Al Capone and
 Patrick McKnight asPresident Obama

Five on Friday by Vaughn

Another week has gone by. Its amazing how fast time moves here in the city. 

Exploring Old Town

There are a lot of places around the city that I love. The bakery in logan square, the book store on the University of Chicago's campus and  Bar Louie in Hyde Park. My love for Old Town however surpasses the love of an individual bar or bakery. This is more than likely my favorite neighborhood in Chicago. 

New Exhibits at the Chicago Cultural Center

Graffitti and street art... Before coming to Chicago I had always seen it as an eyesore. Mainly because the "street art" that covers my the area around my campus and hometown are spray painted cuss words and sexual sysmbels. None of it really met my standards of being art. However, in Chicago there is more to street art then the cuss word and sexual symbol. To celebrate the street at in Chicago, the cultural center is exhibiting local chicago street artists. I still do not know what my opinion of street art is... But it is intriguing to look at. 

Halloweeeen! 

Halloween fell weird this this year, a thursday. But in the spirits of things people all over 

Chicago were celebrated the weekend before, day of and the weekend after. Here are some snaps from my halloween activities around Chicago! 

The city is my classroom and library... 

Susannah Papish's Studio Day

Our Art Seminar teacher is a local Chicago artist, a very talented one I must say. We her lucky students were able to go to her studio to discuss our projects this past week. 

[Decompressing from Centerline] An Internship Update

Centerline, it was the big exhibit that I started working on from day one of my internship. The annual exhibit that showcased 50+ artists from the Zhou B Art Center and 4Art was finally happening. But Centerline wasn't the only event happening that weekend. In conjunction with Chicago Artist Month, Bridgeport Art Walk was going on as well. Plus on top of those events, 4Art was celebrating its' 10 year anniversary and Zhou B was a location for Open House Chicago.

To the say the least the weekend had its fill of butterflies and stimulation! Right after my core classes on Friday, I took the orange line straight to my internship. There I was quickly given a list of last minute preparations before the crowd came in for the opening night of Centerline. There was a lull for a short minute after I finished the my tasks where I was able to catch up with my thoughts. "Is this really what I want to be doing...?" I thought to myself.  The exhaustion of the day was catching up to me. But I had to quickly throw those thoughts to the side and greet the guests.

Saturday and Sunday came to be more relaxed then Friday night. But that is the fun in opening nights! As I said before, Zhou B Art Center was a location for Open House Chicago. A two day event held by the Chicago Architectural Foundation. Where historical buildings and locations are open and free to the public all around the city. A steady flow of people filled the building and gallery. I was able to talk about the show and the artists featured to the guests. This was what I loved most of all. As I move forward in my internship, I am building bond with each of the artists. By the end of the weekend the butterflies that I had once felt Friday night were gone. To where I felt I was in my element.

At the end of the weekend when I had another lull to sit and think. I wasn't thinking "Is this really what I want to be doing.." anymore. But I was filled with excitement and happiness of what was next for me.

Till next time,
Vaughn

Some snapshots from the weekend!