NORTH SHORE DOINGS
IN MEMORIAM
-H.L. Mencken
LIFESTYLE & ARTS
Chicago North Shore Portfolio of Fine Homes
NORTH SHORE DOINGS
EDITED BY CHEYANNE LENCIONI THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
JANUARY 25 TO 27
JOB CENTER ON THE MOVE
WHERE: Highwood Library
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Lake County’s Workforce Development will be hosting its weekly program to help the community with careers. This program will focus on one-on-one resume development, job training, internships, career transitions, and more. No appointment is necessary. highwoodlibrary.org
JANUARY 25 TO 31
HOLIDAY LIGHTS RECYCLING
WHERE: Northfield Community Center
Clean out your decorations stash and make room for new lights and supplies by recycling the old. Northfield’s Village Hall and Community Center will be providing bins where holiday lights and extension cords can be recycled now through January 31. northfieldparks.org
JANUARY 25 TO FEBRUARY 24
SPANISH LANGUAGE CLASS
WHERE: Highwood Public Library
A weekly Spanish language class will be provided at the Highwood Public Library from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Registration is required. For more information, email Aurora at adultlit@highwoodlibrary.org. highwoodlibrary.org
JANUARY 25
12TH ANNUAL SEED SWEEP
WHERE: Chicago Botanic Garden
From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Chicago Botanic Garden’s (CBG) Regenstein Center, gardeners can come together
to share/swap seeds and to learn more about starting seeds, saving seeds, and related topics. Guests are not required to bring seeds to share/swap. CBG staff and volunteers will have displays and will be available to answer questions. chicagobotanic.org
JANUARY 28 TO MARCH 11
TUESDAY ON THE TRAIL
WHERE: Mellody Farm Nature Preserve
From noon to 1 p.m., embark on an invigorating lunchtime adventure every Tuesday with guided hikes at Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s (LFOLA) Mellody Farm Nature Preserver. Led by knowledgeable field educators, each week offers a captivating journey through a different LFOLA preserve, where participants will discover the unique habitats, flora, fauna, and avian wonders that thrive in these natural sanctuaries. lfola.org
FEBRUARY 1
IKE REILLY CONCERT
WHERE: College of Lake County College of Lake Country’s “Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night” chronicles the life and decades-long career of Ike Reilly, Libertyville’s own “Punk Rock Troubadour.” The award-winning film masterfully weaves together over 40 years of footage with songs that reveal a complicated, formidable artist. Following the film, Reilly and his bandmates will perform live. Tickets are $25, $22 for seniors 65+ and military, and $5 for students. clcillinois.edu
FEBRUARY 1
BEADED LIZARD
KEYCHAIN
WHERE: Winnetka Public Library
From noon to 2 p.m.,
teens and ‘tweens are invited to make a 1990s-themed beaded lizard chain and then team up to create a giant version with pool noodles at Winnetka Public Library. Admission is free. wnpld.org
FEBRUARY 1
LOVE NOTES!
WHERE: Woman’s Club of Wilmette
Just in time for Valentine's Day, LoveNotes! is a one-ofa-kind storytelling show in which real people share real stories about romantic love in all its incarnations— first love, last love, unrequited love and so much more. LoveNotes! was created by Heather Christie and produced in New York City last year as an off-Broadway show. Sarah Squires-Doyle, Founder of My Mini Memoirs, is thrilled to direct/ produce the first show on the North Shore with a local cast of storytellers. The event will also feature live music from some of Wilmette’s favorites, an assortment of beverages, and a post-show reception. Plans are underway to restore the Woman’s Club of Wilmette auditorium and a donation will be made from ticket sale proceeds towards those efforts. Ticket holders will get a sneak preview of what's coming—one of the biggest stages in town! myminimemoir.com
FEBRUARY 1
ECO CREW
WHERE: Mello’s Preserve at Westfork Savanna
Join Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s Land Stewardship staff from 9 a.m. to noon for a community workday focusing on restoration work at Mello’s Preserve at Westfork Savanna. Participants can learn about and participate in restoration activities such as prescribed burn preparation, seed collecting, seed sowing,
invasive woody removals, brush pile burning, and other invasive species control. lfola.org
FEBRUARY 2
GALENTINE'S MARKET
WHERE: Lincolnshire
Marriott Resort
Gather your gal pals for a fabulous shopping experience at Lincolnshire Marriott Resort’s Galentine’s Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discover gifts from 70 talented jewelers, fashion designers, painters, and more. In addition to shopping, enjoy a painting class, a charm bar, and a flower arranging workshop to add a creative touch to your day. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased in advance or at the door. Upgrade to the Gal Pal Package to get 3 tickets for the price of 2! Plus, $2 from every ticket sold will be donated to WINGS Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing housing, integrated services, education, and advocacy to end domestic violence. amdurproductions.com
FEBRUARY 2
“DESDE CERO: THE MIGRANT JOURNEY IN CHICAGO”
WHERE: Trinity Wilmette
Trinity Wilmette presents “Desde Cero: The Migrant Journey in Chicago” at 3 p.m., which includes a video presentation and live discussion facilitated by Katy Arnold. She will address the NBC documentary and give an overview of the current migrant situation in Chicago and America. RSVP at trinitywilmette.com
FEBRUARY 2, 8, 9 & 16
OPEN HOUSES
WHERE: Music Institute of Chicago campuses
Participants are invited to meet Music Institute of Chicago faculty, learn about curriculum, try instruments, and see a range of campuses at four February open houses. Each date will be held at a different location. February 2 will be at the Lake Bluff Campus at Grace United Methodist Church and at the Winnetka Campus, February 8 will be at the Chicago Campus at St. James Cathedral, February 9 will be at the Lake Forest Campus, and February 16 will be at the Evanston Campus. Visit musicinst.org for the full schedule and to RSVP.
FEBRUARY 6
BRUSH IT OFF
WHERE: Winnetka Public Library
From 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., teens and ‘tweens ages 9 to 18 can enjoy light beverages and unwind at Winnetka Public Library while making art with friends. Registration is required. wnpld.org
FEBRUARY 7
TRIVIA NIGHT
WHERE: History Center Lake Forest-Lake Bluff
Get ready for an evening of food and friendly competition, starting at 5 p.m. Trivia categories are inspired by topics such as sports, general knowledge, local history, popular culture, and exhibits available at the History Center. Join a team on your own or with a small group, or reserve a table of up to eight people ahead of time. Enjoy pizza, salad, and desserts prior to the competition (and feel free to BYOB). Tickets are $40 for members and $50 for nonmembers. lflbhistory.org
To submit your event for consideration, please email events@nsweekend.com.
Music Institute of Chicago Open House
Annie Challenger
Danielle Wylie
Lynn Barras
Jude Offerle
Diane Wilson
Derrick Kaleta
Kevin Rutherford
Katie Coogan
Shawn Gavin
Betty Finn
Coralie Norwell
Ditte Frank
Carol
Frank Nash
Liz Gantz
Rose
Dayle Lively
Alexandra McCue
Chris Paul Shopanny Mejia
Greg Sher Alicja Skibicki
Tim Ratty Bari Redman
Matt Koukios
Oyuna Bojinova
Ben Fisher
Lisa Jackson
Natalia Podvalny
Sara Klein
Stephanie Swiatek
Dean Phelps
BY MITCH HURST
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
REMEMBERING JOYCE PIVEN
The legendary co-founder of Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston leaves a legacy that will touch young actors for generations to come.
The North Shore has lost one of its legends.
Joyce Piven, co-founder of the iconic Piven Theatre Workship in Evanston with her late husband, Byrne, died on January 19 in Los Angeles. She was 94. A director, teacher, and actor, Piven was a visionary leader in ensemble theater and arts education both in Chicago and throughout the nation.
Parents of actor Jeremy Piven, Joyce and Byrne were two of the original founders of the Playwrights Theater Club at the University of Chicago in the late 1950s. Joyce was also a member of Compass Players, the nation’s first improvisational theater founded by David Sills and David Shephard, around the same time.
Her true passion was teaching acting and theater to her students while connecting the stage with real life, says Jennifer Green, who worked closely with Joyce and succeeded her as Artistic Director. She says her impact is measured both in the longevity of the workshop, founded 53 years ago, and the thousands of students—young and old— who were transformed by the workshop’s programs.
More than 1,000 students pass through the workshop each year, and in addition to her famous son, notable alumni include such celebrities as Joan and John Cusack, Lili Tyler, and Aidan Quinn.
“She was incredibly generous and committed to the technique of play and transformation and personal collaboration,” says Green. “Those lessons are certainly lessons on how to make a life in the theater, but they are also a philosophy of life.”
Green adds that what’s truly special about the workshop is that while it trains actors, directors, and writers, it also trains people to be more in touch with their humanity and community.
“Joyce co-founded the workshop with Byrne when she was a mother raising her children, and Nancy Cusack was her best friend,” Green says. “Her daughter Anne
was the first pupil of the Workshop and the inspiration for the worshop’s first Young People’s Company.”
Joyce Piven’s legacy is profound and enduring. The technique she created is one that will be passed down through the generations.
“It’s something that I feel evolved for her, this idea where mentorship is central to the
mission of the workshop,” explains Green. “That is something that will continue long after her lifetime.”
Not only was Joyce influential in the lives of her own students, but she also had an undeniable impact on the broader ensemble theater community.
Mark Larson, author Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater, says that along
with Piven’s pursuits of acting and directing, she excelled at teaching the craft of theater.
“She turned out to be an astonishing teacher as well as a very fine actor,” he says. “It’s across a lot of years, but it’s still going strong, and had a profound effect on kids who became well-known and many who didn’t.”
In 2012 Joyce published a book with Susan Applebaum titled In The Studio with Joyce Piven: Theatre and Games, Story Theatre and Next Work for Actors. Larson says he recalls Applebaum saying of Piven that her work is her life and what defines her.
“Her dedication was something that a lot of people picked up on and adapted for themselves,” says Larson. “In conversations with her I just found her so committed to the work itself.”
Larson says interviewing Joyce for his book, Ensemble, gave him some insight into her role within Chicago’s wider theater community.
“I didn’t know that much about her, but one of the stories I tell about working on that book is when I left her apartment after that first interview, it completely changed my sense of what Chicago theater is,” he says. “There was a very powerful quiet to her. She was diminutive and soft spoken, and yet there was this kind of aura about her. When you saw her, she wielded something that I think captivated a lot of people.”
Soon after news of his mother’s passing was announced, Jeremy Piven made a moving tribute on Instagram about the woman who touched so many lives.
“Yes, she’s my mother but she was an incredible human being. Acting teacher to so many of us ... taught us to respect the space we occupy when we perform ... instilled the integrity of the work and how lucky we are to get it,” he wrote. “She was graceful until her last breath ... always the teacher. We don’t know how long we have here in this human form but I can tell you that we lost a good one. She’s dancing with my father. Be good to each other.”
To make a donation to Piven Theatre Workshop in Joyce Piven’s honor, visit piventheatre.org.
HOPE IS
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City of Hope is serving the Chicago area with locations in Lake County, Downtown Chicago and our newest North Shore location in Morton Grove, which opened in November 2024.
BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE
PFOERTNER
VETERANS FUEL VICTORY
New Trier Township High School senior girls’ hoopsters shine on Senior Night.
The seniors on the New Trier Township High School (New Trier) girls’ basketball team often crack each other up. They also make their retiring head coach, Teri Rodgers, laugh hard.
Their collective sense of humor hasn’t secured a gig at a comedy club. Yet.
“We do like to joke around a lot,” says New Trier senior co-captain Anna Rivera.
But they have a serious side, too, and it was on full display during the Trevians’ Senior Night game against visiting Deerfield High School (DHS) on January 16.
Rodgers deployed an all-senior starting lineup of Carolina Rossman, Melis Elashry, Jane Harris, Lindsey Mandell, and Lauren Baker against the Warriors in the Central Suburban League South (CSL South) division game in Winnetka.
Baker scored the first basket of the game in the first minute and DHS drew even one minute later. The Trevians erupted from there, pouring in 19 of the next 23 points to take a 21-6 lead after one quarter of play.
Rivera, normally a starter, came off the bench midway through the first frame and had an immediate impact, tallying eight points in a span of 2 minutes, 12 seconds.
The quick, savvy guard would finish with a team-high total of 12 points in the Trevians’ impressive 58-35 victory.
“Our senior class, it’s super close,” says Rivera, who plans to play club basketball and major in Business in college. “On the court, our whole team has been strong in the first halves of games. Before the start of the playoffs next month, we want to do a better job of playing just as well after halftime.
“We need to be better finishers.”
Mandell scored all 11 of her points— including a trio of three-pointers—after intermission against DHS. Rossman finished with eight points, Elashry netted seven points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds, and Baker, Harris, and senior Malena Riefe contributed six points apiece.
The win on Senior Night improved the Trevians’ overall record to 8-12 and upped
their mark in the CSL South to 3-4. The team’s other senior is manager Kira Friedel.
Rodgers, holding a microphone, paid tribute to each of her near graduates before tipoff.
“Thank you, girls, for not just the things you’ve done but for being who you are each and every day,” said the woman who has amassed more than 600 wins as the program’s head coach.
New Trier girls’ basketball assistant coach Bobby Johnson has worked with Rodgers for 11 seasons.
“Everyone knows Teri’s a phenomenal coach,” Johnson says. “But she’s as good of a person as she is a coach. I look up to her as a role model. She cares about her players as people first and wants them to be strong, positive, independent adults in college and beyond.
“I have a 9-year-old daughter. It sure would have been nice to be around her while she learned basketball and life lessons from Teri in high school.”
STEFAN STEPS UP
Lake Forest High School senior swimmer Stefan Cucuz silvers in the 50-yard freestyle race at the prestigious Trevian Relays.
A swimmer slotted in lane 8 is not supposed to come close to medaling in a race. The lane assignment isn’t anywhere near the top three seeded entrants in middle lanes 3, 4, and 5. Lake Forest High School (LFHS) senior Stefan Cucuz never got the memo.
The rapid Scout stunned several contenders from his outside lane at the Trevian Relays at New Trier Township High School (New Trier) on January 18. Seeded last with a time of 22.27 in a field of eight 50-yard freestyle racers in the fast heat, Cucuz nearly captured a gold medal in the event, clocking a runner-up time of 22.11.
LFHS boys’ swimming coach David Gray clenched his right fist and executed an emphatic arm thrust soon after Cucuz touched the final wall.
“We’ll now shoot to get that down to a state-qualifying time (21.71 or lower),” a thrilled Gray said between races at the 16-team gathering, which annually ranks as one of the most competitive meets in the state.
As a junior last year, Cucuz qualified for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) boys’
swimming and diving state meet as a member of the Scouts’ 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relays. Classmate Miles Liebovich,
teacher. “We have a ways to go, but, like Miles, they’re all working hard. Three of our pleasant surprises have been freshmen (Nathan Chiu,
Academy (fourth, 176) and NTTHS’s other contingent in the field, TREVS (sixth, 160). New Trier’s 200-yard freestyle relay team of
Anna Rivera
Q & A with U.S. Air Force Academy hockey player
one of his goals in 2023, earning status as a Division I hockey player as a member of the United States Air Force Academy Falcons in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Now 22 and a sophomore Business Management major at USAFA, the 6-foot, 185-pound left wing had played Junior hockey in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) from 20202023, lacing his skates up for the Vernon Vipers (2020-2021) and Trail Smokeeaters (2021-2023).
Remissong was named a BCHL AllStar in January 2023.
We caught up with the former Louisville resident and the son of Lake Forest’s Jon and Margaret Remissong over the holidays.
You get to have dinner with anybody in the world. Your tablemate?
NR: Jonathan Toews. Ex-Chicago Blackhawk, special player. He wore the captain’s “C” for so many years and knew how to win, how to lead.
Any fond memories as a Lake Forest
What was the transition from Junior hockey player in Canada to U.S. Air Force Academy cadet like?
NR: Not an easy one, with six weeks of basic training. The first semester was pretty tough because you had to adjust to military customs. What I didn’t expect, and I’m glad I experienced it, was the number of people I had access to as a cadet. We’re able to lean on an extensive network of people, who help us in a variety of ways.
Your sister, Olivia, also played youth and high school hockey, meaning both of you probably spent inordinate hours traveling to and from rinks with your parents. What did they espouse as they raised you and your sister?
NR: Be hardworking and generous. And be a well-rounded person.
You’re expected to graduate in 2027. Care to share your post-USAFA plans?
NR: I’m leaning toward a businessoriented career, but I haven’t closed the door on someday flying in some capacity.
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CREDIT CHECK
Understanding the difference between “Hard Pulls” and “Soft Pulls” on your credit report.
SUBMITTED BY TOM FISHWICK
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
When it comes to managing your credit, you may often hear the terms “hard pull” and “soft pull.” These terms refer to the types of inquiries made on your credit report, which can impact your credit score in different ways. While both involve accessing your credit information and scores, the circumstances and effects of each are distinct.
It is critical when applying for a mortgage pre-approval to understand the distinction. Interest rates are on a grid tied to various features of the loan. These include property type, down payment and most importantly credit scores. Even a small drop in credit can have a big impact on the interest rate you receive.
What is a “Hard Pull”?
A hard pull is a credit inquiry that typically implies an application for debt. These pulls can lower your credit score, sometimes for months. Most lenders do a hard pull for pre-approvals. You want to try and avoid this for as long as you can. Credit reports are sometimes only good for 90 days and if you are working on improving your credit, you may have to pull it again. All these factors compound and can hurt your credit score. A credit score crossing thresholds on the interest rate grid, even by just a few points, can cost thousands over the life of your loan.
What is a “Soft Pull”?
A soft pull occurs when credit is looked at for reasons other than applying for actual debt. It gives the same information as a hard pull such as your current credit scores and activity, but it does not hurt your credit. The company I am with,
CrossCountry Mortgage, is unique in that we only do soft pulls for pre-approvals. This allows us to review your credit without a drop in scores. It also gives us the ability to advise on what may help bring the scores up.
We have helped people bring their scores up sometimes by over 100 points based on soft pulls. We can also do multiple soft pulls while we are monitoring improvements without it hurting your credit.
In summary, you should always ask a creditor what kind of pull they are doing. If you are not immediately looking for a loan, rather simply looking for pre-approval, you should try to stay away from having a “hard pull” done. If they don’t have a soft pull option, you can get that from a company like CrossCountry.
CCM looks out for the customers best interest, preparing them for a home purchase by focusing on the key factors in maintaining a positive credit score.
Tom Fishwick is the SVP of Mortgage Lending at Cross Country Mortgage. For more information, visit tomfishwick.com.
Tom Fishwick
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EDITED BY REDDING WORTH ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
#ON MY NIGHTSTAND
My nightstand features a classic Artemide Tizio lamp as well as Tiffany crystal paperweights in the shape of diamonds (a girl’s best friend!). The lamp supports my avid reading hobby, as I love reading (and rereading) about the evolution of Chicago architecture (e.g. The Space Within and Building Chicago), which informs how I view the world of design and much of my work. It’s hard not to be in awe of how Chicago rose from the ashes (excuse the pun) after the infamous fire and attracted so many visionary architects who wanted to be part of rebuilding the city. How they viewed the built environment and implemented forwardthinking technologies and design methodologies will always amaze me. I also enjoy the quick reads from the “Images of America” series, which focuses on specific communities and topics.
#ON MY MOBILE
Those who know me know that I love all things Paris—from food to fashion, architecture, and design. A couple of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow are @hipparis, @lacuisineparis, and @galeriediorparis. For those who love beautiful floral arrangements, I suggest following @anne. vitchen for the amazing arrangements and tablescapes she creates for The Ritz in Paris—they take my breath away! I also love @antonioolupi for their creative Italian designs and products. They share the beauty of a minimal aesthetic and its application in various environments.
#IN MY EARBUDS
There’s no end to the exhaustive potpourri of music that I love, which encompasses a wide range of decades and genres. Everything from rock and roll and pop to classical and country. Favorite artists include Andrea Bocelli, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Adele, Cher, Aerosmith, Ed Sheeran, The Beach Boys, Celine Dion, James Taylor, Michael Bublé, Coldplay, Shania Twain, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and the wonderful Dean Martin as a homage to my mom who loved him and his music.
LIFESTYLE & ARTS
LEAH BOLGER brings more than 25 years of experience creating exceptional homes, designed to inspire joy and connection, to her eponymous, award-winning interior architecture and design studio—Leah Bolger Design. Based on the North Shore, Bolger combines her deep knowledge of interior architecture and inherent love for creating beauty, approaching each project with technical prowess and a collaborative vision. Her goal is to create spaces that embody each client’s personality and lifestyle and tell their unique story while incorporating the highest principles of architecture, construction, and interior design. A former college instructor of interior architecture, Bolger’s technical expertise and talent for space planning and color theory allow her to work within various styles and project scopes, ranging from wholehouse new construction and renovations to furnishings, fabrics, and finishes. Regardless of the style or scope, she draws inspiration from various sources—music, fashion, travel, and more—and is dedicated to creating beauty in every home project by elevating the everyday with creativity and passion.
LAMINGTON TEA CAKES
BY MONICA KASS ROGERS FOOD EDITOR THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
YIELD: 35, 1-INCH TEA CAKES
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SPONGE CAKE
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¾ cup caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 ½ Tbsp butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE & COCONUT
• 1 lb confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ Tbsp melted butter
• ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to room temperature
• 2 cups finely grated unsweetened coconut (Bob’s Red Mill)
METHOD
MAKE SPONGE CAKE With rack set at center position, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with two sheets of parchment paper—one lengthwise, one widthwise—leaving an inch of paper overhanging the edges all around. In a standing mixer with whisk attachment, whisk eggs and sugar until the mixture is very light in color and falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon. Remove bowl from mixer. Sprinkle the surface of the whipped egg/sugar with the sifted flour and using a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Pour the melted butter into the bowl and gently fold in again, just until incorporated. Pour the sponge into the prepared pan, set in preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until center springs back when lightly pressed.
Do not overbake. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 3 to 4 hours. Once cool, cover pan and allow cake to rest overnight.
MAKE CHOCOLATE SAUCE The next day, sift 1 pound of confectioners’ sugar with ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder into a metal bowl OR into the top of a double boiler. Stir in the 1 ½ Tbsp melted butter and ¾ cup warmed milk. Heat a pot of water that can support the metal bowl OR heat the water in the bottom half of a double- boiler to boiling. Reduce to a simmer. Place the bowl OR top section of double boiler over simmering water and stir mixture until all is melted, and smooth. Remove from heat and completely cool. While chocolate sauce cools, cube sponge.
CUBE SPONGE CAKE Slice off and discard the dome of the baked cake. On a clean cutting board, flip cake over to expose the perfectly flat bottom side. Using a clean metal ruler, etch 1-inch grid lines on the cake with a knife. Follow the grid to cut the cake into 1-inch squares. (NOTE: Because 8-inch tins are tapered a bit on the sides, you’ll end up with a 7-inch grid and 35 finished cubes.)
DIP AND COAT CAKE CUBES Sprinkle coconut on a wide plate. Working one cake cube at a time, spear cake cube with a fork and completely immerse it in cooled chocolate sauce. Resting the side of the fork handle on the edge of the sauce pot to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Leaving cube on fork, roll four sides and bottom of coated cake cube in coconut. Sprinkle the top of the cube with more coconut. Slide the finished Lamington onto a wire rack to set up for several hours. Serve with tea or coffee.
FLIGHT RISK
Mel Gibson’s new film starts with soaring ambitions and ends with a crash landing.
Mel Gibson’s Flight Risk takes to the skies under the heavy weight of expectation. After his acclaimed directorial comeback with Hacksaw Ridge, there was every reason to believe Gibson might inject some old-school grit into the high-octane action-thriller genre. Instead, we’re left with a film that hovers uncertainty between moral drama and survivalist spectacle, rarely committing to either. Ambitious yet riddled with turbulence, Flight Risk is a journey that never quite finds its destination.
film’s unexpected MVP. As the jittery, morally ambiguous Winston, Grace adds a layer of unpredictability that’s sorely missing from the rest of the ensemble. His scenes crackle with nervous energy, a sharp contrast to the otherwise formulaic character dynamics. Unfortunately, even Grace’s efforts can’t overcome a script that struggles to balance character development with its action-heavy narrative.
RUNNING TIME: 91 MINUTES
VERDICT: Flight Risk boasts high stakes and impressive visuals, but it's muddled execution and reliance on tired tropes make it a bumpy ride. A missed opportunity to elevate a familiar formula.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Daryl Booth, a troubled commercial pilot coerced into transporting a volatile government witness, Winston (Topher Grace), across the treacherous Alaskan wilderness. Overseeing the operation is Deputy U.S. Marshal Madelyn Harris (Michelle Dockery), who has the unenviable task of keeping both Booth and Winston in line as chaos takes hold. Naturally, the plan goes awry—enemy agents, bad weather, and personal demons all conspire to turn a simple transport mission into an existential battle for survival.
Wahlberg, known for his penchant for roughand-ready action heroes, is in familiar territory as Booth. His performance is workmanlike, occasionally straying into caricature as he growls through the more fraught moments. There’s a spark of vulnerability in his quieter scenes, but it’s often drowned out by the film’s louder, more bombastic beats. Dockery, meanwhile, is saddled with a thankless role as the stoic law enforcer, doing her best to inject gravitas into a character who’s little more than a walking plot device. It’s Topher Grace who emerges as the
Gibson’s direction, while muscular and visually striking, often feels at odds with the material. The action sequences are undeniably visceral, showcasing his flair for chaos and carnage, but they come at the expense of pacing and tone. A mid-air firefight is thrilling in isolation but feels jarring when sandwiched between quieter, more introspective moments. The film tries to explore weighty themes like redemption and the morality of survival, but these ideas are buried under layers of explosive set-pieces and clunky exposition.
Visually, Flight Risk is a feast for the eyes. Cinematographer Shelly Johnson captures the unforgiving beauty of the Alaskan wilderness with sweeping aerial shots that lend the film a sense of scale and isolation. Inside the plane, the tight, claustrophobic framing effectively ratchets up the tension. Gibson’s commitment to practical effects is evident, with the plane’s emergency maneuvers and crash sequences rendered in heart-stopping detail. Yet for all its visual flair, the film often stumbles when it comes to building genuine suspense or emotional resonance.
Tonally, Flight Risk feels like a relic from
a bygone era of action cinema. It’s unapologetically macho, laced with a gritty sensibility that will appeal to fans of Gibson’s earlier work. However, this approach also feels dated, particularly in its treatment of female characters and its reliance on clichés. Dockery’s Harris is little more than a bystander to Booth’s moral reckoning, while the villains are stock caricatures with no discernible motivation beyond generic malice.
Thematically, the film flirts with interesting ideas—Booth’s inner conflict as a man seeking redemption in an unforgiving world, the ethical dilemmas of protecting a criminal witness—but these are surface-level explorations at best. The script never allows these threads to fully develop, opting instead for a predictable arc that trades depth for spectacle.
There are moments where Flight Risk flirts with brilliance. A tense scene in which Booth is forced to make a life-or-death decision mid-flight showcases Gibson’s ability to mine raw emotion from chaos. Similarly, the final shot—a subdued, haunting reflection on Booth’s journey—hints at the film it might have been. But these moments are the exception rather than the rule.
Ultimately, Flight Risk is a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s too self-serious to embrace its potential as a pulpy action-thriller but lacks the substance to deliver as a moral drama. Gibson’s direction and Grace’s performance offer glimpses of what could have been, but the film’s uneven tone and thin writing keep it firmly grounded.
BY FELIX MCMILLAN, MAN ABOUT FILM ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
SEVERANCE SEASON 2
RUNNING TIME: 10 EPISODES, 55 MINUTES EACH
VERDICT: Severance Season 2 is a compelling continuation of the series, deepening its exploration of complex themes with strong performances and striking visuals. While it occasionally stumbles in pacing, it remains a must-watch for those intrigued by the interplay of identity and corporate culture.
After a nearly three-year hiatus, Severance returns to Apple TV+ with its second season, resuming its exploration of the bifurcated lives of Lumon Industries employees. The series, created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller, continues to delve into the ethical and psychological complexities
The return of this Apple TV+ series expands its dystopian world.
of the severance procedure, which surgically divides work and personal memories.
Season 2 picks up directly from the cliffhanger finale of the first season, where the "innies" (workplace personas) of Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower), Irving (John Turturro), and Dylan (Zach Cherry) awaken in their "outie" (personal life) environments. This narrative choice propels the story into new territories, expanding the show's scope and deepening character development.
Adam Scott delivers a nuanced performance as Mark, portraying the tension and confusion of a man grappling with fragment-
ed identities. Britt Lower's Helly continues to be a standout, embodying resilience and determination as she confronts the realities of her severed existence. John Turturro and Christopher Walken's portrayal of Irving and Burt's relationship adds emotional depth, highlighting the human need for connection even within oppressive systems.
The show's visual aesthetic remains a highlight, with its depiction of corporate interiors and stark landscapes enhancing the narrative's unsettling atmosphere. The meticulous production design and cinematography create a sense of disorientation that mirrors the characters' experiences.
However, the season is not without its flaws. The pacing occasionally falters, with certain episodes feeling protracted, potentially testing viewers' patience. Additionally, while the series excels in building intrigue, some plot developments may come across as convoluted, risking alienation of the audience.
Despite these minor issues, Severance Season 2 successfully expands upon its original premise, offering a thought-provoking commentary on work-life balance, identity, and autonomy. The series maintains its unique blend of suspense, drama, and dark humor, solidifying its place as a standout in contemporary television.
BY
The imagery of artist Mairin Hartt occupies a zone between the solid and the immaterial. Hinting at both disorienting randomness and inscrutable organization, it registers as remnants of what was and intimations of what may come to be. “My work,” she has written, “is an attempt to establish a physical representation of the elusive—exploring the uncomfortable space between growth and decay, existence and non-existence.”
A lifelong Chicagoan, Hartt has been drawing since she was a kid. “As a child, my goal was to get better at representation—I wanted what I drew to look more like what I saw in real life. I drew everything, especially portraits of my siblings since they were the few willing to indulge me. In high school, my work veered more into Expressionism, using lots of color to ‘grab the viewer’s attention.’ Initially, I thought I’d be a portrait painter, but eventually, I asked myself why I was creating portraits and realized that it was because of all the wonderful shapes that made up the human face, rather than the face itself.”
A milestone in Hartt’s creative evolution, her journey through form and content, technique and expression, came in her junior year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. “I was trying to figure out what my work was about, how my interest in science, art, and nature came together,” she recalls. “I was sitting in my art history class, listening to a lecture on the Romanticists and the Sublime, in which the viewer was instilled with feelings of awe, fear, and a sense of the infinite, leading to one’s sense of mortality. This felt like something I had been trying to do in one way or another. It made me think of times in my life when I might have felt the sublime—hearing my heartbeat at the doctor’s office at age 6, being completely mesmerized
seeing Monet’s haystacks for the first time or looking through a microscope at impossibly small cells and organisms, an entire universe we can’t see.”
Furthering Hartt’s interest in disorder and dissolution was an Environmental Science and Policy class. “We were discussing energy and the second law of thermodynamics, which, in very simple terms, means that entropy increases over time. My professor made an offhand comment, that considering the principle of least effort—organisms wanting to use
the least amount of energy for the greatest gain—life should not exist. That statement took me aback and after class, I asked him, ‘How does life exist, then?’ And he responded, ‘Well, that’s the question.’”
Hartt, who is Director of Education at The Art Center Highland Park, went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While there, she explored the idea of the sublime that momentary sense of wonder that makes us stop and think—on a small scale, applying ink to glass slides that she then installed in boxes and lit from behind. With their visual field reduced when they peered inside, viewers were caught in an experience both restrictive and expansive. Since then, Hartt has been rigorous in her explorations. Against the grain, a series of mixed media drawings, refer-
enced microscopic cross-sections of human tissue. With Non-Existent Decay, she traced eroded chunks of concrete onto Mylar and added her own marks in graphite and ink to allude “to both celestial bodies and microscopic entities, reflecting the interconnected complexities between entropy and existence.” Clearly, Hartt isn’t interested in making purely pretty pictures. “My more abstract pieces tend to get a wide range of reactions, becoming an object for projection that reveals more about the viewer than the artwork,” she observes. “I was in a group show in 2015 called Lexicon in which artist statements were not displayed, so viewers could guess what the artwork was about and write down their reactions on sticky notes placed next to the artwork. I was exhibiting a piece from my Repetitious Infinitum series, and most of the responses said it reminded them of a heartbeat or lines from a seismograph, which I thought was interesting since the line work in that piece was copied from cracks in a concrete floor.”
Hypnotic and perhaps hard to read, elusive yet illustrative, Hartt’s work is as mysterious as life itself.
For more information, visit mairinhartt.com.
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Untitled 2 [Against the grain], 2018, Pen on toned paper, 11 x 14 in
Untitled 9 [Against the grain], 2018, Graphite and pen on toned paper, 11 x 14 in
Untitled 4 [Against the grain], 2018, Pen and ink on toned paper, 11 x 14 in
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REANIMATING THE PAST
Glencoe painter Nicole Gordon’s latest work, “Postmemory”—set for a five-week exhibition run at The Art Center Highland Park—depicts vivid memories of her parents’ traumatic childhoods that she had recorded during a series of intimate interviews.
BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT
The most influential art teachers in painter Nicole Gordon’s life never taught her how to paint.
New Trier Township High School (New Trier) professor Walter Chruscinski and University of Michigan professor Marianetta Porter encouraged Gordon to focus more on the approach to creating a work than on painting techniques such as stippling and glazing.
“Marianetta, a mixed media artist, shaped my direction as an artist and encouraged me to be open-minded about materials used to create a work,” says the 48-year-old Gordon, a Glencoe resident and mother of three sons. “Walter—we still stay in touch—got me to think creatively, to think as an artist should.
“Both,” she adds, “wanted me to be driven by an idea.”
Her latest idea is as imaginative as it is compelling and moving, featuring 12 paintings, all of which were inspired by intimate interviews she had conducted with her parents, Phil and Norma. Gordon had asked each to recall their family history of immigration and assimilation from Eastern Europe to South Africa, Cuba, and ultimately the United States.
Gordon’s first interview with her mother— whose Jewish parents fled Poland as children to settle in Cuba, where they met and raised a family—took place in 2021. The seasoned artist/sudden reporter later went one-onone with her father, whose Jewish parents journeyed from Lithuania to South Africa before World War II, leaving behind family members who would perish in the Holocaust.
Phil Gordon advised Nicole to read David Laskin’s book The Family at the outset of his daughter’s earnest project. The nudge proved invaluable for Nicole.
“My parents’ stories, while at times rife with displacement and emotional upheaval, are ultimately filled with hope, aspiration, resilience, and pride,” she says. “These works contemplate issues of personal, lived
experiences and how we process memories that are oftentimes uncomfortable or traumatic.”
Gordon named the body of dreamscape work “Postmemory,” a word coined by author/college professor Marianne Hirsch.
“Postmemory,” Hirsch writes, “describes the relationship that the ‘generation after’ bears to the personal, collective, and cultural trauma of those who came before. To grow up with overwhelming inherited memories, to be dominated by narratives
ings are unique, the layout of the corresponding paintings share similarities. There will be an audio component at the exhibit as well, with attendees able to scan a QR code and listen to recordings of my parents’ reactions to my paintings.”
Gordon’s parents, who live in Evanston, turn 82 this year. Gordon grew up in Glenview and enjoyed her busy years at New Trier, competing as a threesport athlete (volleyball, basketball, softball), playing the clarinet, and somehow finding the time “to be very involved
eventually drew what I saw on pages in issues of National Geographic. When I was 6 or 7, Mom started putting my artwork in a book and signed me up for art classes.
“I could not have asked for more supportive people of my interest in art than my parents. They are my champions. My ‘Postmemory’ exhibition, which took me more than three years to complete, is a gift to them, but it’s also a gift to me.”
Nicole Gordon met her future husband, Peter Flory, at the University of Michigan. Flory, a golf course developer, grew up in Saline, Michigan, 12 miles from the university’s campus in Ann Arbor. Their 15-year-old twins, Jack and Max, are ace club volleyball players, and their youngest, 12-year-old Lucas, is a budding artist.
Also an installation artist, Gordon has had solo exhibitions in Seattle (Bellevue Arts Museum), Los Angeles (Lois Lambert Gallery and Corey Helford Gallery), Sheboygan, Wisconsin (John Michael Kohler Arts Center), Boston (Miller Block Gallery), and Chicago (Linda Warren Projects and Chicago Cultural Center), among other cities.
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I could not have asked for more supportive people of my interest in art than my parents. They are my champions.
that preceded one’s birth or one’s consciousness, is to risk having one’s own life stories displaced, even evacuated, by our ancestors.”
The Art Center Highland Park selected Gordon’s “Postmemory” for an exhibition beginning February 28 and running through April 5. Each of the dozen paintings depicts either Phil or Norma as a central figure. Each work in the series of six about Norma has a corresponding work about Phil.
“We’ll display each pair side by side,” Gordon says, adding two of her paintings measure 36 square feet (6 x 6). “While the details within the compositions of the paint-
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in the art department,” the 1994 New Trier graduate recalls.
A lefty, Gordon still plays competitive softball as a pitcher in a 12-inch league. She wields a brush in her home studio and knows all about brushback pitches on the diamond.
Gordon was a tad older than a toddler when she completed her first piece of artwork in a restaurant.
Her canvas that day?
“A napkin,” she says. “I’d draw all the time while waiting for our food. Mom would hand me a pen, and I’d get to work right away. I was a big doodler. I liked to draw people. I
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“Being an artist,” she says, “is being willing to put a piece of yourself out there for others to view. It’s personal and it’s rewarding, but at times it also puts you in a vulnerable spot. Art is an expression of you, capable of stirring the emotions of others.”
Gordon can’t wait to share her “Postmemory” exhibition with the North Shore community.
“As in my past work, the narratives function as dreamscapes, juxtaposing actual and metaphorical, and the observed with the imagined,” she says. “The paintings weave together elements of childlike innocence with darker undertones, a dynamic that echoes the makeup of human existence.”
The opening reception for “Postmemory” at The Art Center Highland Park is Friday, February 28, 5:30 to 8 p.m. The Art Center Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road in Highland Park. For more information, visit theartcenterhp.org.
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Nicole Gordon
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