A Love Letter to Inspiration Corporation

In 1989, Lisa Nigro founded Inspiration Cafe serving coffee and sandwiches from a red wagon in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.  In the years since it's founding, Inspiration Corporation has grown to serve 3,000 individuals a year by providing meals, supportive services, housing, employment preparation and vocational training, and free voice mail.  I started volunteering at Inspiration Corporation in early 2008 and it has been one of the constants in my life ever since.  I volunteer each Wednesday morning and often summarize my involvement by saying "it's the best volunteer job I've ever had."  


I like that when I return each Wednesday to serve breakfast in the cafe the same familiar faces greet me, George, Gloria and Kelvin who manage the cafe, Dietrich, Mike, and Carl who cook the meals, Haywood who does the dishes, and Jim, Mel, and Ellen who are also regular Wednesday volunteer meal servers.  And, of course, the guests of the cafe: Roy who always gives me a big hug when I arrive, Sheila who likes her coffee filled to the very rim of the cup, Kimmie who is taking classes at Truman, Paul who has a warm smile, and many many others.


It's not only familiarity that keeps me coming back to Inspiration though.  I've volunteered with a number of organizations that provide services to the homeless, even working for a year as a case manager in the largest homeless shelter in Phoenix.  Those experiences remind me of what makes Inspiration Corporation special.  The cafe where meals are served is warm, painted with beautiful brightly colored murals, the tables are small and often adorned with flowers, and morning sun pours through the West facing windows.  The guests are familiar, all participants in the programs offered at Inspiration, so I know many of their names and some of their stories. Perhaps most especially the meals are served restaurant style rather than cafeteria style.  The guests sit at tables and volunteers bring drink orders to them, take their meal orders, and deliver meals made to order.  After the meal, volunteers clear plates and often sit down to have breakfast themselves.  


The mission statement of Inspiration Corporation is "In an atmosphere of dignity and respect, Inspiration Corporation helps people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self-sufficiency through the provision of social services, employment training and placement, and housing."  It is that critical recognition of dignity and respect as imperative to the work they do as an organization, which I believe makes Inspiration Corporation unique.


I believe that recognizing the dignity of and treating with respect those with whom I interact is at the very core of what I aim to do with my life.  In addition to informing major life choices, belief in dignity and respect requires intentional choices in everyday interactions.  It is a simple and obvious goal, but one which quickly falls by the wayside when I feeling affronted by the person with whom I'm interacting, when I feel fatigued by having yet another person ask me for money on the street, or I'm simply feeling stressed or rushed.  Perhaps, that's what I love most about volunteering at Inspiration, it is a time each week that reminds me to treat others with dignity and respect.  It's a reminder that sometimes serving coffee with a smile is glimpsing the absolute best version of myself.       


I hope to continue to support Inspiration Corporation with time and money for many years to come.  For that reason, I am donating $10 from every Western Avenue postcard set and 20% of proceeds from painting sales to Inspiration Corporation.  And, I will continue to make small donations of proceeds from my other Etsy shops to Inspiration.  I hope you will consider volunteering or making a financial contribution to Inspiration Corporation or finding an opportunity to support an organization that inspires you.

A Love Letter to Postcards

I'm smitten with postcards!  I have a nostalgic attachment to hand-written, postal mail.  I seem to inevitably find the images which adorn postcards interesting, whether its a piece of artwork or a souvenir postcard for a tourist destination.  I have a small collection of postcards, including some sent to my Grandfather in the early part of the 20th century, which I treasure.

I am also interested in the opportunity that the postcards offer to make owning art portable and accessible to virtually anyone.  Postcards can be thought of very affordable art prints and can allow for one person to own a full collection of a series of related artworks.  It was these interests which inspired me to create postcards for each painting in "At the Heart of the City: Western Avenue in 24 Painting."  

There are 24 postcards in total, each of which features a portion of one painting in the series.  I will be selling the postcards as sets, which feature all the paintings in the series {$30}.  I will also be selling individual postcards, so you can pick out a few of your favorites {$2 each or 10 for $15}.  The postcards can be purchased at the exhibit reception this Saturday, May 19 from 7-9PM at the Beverly Art Center or, at an Etsy shop featuring my Western Avenue work found here.  $10 of every postcards set purchase will be donated to Inspiration Corporation, stay tuned for a love letter to Inspiration Corporation.  

Are you fond of postcards?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 24: Pratt-Howard
This painting is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  

I wanted to paint the P & S Restaurant because it seems representative of a prevalent typology, in Chicago.  I think I feel a certain fondness and nostalgia for these diners because throughout my childhood my family regularly ate at diners on Sunday morning after attending church.  P&S seems perfectly representative of those dining establishments.  A glowing Yelp review of P&S says it is, "hands down, the best diner breakfast in Rogers Park!"  

The review goes on to read, "I eat here every week.  It is easier than going to the store and getting the ingredients and making it myself.  Plus it is very inexpensive and the service is great.  Brittney, Mary, Carlos, and Isaiah make you feel welcomed and at home.  You will not find this kind of service at IHOP or Baker's Square  Their hash browns are some of the best I have ever had and I love their ham...Mary makes the empanadas herself, and they are not frozen.  On top of that, they cook to order.  They will make you anything you want, if they have it in their kitchen.  Anyone who has eaten breakfast with me can attest to the "make your own concoctions" I create after I look a menu over.  They have made me a hamburger omelet, breakfast Monte Cristo, Italian Sausage omelet, and BLT breakfast sandwich, to mention a few.  Name it and they will make it."


Click here to purchase this painting.

What's your favorite Chicago diner?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 24: Pratt-Howard

This sketch is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Wednesday to see the painting completed based on this sketch.

The final mile of Western Avenue is located in West Ridge, one of 77 Chicago community areas. This area seems to be home to an rather diverse population, including Chicago's largest Hasidic community, as well as other Jewish, Irish American, German-American, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Assyrian, Russian, and Korean immigrant communities.

This is reflected in the types of businesses located along this stretch of Western.  Included is the Shari'ah Board of America, whose website was not entirely functional, but I found a blog post which declared, "Need to govern your life by Sharia Law, confused about Sharia rulings? Today is your lucky day as The Sharia Board of America is here to guide you. Just submit your questions online, and wait for the reply. Or if you are in the Chicago area, just drop by."  So, seemingly the Shari'ah Board is a headquarters for the interpretation of the moral code and religious law of Islam.

The neighboring establishments are as varied as Mullen's Sports Bar, U Lucky Dog hot dog stand, and Jessie's Mexican Grill.  

Have you traveled to this most northern portion of Western Avenue?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 23: Peterson-Pratt
This painting is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see a post about the next mile of Western.

I decided to make a painting of Chicago Live Poultry because I was so surprised to discover it as I walked along Western.  As the name implies, it at Chicago Live Poultry, once can have a  live chicken, rooster, hen, rabbit, duck, turkey, pheasant, or pigeon for slaughter in a Zabiha/Halal traditional way. On their website it says, "As you select the product of your choice, we than slaughter it in Zabiha/Halal traditional way, cut & dress it for you with in minutes while you wait."

I haven't ventured in because as a pescetarian, I don't have a need for "live" poultry.  I was fascinated, to read this Yelp review of the Western Avenue storefront:
"My wife and I were headed to our usual meat market when we saw their sign advertising "live" poultry. We decided to go in. As soon as we opened the car door, we felt the overwhelming stink of chicken droppings. Undeterred, we pressed on.

The place was pretty bare. A counter with some pricing information and a few coolers with fresh eggs on the right...As soon as we said we wanted chickens, the gentleman in the front asked us to go in the back. As we were walking back there, we saw the slaughter room to our left. It was cleaner than what I expected. This was probably because they seem to wash it after every order. We saw them wash it down three times during the 20 minutes we were there.

When we got to the back room, we noticed that chickens were very clean looking and were not cramped as we had expected. They have two kinds -- the usual white feathered "farm chicken," and the brown/black feathered "country chicken."

Then it was time to "select" our chickens. I have to admit, we were both a little hesitant to pick the ones to get whacked. The guy must have seen this happen enough times because he instantly realized it and offered to pick them out for us. He picked out 4 chickens, then weighed them in a plastic carton, deducted the weight of the carton, and told us our total...
About ten minutes later, we had our chicken cut up in pieces."


Have you ever selected live poultry for dinner?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 23: Peterson-Pratt

This sketch is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Wednesday to see the painting completed based on this sketch.

The portion of Western between Peterson and Pratt feels like a heavily traveled commercial district, particularly the portion of the avenue which crosses Devon Avenue.  Devon has been settled by many immigrant groups, including Orthodox Jews, Russian Americans neighborhood, and near to Western South Asian immigrants.

In addition, this stretch of Western border nearly 90 acres of parkland, Warren Park, which is home to batting cages, a golf course, racquetball court, and in the winter an ice rink!  I was also struck by the Frank Z's car dealership, whose sign makes the claim that it is the "the world's largest" car dealership.

Have you visited the restaurants, sari shops and grocers of Devon?