Five creative people, walking with you.

Our “author’s journey” through the American creativity, starts from the county seat of St. Clair (in Illinois), the city of Belleville. This is a city founded in 1814. If you like to collect fruit and vegetables in the land where a famous singer-songwriter from this city was born, you can go to Eckert’s Belleville Farm https://www.eckerts.com/belleville-farm/ While running to the fields it’s nice to meet other people when the staff is always friendly and helpful. Not only. Eckert’s Country Restaurant serves tasty home-made food to keep everyone happy! They also serve breakfast all day, lunch and dinner.

His first exposure to music was through gramophone records, that he left behind when they attended college, but his musical style has varied over his music career. His mother bought him first guitar when he was six years old. He is a native of Belleville (Illinois), where he was born in a August day 1967. Leader of the band Wilco, JEFF TWEEDY is a songwriter and musician, with his keen sense of vocals and energy. Wilco’s first album, released in 1995, received mixed reviews from critics. When he was twelve he was injured in a bicycle accident and was put up for the summer, so he decided to learn how to play a few guitar’s chords.

After a short journey of 100 miles, to see a museum with some famous paintings by an American painter, in almost two hours by car we will arrive in Springfield. Enjoy farm-to-table restaurants, then shop ‘til you drop at local boutiques, art galleries. Don’t forget: nowhere else can you find a more complete and authentic collection of Abraham Lincoln sites (the legendary president). If you like, explore the nostalgia of Route 66. At the end of your day relax at one of the city’s romantic bed & breakfasts. Inn at 835, http://connshospitalitygroup.com/stay-with-us/inn-at-835.aspx Springfield’s only Nationally Landmarked boutique hotel, you offers 13 guest rooms (plus six extended stay suites), all with attached private baths, internet, voicemail, and individual thermostats. During your visit you will be within walking distance to most historic.

Many of her compositions feature a lone woman, often depicted with attributes of sorcery (an owl, or a broomstick). GERTRUDE ABERCROMBIE painted many variations of her favored subjects (sparsely furnished interiors, self-portraits and still-lifes). She considered herself ugly, and sometimes she wore a pointed velvet hat to accentuate her witch-like appearance. You can see her works at the Illinois State Museum, Springfield. http://www.illinoisstatemuseum.org/

The visit is a celebration of a time, when the pace was a little more leisurely. Galesburg http://www.visitgalesburg.com/ is like a reawakened memory, yet with surprises both welcome and rewarding. There is always something going on in this area. You can choose festivals that celebrate its history, classic car show or a cardboard boat regatta. Pilots from across the country have traveled to this events to compete in the balloon competition. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Lake Storey, the Great Balloon Race has called Galesburg its home, hosting to more than 30 majestic hot air balloons each year. Walking in the streets of the city, do not forget that here a truly original surrealist painter was born.

DOROTHEA TANNING was born and raised in Galesburg (Illinois), where attended public schools. After attending Knox College, she moved to Chicago and New Yok, where discovered Surrealism at the Museum of Modern Art’s. Then, the gallery owner Julien Levy introduced her to the circle of émigré Surrealists (including the painter Max Ernst). The two fell in love, and embarked on a life together that took them to Sedona (Arizona), where they hosted visits from many friends crossing the country (including Yves Tanguy, George Balanchine, and Dylan Thomas. In 1949, they relocated to France (returning to Sedona for intervals), where they lived in Paris and Provence, until Ernst’s death. Returned to New York, she continued to create art, also with attention to writing and poetry, until the end of her life.

Only 37 miles separate Galesburg from Aledo, but in those 45 minutes by car you will be able to think about the randomness of life, which gave birth to a painter who loved music. The population was 3,640 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mercer County. https://aledoil.org/ Welcome in Aledo (Illinois). You will not regret it. In our opinion, Reason’s College Avenue Deli https://www.facebook.com/Reasons-College-Avenue-Deli-147792185430744/ it’s the best place to eat in Aledo. Good food, great ice cream and really good soups. If you can ever get your hands on the cheesy asparagus (or the pot pie soups), do it!

Her parents were traveling opera singers, who happened to be in Austin (Texas), on the day of her birth.   GERTRUDE ABERCROMBIE, born into a February day, was an painter based in Chicago, where she was involved in the jazz scene, becoming friends with musicians whose music inspired her own creative work. The family lived in Aledo (Illinois), before settling in Hyde Park (Chicago), where she was raised in a strict Christian environment at home. In the mid-1930s, she moved out of her family’s home and became active in the local art scene, and in 1934 the Chicago Society of Artists held a solo show of her work. In 1948 she married music critic Frank Sandiford, and the couple were active in the bohemian lifestyle and jazz scene of Chicago.

200 minutes drive (and 200 miles of road, from Aledo to Chicago), are all you need for the last part of your author’s travel through Illinois. In these places, you can fully enjoy the urban atmosphere that inspired a native writer of this city. Its Millennium Park is an important civic center of the city. Every year millions of people arrive to see it. Maybe you too want to climb onto the Willis Tower (the tallest building in the world from 1973 to 1998), or visit the Navy Pier, https://navypier.org/ with restaurants, shops and a ferris wheel. Before leaving, do not forget to buy a book (or a music collection) by Shel Silverstein, a native of this city.

After winning an award, he attended a racially integrated high school, where he was a excellent student only for writing. His novels concerned mythology, history, and Chicago. LEON FORREST was born in Chicago in a January day, 1937. With an introduction from Ralph Ellison, his first novel was published in 1973. Later, in 1973, he joined the creative writing staff of Northwestern University, where he headed their African-American Studies department. His last novel (Divine Days, a novel over 1,100 pages long), modeled on Ulysses (by James Joyce), was considered the War and Peace of African-American literature.

He was born in Chicago, on a September day, 1930. Living in an extended family, he was raised in a noisy environment. The road downstairs was source of chaos, and other families living in the apartment building were equally boisterous. He was also nominated for an Oscar, for the song “I’m Checkin’ Out,” (performed by Meryl Streep, in the movie Postcards From the Edge). He also wrote songs. He is known for his quirky and irreverent poetry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT0wKeJQvGk SHEL SILVERSTEIN got his start in the 1950s, to be the resident poet/cartoonist for Playboy magazine.

The intellectual property of the images that appear in this blog correspond to their authors. The sole purpose of this site, is to spread the knowledge of these artists and that other people enjoy their works. To pursue this issue, you can digit: http://meetingbenches.com/2018/07/authors-travel-through-illinois-the-journey-does-not-matter-as-long-as-the-creative-horizon-is-vast/