Influencers: A Legacy of Creative Spirit

Editor who founded "The Little Review" art magazine in 1914. more...

Artist specializing in acrylic, oil and watercolor, with paintings featured in galleries nationwide and in corporate collections. more...

Artist, author and adman whose oil paintings focus on street scenes in Europe, especially Paris, and Washington D.C. more...

Award-winning artist who specializes in paintings of birds and wildlife and has been juried into prestigious international exhibitions and tours. more...

Watercolor artist known for land and cityscapes, whose works have been exhibited in juried art shows throughout the U.S. more...

Multi-instrumentalist and singer who has recorded albums and performed with a variety of groups from 1995 to the present; nominated for two Emmy Awards. more...

Composer, writer, and educator. Held dual positions in Composition and Violin at the Chicago Music College and was the school’s president from 1916-1925. more...

Actor who performed on stage; also was a reporter and editor, including for magazines such as Popular Mechanics and Great Lakes Recruit. more...

Actress, singer and co-founder/director of Chicago Little Theatre. Performed in Chicago and New York and on the West Coast. more...

Novelist, short story writer, editor and screenwriter who also worked at newspapers and magazines, including as writer of “Blue Ribbon Short Stories” series. more...

Author of “Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust,” a memoir, and a series of books for children on the Holocaust, Immigration and Americanization. more...

International opera star in the 1920s-‘40s who performed in concert on tour, on the Broadway stage, with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and in movies. more...

Watercolor painter, teacher and hand-tufted carpet designer originally from Ireland; her paintings are displayed in professional offices across the U.S., Ireland and England. more...

Writer and entrepreneur who developed a home-study course in speaking and writing English; considered a founder of modern business communications based on colloquial style and grammar. more...

Early 20th century artist specializing in water color painting, etching and lithography; his paintings focused on scenes from Chicago and the West Coast. more...

Author of fiction and non-fiction books, including” Red Mask Mystery” novels and “Opportunities in Writing Careers; taught at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. more...

Florence Kiper was a feminist poet and author whose plays were performed by notable theater groups, sharing the stage with prominent writers. more...

A virtuoso violinist who toured Germany as a child, performed extensively in Chicago, and toured the eastern U.S. with a New York company. more...

Poet and educator who founded Sparkitivity, a consulting firm, and authored poetry books and non-fiction guides to creativity. more...

Poet and editor of Poetry magazine who published early works of Sherwood Anderson, Edgar Lee Masters and Carl Sandberg, among others. more...

Painter and key figure in Lake Bluff’s early 20th century Artists Colony; later was a key figure in the arts community in Santa Fe, New Mexico. more...

Charles Hitchcock was an actor with 54 silent film roles for Essanay Studios; and also a vaudeville performer, public speaking teacher, and Lake Bluff night watchman. more...

Mike Jarvi, founder of Jarvi Furniture at Crab Tree Farm Workshop, is a builder and furniture designer with works displayed in notable museums and galleries. more...

David Jenkins is a TV writer, playwright and actor who created the sitcoms “People of Earth,” “Our Flag Means Death,” and the upcoming “Booster Gold.” more...

A magazine illustrator in the 1920s and '30s, she is known for painting English royalty and prominent U.S. figures and has works in museums and other institutions. more...

Award-winning artist who worked in pastels and oils, creating murals, portraits and woodcut illustrations; exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago and helped found Tucson Art Center. more...

Painter and sculptor whose artwork was exhibited at many Midwest galleries and art shows, as well as in regional corporate collections. more...

Educator and puppeteer who created puppets for story telling in the 1950s and ‘60s; performed in theaters and starred in the TV show “Just Imagine.” more...

Educator, editor and author who wrote novels, short stories and magazine serials; taught and was chair of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. more...

A third generation artist who grew up in Lake Bluff, he now lives in New Mexico where he paints landscapes, figures and portraits and operates a gallery. more...

A founder of the Lake Bluff Camp Meeting Association who was a builder by trade as well as chorister, band leader and singer. more...

Rebecca Makkai is a best-selling author whose novels and short stories have been featured in prominent publications and nominated for prestigious literary awards. more...

Grammy-winning singer and songwriter who has sold over 30 million albums and had multiple No. 1 hits for himself and other artists. more...

Early 20th century art patron who supported artistic and philanthropic endeavors, including an exhibition for William Penhallow Henderson. Also wrote music for Alice Corbin Henderson's children's plays. more...

Designed greeting cards from 1958 to ’76 then switched to painting. In 1978, created Lake Bluff’s “Mural of Memories” for a local bank. more...

Writer and filmmaker known especially for “The Furnace Girl” novel, “Childhood Lost and Found” documentary, and producing Lake Bluff History Museum’s Ghost Walk. more...

Newspaperman, author and poet; earned Pulitzer Prize for Foreign Correspondence, 1929; editor of “Chicago Daily News,” 1935; New Hampshire Poet Laureate,1968. more...

Managed vaudeville and motion picture productions, then co-founded and managed Keith-Albee-Orpheum Vaudeville and Theater empire; later president and chairman of RKO movie studio. more...

Irish-born actor and playwright who performed for traveling theater companies in the late 19th century; acted with John Wilkes Booth and his brothers. more...

Writer who has contributed to Encyclopedia Britannica, newspapers and magazines, and has authored 11 children's books. more...

Poet, educator and leading poetry translator who was an editor for Poetry magazine and received a National Book Award nomination. Authored the play "When It Happens To You" for Broadway and published six novels, inc more...

Writer who penned a Broadway-bound play and six novels, including "Back Roads," which was an Oprah's Book Club selection and adapted into a 2018 movie. more...

David Pasquesi Actor and comedian who has performed live at renown improv venues and theaters and in dozens of movies and TV shows. more...

Watercolor painter specializing in local scenes like Sunrise Beach and was a member of Deerpath Art League and Abbott Painting Group. more...

Poet whose work was published in “American Poetry Review,” “McSweeney's,” “New York Times,” and other journals and anthologies ; wrote “Three New Poets” and “Filibuster to Delay a Kiss.” more...

Poet, author and educator whose work has been published in “The Kenyan Review,” “American Poetry Review,” “Poetry” magazine and many other publications. more...

Dancer and actress featured in iconic films of the 1980s, including “Dirty Dancing,” “Flash Dance,” “Staying Alive,” and “Runaway.” more...

Actor who starred in hit TV show "Our Miss Brooks" from 1952 to 1956 and acted hundreds of other TV shows and on Broadway and regional theater. more...

Art educator and artist; taught art at the National Academy of Art from 1924-1942, and in retirement maintained an art studio in Libertyville. more...

Rosenthal creates impressionistic realism paintings of cityscapes, landscapes and portraits. His work is exhibited globally, including in corporate offices, public buildings and private collections. more...

Writer of The Woodland Mysteries series of books for struggling readers. The main characters are teens who live in Lake Bluff and travel around the world. more...

Film and Broadway actress in the 1930s and ‘40s; designed popular Bakelite "gadget jewelry" and later created her own fashion line. more...

Artists representative for advertising agencies from 1947-1967 who turned his woodworking hobby into a full-time job making arts and crafts object (especially mushrooms). more...

Actor, singer and writer with over 100 film and TV credits, a screenplay award, and former board member and president of CenterStage. He also sings with The Buckthorns. more...

Scenery designer who founded Sosman and Landis in 1878, designing sets for motion pictures, and later built the Lake Bluff "Fairlawn" cottage around 1900. more...

A celebrated painter and art educator, her work appeared in national exhibitions, and she served as art director for "Club Life Woman's Guild" magazine. more...

Songwriter and lead guitarist for the psychedelic soul band Rotary Connection, writing many of their songs between 1966 and 1974; also composed music and toured with Howlin' Wolf. more...

Chicago harpist and composer, a leading figure in the city's music from 1900 to 1941, performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and taught at the American Conservatory. more...

1970s-era model and movie actress who later became a painter, co-founding "Artists on the Bluff" in the late 1990s. more...

Pianist and groundbreaking conductor who led the Chicago Civic Orchestra and conducted in Italy; later was music director for WGN radio, producing Chicago Theater of the Air. more...

Graphic artist and art director who concluded his career at BBDM Advertising, spending 30+ years as a renowned watercolor and plein air artist. more...

Worked in art departments for publishing companies and managed galleries before turning full time to painting, specializing in encaustic painting (with wax, resin and pigment). more...

Mid-century advertising professional who later began illustrating children’s books and working for “Humpty Dumpty” and other children’s magazines and publishing houses. more...