2. LAUDE Letters
LAUDE
To me, journalists are part of the heartbeat of humanity. If you're searching for
something to cover, you overlook the treasures, so I look for the journey. I tell
my students to have an affair with life, to be connected with the intrinsics of
life. We're part of that heartbeat, but we seek to capture and share it.
JOHN H. WHITE, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist
When I moved to Chicago, I was determined to take everything in. I attended
countless events, but always found myself wanting more.
Artwork, lectures, and performances sparked conversations, and as I looked for
a way to join in, I quickly realized there were few entry points into the discourse
outside the walls of Chicago’s cultural and educational institutions. For a city
teeming with arts, culture, and innovation, big ideas abound, but often fail to
reach a broader audience.
Many educated people in the area share these interests. What’s lacking is a single
forum where they can connect with experts, academics, artists, and innovators.
LAUDE fills this void. It is the only publication where captivating interviews,
photography, and commentary from respected voices converge, advancing a
conversation that engages a mature audience. We focus on the arts, science,
technology, culture, and society, and aim to affirm Chicago’s place as a world-
class exchange of intellectual currency.
The first issue delves into many topics, including how digital shifts are
transforming education and the Goodman Theatre’s exploration of cultural
appreciation. We look into the history of the Chicago River and Northwestern
University’s groundbreaking progress toward a treatment for Type 1 diabetes.
LAUDE is your gateway to the city. It puts ideas within reach by elevating
intellectual discourse, crossing institutional boundaries, and encouraging the free
flow of ideas among a community of active culture seekers.
We invite you to explore Chicago through the lens of LAUDE.
ELSPETH A. LODGE
Managing Editor
DREW KANN
Executive Editor
KATE VAN WINKLE
Interactive Director
KELLY PFLAUM
Design Director
CAROLINA HERRERA
Editor-in-Chief
From the Editor
The LAUDE Team
3. The Program
Fall 2013
Art’s Best Kept Secret
Discovering the life of a little-known
presidential portraitist
Changing Course
Industrialization, disaster, and growth
along the Chicago River
Shaping Chicago
Snapshots of the people and places
influencing the city
Almost Second to None
Visualizing the numbers behind
Chicago’s growing competitiveness
Enlisting an Unlikely Donor
Can our furry friends help in the fight
against diabetes?
Digital Shift
Chicago’s cultural institutions are
embracing new media technologies
04 05 07 09 10 12 15 19 20 21
04
05
07
09
10
12
15
19
20
21
22
Finding the Line
A balancing act takes center stage in the
Goodman’s The Jungle Book
Culture Fix
Recommendations for a balanced
intellectual diet
Autumn Outlook
Events, exhibits, and performances to
mark on your calendar
Exercise Your Brain
Test your knowledge with a selection of
questions
LAUDE Online & On Order
Craving more? Subscribe or visit LAUDE
online
The LAUDE prototype offers readers a glimpse
of what’s to come in the full issue. For a complete
version of the content in this prototype, download
LAUDE’s tablet edition or visit laudemag.com.
5. Thought Leaders • Forum
Discovering Art’s Best Kept Secret
But a trip to a Chicago auction house to purchase
some of the original items their home’s previous
owners had sold introduced the Jasinski’s to
Kempton’s artwork, and to the little-known life of
one of America’s premier female portraitists.
Kempton painted countless dignitaries, including
President Harry Truman’s presidential portrait,
Elizabeth Taylor, and even Chicago’s Cardinal
Stritch. But despite her high-profile clients, relatively
little is known about her life.
When the Jasinskis acquired a massive collection
of her work from the Truman Library in 2007,
they began to investigate the woman behind these
stunning portraits. What they discovered, and
continue to explore through their Greta Kempton
Foundation, was a life far more colorful than any
painting. LAUDE spoke to Kristen Jasinski, co-
founder of the Greta Kempton Foundation, to find
out more:
What initially intrigued you about Greta
Kempton as an artist?
Obviously, she had to be of terrific caliber if she
was hired to paint the president. Her art has this old
world elegance, this classic technique that Wesley, a
traditionalist who was raised in Europe, could really
relate to.
How did you go about exploring her life
since much of it, especially her childhood, is
somewhat shrouded in mystery?
We hired a historian to research her life. She left
her entire estate to the Truman Library, which
had enormous amounts of letters and newspaper
clippings, so we sent our historian to Missouri to
research those.
We don’t know a lot about her early life in Austria
and have never been able to verify her birth records.
Though Greta painted herself as the child of an
affluent family, we believe that she was actually the
illegitimate child of a Jewish Hungarian mother and
an English merchant. I find her to be incredibly
inspiring. We all love people who come from nothing
and who make something of themselves. In a time
when she was expected to be Betty Crocker, she was
on her way to becoming one of the most sought
after portraitists of the time.
When Kristen and Wesley Jasinski moved to Glencoe in 2003, they
had never heard of Austrian-born artist Greta Kempton. And unless
you’re an art history buff, chances are you haven’t either.
BY DREW KANN
* Complete interview
available in the tablet
edition and at
laudemag.com
Thought Leaders: This Forum section profiles
prominent and influential people in the city. LAUDE’s
aim is to create a dialogue with its readers. The
questions go beyond mere profile to explore the
opinions and thoughts of perceptive people and allow
readers to draw their own conclusions. Chicagoans
are changing the way they see the world, and LAUDE
wants to share that perspective with its readers.
ArtworkcourtesyofTheGretaKemptonFoundation
Fall 2013 • 04
6. Changing
Course
It is the spine of the city, the
center of Chicago’s astounding
growth, and the root of sweeping
industrialization. From little more
than a stream in the days of Joliet
and Marquette to the recreational
and commercial epicenter it is
today, the Chicago River played
an integral part in the city’s
storied past.
BY KATE VAN WINKLE
1673
1833
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On their quest to explore
the Mississippi River,
Louis Joliet and Jacques
Marquette, a fur trader
and a Jesuit missionary,
traveled through the
marshy portage between
the Chicago and Des
Plaines rivers, a path
shown to them by
Native Americans. The
Native Americans used
the Chicago River and
portage to connect to
the Des Plaines, Illinois,
and Mississippi rivers.
The explorers realized
the commercial value of
connecting the rivers: A
route to the continent’s
interior.
“It’s not until 1833
that you really have a
burgeoning town, rather
than a military outpost,”
said John Russick,
director of curatorial
affairs at the Chicago
History Museum. The
Town of Chicago was
officially incorporated
on August 12, 1833,
but it wasn’t officially
recognized as a city until
1837.
Forum • Tracing History
05 • LAUDE
PhotocourtesyofChicagoDailyNewsnegativescollection,ChicagoHistoryMuseum
* Complete timeline available in the
tablet edition and at laudemag.com
7. Chicago was lost when
the flames leapt across
the South Branch of
the Chicago River and
leveled an area four miles
long and one mile wide,
including downtown. “It
became this really awful
moment in Chicago
history,” Russick said.
“and a lot of lives were
lost. It was a result of
the pace of growth in
Chicago, that it wasn’t
a planned city in that
way. It grew at such
an alarming rate that
we really outpaced our
ability to protect and
control it.”
“On Jan. 2, 1900, they
[the Sanitary District]
breached a dike and filled
the canal with water,” said
Richard Lanyon, author
of Building the Canal to
Save Chicago. “They had
to get the approval from
the governor to open the
gate at Lockport, and he
appointed a commission
to verify that the work
was done in accordance
with the law. They
opened the gates on Jan.
17, and that began the
irrevocable reversal of
the flow of the Chicago
River.”
Legend has it that the
tradition began when a
local plumber discovered
that the dye used to
detect leaks into the
river turned the water a
vibrant shade of green.
The Chicago River has
been dyed “Irish” green
every St. Patrick’s Day
since as part of the city’s
holiday celebrations.
“That’s where we are
today — a 77-mile
network of canals, two-
thirds to three-fourths of
which are all manmade,”
Lanyon said. “Parts were
dug where there was
no river, but some were
rivers at one time. Now
they’ve been deepened,
widened, straightened.
It’s kind of like rivers in
quotes. These are not
like the Colorado river
or some creek out in the
mountains.”
1871
1900
1962 Today
Tracing History: This Forum section highlights the
city’s cultural heritage. It takes readers on a historical
journey that seeks out information to further
discovery and curiosity. LAUDE connects readers
with the story behind the city they experience today.
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Fall 2013 • 06
Tracing History • Forum
8. 07 • LAUDE
The Gallery: This Forum section visually captures the city. LAUDE’s photography attracts readers through
simple-yet-enticing images, drawing their attention to things that may sometimes be overlooked. LAUDE
does believe “a picture is worth a thousand words” and encourages readers to find their own meaning in
these moments.
LeftphotobyAshleighM.Joplin.Rightphotos,clockwisefromtopleft:MarciJacobs,KavyaSukumar,DrewKann,KavyaSukumar,DrewKann,ElspethLodge,andDrewKann.
Sha ingp
Chi goca
Forum • The Gallery
10. The city is a
broad
and deep
financial center
that is connected
with global economic
powers.
Chicago has more than
and generates an annual
gross regional
product of more than
$500 billion.
Chicago
Transit Authority
trains and buses
provided
Chicago is the
business and
tourism center
of the Midwest.
Nearly
of Chicagoans age
25 and older have a
bachelor’s degree
or higher.
Chicago has
5,469,463
square feet of
green
roof
coverage.
33%
rides in 2012—
the highest total
in 22 years.
454, 577, 917
More than 43
million
domestic and
international
travelers
visited
in 2011.
4 million
employees
Top five
foreign
languages
spoken.
{*
www.worldbusinesschicago.com
CTA 2012 Annual Ridership Report
Z/Yen Group - GFCI 13
www.economy.com
Northwestern University
Center for Healthcare Equity
United States Census Bureau
City of Chicago
Choose Chicago
Almost Second to None
Chicago is set to become the second most competitive city in the
United States — ninth in the world — by 2025, according to the
Economist Intelligence Unit.
Prime Numbers: This Forum section presents the most significant data being released by studies regarding
the city, its people, and its ideas. Key statistics are often buried within pages of dense material and hidden
under specialized language. LAUDE charts noteworthy data, offering readers a faster, more comprehensive
look at the numbers that define and drive Chicago.
The report defines competitiveness as the “ability to attract
capital, businesses, talent, and visitors.” Eight weighted
categories were considered for the rankings, including
economic strength, environmental factors, and social and
cultural character.
BY KELLY PFLAUM
GraphicbyKellyPflaum
Forum • Prime Numbers
09 • LAUDE
11. Fall 2013 • 10
Leading Edge • Forum
PhotosbyDrewKann
Enlisting an
Unlikely Donor
Leading Edge: This
Forum section focuses on
science and technology.
The Chicago area houses
many scientific and
academic institutions,
such as Argonne National
Laboratory, which are
constantly finding ways
to drive progress. In an
age of discovery, LAUDE
explores how scientists
are pushing the limits of
the mind.
Scientists at Northwestern University are working
toward a solution that could revolutionize treatment
of Type 1 diabetes. And this time, they hope to
enlist donors that are a little less…human.
Recently, researchers successfully transplanted
insulin-producing cells from a rat to a mouse, the first
time an interspecies transplant of this kind has been
completed without the use of immunosuppressive
drugs. Though it’s just one step on the long road
to finding a cure for diabetes, they are hopeful this
could pave the way for similar transplants from
animals to humans.
Scientists have struggled for years to find a way to
sneak foreign donor cells past the body’s immune
system. Even in those with Type 1 diabetes (T1D),
the immune system is a formidable defense network
with sentries stationed throughout the body to ward
off disease-causing agents. But for those with T1D,
the system turns its weapons on the body’s own
insulin-producing cells - beta cells.
For people with less manageable T1D cases, regular
insulin injections aren’t enough to prevent the
resulting spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels.
Treatment options for these severe cases have
improved substantially in recent years, but a viable
cure for the masses has eluded immunologists.
Two primary treatments exist for these hard-to-treat
T1D cases: The current standard of care is a full
pancreas transplant from a deceased donor, which
can require months of recovery, but often results in
insulin independence. Another is an islet transplant,
a decade-plus-old treatment that infuses insulin-
producing cells into the recipient’s liver. Though
the success rate is slightly lower, the procedure has
advantages.
Researchers are experimenting with transplants
of insulin-producing cells from pigs to monkeys,
and are hopeful that a similar transplant could
one day be used to treat Type 1 diabetes in
humans.
BY DREW KANN
12. To successfully transplant rat islets into a mouse
without the use of drugs, the researchers relied on a
bit of pre-transplant trickery.
“In this case, we found we needed to temporarily
deplete the B-cells, the cell populations in the body
that eventually turn into antibody producing cells,”
Luo said.
With the body’s defenses lowered, rat cells were then
carefully introduced into the mice.
“You kind of disguise the donor element, so that the
host stops thinking of it as foreign and mounts an
immune rejection reaction, but rather just takes it
as if it were cells,” Luo said. “Then you come back
in and transplant organ or tissue, and the recipient
will actually be coaxed into taking the donor tissue
or organ indefinitely without the need of any
immunosuppression.”
The success of this technique has spurred
experimentation with other animals.
“We’re now trying to translate this procedure into
human therapy, so the first step is asking whether
we can transplant pig islets into monkeys,” Dr. Miller
said. “The ultimate goal is to take humans with Type
1 diabetes, and to render them tolerant to pig islets.”
Testing is already underway for islet transplants from
pigs to monkeys, and though it may be years from
now, imagine thousands of pigs, farmed in ultra-
sterile environments not for meat, but for islet cells.
* Complete article available in the tablet
edition and at laudemag.com
11 • LAUDE
Diabetes In America
25.8 million children and adults in the United States,
which is 8.3% of the population, have diabetes.
Just 5% of those with diabetes have Type 1
diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes.
7 million diabetes cases remain undiagnosed.
79 million Americans have “pre-diabetes,” or extra-high blood glucose levels.
SOURCE: American
Diabetes Association
“The really obvious advantage of islet cell
transplantation is that it’s not a major surgery,” said
Dr. Xunrong Luo, medical director of the Human
Islet Cell Transplantation Program at Northwestern
Memorial Hospital. “A patient can come in, get lightly
sedated and have the islets infused into their liver,
and then they can essentially go back to work the
next day. You’re also not transplanting the other 95
percent of the pancreas organ that really has nothing
to do with producing insulin.”
Despite high demand, Luo said islet transplants are
extremely rare. Because the current standard is a full
pancreas transplant, most available pancreata are
transplanted as whole organs, shrinking the supply
of islet cells.
Much of the research in the field has focused on
exploring alternative sources for these cells.
In a study published in the July issue of the journal
Diabetes, co-authors Luo and Dr. Stephen Miller,
the Judy Gugenheim Research Professor of
Microbiology-Immunology at Feinberg School of
Medicine, announced the successful transplant of
islet cells from a rat to a mouse.
This kind of species-to-species transplant has been
done, but the transplant was the first ever to be
completed without immunosuppressive drugs.
In past studies, interspecies transplants have required
use of powerful anti-rejection medication, drugs that
essentially pound the recipient’s immune system into
temporary submission. According to Luo, the side
effects are sometimes as bad as the symptoms the
patient originally sought treatment for.
Forum • Leading Edge
ImagefromCreativeCommons
13. Digital
Online games take over
where museum tours end
Shift
BY ELSPETH LODGE
Fall 2013 • 12
IllustrationbyKateVanWinkle,ImagescourtesyofMuseumofScienceandIndustry
14. Digital Shift
13 • LAUDE
This is Code Fred: Survival Mode, an online game and
application created by the Museum of Science and
Industry that focuses on teaching youth how the
systems of the body are connected and function.
With the aid of University of Chicago medical
students, the digital team at the museum learned
to apply its skills to help users discover how the
different systems of the body work by creating a fun
and interactive game experience, said Steven Beasley,
director of digital media at the Museum of Science
and Industry.
The digital team was able to break down “the
important things, what are the very best things, to
create something that is interactive and fun that we
can then get kids to play,” Beasley said.
Players help a game character, Fred, survive a
nighttime journey through the woods by completing
various educational mini tasks: “It’s this weird game,”
he said, “this guy and this wolf. It’s conceptually
so bizarre… But in its execution we are able
to make something that is fun. And you’re
learning, [for example], how glucose
gets controlled in your body. It’s not
done in a preachy way; it’s done
in a very sophisticated,
smart way.”
Digital technologies that allow the invention of
learning tools like Code Fred are transforming the
ways in which people around the world approach
education. Many of Chicago’s cultural gems are
embracing this trend and affecting the way educators,
students, and the general public access, interact with,
and respond to educational content. This is true
whether the digital content is used within an exhibit,
a display, or outside institutional walls. Using digital
platforms, the city’s institutions are finding new ways
to reach a broader audience, and are receiving mostly
positive feedback for their efforts.
The John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of
Science and Industry are two Chicago institutions
working to expand their educational impact through
the use of Web and mobile technologies. Shedd is
eager to reach out to educators in Illinois, across the
country, and possibly around the world, said Melissa
Williams, vice president of learning at the Aquarium.
Science and Industry’s Beasley said staffers are
taking a “serious look” at understanding how they
can transfer the core DNA of museum exhibits and
displays to foster interactive learning beyond the
building.
Code Fred is one of the projects that the Museum’s
digital team is most proud of. The application and
online game was designed to supplement an in-
house exhibit that opened in 2009, called You! The
Experience, which focuses on how the different
systems of the body work and interact. While some
projects don’t warrant much digital research because
of funding, Code Fred was an evdeavor the digital team
had around a year to figure out, as it was part of a
project to extend their exhibit experience outside the
institution’s walls using digital platforms.
Thedigitalteamtookitstimetothoughtfully
lay out a suite of Web and mobile
experiences that would appeal to the
general public, and that could
be used in schools and
by educators: “So we
looked at You! The
ImagescourtesyofMuseumofScienceandIndustry
It’s dark.
Banjo music is playing.
The stars are out.
...and Fred is being chased through
the woods by a wolf.
With danger imminent, it’s up to the gamer
to virtually pump adrenaline to Fred’s eyes,
heart, and liver, so that he can run away from
the vicious animal in pursuit.
“Code Fred,”
an interactive
game from the
Museum of Science
and Industry, demystifies
how the systems of the
body function.
The digital team took its
time to thoughtfully lay out
a suite of Web and mobile
experiences that would appeal
to the general public.
15. Fall 2013 • 14
Experience,” Beasley
said,“andwesaid‘You!’
is fantastic… How can we
make some of this available to
some of those who may not come
to the Museum, or on a field trip for
the requisite couple hours, but want to
engage with the concepts that we’re dealing
with before or after class? Or what we can make
available to teachers and the general public alike?”
Breaking boundaries with
technology
After coming up with applications and online games
like Code Fred, the Museum has been strategically
“seating” the games in venues where kids and
educators will find them. For example, Code Fred was
placed in Kongregate, a gaming portal where people can
access the program beyond the Museum’s website.
The Museum’s digital staffers can see the feedback
commentary, which is great, Beasley said, who recalls
that most of this feedback has been positive.
The Shedd Aquarium has also received positive
feedback for its digital endeavors, such as a new
online “digital badging program,” which features
content about the Great Lakes. Participants can earn
three mini-badges and one “super-badge”— a digital
picture that participants can post on social media
sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to prove they have
completed different stages of the program. Badges
are earned by completing self-paced assignments
in Science Literacy, Environmental Literacy, and
21st Century Skills, and all missions get increasingly
complicated. Williams said the Aquarium is using
those “game elements” to track and measure
participants’ activities.
But, the experiment hasn’t been without its
challenges. Since teachers and professionals tend to
utilize the programs during their free time — over
breaks, weekends, and the summer — it’s a challenge
to negotiate how to get teachers to transfer the
materials presented in the course to their classrooms.
Williams wants to know what educators are taking
back into the classroom after completing the
course. To help answer this question, the Museum
uses extension activities. Participants can complete
a mission by posting an activity they did in their
class, rather than just something they did alone.
“There’s a pretty strong theme,” she said, “about
trying to get the information and these types of
themes into the classroom as a part of the badging.”
So, how successful
have they been? Jackie
Lagoni, a 31-year-old pre-K
teacher at Bridgeport Catholic
Academy and the mother of one,
will start her 10th year of teaching
this fall. She found the collaboration with
educators in the museum discussion forums
more productive and usable than if she were taking
a non-digital course, where she would have to make
“small talk” and “forced-chit chat.” She also found
it useful that the information was presented in
video clips, games, maps, charts, and articles, among
other tools. “This was invaluable to me as a person
who learns through reading, as well as listening and
observing others,” she said.
She notes that the digital badging course was a great
experience, but there were some flaws: “I would have
enjoyed the program even more if it centered on
a subject I could more readily adapt for my pre-K
classroom,” Lagoni said. “However, we engaged in
some excellent discussion in the digital forums on
ways to incorporate the more general topics into an
early childhood curriculum.”
“Both the Museum and the Aquarium are working to
extend their digital offerings and educational reach,
by working to understand the best ways to reach
their audiences,” said Donna Sack, executive director
of the Illinois Association of Museums. “Simply
put,” museums are “connecting where people are
connecting.” The experiences offered by museums
“create connections between people and ideas that
are not just in their own backyard.”
* Complete article available in the tablet
edition and at laudemag.com
Digital Shift
17. Finding the Line
Fall 2013 • 16
One production.
Two cultures.
A third captivating creation.
The balancing act between appreciation and appropriation takes
center stage in The Goodman Theatre’s
The New York Times bestseller The Help was
praised for exposing racial injustice in Mississippi.
Reviewers raved about the book’s strong plot, and
the subsequent movie debut was just as successful.
But it didn’t take long for a chorus of critics to drown
out the applause. To them, the story had fallen victim
to its own mission. It was based on a true story of
oppression from the point of view of black maids,
written by a white author. Whose story was it to tell?
The author of The Help, Kathryn Stockett, was
accused of taking what wasn’t hers when she told
the story of the maids who worked for her and
other Mississippi families. But she isn’t the only one
who has walked this line: creators of Memoirs of a
Geisha, the Indiana Jones series, and The Lone Ranger
were similarily criticized for their attempts at cultural
exploration. More than ever, there is a growing desire
tounderstandotherculturesandindoingsotranscend
borders. But the question remains: How can a culture
be honored without perpetuating disrespect?
The Goodman Theatre’s new performance
of The Jungle Book is the latest entrant into this
charged discussion. Director and playwright Mary
Zimmerman adapted the Disney movie and Rudyard
Kipling’s book for her production, and prepared
herself for the debate that would surely follow.
“People who refuse to engage text from other
cultures, that say, ‘That isn’t mine’ — there is a kind
of bigotry in that,” Zimmerman explained. “It is
saying, ‘We are so different that I dare not engage in
that text of yours.’ It is framing the other culture as
so fragile that you might overwhelm it just through
contact with it, that is ultimately denying the power
of the so-called other.”
India served as the backdrop for The Jungle Book, but
it can be argued that neither the Kipling nor Disney
version succeeded in achieving cultural appreciation.
“The movie could be set in any jungle really,” said
Doug Peck, the musical director for the Goodman
Theatre production. “And Kipling’s book is extremely
controversial in its depictions of the land and people.”
As for her adaptation, Zimmerman was confident.
“My voice is just briefly joining a chorus that has
been going on for years.”
Awareness of Context
Vibrant greens, reds, and yellows washed over the
stage. Trees covered the set as a gold divan hovered
above, lightly swaying as it brought performers into
the scene. Two enormous hands covered in intricate
designs appeared from either wing, towering above
the characters. Two depictions of Hindu gods were
revealed, and a sea of marigolds landed on the stage.
The presence of Indian culture in the scenery is
evident, but so is the other-worldly way in which the
country is depicted. Zimmerman treated the theater
as a framework for the fantastical, instead of an exact
replica of the landscape.
“I’m always inspired by the aesthetics of the
different cultures, whether it is a different way of
drawing, singing, or sculpting,” Zimmerman said.
“It is research, yes, but not with the goal of exact
replication. The Jungle Book is a work of fantasy, a
work of art. I don’t ever see the theater as a museum
where you display artifacts of another culture. With
that said, The Jungle Book is set in India, but it is an
India of the imagination.”
As soon as the curtain lifted, The Goodman Theatre
transformed into a world where animals and humans
could communicate with each other, an alternate
reality of dancing bears and sly snakes.
“Culture is on the move, and the theater is where
a new culture is produced. It is where people come
into contact with each other, and where the imaginary
and the real come into contact with each other,”
Zimmerman explained.
PhotocourtesyoftheGoodmanTheatre
The Jungle Book.
18. “
Finding the Line
17 • LAUDE
Working on the musical arrangement, Peck arrived at
a similar conclusion as Zimmerman about creating
something new, by combining Indian and jazz music
styles to produce a new, exciting sound.
“If the approach to this product would’ve been to
do an Indian version of The Jungle Book, I would
not have been the right person to be the musical
director and do the arrangements; an Indian person
would’ve been,” Peck said. “Our goal musically
was to do a fusion of jazz and Dixieland, which I
know intimately, and Indian, which was new to me. I
needed to understand their music so we could blend
both together and create this third new thing.”
Achieving Understanding
“Mary used to tell us, ‘It’s what you see on the way
to the thing that you think is going to inspire you
that actually inspires you,”’ Peck said. Zimmerman
believed that understanding a culture could be
reached through exposure and took the team on a
journey to discover another culture.
The Jungle Book production team traveled to India
before creating anything for the performance.
Zimmerman and Peck, accompanied by the
production’s choreographer, set designer, and
costume designer spent weeks in Northern India,
specifically Delhi, immersing themselves in the
culture.
Mumbai to Pune to Chennai. The five-person team
traveled through 10 Indian cities exploring the
country. From the way the sun shone through the
windows to the dense haze that filled the air, the
team sought to capture these minute details and bring
them to the stage.
“People asked me, ‘Can’t you just watch concerts on
YouTube or listen to recordings?’” said Peck with
a laugh. “Hearing the Indian people in their native
element and experiencing it with an Indian audience,
I could have a very pure exposure to their music.”
Creation through Fusion
The sound of charging feet echoed off the theater
walls as intermission drew near. A crowd dressed
in floppy, gray ears and bold red outfits filled the
stage, along with the bellowing sound of powerful
trumpets. A high-pitched “ahrunngh” rang out above
the percussion and voices, mimicking an elephant.
The source: a small, undulating instrument, known
in India as a serpent trumpet. In that moment, a herd
of elephants was brought to life.
Through the musical arrangement, the emphasis on
creation and blending was most evident. Drums,
sitars, and other Indian instruments were combined
with traditional jazz rhythms to create a new, musical
style. Improvisation, common in Indian musical
culture, was also incorporated into the arrangements,
with select musicians playing differently every show.
As much research as you do
with books, it is the way detail
works in an everyday way that
never gets photographed. That
is what you need to experience.
Mary Zimmerman
Mowgli and Baloo singing in the jungle (left), the production team’s journey around India (center), and the
March of the Elephants (right).
ImagescourtesyoftheGoodmanTheatre
19. Finding the Line
Fall 2013 • 18
“Rules of authenticity of jazz or Indian music were
not interesting because rules were being broken,”
Peck explained. He was thrilled to see the musicians
explore new instruments, teaching each other to use
them. This openness infused a little bit of each style
into every piece. “It was this idea of making a third
thing, and I think what I realized after was to let it
sometimes be deeply Indian, other times it is deeply
jazz, and then others it is this fused thing,” Peck said.
“The triangle approach is the most satisfying.”
Because the music was unique, Zimmerman wanted
theaudiencetoshareinthecreativeprocess.Musicians
are normally confined to the pit of the theater, but
here, they came on stage during select songs. During
Disney’s well-known tune “Baloo Blues,” the song
seemed to be coming from an electric guitar, but
in fact it was being played on the sitar. “It becomes
wonderfully witty. It shows that he can use the blues
style and then go back to playing the sitar the way
it was designed,” Zimmerman said. “We want the
audience to see the cleverness in that; the sort of
visual pun of the sitar as a blues guitar.”
But as the exploration of foreign cultures through
artistic expression continues, the potential for conflict
remains.
There is a chance The Jungle Book will take the stage
in India, and this new environment could affect the
creative choices originally made.
“We always had the question, ‘Does the Indian music
feel foreign in a bad way,’ and we talked to people
from the country and it didn’t,” Peck said. “If we
went to India we would have the same question. It
would be fascinating musically because the Western
music would be what is different, so the fusion would
work backward.”
Zimmerman and her team understood there would
be challenges when incorporating two distinct
cultures into one production. Differentiating between
appreciation and appropriation wasn’t always clear as
the show came together. But the team managed to
walk the line successfully, presenting the best both
cultures had to offer and relying on feedback from
others to stay on course with the mission of the show.
“We learn from our audience,” Peck said. “I feel that
it is a service, sharing our love, and I hope it is as
infectious to them as it has been to me.”
A New Tune
Doug Peck brought back Indian instruments
for the production after traveling through
the country exploring musical festivals.
Vina
A small stringed instrument with a
pear-shaped body and a long, fretted
fingerboard
Sitar
An ancient acoustic string instrument with
a long, skinny neck
SerpentTrumpet
A trumpet with an undulating body
that resembles a snake
- - - - -- -- --
------
-
-
20. ”“
End Notes • Comments & Critiques
Culture
Chicago Architecture
Foundation
“The best piece of advice
I ever got was, ‘Tomorrow,
take a different route to class
– you’ll see more.’ Through
the Chicago Architecture
Foundation there are tours
every year of downtown
landmarks, neighborhood
tours, and lake and river tours.
It gives people a chance to see
a lot of landmarks and historic
homes that aren’t often open
to the public ... You just need
to try to absorb a little bit of
everything.”
Dennis Scott, president of
Chicagoland Theatre Organ
Society and Silent Film Society of
Chicago
What do you
recommend?
What are you
reading?
What’s next for
Chicago?
“The Third Coast”
By Thomas Dyja
“It chronicles the days between 1945 and
1960 when Chicago defined and invented
America in a city bursting with ideas. It
was exhilarating – and then bang! It ended.
When Chicago’s Rust Belt decline began,
everything else – including innovation and
ideas – crumbled. Are we due for a burst
of inventiveness? Chicago is an economic
boomtown again, a global city, with a
bankroll big enough to fund thinkers and
artists. It’s a narrow prosperity not shared
by a majority of Chicagoans. But as Dyja
notes, the same was true then. If the city
and its benefactors can endow without
dictating, maybe it will happen again.”
Richard Longworth, senior fellow and writer,
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
An incubator for
innovation
“1871, Chicago’s premier
spacefordigitalentrepreneurs,
has been a great rallying point
for innovation in recent years.
But at this point everybody’s
written about 1871 and
knows about 1871. And I’m
thinking, ‘How are people
and companies going to be
connected beyond that?’ I
hope we can capitalize on all
the assets we have in Chicago,
from schools to businesses
to restaurants by uniting
innovators at the city level.”
Tom Kuczmarski, co-founder of
the Chicago Innovation Awards
Comments & Critiques: This End Notes section offers commentary on books, events, performances, and
exhibits. LAUDE values the opinions of Chicago’s leading experts and has identified prominent people who
would like to work with the publication in the future. This section provides a space where contributions are
welcomed. Through reviews and critiques, readers can find what is happening around the city.
Fix
19 • LAUDE
21. The Datebook • End Notes
Imagescourtesyof(lefttoright):ChicagoBotanicGarden,JoffreyBallet,MuseumofScienceandIndustry
Autumn Outlook
The Joffrey Ballet: Russian Masters
September 19 - 22, 2013
For four days only, The Joffrey Ballet features the Russian Masters at Chicago’s
Auditorium Theatre. The two-hour performance incorporates a range of
Russian ballet styles, blending classic and contemporary. Featured are “Le Sacre
du Printemps,” often identified as the founding piece of contemporary ballet,
and “Allegro Brilliante,” George Balanchine’s fast-paced staccato celebration
of romanticism. Tickets and information available at www.joffrey.org/russian.
Chicago Botanic Garden: Autumn Brews
October 6, 2013
Sample seasonal selections from Midwest breweries and assorted fare from local vendors while enjoying
spectacular views from Chicago Botanic Garden’s McGinley Pavilion. While enjoying the sights
of Lake Michigan, attendees can keep track of their thoughts using a tasting sheet and
purchase favorites by the bottle. Information available at www.chicagobotanic.org/beer.
Museum of Science and Industry: U-505 In-depth Experience
October 12, November 17, & December 15, 2013
Explore a WWII German submarine during select weekends at The Museum of
Science and Industry. The tours include an in-depth exploration of the U-505
exhibit and an interactive onboard tour of the captured submarine before
the museum’s opening hours. Attendees also have the chance to speak with
United States submarine veterans. Tickets and more information available at
www.msichicago.org/whats-here/events.
Art Institute of Chicago: Art and Appetite
November 3, 2013 - January 20, 2014
The Art Institute’s upcoming exhibit explores the artistry
of food through painting, sculpture, and decorative arts.
Spanningtwocenturiesof work,itaddressescapitalism,
prohibition,andAmericanidentitythroughtheunique
lens of appetite. The collection features renowned
artists such as Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg,
and can be previewed by members November
9-11. Information is available at www.artic.edu/
exhibitions/upcoming.
* Complete list
available in the
tablet edition and
at laudemag.com
Fall 2013 • 20
The Datebook: This
End Notes section
previews what is to
come. LAUDE shares
with its readers
several events that
are scheduled during
the coming months.
Chicago is filled with
many places to visit
and things to see, so
LAUDE ensures that its
readers are exposed to
the best possibilities
out there.
22. ?
End Notes • Quarterly Quiz
21 • LAUDE
1944 Democratic National Convention
The 1944 Democratic National Convention nominated President
Franklin D. Roosevelt for an unprecedented fourth term, and then-
Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri for vice president. The latter
choice ended up being a historic one, as Truman went on to become the
33rd president after FDR’s unexpected death just 82 days into his term.
Where in Chicago was the 1944 Democratic National Convention
held?
Diabetes
According to the CDC and National Institutes of Health, 25.8 million
Americans have diabetes, or 8.3 percent of the U.S. population. Diabetes
is a huge public health problem in the U.S., but where did the name
“diabetes” originate?
United States Navy
The German submarine, U-505, which was captured by Allied forces
at sea on June 4, 1944, is housed at Chicago’s Museum of Science and
Industry. But it’s actually pretty rare for a U.S. Naval vessel to capture an
enemy ship. Prior to the capture of U-505, when was the last time
the U.S. captured an enemy ship on the high seas?
Air Travel
Many of the 43 million domestic and international visitors that come
to Chicago each year arrive via Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
O’Hare ranks as the world’s fifth-most-trafficked airport, but
where is the world’s busiest airport located?
Chicago River
The Chicago River has always been an integral part of this city’s
development. It’s even represented by one of the city’s lesser-known
symbols, Chicago’s “municipal device,” the inverted peace sign displayed
on the marquee of the Chicago Theatre. The symbol is hidden all over
the city — on bridges, building facades, and more — but when
was it designed? And by whom?
Army Camp Innovation
Chicago-born businessman Ray Kroc was the brain behind the fast-food
giant McDonald’s. But years before becoming a restaurant magnate,
Kroc was a 15-year-old kid, who lied about his age to serve during WWI.
As part of his training, Kroc was sent to an Army camp in Connecticut.
What future entertainment industry pioneer was stationed in the
same camp during the war?
Visit www.laudemag.com for the answers.
Quarterly Quiz: This End Notes section is LAUDE’s parting words to its readers,
a challenge spawned from the content covered in the issue. Through a series of
questions, readers can find out even more about some of the topics addressed in
the articles. The answers can be found on the website following the release of each
issue. A test of information for the intellectually curious.
ExerciseYourBrain
23. Web & Subscription
Fall 2013 • 22
Online
LAUDE’s online presence supplements
the print and tablet editions. The website
features limited content to introduce new
visitors to the brand and give them a taste
of the kinds of content they can expect
from the print edition.
The website’s primary feature is an
extensive events calendar, curated by
LAUDE staff. We sift through and
organize the overwhelming amount of
information provided by institutions
throughout the city so readers don’t have
to.
Interactive elements such as videos
and photo slideshows bring another
dimension to LAUDE’s content.
The website’s clean design echoes the
print edition and makes it easy for new
visitors to navigate.
LAUDE Online & On Order
LAUDE reaches beyond the newsstand by providing subscription
opportunites and online access for Chicago’s most engaged readers.
www.laudemag.com
Subscribe now!
And get a year of LAUDE for just $24.99!
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