Mother Earth Market
Sustainable goods showcase at Mother Earth Market
By Gina Grillo, Pioneer Press
Honoring the mother of all mothers, the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods hosted its fourth annual Mother Earth Market on May 10–11, a celebration of the spring and Mother's Day weekend.
The event showcase, an art market, featuring artist, makers, vendors, and organizations from Cook and Lake, counties, all inspired by nature and working towards a more sustainable future.
Julia Kemerer, director of arts and administration at Brushwood, says the purpose of the event is twofold – to provide artist the opportunity to share their work and to bring the community together for a fun celebration of springtime nature-inspired art.
The Mother Earth market ran both Saturday and Sunday, featuring local art for purchase, family, friendly activities, like Bird Walks, and Forest Bathing with Brushwood Center staff, Haiku readings by poet-in-residence, Kathryn Haydn, a spring flower crafting station, live music from veterans from the James A. Lovell level Federal Healthcare Center, and much more.
“Of the 37 multidisciplinary artist participating this year, each one draws their inspiration from nature in their own unique way, Kemerer said.
Artist like spelled Vain Sarah, from Lincolnshire, who says she has been creating nature-based works linked to her travels since 2018, or Nicholas Hellman, a woodworker from Vernon Hills, who says in woodworking, all his raw materials come from nature.
During the event at the brushwood center at Ryerson Woods, the Riverwoods preservation Council offered custom seedling packets to help residence grow native species from seeds in their backyard. Gina Grillo/photos for the Pioneer Press.
Dionne Venhorst Mundelein, attended the market on Saturday with friends.
"It's incredible how this event not only connects attendees to the untouched natural beauty of Ryerson Woods, but to the history of our area, through Brushwood Center,” Venhorst said.
Randi Merel, president of the Riverwood preservation Council, attended the mother Earth market for the first time this year.
"Today we are here offering custom seedling packets to help residence grow native species from seeds in their own backyard, "Merel said.
Lake Villa, artist, Natalie Ingrum of Tinkering Tilly, says she has created an art practice out of using recycled and ethically forged materials.
"As a kid spending time out in nature in a forest preserve near my house, I started cleaning up, picking up trash, this was the beginning of my adult passion of making art out of what I find, "Ingrum said.
Brianna Borger of Evanston says she loves to support small business artist and the market gives her a glimpse into nature-inspired creativity.
"It's such a great weekend to come to the woods and see tons of locally, made art, do a bit of shopping, and enjoy fun activities for the family", Kemerer said.
Gina Grillo is a freelance for pioneer press.
2025 Mother Earth Market at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
Events were featured in the local paper. This blog is a transcription of the article.
Pop-up watercolor easels invited attendees to try their hand at plein air painting during the mother earth market just south of Lincolnshire last weekend. Our own Beverly Behrens took part in the activities at Brushwood Center