You only have to speak with
Ninfa
Redmond
to know that she is a well-
traveled woman. She is fluent in Spanish,
French, Italian, and English, having lived
in Lima, Caracas, Washington, DC, New
York, Kansas City, Montreal, Nice, and
Rome. Born in Lima, Peru, her parents
were of Basque origin. She was named
Ninfa after her paternal grandma, who was born on Saint Ninfa
(Nympha) Day.
Ninfa holds a PhD in pharmacy and toxicology from the
University of Montreal. Although she did not formally study art
history, she was a docent at the Montreal Museum of Art for
six years and has been at LUMA since 2013. Ninfa excels as a
docent and is available to lead international tours of LUMA’s
exhibitions and collections—a wonderful welcome to many of
our visitors. Her plan for the coming year is to give tours in
Italian to her book club.
Chicago-born
Sheila Donoghue
graduates in May as a special
education major. Sheila came to LUMA in 2012, starting—as
many of our interns do—as a Gallery Student Manager. She
then began working as a special project assistant to director,
Pam Ambrose. Pam recounts, “Sheila and I spent many
LUMA STARS
28
DELIGHTS AND OBSESSIONS
by Mary Arhondonis, Special Events
Another oasis for meditation and spiritual contemplation can be found a couple of
blocks south of LUMA at the Pepper Family Plaza behind St. James Cathedral (65
E. Huron Street), where you may reflect on life’s tribulations by walking a labyrinth.
Houses of worship and healing facilities have had a tradition of labyrinths from ancient
times. Stylistically a variation of that at Chartres Cathedral in France, this labyrinth
encourages self-enrichment through introspection and insight.
Contemplatively walk your life’s path. The labyrinth’s meandering twists and
detours are a metaphor for those experienced in every life. The road eventually leads
you to one core, one truth, one salvation—God. Within the vicinity of a church, labyrinths can represent a sacred pilgrimage, the final
nucleus and destination being the Holy Land. Unlike a maze however, there are no dead ends and the path, though complicated, always
places hope in front of you.
After your timed introspection, re-engage with your community. With this in mind, head to Streeterville’s “mEAT” restaurant
(215 E. Chestnut Street). Everything here suggests heartiness, warmth, and comradery: subdued lighting, grainy wood, leather booths,
and a close-knit layout. Interactive dining is encouraged here, where half the joy lies in building your own plate. There’s a rather
medieval delight in discovering the bounty of proteins offered on dangling skewers.
Not merely a feast for the eyes, many items pack a saporous wallop. The bacon-wrapped dates are a welcome variation on a classic
and parcels of applewood bacon are stuffed with creamy goat cheese. Jumbo seared scallops, fresh and fleshy, effortlessly slide from
skewer to plate; prepared simply with only olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper, they practically dissolve in your mouth. The pistachio
crusted lamb chops are amply embellished with nutty crumbles and served with Dijon mustard. In deliberation of a robust meal, note
that your Gold Coast afternoon has firmly satiated your appetite for discoveries.
hot, stuffy afternoons in a warehouse
going through thousands of objects—
repeatedly unwrapping, cataloging, and
re-wrapping. It was brutal work that left
us covered in dust, but I could count on
Sheila to keep going. I faded out long
before she did.”
Over the last six months, Sheila
has been working as the LUMA Education Intern, focusing
on youth programs like LUMAkids and the Artistic Vision/
Artistic Expression youth outreach program. She also assists
on ilLUMAnations, the early Alzheimer’s program LUMA
implements for the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s
Disease Center (CNADC) at Northwestern University.
When asked about her passion for education, Sheila said,
“I love getting to know students of all ability levels and coming
up with ways to make content easier for them to understand.”
In January, Sheila became a student teacher at Goudy
Technology Academy, depite many attempts by LUMA staff to
switch her interests over to museum education. But Sheila is a
person who knows what she wants, and that is using her skills
with children to help them learn. She plans to stay in Chicago
after graduation and we hope that one day she will bring her
classes to visit.
