Is there a room, building, or outdoor space that influenced who you became?
February 26, 2025 | Sparkle Wednesday
Around fourth or fifth grade, I switched piano teachers. A new teacher had moved to town—Mrs. Rang. She was from Kansas and played the organ at our church. She was a beast on the piano and organ, and was so knowledgeable about music. At the time, I was taking piano lessons from another teacher, I hadn’t really connected with her.
When we found out that Jeri Rang was giving piano lessons, my mom didn’t hesitate—my sister Leslie and I switched right away.
The Rang’s house was an older home in town, close to our church. I grew up in the country, and until then, I hadn’t spent much time in older homes. My dad built our house, and most of my friends lived in newer subdivisions.
Mrs. Rang’s home had an eclectic, welcoming warmth, filled with books and the comforting scent of fresh bread. Mr. Rang was an excellent baker, and more often than not, he’d offer me a warm slice after my lesson while I waited for my parents to pick me up.
I still remember the music room. Mrs. Rang had a grand piano with stacks of sheet music piled on top, plants in the corners, and a built-in cabinet overflowing with more music books. Big bay windows filled the room with light. It was a space of organized chaos—the kind of place where creativity thrived, and I loved it.
That room left an impression on me. It was a space where the messiness of learning a new piece could transform into something beautiful. I’m grateful for both Mrs. Rang and that cool space.
What about you? Is there a room, building, or outdoor space that influenced who you became?
I play the piano. I loved taking lessons and started when I was a little kid. I remember something and someplace that made a big impression on me. Our parents took us on a camping trip as they did every summer. This particular summer we went to Michigan and my Mom had researched Interlochen Center for the Arts, which is a famous, world class performing arts school near Traverse City, Michigan. Mom always found free stuff we could do on trips and we visited The Interlochen Arts School which is also a prestigious music camp in the summer. I distinctly remember going to one of the free recitals that were held daily at the school. We sat in a beautiful and intimate performance hall, and a young woman, probably around 16-17, entered the stage and played Brahms Second Intermezzo, Op.118. I saved the program. I was mesmerized at the beauty of the piece and how well she played. That room at that time was a magical moment for me I was determined to play this piece someday. Fast forward about 8 years when I got to college and majored in music, my piano professor asked me if there was a piece I wanted to learn that semester and I said there was. I wanted to learn Brahms Second Intermezzo. And I did.
When I first went to college at the University of WI-Whitewater, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I chose the school because it was a WI state school that was the farthest away from the small town my family had moved to right before I started high school, and was only 90 miles from Chicago. I figured I could hitchhike there or something like that. I made friends with some students from Chicago and went to their homes a few times. Besides a bunch of uninteresting courses at Whitewater, I was also taking a ceramics class with this stoned out professor and really got into making things. I made my version of the Uptown Theater in Chicago where I had seen concerts. Although closed, it’s the most amazing venue. Anyway, on one Chicago trip a few of my friends and I went to a gallery opening in River North. Ironically that’s where I show now. At the time River north was full of galleries and was the hotbed of gallery showings in Chicago. At the opening they had wine, and I remember going out on a fire escape off the gallery and drinking wine and thinking this is so cool that people are showing their art and people are actually looking at it! I had been to the Art Institute of Chicago as a kid, but never to a loft space gallery. Soon after that I transferred to the University of MN and started taking art classes. That moment of going to that gallery and the electricity has stuck with me all my life. I still get really excited when I go to openings and especially have the chance to share my work.