Nikki O'Leary

The Lake Farers

Nearly a decade ago, I had discovered that I came from a lineage rich with seafarers; generations of ship carpenters, captains and sailors, many of them who were drowned and lost at sea. There are stories of Mayflower ancestors, pirate attacks, and one sea-obsessed poet, Longfellow, who missed his ferry, returning from a trip, only to learn that the ferry had caught on fire, causing all passengers but a handful to drown or burn. It is said that Moby Dick was inspired by my ancestor, Owen Chase, who survived the sinking of the Whale Ship Essex, after it was attacked by a whale. 

I began to ponder whether there could be a link between my ancestors lived experiences, and an inherent fear of water that I share between three subsequent generations of women. I spent years exploring concepts based on this found connection between the sea, an inherent fear, and my ancestry. 

In 2013, I moved to Chicago from Boston, leaving behind the place that had connected me so closely to the relationship between the sea and my ancestry. Lake Michigan took the place of the Atlantic Ocean, and I struggled to feel the same connection to the lake, as I did to the sea. My fear of water dulled - but so did the notion of the sublime. I felt nothing looking out into the horizon of Lake Michigan. 

In my search of deepening my own relationship to this seemingly tame body of water, I began seeking out others whose identities have beens strongly shaped by this massive lake. Within these works, I discover stories of self-discovery, stories of community, stories of the sublime. 


These are their stories...

Jane Fulton Alt

Marty Bernstein

Captain Toby

-Story Coming Soon-

Rob North

Dave Olson

Sean "Tiberius" Carino

Kyle Almryde

-Story Coming Soon-

Matthew Churilla

-Story Coming Soon-

Timmy

-Story Coming Soon-

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