I read my brother's comic books when I was a kid (Avengers, X-Men, Spiderman) although I admit I…read morewas more interested in Betty & Veronica and Archie comics during those family road trips. Still, I looked forward to the exhibition "Alex Ross: Heroes & Villains" at the Dunn Museum in Libertyville. Ross painted full size portraits of the well known core characters in the Marvel Universe, as well as characters he grew up with. They are painted in such a way, with the same lighting, so that all of the characters fit together, no matter how they are arranged. There are individual portraits, and then there are two large assemblages -- heroes on one side and villains on the other. He spent 7-10 hours on each piece and the enter project of Marvel heroes took about a year -- the villains project took place a few years later. When we visited, we saw adults and teens, engrossed in the details, and taking pictures with the large murals. Other than two plaques of information, there is not much explanation from the artist. I would have liked to see more about his process, or which heroes and villains were Ross' favorites. Still, the exhibit is fun and quite reasonably priced - $10/adults, $5 seniors/teens on top of the already low ticket for the Dunn Museum admission. The items in the gift shop were great.

Our daughter was invited to the Media Preview of "Alex Ross: Heroes & Villains" special exhibition…read moreat Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County in Libertyville before it opened to the public, and we were thrilled that she invited us, her parents, to join her. The Dunn Museum, operated by the Lake County Forest Preserves, recently expanded with a brand-new 3,000-square-foot gallery designed specifically for large-scale exhibitions.  Alex Ross's special exhibition is the first one to be unveiled there.  I found the new gallery very spacious, comfortable, thoughtfully designed, and professionally executed. Renowned for his use of gouache to paint incredibly lifelike portraits of Marvel and DC icons, Ross has elevated comic book illustration into the realm of fine art.  The exhibition showcases 100 stunning portraits, each reflecting the unique personality and attitude of the character, which naturally shapes their pose. The portraits form two larger-than-life murals that fully immerse visitors, creating a perfect backdrop to step into the world of comics and pose with your favorite characters. We were so grateful and pleasantly surprise that Alex Ross was present at the Media Preview.  Although he is such an iconic artist in the comic world, he is so friendly, warm, and down-to-earth. We were absolutely delighted to meet and chat with him. The museum's slogan is "Arrive curious. Leave inspired." That was exactly how I felt. I have only had casual exposure to the comic universe through superhero movies like Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, and I did not know much about the artists behind the scenes. However, after seeing Ross's work up close, I came away a true fan of Ross, with a newfound respect for his comic art! Although this is a ticketed special exhibit to the public, $5 - $10 in addition to the general admission, it is well worth the price and special trip to see it.  The exhibition runs from June 29 through February 16, 2026.  Go see it if you have a chance! When you go, do stop by the gift shop, which is well-stocked with comic books and merchandise that fans will love.  There are even Heroes books and Villains books signed by Alex Ross available behind the counter for $100 each. Alex Ross: Heroes & Villains is the Dunn Museum's second exhibit featuring the celebrated artist's work, following 2019's Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross. This exhibition also supports the Preservation Foundation's "Every Acre Strong" initiative, which raises funds to help maintain and protect Forest Preserve lands, making sure they stay healthy and thriving for generations to come.  I highly recommend this exhibit!

AWESOME!!! Welcomed us very nicely and guided us right away. She came in for us without us making…read morean appointment. she accommodated us and made us feel welcomed. Lots of things to chose from and create! i recommend this place for all ages and for special occasions! We love Sherri!

Great experience, so much fun hosting my event. Lots of creative ideas to choose from. Very hands…read moreon and friendly atmosphere.

Before someone comes on here to provide the poor review she promised as she walked out I'd like to…read morestate that Mark is highly professional and has curated a wonderful amount of high value Disney art for connoisseurs of unique and limited addition art. The professionalism he displayed when a woman, who was insistent on interrupting the conversation he and I were having about appraisals was impressive albeit his firm tone, which was likely necessary to grab the women's attention. Her abrupt attempt at getting his attention over the top of me, blatant disregard to follow store policy of 'no food or drink' as the toddler in her stroller ate snacks and drank from a sippy cup, and immediate eruption of distain the second he assured a need to finish our conversation was appalling. If she comes through with her promise to taint his name please note Mark only thanked her for coming into the store and wished her a good day as she all but cursed him on her way out. To Mark: Your store is beautiful, your professionalism is second to none, and your stand for common courtesy is refreshing. Thank you. I will return!

I ended up accidentally breaking (my Christmas garland knocked them onto the floor) my first Donald…read moreand Daisy Duck from my Department 56 Possible Dreams Disney "Santa and His Helpers" box that I bought three years ago, during the Covid pandemic. When I started my search on the Internet in an attempt to replace the two characters, it turned out that most places were sold out of this item because it was retired. I'm so glad that I found this shop online and that they had it! It came within just a few days after ordering it and it was in perfect shape, exactly what I was looking for! I highly recommend this business!

High quality, functional glass art, excellent customer service, and the ability to watch art being…read morecreated turns this average tobacco and tobacco accessories shop into a gallery of wonder, beauty, and a whole lot of fun. Walking into the store, it is split into two sections. Clothing and accessories is located in the front of the store. The back of the store is home to the beautiful glass art that is presented in functional glass art pieces. The functionality is limited to smoking devices such as pipes, bubblers, and water pipes and their initial display is fairly basic. But the large glass cabinets in each corner hold the true beauty of the glass art style. Professionally blown glass with price tags of upwards of $500 sit in the stands. The array of styles is absolutely wonderful. One has to look past the stigma associated with glass pipes and art to be able to see the technical beauty that is involved in each piece. Another way to further understand the work and vision that goes into these pieces is to become involved in one of their glass expos or glassblowing lessons. They offer lessons on glass blowing charged per hour. I believe it is $50/hour, but don't quote me on that. It's a one on one opportunity to learn the basics of glass blowing. They also host various regional glass expos. During these expos, famous glass artists and their enthusiasts travel to All About It to discuss, observe, and blow glass. It is truly amazing to watch these pros work. There are two warnings I must emphasize. One, it is a smoke shop so all of the glass pieces are sold for tobacco use. Two, the employees get to decide what music they listen to for the day. Depending on what time you go there, the music can range from soft techno to loud, vulgar rap and/or metal. Overall, it is a wonderful place to visit even if you aren't a tobacco smoker. The glass art they have on display is truly exquisite and due to the in house glass blowing, wide array of beautiful, professional pieces, and regional recognition, I would rate this better then most of the other glass and tobacco accessories shop in the area.

While volunteering at the museum, I saw the owner drop food on the floor, pick it up, wash it, put…read moreit on a platter, and serve it to tourists as hors d'oeuvres. I addressed it, and she assured me that everything would be fine. Despite the presence of both mice and ants, she served the floor hors d'oeuvres. The museum can be a great experience. Just don't eat the food!

This museum in Waukegan is an excellent resource in the community!! Today we we on a tour to see…read morethe Kwanzaa celebration in Chicago. Excellent staff that organized this event!

I went to my first mosaic class at Ahmed's new Art School. I've studied with him for many years and…read moream thrilled for him to realize his dream of his own school. The space was really really nice. He made it very comfortable for students, great lighting, great ergonomic stools, the right table height with extra storage underneath. There are personal cubbies to store your work and tools. Coffee, tea, soda, water, candy...it's all first class. A very motivational space to create in. There are so many beautiful colors of stained glass, stone, smalti,china to work with! Very convenient to the train. It's a pleasure to do my mosaic work in this school. Try it out!

Ahmed is wonderful! I have learned so much from him in the short time I have attended his classes…read more He is patient, informative and very talented! The studio is welcoming and comfortable as a work-space. Ahmed provides supplies and you walk away with a beautiful piece! Highly recommended!

My daughter loves her instructors, and everyone there is really nice. The building is historical…read moreand beautiful.

The building needs major renovation. It smells terrible! How can anyone sit in the classroom or…read moreeven walk inside the building when it has such an awful smell?! Very bad experience with Summer Camp. Complete waste of my child's time and my money! The class description didn't even match what really took place in the classroom. My child had certain expectations about the class based on the description and was very disappointed when the camp was over. Tribe Leaders are very young and didn't care that kids were playing outside under the direct sunlight and none of the kids had sun hats on! They also didn't remind kids to drink water! I would not recommend this place to anyone, even if it was free. (The smell in the building and in the classrooms probably is not healthy for the children...)

I have passed this house a couple of times and was amazed by how cute the house was. I wondered who…read morelived there and what the importance of the house was. The presence of the house seemed intriguing. It had a welcoming presence it. A few months later, my mother was researching Underground Railroad sites in Illinois and we found out that the Mother Rudd House in Gurnee, Illinois was one of the sites. We decided to go to this historical site, which was amazing and full of history in the Lake County Illinois area. The Mother Rudd house was a place that housed travelers in the 19th century, was a place where community events were held, and was a safe haven for slaves who were seeking freedom. Mother Rudd was a mother of 13 children, yet still was able to care for others, including people in her community. The house was amazing with great artifacts and memories that go back two centuries. The hosts were friendly and gave a lot of information about what the Mother Rudd house was used for, and what the Gurnee community was like long ago.Several families donated artifacts from their family history to help one understand legacies of Lake County history. It was great to see others interested in history and restoring historical landmarks. I would encourage young and and old to visit this house and take a stroll down memory lane. It's best to call and schedule an appointment ahead of time.