On July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland was packed with employees from the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works and their families. They were heading for a company picnic in Michigan City, Indiana. As more than 2,500 people crowded aboard, the ship began to list. Crew members tried to stabilize it using water ballast tanks, but the ship suddenly rolled completely onto its side into the river while still tied to the wharf. In total, 844 passengers and crew were killed in what is, as of 2026, the largest loss of life from a shipwreck on the Great Lakes and the Chicago area.

We will meet at the Clark St. Bridge and the Riverwalk. I will post photos in the discussion.

Chicago’s history has been shaped by moments of profound crisis and quiet endurance. This series of meetups, titled “Reflection,” invites us to honor the memory of the innocent lives, both adults and children, lost in the city’s catastrophic events.

The purpose of this series is two-fold: to learn the history of what happened at each site, and to translate your raw emotional response into your sketch.

As artist and good friend, Liying Qian expressed, our aim is about “capturing their presence through absence.”

Series Overview & Intent
• Focus: Historical memory, architectural/site context, and emotional expression.
• Approach: Brief historical overview on site, followed by dedicated, silent or reflective sketching time.
• Mediums: Any medium capable of conveying mood.

See you then.