We’re up and active at exercise this morning - getting in shape for tomorrow’s pumpkin pie!

Written by our Volunteer - Sara Shalash In August of 2022, Bickford welcomed two of the most talented people I’d ever met: Nanette and Mohamed Drisi. Unfortunately, our time with Mohamed was short-lived and we had to say goodbye not long after their arrival. Rest in peace to an honored veteran, skilled artist, and beloved father and husband, Mohamed. I have known Nanette to only ever emit love and benignity. As a woman of such talent and success, I was intrigued to hear her story. Every artist must start somewhere; Nanette had an interest in art from the time she was a little girl living in the suburbs of Chicago. After a discussion with her high school counselor, she decided that her interest lay in pursuing art. Not long after, she was admitted to the University of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on a scholarship, where she would soon meet Mohamed. “Chicago was always in my life,” she said. Nanette says that she and Mohamed became best friends not long after meeting one another in their classes, and would be “inseparable for the next four years.” She even highlighted that they took their studies very seriously and were not distracted by surrounding classmates. She claims that Mohamed was both “the best artist” and “the most interesting person (she) would ever meet.” Not long after graduation, Mohamed was offered a job in Monaco to paint a portrait of Princess Grace, where he and his freshly-wedded wife would spend the next five months. Nanette described their stay as something similar to a bed and breakfast, where the cafe remained just below their rooms. Following their journey in France, Nanette says that they were “two lucky people” that always had a job or something to paint for someone. All while still pursuing art, Nanette spent some time as a school counselor and an art teacher. The Drisi’s even welcomed art students into their home-studio for lessons. She is beyond grateful that she “got to do what (she) loved for (her) profession.” At one point, Nanette painted a portrait of the governor of Illinois! She had no specific niche; she loved all paintings of portraits, landscape, and random fantasy. The two would go on to have four children: two boys and two girls. Nanette calls this “good planning” on her part. They remained in their Glenwood home for many years where the children would grow up surrounded by pure art. The legacy that both Mohamed and Nanette have created will never be forgotten. I am both honored and delighted to be an acquaintance of Nanette and to hear of such marvelous stories.

We have a full room for Bingo this afternoon!

Charming pumpkin craft. A lovely addition to our fall decor.