|
If you wanted to find a star of the Chicago theater scene, rural Minnesota isn’t the first place you’d look. But that’s where Eva Barr ’88 runs DreamAcres, an off-the-grid organic farm in Wykoff, home base for educational and cultural programs and a Community Supported Agriculture business. After graduating from Northwestern, Barr became one of the founding members of Lookingglass Theatre on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile in 1988. Soon, though, she became restless in the Second City and embarked on five years of self-education, which included time in the Peace Corps in West Africa. When she returned stateside, Barr and her life partner, Todd Juzwiak, built their home in southeastern Minnesota. In 1995 they purchased land in the valley her grandparents loved and founded DreamAcres. “We always associate culture with urban, and I think that’s highly debatable,” she says. “Farmers are the most creative people I know.” DreamAcres gives people space to express themselves. The farm hosts performances in its barn, offers summer camps and retreats, and sponsors arts events offsite. Barr also remains involved in Lookingglass, most recently appearing in Blood Wedding in March.
Tell us what you think. E-mail comments or questions to the editors at letters@northwestern.edu.