Returning in 2026, Black Moon Trio once again invites Veterans from the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center and We Serve: Special Recreation Association for Central Lake County to create and perform their own original musical compositions in Water(color) for the Soul: Sounds of the Prairie. Grounded in the ecology and literary traditions of the prairie, this program explores how our own root systems run deep to withstand tumultuous storms and provide support in shaping individual and collective identity.

Using resources from Brushwood Center’s At Ease and Art Supply Exchange programs, Veterans participate in a six-week graphic score and poetry composition residency culminating in the creation of 15 original pieces of music performed and recorded by professional musicians.

Black Moon Trio is honored to again be joined by poet and creativity expert, Kathryn Haydon and world-renowned botanical artist, Heeyoung Kim and members of her Botanical Art Academy. Together, they help provide expert insight on poetry, literature, and artistic methods and techniques inspired by prairie ecosystems designed to frame participant’s compositions.

This program has been generously funded by the National Endowment for the Arts' Creative Forces initiative.

Kathryn P. Haydon is an award-winning poet and the current poet-in-residence at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods. Her haiku and poetry have been published internationally in leading journals such as The Heron’s Nest, humana obscura, Wales Haiku Journal, Presence, and many others. Kathryn’s most recent poetry collection, Unsalted Blue Sunrise, was written on the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan over the course of 365 daily walks to the shore.

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Wildflower painter, Heeyoung Kim, documents native plants of Midwestern prairies and woods. Rare and endangered ones are in her priority as plant population is rapidly decreasing globally. She creates detailed portrayals of each plant and its life cycle through keen observation and broad research throughout its growing seasons in natural habitats. Her paintings and drawings are distinguished with scientific accuracy, authentic composition, and masterful rendering of the medium. She has been building up a digital image bank with her artworks in Project 200. She set a goal to paint 200 native species and hope her art would be used for educating the public about native plants and nature conservation.
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Brushwood Center works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region. We engage people with the outdoors through the arts, environmental education, and community action. Brushwood Center’s programs focus on youth, families, Military Veterans, and those facing racial and economic injustices.
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Our hospital provides primary care and specialty health services, including mental health care, women’s health services, treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), foot care (podiatry), vision care (optometry, ophthalmology, and cataract surgery), orthopedics, and more. Below, you’ll find our address and hours, parking and transportation information, and the other health services we offer at our Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center at the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago.

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