Celebrating the Talent of Our Glencoe Art Teachers at AIR Gallery!

AIR Studio + Gallery is thrilled to sponsor an art show celebrating the talent of our Glencoe school art teachers with a pop-up show, Practice What You Teach, at AIR Gallery on Saturday and Sunday, September 26-27, 2026. The three local art teachers include Heather Bauer, Taaj Nobles and Natalie Doolittle-Shadel. The Opening Event will take place on Saturday, September 26, from 3:00-5:00PM at AIR, 348 Tudor Court, Glencoe. Show hours will be Saturday and Sunday from noon till 5:00PM. It is a free event and we encourage students and parents to attend!

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From left, artworks by Taaj Nobles, Heather Bauer, Natalie Shadel. NOTE: Click each image to enlarge the image and see it in its entirety.

Heather Bauer is in her 26th year teaching art at Central School. Outside of teaching, she enjoys gardening, raising monarch butterflies, and spending time with her family.

 

Doodling has always been a natural part of who she is. Heather doodles to calm her mind, stay focused, or simply pass the time. Over the years, she’s realized that her doodles are more than random drawings—they are often where her ideas begin.

 

Her artwork is inspired by the lines, shapes, and forms that emerge from her doodles. Heather enjoys exploring how these simple ideas can transform from two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional objects. For her, art is a way of thinking with her hands. Doodling helps Heather process ideas, while building allows her to bring those ideas to life.

Taaj Azziza Nobles is a Haitian-American artist and educator in her 4th year teaching art at South School and her 12th year teaching. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her artwork is playful and often moves between different styles within a single piece. In her portraits, she captures family members in natural, joyful expressions, creating intimate celebrations of Black joy, connection, and everyday life. Outside of teaching and painting, Taaj’s favorite role is being a mom to her three sons, filling their days with adventures and soaking up the everyday moments as she watches them grow.

Natalie Doolittle-Shadel is in her 11th year teaching art at West School. Her artistic practice lives at the intersection of memory, place, and lived experience. Working across painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and collage, she creates layered visual narratives that explore motherhood, childhood memory, and the ways in which place shapes identity and belonging. Outside the studio and classroom, Natalie is an avid runner—you might even spot her on the Green Bay Trail, running home after a day of teaching third and fourth graders!