The journal · Inside the drawing

The DeKalb Landmarks Around Our College Story

NIU and the Egyptian Theatre frame a town where Matt and I met.

In this story
  1. Details in the drawing
  2. See the finished mug
  3. A gift idea with a real place behind it

DeKalb is where our paths crossed at Northern Illinois University. Including Altgeld Hall and the Egyptian Theatre let me draw both the university chapter and the wider town rather than making a mug about campus alone.

The DeKalb mug showing its hand-drawn local artwork
Details from the DeKalb mug.
Artist Ashley Ann’s hand-drawn process for The DeKalb Mug
The DeKalb artwork taking shape.

Details in the drawing

The wraparound artwork includes NIU Altgeld Hall, Egyptian Theatre, Ellwood House Museum and Lincoln Highway. Each is part of the place this mug was drawn to remember.

See the finished mug

Explore the artwork and find current shop information on The DeKalb Mug page. The mug is carried through Cast Iron Coffee; please check the mug page or contact the shop before making a special trip.

A gift idea with a real place behind it

The family connection in this story makes NIU Altgeld Hall and Egyptian Theatre more than a checklist of landmarks. If you are giving the mug to a relative or an old friend, name the particular memory that brought you to DeKalb. That note can make a practical gift feel unmistakably theirs.

Soli Deo Gloria,Ashley Ann’s handwritten signature

Ashley Ann

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