Riding on a bicycle with fiveother people, fine arts teacher Keiko Maas began to feel the bike tip.
“The phrase in circus is always, ‘No matter what, you’re gonna style and you’re gonna smile,’” said Maas. “So the bike went down … [and] I immediately popped right back up from the ground, looked to the audience, styled my hand and skipped on over to where I was supposed to be next.”
Maas started performing in a circus during her sophomore year at Illinois State University, where she majored in art education. After watching the summer performance put on by the university’s circus, Gamma Phi Circus, Maas decided to audition for it.
“I was somebody who was just planning on going to class, and then I was like, ‘Wow, I want to meet more people,’” said Maas. “‘I want to try and experience more with my time in college.’”
Maas auditioned for Bike Built for 10, an act involving two bikes rotating in a circle with students performing tricks on top of the bikes. Maas stuck with the act during her three years in the circus, eventually becoming one of the captains of the act.
“A lot of the time it’s almost like a full-time job where you are going to your classes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then immediately starting at 5, we have circus practices … until 9,” Maas said.
Off the stage, Maas employed her artistic interests by painting murals for the circus.
“Not only was I able to put my artistic ability to use that not everybody in the troupe had, but I was also using my art to … gain that attention for [the circus] … so hopefully we could have a larger audience by the time [the] show rolled around,” Maas said.
Maas was always artistic as a child and would constantly be drawing and painting, she said.
She took the step to pursue art after realizing she needed it to be a part of her everyday life, Maas said.
Maas graduated in 2024 and no longer performs in the circus. She teaches ceramics at Glenbrook North and drawing and painting at Glenbrook South.
The aspect of community is important in all areas of fine arts, said Chad Davidson, instructional supervisor of fine arts.
“I know that she’s going to build that community of learners where students feel free, like, ‘I can go and share my passion with other students who also feel the same way,’” Davidson said.
According to Maas, she realized in college she had a passion for working with students who she can make an impression on and develop their artistic skills.
“I’m so happy to have an excuse to have art in my life every day, and then to share that passion that I have with students,” Maas said.