THE CONVERSATION ARTIST

You’re on the phone with the one and only Michaele McDonnell, and she just got back from Istanbul and Cappadocia in Turkey, one of 16 countries she’s visited on global gallivants that have taken her from North America to Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Give this vivacious docent, art consultant, and community volunteer a second and she’ll come back with a full list. In the meantime, she’d prefer you rewind to her birthplace of Monterrey, California, which is where this story started 79 years ago. She’ll tell you how she zigzagged across the country in the decades that followed on a life filled with noble triumphs and grand adventures that would ultimately land her to the 1906 Howard Van Doren Shaw “mini Ragdale” house in Lake Forest that she’s called home since 1990. “I went to college for 26 years,” she says, explaining how she graduated from University of Hartford with an art history degree at age 45 after taking two classes at a time for more than two decades. “I was determined.” Those who’ve met her over the decades she’s lived here would not be surprised by that statement. Determination is what drove a successful interior design and art consulting business back in the 90s and it’s also what resulted in myriad volunteer achievements— including her role on the Deerpath Art League, one of the most prestigious art fairs in the U.S. “As a board member, I get corporate donations and I persuade lots of people to give me lots of money,” she says. “Unfortunately, when you do a really good job, you can’t get rid of it.” The stories continue to flow until eventually you get to the singular moment that brings you to the job she is most famous for today—hostess and docent at The Gallery. With time on her hands, she approached owner Cecilia Lanyon in 2017 with a bold offer Lanyon couldn’t refuse. “I went in there and said, ‘I’m looking for a job and you need to hire me because I am fabulous’.” Those who’ve met McDonnell know she’s not exaggerating. In the eight years she’s greeted guests at the art gallery and restaurant, this dynamic brunette (and grandmother of 12) has made quite the impression. “I work four nights a week and I love it,” she gushes. “I’m always upbeat because I’m so happy to be there. The people are awesome.” Drawing from her art background and bon vivant energy, she is the ultimate ambassador—eager to start conversations that ultimately lead to valuable feedback for Lanyon and her team. “My job is to talk to every single table, every night. People tell me things they might not ever tell the server. They tell me everything,” Mc- Donnell explains. “And I can talk to anybody because I’m old. I’m 79 and I’ve had a life. whatever you want to talk about I can pretty much talk about it.” As for that list, so far, her passport includes visits to Canada, England, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Japan, China, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Ecuador, Cuba, and Mexico. Italy’s also on that list, along with all nine provinces of Sicily. “I am Sicilian and consider Sicily its own country,” she says, ending the conversation with her signature sign-off. “Toodle-oo!”