Art Gallery

ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

Rockford University Art Gallery is always free.
Open to the public:

• Current Gallery Hours: Wednesdays from 3pm-5pm, Fridays 12pm-3pm
• Contact anorris@rockford.edu
• Or by appointment

Contact: Gallery Director Ari Norris at anorris@rockford.edu

The Rockford University Art Gallery provides a varied series of art exhibitions and related programming in support of the Department of Art and Art History and is an important educational and cultural resource for the campus and community. The Gallery is located in the Clark Arts Center, the locus of the University’s Department of Art and Art History.

Spring 2025 Exhibitions

Homage to the Square: A Celebration of the Format Championed by Josef Albers 

On Display: January 27th – February 28th
Reception: Friday, February 21st, 6:00-8:00PM

Beginning 75 years ago in 1950 until his death in 1976, Josef Albers produced over 1,000 paintings in his Homage to the Square series in the pursuit of teaching the mechanics of vision, color theory, and to “show a viewer how to see.” Albers’ enacted these works through experimentation, both pictorially and physically, using nontraditional techniques and art materials in order to provide particular visual sensations through color and surface.

In the Rockford University Art Gallery’s presentation of Homage to the Square, contemporary and historical examples of sixteen artist’s utilization of the square are deliberately juxtaposed against one-another in what culminates into a visually exciting grouping not otherwise unified by category, media, or theme; but altogether carry the echo of Albers’ intent to offer new tools of visual perception through innovation, color, and material play.
Artists included: Trinity Bavaria (NYC, NY), John Breitweiser (Palm Desert, CA), Carl Hayano (Grand Rapids, MI), Richard Hunt (Chicago, IL), Käthe Kollwitz (GER), Judy Ledgerwood (Chicago, IL), Violet Luczak (Chicago, IL), Kelsea Nichols (Birmingham, AL), Patricia Opel (Pentwater, MI), Nina Rizzo (Chicago, IL), David Russick (Milwaukee, WI), Bradley Simmons (Urbana, IL), Simon Tashimoto (NYC, NY), Frank Trankina (Chicago, IL), Nick Wilkinson (Los Osos, CA), Joseph Miller Wood III (DeKalb, IL)

Actual Size Artworks: Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades

On Display: March 10th-April 18th
Reception: Friday, April 11th, 6:00-8:00PM
Artist Talk: Friday, April 11th, 7:00PM

Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades are sculptors who work individually and as part of Actual Size Artworks, a collaborative team. They are committed to the idea of artist as citizen and believe in the transformative potential of artwork in the community. Their work is characterized by a strong profile, a sense of humor, and excellent
craftsmanship. (pictured: ASA “Magical Thinking” Rockford, IL)
Their goal is to create artwork that engages its audience in a lively and intelligent manner and contributes to a dynamic, memorable public space. They believe that artwork can highlight and interpret a community, help clarify a busy and visually dense space, and create a space for imagination and possibility.
Simpson has an MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is originally from Chicago. Her individual work expresses her interest in the intersection between the built and natural environment. Georgiades is originally from Pittsburgh, PA and has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from University of Michigan. His sculptures use salvaged building materials and objects, related to issues of adaptability and the changing nature of work, usefulness and ambition. His work can be seen at Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago. Both artists reside in Stoughton, Wisconsin and are both emeritus professors at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

BFA Exhibition: Madison Hamilton, Kyree Jackson, & Kristen Kramp

On Display: April 25th-May 10th
Reception: Friday, April 25th, 6:00-8:00PM

Please join the Rockford University Art Gallery at the reception for the BFA Exhibition, the capstone showcase featuring works by students earning Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees in Studio Art at Rockford University.