ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

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 2019 Exhibitions

Gallery Hours: M/W/F  3-6pm or by appointment

Repeating Thresholds

Grant Benoit
February 1st – March 8th
Reception: Friday, February 1, 6:00 – 9:00 pm

We construct memory like a house. Everyday paths and rituals become evident as carpets thin and edges darken with touch. In viewing its worn edges and faded colors we recall the experience and interaction of a life, the definition of memory. Grant Benoit explores memory, narrative and place through the lens of modified domestic materials. He utilizes and transforms wallpaper, cardboard and textiles to create immersive installations. Benoit is currently based out of Louisiana, and was the 2016-2017 artist in resident at Arrowmont School he also received his Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Southern Illinois University in 2015.

5 minute Drift

Melissa Leandro
March 22nd – April 26th
Reception: Friday, March 22, 6:00-9:00 pm

Artist Lecture with Melissa Leandro
Join us for Melissa Leandro’s artist talk in conjunction with the current exhibition 5 minute Drift.
Where: Clark Art Center Rm 111
When: Wednesday, April 3rd, 5:15-6:15

Melissa Leandro 5 minute Drift presents the work of Chicago-based artist Melissa Leandro as she reflects on personal familial and cultural realities that coalesce experiences from her everyday life and family histories. Leandro’s exhibition introduces a hodgepodge of domestic vignettes through the use of woven, quilted and embroidered textiles, uniquely upholstered furniture, collaged plastic tablecloths and plaster sculptures created by Leandro and her father.

Her practice is shaped by past experiences and relationships; specifically family memories of her mother working as a housekeeper in Miami, Florida; her grandfather’s farm house in Costa Rica; and her father’s living as a construction worker and builder. Through the process of cyanotype printing and drawing techniques, Leandro documents her present day collecting of souvenirs, knick-knacks, and natural detritus during her travels aqua melt, Melissa Leandro, Jacquard woven cloth, dye, foil, 2018 within and outside of the U.S. She considered the ephemeral nature of personal objects, both treasured and disposable, and seeks to recognize how they shape her sense of identity.

BFA Exhibition

Exhibition Dates: May 3rd – May 24th
Reception: Friday, May 10, 6:00-9:00 pm

Public reception for the artists.

An exhibition featuring the work of graduating Rockford University art majors as a culmination of their development of an artistic voice and direction.

*The Gallery will be open immediately following Commencement May, 19th, 2019.

Department Information

Rockford University Art Gallery
Clark Arts Center
5050 E. State Street
Rockford, IL 61108
815.226.4105

Millicent Kennedy Nora, Gallery Director
MKennedy@rockford.edu

Admission is free.

Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
3 - 6pm, or by appointment.

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The gallery does not accept unsolicited exhibition proposals.