Art & Art History

By Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Rockford University Alum and Rockford Artist Sarah Reed-McNamara has been the owner of art/print shop GEM (Gather, Engage, Make), located in downtown Rockford, since its inception in 2019. 

Some may know her as the mayor’s wife, but Sarah wears multiple hats —wife, mother and owner of GEM, which was recently renamed to SRM (her initials) Prints. The soft opening was Tuesday, Aug. 1, but the grand opening is set for Saturday, this Aug. 5. 

Reed-McNamara is now the only owner of GEM, and started a new chapter on Tuesday, she moves her shop location down the street and will change her shop name to her business name: “SRM Prints.”

Reed-McNamara said she fell in love with printmaking while studying at RU. That interest was sparked early in life, which led to an art career that started online, later becoming brick-and-mortar, she said.

When one walks inside the printmaking studio and storefront, you can see the variety of art, prints, gifts, stationery items and more from Reed-McNamara and other artists alike.

Some of the art is specifically made by Reed-McNamara who found her artistic voice and developed a love of printmaking during her time at Rockford College (now University).

THE MOVE

Reed-McNamara first landed in the Rockford area during her high school years after growing up in Fox River Grove, Illinois, about 61 miles west of Rockford. After high school she moved around to Chicago, Madison, Wisconsin, and Montana before returning to Rockford in her mid-20s, she said. Reed-McNamara started attending Rockford College when she was around 27 years-old and decided on Art History as her major, she said.

“I never thought that’s what I would end up doing, but it’s what I loved,” she said. “I’ve always been pretty creative but never did studio art. But, I was determined.”

When she started studying art history, Reed-McNamara said she decided to take her printmaking as an elective course. She was influenced by her friend and then art mentor Dave Menard and his wife Molly who suggested she take the course. When she started studying printmaking she started to form favorite artists like German expressionists and learned linoleum block printing, she said.

“Which is kind of funny because so many people think printmaking is scary,” she said. “But it just seemed like such an enjoyable elective to take. I just loved the process and making the prints and carving.”

“Dave (Menard) in his classes talked a lot about preparing yourself as an artist for the outside work and don’t think you’re too good for anything when you first get going,” she said. “Which was huge for me just between humbleness and feeling secure in what you’re doing.”

Reed-McNamara also credits RU’s Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities Jennifer Langworthy for preparing her for a career in arts. 

After graduating in 2012, Reed-McNamara said she worked in the service industry full time at Rockford restaurant Octane, and did her art on the side at different pop-up events in town. She said she needed a name to put on her business cards so she called it “SRM Prints.” 

It was during this time that she met her husband Tom McNamara, the mayor of Rockford, at the downtown Rockford art event Greenwich Village Market. 

The couple married in 2011 and have two children together, who will often be present with Reed-McNamara at her store. Right after Reed-McNamara had her first child, her art career started to take off online, she said. 

“I decided I wanted to keep moving forward with the storefront and go into this new space,” she said. “The layout works out much better for what I want to do long term, which is to have my studio inside of a storefront and have it blocked off by my checkout counter and have a really fun, happy, and inviting retail environment.”

SRM Prints is now open and located at 330 E. State St. in downtown Rockford. For more on SRM Prints, you can find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy.

By Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Rockford University Associate Professor of Art David Menard said he never thought he would become as ingrained in the Rockford Community as he has, but his work — particularly with art collective Fatherless Print Posse — has made him a staple in the Rockford art scene, and globally.

When Menard is not teaching Rockford University art classes, he spends some of his leisure time working with the local art collaboration group. Fatherless Print Posse is known for its live printmaking shows and exhibits.

He’s currently preparing for Friday’s free show and opening night for Fatherless’ newest exhibit titled, “Constant Pressure,” which will take place from 5- 8 p.m. at the Rockford Art Museum, located at 711 N. Main St. in Rockford. 

“We’re calling it a visual exploration of identity activism and collaboration because all of us use printmaking in some way to talk about social issues or whatever the situation,” Menard said. 

The artist and educator didn’t know that he would end up in Rockford, but the one thing that has always been certain is his passion for art. The Arlington Heights, Ill. native said he quickly realized his love of drawing at a young age. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kansas City Art Institute and Master’s of Fine Arts from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I came here and became part of the community, which I didn’t really see happening,” Menard said, adding that now everyone is connected. 

“Some of the people (his former students) that were in my classes are now teaching my kids. The math teacher at Guilford was one of my former students and now he’s teaching my kids.”

Prior to joining the Rockford University Art Department, Menard worked mainly in the Chicagoland area, although he had opportunities across the country. He said he chose to stay in the Midwest.

It was at a teaching conference in New York City where Menard said he met former RU Art professor Bob McCauley. That’s when he learned about a temporary job opening that needed to be filled for one year. 

The opportunity became his and he accepted. After the year, Menard returned back to the Chicago printmaking industry. A few years later he was hired back at RU when McCauley told Menard he was retiring. Since 2006, Menard has taught classes on painting, drawing, and printmaking at RU.

Fatherless

In 2012, Menard was invited to give a talk on his experience in printmaking at the Rockford Art Museum. After his lecture, he was approached by three local artists Greg Lang, Javier Jimenez, and Jarrod Hennis. The three men told Menard they were into printmaking and had their own studio they worked at, where they invited him to stop by.

“I came by their shop and they were t-shirt guys who used screen printing to make t-shirts,” Menard said. “They were doing these one offs where they would all get together and they would print on fallen wood or paper or one guy jumped up and took his shirt off and they printed on his belly.”

The guys asked him to do a “guest spot” at the shop and he quickly became part of the group, Menard said. 

The name Fatherless comes from a quote from American rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and was the other members’ idea before Menard joined, he said.

“It doesn’t come from one single source,” Menard said, about the art the group makes. “The style doesn’t have a father. It was born in the street, and when I’m gone it will still be on the street. There’s no father on my side of the street. When we do it all together, it’s like a band.”

He adds that the shows are now one after another. Fatherless has been to Chicago, Milwaukee, Miami, Los Angeles and also to London, where they met now-member Ben Rider. Hennis is no longer part of the group now. 

Fatherless’ art can be seen on the streets of London and in downtown Rockford in murals. 

“Javier has been screen printing since he was a teenager on his mother’s kitchen table,” he said. “Greg has his degree in Graphic Design. My degree is in printing. The three of us together, formed this team. We take on these ambitious projects that none of us by ourselves could do.”

Rider recently came into town from the U.K. to help create work for their upcoming show at the Rockford Art Museum (RAM).

Fatherless has also invited other artists to be involved in the show as well. Artists include Aida Wilde, Atlan Arceo-Witzl, Chema Skandal!, Ganzeer, Jesse Shaw, Liz Born, and Nicole Marrozuin. The exhibit will end Sept. 24. 

Learn more at RockfordArtMuseum.org. 

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