This will be the last year for CRE8IV murals in Rockford. It’s going out with a 3-day festival
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — An initiative that filled blank building walls with dozens of vibrant murals will end its run this summer after five seasons.
The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau announced Monday that CRE8IV: transformational Art will sunset this year after the creation of more than 50 murals. The program will be wrapped up and celebrated in a three-day art and music festival running from May 31 to June 2.
“In 2019 when we launched CRE8IV, we envisioned Rockford as an art gallery full of large, impressive and impactful works of art – the city was the canvas. At the conclusion of this year’s festival, more than 50 murals will have been created by local and visiting artists. Their work has transformed our community into a vibrant outdoor museum,” said John Groh, president and CEO of the visitors bureau. “Through the creation of impactful public art, we have created a more compelling, creative and exciting community for our residents and destination for visitors.”
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The CRE8IV Music & Arts Fest will take place near the intersection of First and East State streets in downtown. It includes live music and performances on two stages, as well as mural painting, food trucks, interactive activities and mural tours. The visitors bureau said artists and bands from around the country, as well as local performers, will participate.
There will also be street performers, take-home art activities, a craft beer and distillery tent, book readings, pizza-making demos, print screening and Rockford’s first drone show with 150 drones flying in sync to music to close out festivities on Saturday, June 1.
Music genres will include New Orleans style jazz and hip hop, rock, pop, funk, soul, country and bluegrass. The headlining acts include the Smoking Popes, a Chicago rock band behind the mid-90s hit “Need You Around” featured on the “Clueless” soundtrack. Also headlining are One More Time: A Tribute to Daft Punk and Rockford’s Kelly Steward.
There are five full-scale murals confirmed so far and five mini-murals. The visitors bureau said more murals will be added once the sponsorships that fund the projects are finalized.
The festival is put on by the visitors bureau and funded with the help of a grant from the Illinois Office of Tourism. The visitors bureau seeks out sponsorships to provide the required matching dollars for the grant and to hire artists.
The new murals and artists will be revealed in the coming weeks. There will also be three new sculptures installed in June as part of the initiative.
There have been 44 murals created through the CRE8IV initiative so far, and they’re located in Rockford, Roscoe, Loves Park, Rockton and Pecatonica. The visitors bureau said more than 400 artists from around the country submitted applications to create murals over the past five years.
“I love seeing people take selfies at our CRE8IV murals and then post them on social media. They are a huge attraction and truly help beautify our city,” Mayor Tom McNamara said. “CRE8IV has been a wonderful initiative for our community, and I cannot wait to see our neighbors, residents and out-of-towners alike celebrate art in downtown Rockford this year.”
About | CRE8IV Music & Arts Fest
Where: First and East State streets, downtown Rockford
When: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, May 31; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 1; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 2
Music lineup:
Headliners
• One More Time: A Tribute to Daft Punk
• Smoking Popes
• Kelly Steward
Featured acts
• Grand Groove Hotel
• Hannah Rose & The Sweet Nothings
• Emily Hurd
• Tom Daily Band
• The Vince Chiarelli Band
• Noah Brooks Coalition
• Shamarr Allen
• Derek Luttrell
• Nannette
• Jon Rozman
• Danielle Juhre
• Cash Box Kings
• Clementine
• The Claudettes
• BPM5ONE
• Teien No Taiko
• Rock & Roll Institute
• Them Coulee Boys
• Top Deep
• Lone Canary
• Cielito Lindo Family
Mural locations
- Jefferson Street bridge west side abutment: Sponsored by John D. Brubaker Family Foundation
- 308 E. State St., Rockford: Sponsored by Collins Aerospace
- 1104 Elm St., Rockford: Sponsored by Platform Group Healthy Housing Solutions
- 3502 E. State St., Rockford: Sponsored by United Way
- East State and First Streets. intersection street mural: Sponsored by RACVB Foundation board of directors
Additional murals will be added as funding is confirmed.
Mini mural locations
- 401 E. State St. – parking lot, three sides of electrical box
- 111 N. First St. – south facing wall on Noah’s Ark
- 330 E. State St. – alley behind SRM Prints
- 324 E. State St. – alley behind Juju Rey’s Art Clubhouse
- 111 W. State St. – utility shed
Sponsorship
Businesses, organizations and individuals interested in sponsoring CRE8IV, either the festival or a specific mural, can contact Kristen Paul, executive vice president of the visitors bureau, at 815-489-1661 or kpaul@gorockford.com.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
