Boylan art show celebrates the life of Virgil Abloh, leaves late fashion icon’s family ‘humbled’

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — As he walked through an art show Wednesday honoring his late son, Nee Abloh was struck by a piece that reminded him of his final days with the man he raised.

It was a charcoal portrait of Virgil Abloh, a Rockford native who became a global fashion icon, with a red hot air balloon above his shoulder that was a central piece of the posthumous “Virgil Was Here” fashion show in Miami that showcased Abloh’s final collection.

Nee Abloh said he had seen the balloon drawn before — by his son in the hospital.

“When his last show was in Miami, and they were asking him, ‘are you going to show up?’ He said, ‘I don’t think so.’ So he had to draw something on his phone,” Nee Abloh said. “That was the last assignment he drew. The next day he died.”

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That final show in Miami happened two days after Abloh’s death from cancer on Nov. 28, 2021, at age 41.

On Wednesday, nearly three years later, an art show celebrating the life of Virgil Abloh debuted with work from about 50 students from Boylan Catholic High School.

The opening reception in the school’s library was attended by family including Abloh’s parents, Nee and Eunice, his sister Edwina, and his in-laws, Joe and Shelley Sundberg, who had known Abloh since he started dating their daughter Shannon when they were in high school.

“I’m so humbled by the artwork they did,” Nee Abloh said.

The portrait that caught Nee Abloh’s eye was made by Roman Gorsline, who said his goal was to show Virgil’s parents that their son is still remembered and celebrated. He included the balloon, which has the stylized letters LV of Louis Vuitton’s logo, because he learned that Abloh’s parents came to take it to mean “Love Virgil.”

“That was my whole thing behind making it, and I’m so glad that came through,” said Gorsline, a 17-year-old senior at Boylan.

The show included a wide range of artistic mediums, from photography and paint to a collage on a skateboard deck and 3-D printed pieces. There was also a mural created by Missy Minardi, chairperson of the school’s fine arts department, in collaboration with Abloh’s family.

“It’s really touching to see how they would give tribute to my brother and how my brother has inspired them,” said Edwina Abloh, who works as a nurse practitioner in Evanston. “It’s very meaningful.”

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Virgil Abloh had made a point to give back to his alma mater in the past, returning to the high school 20 years after he graduated in 1998 to donate new Off-White soccer uniforms to the team he once played for.

“It means so much to me that he never failed to realize where he came from. Although he went far, he knew where he had his background, and that was Boylan High School,” Nee Abloh said. “He treasured Boylan. Boylan put him on the right path.”

Edwina Abloh said her brother was a kind person who always wanted to give back.

“Virgil was always very humble. His worldly persona wasn’t how he was when he was home or with the kids, with the family,” she said. “This big life that he led, I don’t think it was that important to him compared to family. That always means so much to us.”

Dozens of people packed into the school library to see the students’ artwork and celebrate the life of Abloh, who created globally recognized collections with Louis Vuitton and Nike, as well as with his one brand Off-White.

Tina Thomas, who came to the show Wednesday, said that she didn’t know Abloh’s Rockford background until after his passing.

“I hate that I missed a possibility of crossing paths or just seeing his creativity,” she said. “This is a gem to have him represent us.”

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Shannon Abloh, Virgil’s wife, is now running Virgil Abloh Securities, which includes his work across art, architecture and design, and the Virgil Abloh Foundation while raising their two children.

Her parents and his continued to live in Rockford.

Joe Sundberg, Virgil Abloh’s father-in-law, said Abloh had the ability to inspire people of all walks of life.

“At Louis Vuitton his office was open. He allowed anybody to come in and see him. There would be skaters in there one day and the next day there’d be famous people there and the next day there’d be kids off the street,” Sundberg said. “He wanted to help people and inspire them, and he had a knack to do that.”

That showed through in the students work, many pieces of which incorporated inspirational quotes from Abloh.

Sundberg said Abloh often encouraged people to pursue their passions, rather than wait for opportunity to come to them.

“He inspired them to do what they really wanted to do in life, instead of just accepting life as it comes to you, make things happen,” Sundberg said. “He made so many things happen.”

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