Spring ArtScene brings colorful pop to venues across Rockford
More than 40 stops will become pop-up art galleries this weekend
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Artist Carly Rose approached the owners of Salt shortly after its opening in October 2023 with a pitch for their dining space: Replace all the store-bought art with work from local artists.
The loud colors Rose uses in her abstract art, and the other local artists she selected, turned out to be a fitting match to give pop to the black-and-white walls at the restaurant, 6860 Spring Creek Road.
“We’re a blank canvas with a black, white, simple landscape for some really colorful pieces to bring the space to life,” said Zizi Altamore, general manager and part of the ownership team at Salt. “We see a lot of people who come in and appreciate the fact that there’s really great art, but also that it’s local art.”
That initial pitch from Rose also gave way to Salt serving as an official stop on ArtScene, the biannual Rockford Area Arts Council event that turns spaces across the city into mini art galleries.
Rose will curate an ArtScene stop at Salt for the third time this weekend when Spring ArtScene makes its two-day run Friday and Saturday at more than 40 places around Rockford.
The show includes art from Rose, Jenny Mathews, Laura Gomel, Rose Salinas Rubio, Nathan J. Taylor, Jeremy Klonicki and Rudy Galindo. There will also be music from Chris Lewis on Friday and Emilio Salinas on Saturday. There is also live painting on Saturday. There are nearly 100 pieces that will be on display.
“The restaurant was beautiful as is but a blank slate and just waiting to have local vibrant art,” Rose said.
ArtScene, Rose said, is often thought of as an event in downtown, where the majority of the stops are located. She hopes her show at Salt will encourage people to visit other parts of the city during the gallery walk.
“This town has so many talented people and there are so many places you can check it all out at,” Rose said. “It’s a community thing to really bring folks together. Whether you’re in to art or not, I feel like you can appreciate it when you make all these stops.”
ArtScene has grown this year with more stops, including new spaces such as Inferno Clay Studio, which opened earlier this year at 125 S. Madison St., and an expanded Kith and Kin Art Collective space at 510 E. State St.
A unique show at the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, 946 N. Second St., will showcase the work of artists from The Arc of Winnebago, Boone and Ogle Counties. Roughly 80 pieces from 40 artists will be on display. Each of the artists have an intellectual or developmental disability.
“It’s a really great opportunity for the artists to see their work outside of the art space in our building,” said Tyler Yomantas, art and marketing coordinator at The Arc. “It gives them a really great sense of pride.”
Mary McNamara Bernsten said ArtScene showcases the artistic talent in the city. But the goal isn’t just to showcase art, she said, it’s to provide an accessible way to purchase work from local artists.
A wide variety of art is available for purchase from paintings and prints to sculptures, jewelry, quilts, photography and other work.
“I would really encourage everyone who attends to go out on a mission and think to yourself, ‘I want a small piece. I want a large piece above my sofa. I want something for my mom for Mother’s Day,'” McNamara Bernsten said. “Go out with a mission as if you would to Target or to HomeGoods and say to yourself, what do I want in my home to enrich my life or enrich someone elses.”
If you go | Spring ArtScene
When: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, April 25 and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 26
Where: There are 41 locations across Rockford, see them all HERE.
