Picturesque Rockford sign gets new home along the west bank of the Rock River

August 27, 2025|By Kevin Haas|In Top Stories, Arts & Culture, Featured, Rock River Current, 815 News, Local, Rockford

The new location for the Rockford sign was unveiled Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, along the west bank of the Rock River near the Rockford Public Library. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A colorful sign that became a popular backdrop for photos to showcase city pride has found a new home along the west bank of the Rock River in downtown.

GoRockford officially unveiled the new location for the picturesque Rockford sign on Wednesday after it was installed a day earlier. The eight 4-foot tall aluminum letters now rest along the riverbank behind the Rockford Public Library, right where Mulberry Street ends near the river.

The sign faces the river, giving views of it from east bank, as well as when you’re up close on the west bank.

“We wanted a site for Rockford letters that was iconic and really showcased the best of Rockford, and what is more iconic than the river,” said Kristen Paul, GoRockford’s executive vice president. “You can see it from the new fountains, you can see it from the two bridges, you can see it at City Market. You can also come over and get really great pictures.”

The sign had been removed from Davis Park in late June to make way for construction that will add walking paths, a concert stage, new lighting, restrooms, a skatepark and playground to the city-owned park at South Wyman and Chestnut streets. City Council approved that project on Aug. 18 after months of discussion.

“It was kind of sad when we were deinstalling them because we probably had 15 come by and go, no, don’t take them away. Where are they going,” Paul said. “Now that they’re back, again we’ve probably had 30 or 40 comments of people who are walking by.”

The riverfront space will be the new permanent location for the letters.

The unveiling was coupled with GoRockford spotlighting the recent expansion of its sculpture initiative.

There are 18 new sculptures that have been installed this year, the largest single-year installation in the program’s decade-long history. They’re in places along West State Street, South Main Street, Perryville Road, Broadway, Seventh Street, Harrison Avenue, the Edgewater neighborhood, and downtown.

The new sculptures bring the total in the city up to 33.

“Public art lifts our spirits and, in doing so, elevates our quality of life, which pays economic dividends to us as a community in the long run,” Alderman Mark Bonne said in a news release. “The work of GoRockford on this front is so important because communities people want to visit are likely communities where people want to live.”

Durascape, Crazy Joe’s Vinyl and Midwest Crane & Rigging help with the installation.

Artist Ben Pierce, holding his dog, Oscar, stands with his sculpture Crystalline on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in downtown Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Ben Pierce, an artist from southeast Missouri, has six pieces as part of this year’s sculpture program. He has had multiple pieces part of Rockford’s public art scene for years, leading to a long-standing joke that he should move here. That bit got so much traction that Mayor Tom McNamara on Wednesday gave Pierce a faux key to the city with a plaque that read, “for your commitment to excellence in public art and finally deciding to make Rockford home.”

Pierce, who was in Rockford Wednesday, said he’s glad to see the sculpture program continue to grow over the years.

“It’s just great that it’s caught on,” he said. “You need the community itself to appreciate it so much that they react to it positively enough that they reach out to their alderman, or they reach out to GoRockford or they reach out to someone to let people people know that they’re on the right track.”

He has had pieces in 47 cities across 18 different states. His sculptures have a minimalist, abstract design that leaves room for interpretation by the viewer.

“That helps create a stronger connection versus being told what the piece is,” he said. “When you have to stand there and look at it — and you have to figure it out as the viewer, and each person gets to do that — I think that creates a stronger connection with the artwork.”

Mayor Tom McNamara poses for a photo with artist Ben Pierce after presenting him a faux key to the city on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, to recognize the visiting artist for his contributions to Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

The sculpture program was expanded thanks to an injection of funding from Hard Rock Casino Rockford taxes. City Council members in June agreed to provide $135,250 to fund the sculpture program. The money pays to lease, deliver and install the sculptures, which are typically loaned for a two-year period.

“The city of Rockford is proud to support the CRE8IV Sculpture Program through our arts grant program,” McNamara said. “Public art is more than decoration; it’s a reflection of who we are as a community. By investing in projects like this, we’re making sure art is accessible in every neighborhood, strengthening pride in our city, and showing that Rockford is a place where creativity thrives.”