One of the fond memories of urban Christmas shopping was looking in department store and shop windows and seeing the magical holiday displays in the front windows. Everything looked so exciting and alluring.
The Kortman Gallery hopes to recapture that holiday shopping experience in its holiday group exhibition, “Window Shopping: Art within a Space” opening Friday, November 22nd, from 5:30 to 9pm.
Twenty-four of some of Rockford’s most accomplished artists have been invited to create a small scale work of art that will fit within a 12 inch by 12 inch “window” box. The result is a dazzling array of media, including paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and mixed media.
“The invited artists were not restricted by media or subject matter allowing each artist to work in their own creative realm,” said Doc Slafkosky, Kortman Gallery director. “The only restriction was size.”
A series of small window boxes has been installed in the gallery to recapture a “window shopping” experience. Each work of art is displayed within its own space allowing the viewer to explore and discover each work of art as they walk around the room.
“We hope that a visit to this exhibition, in a small way, emulates that magical holiday memory of looking into store windows and seeing an exciting Christmas gift you hoped you might receive,” says Slafkosky.
Participating artists include: Stephen Warde Anderson, Lynn Fischer Carlson, Molly Carter, Jesus Correa, John Deill, Michelle Dorr, Drew Eurek, Fatherless, Drew Helge, Brian Hierstein, Lisa Jimenez, Carrie Johnson, Brent Jones, Jeremy Klonicki, Norm Knott, R. Scott Long, Nancie King Mertz, Jeanne Reitsch, Cherri Rittenhouse, Scott Snyder, Joe Tallman, Brett Whitacre, Dysen White, Kyle Wolfe, and Betsy Youngquist.
“Window Shopping: Art within a Space” a holiday group exhibition featuring works by twenty-four Rockford artists will open with a reception on Friday, November 22nd, upstairs in the Kortman Gallery, 107 North Main Street in Downtown Rockford. The exhibit will run through January 11th, 2025. J.R. Kortman Center for Design and Kortman Gallery are open Tuesday through Friday, 11am to 6pm and Saturdays, 11am to 5pm. The store and gallery will be open seven days a week starting Monday, December 2nd through Christmas Eve.
The opening event and gallery are free and open to the public. For more information visit www.jrkortman.com or phone 815-968-0123.
