"Artistry in Eyewear" an exhibition curated by Jamar Holloway opens October 1st & 2nd in the Kortman Gallery

The realms of art & design come together when optician and eyewear aficionado Jamar Holloway curates this unique and “eye-catching” exhibition that explores how art has inspired eyewear and how eyewear design has become art. Works include a variety of media including painting, printmaking, sculpture, jewelry, and optical design collections. Participants in the exhibit include artists from Rockford and Chicago: Candice Johnson, Socorro Mucino, Meryl Morris, Brian Estep, Jesus Correa, Fatherless, Scott Urban, Nick Cashmere, Kevin Johnson, Sean Archer, Tim Gunnell, and Brett Whitacre.  Kortman Gallery opening receptions for “Artistry in Eyewear,” featuring works from artists and eyewear designers, are Friday, October 1st from 5 to 9pm and Saturday, October 2nd, 4 to 9pm, ArtScene weekend.  Kortman Gallery is located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street in Downtown Rockford. The exhibit is free, and open to the public..

The exhibit will run though November 13th. For more information call 815-968-0123 or visit www.jrkortman.com. 


J.R. Kortman presents Point & Spark Bars at Greenwich Village Art Fair '21 @ Rockford Art Museum grounds



Hope to see you at the Greenwich Village Art Fair, Saturday, September 18th from 10am to 6pm...with after hours festivities from 6 to 9:30pm. 
See, discover, and buy great art from over 70 artists...plus enjoy intriguing vendors & food trucks...and groove to cool music all day 'til 9:30pm in the Burpee amphitheater. Once again, J.R. Kortman is sponsoring Point! Bar and the all new Spark, a riverfront champagne bar...great places to meet with friends and relax. Both bars will be open 'til 8pm for After Hours Cocktail Hour. This year the fair is a one day event...so don't miss this great end of the summer tradition since 1948 benefitting the Rockford Art Museum!

Rockford artist, muralist, musician Brett Whitacre exhibits small scale verdant works in Kortman Gallery

    From larger than life urban murals to whimsical reverse paintings, Rockford artist and musician Brett Whitacre’s career is flourishing. His feel good works have been brightening walls on buildings, galleries, and homes across the country for two decades.
    After living in Chicago as an artist and touring Europe as a drummer with the band Legendary Shack Shakers, Whitacre has returned to Rockford and the Kortman Gallery is presenting his latest small scale paintings. The show titled, “Plant-based Material” is opening Friday, July 9th.
    “During the shelter in place order, we filled our living space with an inflated amount of natural plants and imagery to bring the outdoors in,” says Whitacre. “A healthy obsession with house plants inspired a fun exploration of their form and setting in good fodder for art.”
    The result is Whitacre’s almost abstract, mater of fact modern paintings of plants!
    “The graphic nature of Brett’s verdant, simple images are at once whimsical and sophisticated,” says Kortman Gallery director Doc Slafkosky. “His bold, colorful art just makes you feel good. The paintings are no nonsense works that just fit in wherever they are!”
    Whitacre had an exhibit in the Kortman Gallery back in 2007. The show, “Hearts & Helicopters”  featured his pop images painted on window panes hung on the gallery walls and his painted suitcases displayed in the baggage claim at RFD.
    Besides this Kortman exhibition Brett’s work can soon been seen in Loves Park in a large scale mural on the side of CD Source Records (the old Park Theater Building), and on a wall in Pecatonica. Both are part of the CRE8IV urban art project spearheaded by Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau’s placemaking and public art efforts designed to enhance our region for both residents and visitors.
    The “Plant-based Material” exhibit will also feature small scale original work which is a sneak peak of a mural set to be painted on a State Street building in Downtown Rockford.
    And if that isn’t enough, you can hear drummer Brett Whitacre performing with the band Prairie Smoke throughout the region and beyond.
     Opening reception for “Plant-based Material,” featuring new works by Brett Whitacre  is Friday, July 9th from 5:30 to 9pm. The  Kortman Gallery is located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street in Downtown Rockford. The exhibit is free, and open to the public..
    The exhibit will run though August 31st. For more information call 815-968-0123.


Andrew Harlan's "it's an odd world" exhibit extended thru June/New appilances from Alessi at J.R. Kortman Center for Design

"it's an odd world" exhibition by odd aka Andrew Harlan has been extended through the end of June. Stop by the Kortman Gallery and see this unique exhibit featuring paintings, drawings, photography, and sculpture by this emerging, young artist. Also in the store, see the newest designs in small kitchen appliances by Italian architect Michele De Lucchi for Alessi. We're open Tu-Fr, 11-6 & Sa, 11-5.


Artist Andrew Harlan brings his odd view of the world to Kortman Gallery in "it's an odd world" exhibit opening April 23rd

 


Artist Andrew Harlan is odd. It’s nothing personal, but then again, it is. “odd” is a pseudonym for his work and a self-imposed moniker for this emerging artist from Rockford, now living in Chicago.  
    “Odd has become a constant for the way I respond to and digest the world around me,” writes Harlan in his Artist’s Statement for his Kortman Gallery exhibition, “it’s an odd world” opening Friday, April 23rd, Spring ArtScene weekend.
    Harlan’s idiosyncratic exhibition presents an eclectic mix of media including painting, illustration, photography, and embellished found objects. But all together, his seemingly unrelated works reflect his personal feelings and view of the world around him.
    “With the abundance of unknowns and possibilities in life, it can be easy to live in fear of the mystery and uncovered truths,” says Harlan. “However, stepping back and realizing how strange, how odd, living this human life is, helps me set aside fear.”
    “This is Andrew’s, or should I say odd’s first solo exhibition in the Kortman Gallery,” said Doc Slafkosky, gallery director. “His artistic perspective is definitely peculiar, but refreshing coming from a young, talented artist who is difficult to categorize. “it’s an odd world” is definitely an appropriate title for his intriguing, and often facetious works in this concept installation.”
    Opening receptions for “it’s an odd world,” featuring mixed media works by odd/Andrew Harlan is Friday, 5-9pm, and Saturday, 4-9pm, April 23rd & 24th (ArtScene Weekend) in the Kortman Gallery, located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street in Downtown Rockford. The exhibit is free, and open to the public. Covid safe guidelines will be followed.
    The exhibit will run though May 31st. For more information call 815-968-0123.


Shop J.R. Kortman Center for Design, Tuesday-Friday, 11-6 and Saturday, 11-5


Explore J.R. Kortman for an intriguing shopping experience in Downtown Rockford. Don't miss "Balance: Art of the Mobile" the current exhibition upstairs in the Kortman  Gallery, featuring unique mobiles created by eight artists, including Molly Carter, John Deill, Lynn Fiischer, Joel Hotchkiss, Jeremy Klonicki, R. Scott Long, John Verl McNamara, and Matt Richards. The exhibition will run through the end of January.



Holiday shopping 7days a week thru Christmas Eve @ J. R. Kortman Center for Design!

Holiday shopping at J.R. Kortman Center for Design!

Monday – Friday, 11am-6pm Saturday, 11-5pm Sunday, 1-5pm...and Christmas Eve, 11-5!

Enjoy shopping in a safe and comfortable socially distanced environment. We comply with all of the City of Rockford’s Covid guidelines. Please wear your face mask while in the store & gallery.