THANK YOU to all our customers for a successful holiday season here @ J.R. Kortman!
Holiday Hours: Open Tuesday & Wednesday (Dec. 29 & 30), 11-6, Thursday, Dec. 31, 1-4...Closed January 1-4.
We will resume normal hours Starting January, 4th: Tuesday-Friday, 11-6; Saturday, 11-5
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.
Holiday shopping at J.R. Kortman Center for Design!
Monday – Friday, 11am-6pm Saturday, 11-5pm Sunday, 1-5pm
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.
J.R. Kortman eGift Card link:https://squareup.com/gift/KY1M23Q2N1Q25/order?external_source=postoffice-egift-widget&external_token=aJONaSBq6MAh1nIL
Hotchkiss of Stonebridge, MA and Richards of Portland, OR join six Rockford artists in “Balance: Art of the Mobile,”a holiday exhibition which is now open in the Kortman Gallery, Downtown at 107 North Main Street.
“We are excited to show Joel and Matt who have years of experience creating mobile art, from small desk top kinetic sculptures to large public art installations,” says gallery director Doc Slafkosky. “But we also thought it would be great to challenge six Rockford artists who don’t normally work in this genre, to participate in this exhibit. And the result is a wonderful “moving experience” just to see what cool and fascinating works they’ve created.
“Mobiles have been a part of the contemporary art world for decades since Alexander Calder created ‘moving art’ in the 1930’s inspired by the paintings of artists such as Mondrian and Miro,” says Lynn Fischer, Rockford ceramic artist and professor at Rock Valley College. “It was a little challenging for a clay artist to create mobile art, but I had a great time learning something new and be able to participate in this fun exhibition.”
Mobiles are traditionally made of light metal that will move freely to make kinetic art. However, this exhibition, with featured works by artists like Lynn Fischer, John Verl McNamara, John Deill, Molly Carter, Jeremy Klonicki and R. Scott Long there are mobiles made not only from light metals like aluminum, but clay, wood, glass, steel, fabric, plastic, mylar, found objects, and even concrete!
“Balance: Art of the Mobile,” featuring mobiles by eight accomplished artists in mixed media is now open in the Kortman Gallery, located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street in Downtown Rockford. The exhibit is free, family friendly and open to the public. Covid safe guidelines followed. The exhibit will run though January of 2021. For more information call 815-968-0123 or visit www.jrkortman.com.
Rockford artist Valerie Olafson has reached another milestone in her life. In April she turned sixty years old. And as she starts a new decade in her life, Olafson has created an exhibition of her newest photographs in the Kortman Gallery, opening Friday & Saturday, October 9th and 10th
The exhibition, titled “Old Bag” is the third in a series of photography shows she has exhibited in the Kortman Gallery…the first in 2000 when she turned forty, and the second in 2010 when she turned 50.
“These new works in this exhibit represent layers of thought,” said Olafson. “My photographs are not only about the women I’ve chosen as models who inspire me, but the great photographers that have influenced me throughout my career as an artist.”
Olafson’s images all feature Rockford women as models, each holding an old bag, or purse.
“My models posed with old bags, and now that I’ve turned sixty, I am an ‘old bag’!” Olafson quipped, making reference to her exhibition title.
“Each photograph represents different aspects of my personality and different stages of my life…and I changed course often, said Olafson. “When you look at the images I hope you catch a glimpse of Beaton, Penn, Weegee, ManRay, Avedon, Liebovitz, Mapplethorpe, Arbus, or Mann. These are the great photographers that have inspired my career and each of the photographs in this show.”
According to gallery director Doc Slafkosky, the photographs featured in Olafson’s exhibit are framed by artist Jeremy Klonicki of Mainfraim and will also be available on line.
“Old Bag” exhibition of new photographs by Valerie Olafson in the Kortman Gallery premiers on October 9th and 10th from 3 to 9pm on Friday and 11am to 5pm on Saturday. Masks will be required for entry and restricted to limited number of patrons at a time in the store and gallery. Outside tables will be available weather permitting.
The gallery is located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street in Downtown Rockford. The exhibit will run through November 14th. For more information call 815-968-0123
To visit our online store click on the link below:
j-r-kortman-center-for-design.square.site
On 815 Day (August 15th only), we will be offering 8.15% OFF on all purchases (excluding art).
Also, customers whose purchases total $25.00 or more will receive a FREE Rockford Souvenir sticker!
Discover great Rockford Keepsakes & Souvenirs exclusively designed and created for J.R. Kortman Center for Design.
Enjoy your hometown, Downtown! Shop, Eat, Drink & Celebrate!
Visit our online store...
Hope you're enjoying these warm summer days of July! Stop by soon and check out our J.R. Kortman Summer Sale...Save 50% on items selected from throughout the store! New items added every week.
