J. R. Kortman Center for Design / Kortman Gallery

    Artists Joel Hotchkiss and Matt Richards may live on different coasts, but they have two things in common: they both have made a career out of creating mobile art, and they both have their mobiles on exhibit in the Kortman Gallery.
    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.