An upcoming Rockford art exhibition will allow artists to turn the lens on themselves.
The Rockford Famous exhibit contains self-portraits of select Rockford artists.
Rhiannon Yandell is the director of operations at the Rockford Area Arts Council and a resident artist at 317 Art Collaborative. She said having these jobs show her how hard these artists work.
“I am just continually impressed with these artists,” she said, “and not only the work that they create, but you know, really that they're out there sort of pounding the pavement and finding ways to, to make art more accessible.”
She said this assessment prompted her to explore how these artists view themselves.
“Not just like their image somewhere in Rockford,” she explained. “But, you know, really a mentality of like, ‘who am I as an artist in Rockford?’”
Yandell gives an example. She said a lot of the artists also teach.
“And so, in some of the self-portraits, you'll see that,” she said. “You'll see elements that they've incorporated that reflect them, as an art teacher or also a gallery owner.”
The opening reception takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday May 12 at Rockford City Hall. An after party follows from 8:45 p.m. until 11:30 at the Hub art gallery. The exhibit runs through June 16.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
