Community Calendar

Spring is here and NIAAA is having our 2nd photo contest. We hope to have all nine counties we serve represented. We are looking for an iconic photo to represent each county: it should be something easily recognizable, a hidden treasure or notable view.

Please remember, this contest is open to everyone so please feel free to submit your own entries.

Homecoming: In Color celebrates the reopening of Rockford Art Museum after a year-long renovation closure. This exhibition features a selection of popular pieces and hidden gems, showcasing the rich diversity of our revered collection.

Homecoming is organized by Rockford Art Museum Chief Curator, Carrie Johnson. The exhibition is sponsored by Dean Alan Olson Foundation and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

This annual competition is open to artists living in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The Freeport Art Museum's annual Regional Juried Exhibition (RJE) mission is to offer established and emerging artists the opportunity to debut work created in the last two years. Opening on Saturday, May 10, 2025, the show runs through July 19, 2025. As FAM has gained a distinguished reputation for displaying a wide range of contemporary art, this exhibition has become a visitor's favorite.

Each year, FAM invites a new juror to select approximately 50 artworks for inclusion, and to give awards for first, second, third place, and honorable mention. This year's juror is Rodrick Whetstone, an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design teaching in the Department of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Award winners are announced at the opening reception.

The museum is open 10-5 Tuesday-Friday; 12-5 Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday

The Coliseum Museum welcomes Joy Meyer as our Taft Gallery Artist for April & May.

Joy Meyer earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art and Art Education from Northern Illinois University. She retired in 2005 after teaching art for thirty years. Joy also taught many workshops for both teenagers and adults during her career and shortly after retirement. She has won numerous awards for both her painting and her teaching.

Joy has enjoyed working in many different media including watercolor, pen and ink, pencil, glass etching, stained glass, and silk painting, but the medium she has chosen to specialize in during recent years is Acrylic Painting. She enjoys working in a fairly realistic style using primarily bright, cheerful colors. Her actual painting techniques vary depending on the subject matter being painted and the mood desired, often using many techniques within a painting to better represent the details within the painting. Joy also enjoys the challenges of working in an increasingly wider variety of subject matter.

The Next Picture Show is excited to once again host the Illinois Watercolor Society for their 41st Illinois Watercolor Society National Exhibition throughout the month of May. This show features talented artwork by artists from the USA, Canada, and beyond!

Celebrate the last day of school by competing in a Super Smash Brothers tournament on the big screen in the Yusunas Meeting Room! Snacks will be provided for everyone who competes.

This program is intended for grades 6-12. No registration is required.

For additional information, please contact Steven at stevenm@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 3400.

Hosted at Faranda's, the All White Gala is the opening night of the A'Jah Davis Foundation Charity Weekend. The night will feature great food, a cash bar, Keynote speaker: Laurence Holmes, and photobooth.

Our foundation supports:

Youth education and fitness
Mental health and wellness resources for underserved communities
Free summer basketball camp for local youth
Come out dressed in white, make connections, and help support our youth to create positive change in our community.

Artists Ensemble Theater of Rockford presents "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," murder mystery adapted by Margaret Raether from the novel by Agatha Christie, May 8-25 in Rockford University's Cheek Theatre.

When Dr. Sheppard gets a phone call that Roger Ackroyd is dead, he grabs his medical bag and rushes to Roger’s home. A bewildered butler insists that no such call was made. In fact, Ackroyd is in his study, door locked from the inside, and quite dead. Only Hercule Poirot can unmask the killer in this locked room mystery.

The production is directed by AET Producing Artistic Director Richard Raether and features Russell Konstans, David A. Gingerich, Shannon Coltrane, Charlie Rasmann, Emmarie Wilson and Ian Garthwaite. This is the world premiere of local playwright Margaret Raether’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery.

Performances are Thursday – Saturday at 7:30, with matinees at 4:00 on Saturday and 2:00 on Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at artistsensemble.org or by calling 815-394-5004. This play is recommended for middle school ages and up.

Artists’ Ensemble is the state line area’s resident professional theater, performing in residence at Rockford University.

LUCY’S COMEDY

With headliner Vince Carone, featuring Joanna Clark and hosted by Mike Preston

May 23, 2025 @ 8:30p

Tickets: $25* | RaueNOW Members: $17.50*

Best stand-up in the burbs! Raue Center brings the best stand-up comics in the Chicagoland area close to home with Lucy’s Comedy, Raue Center’s longest-running program! Curated by comic and radio personality, John DaCosse.
Vince Carone delves deep into the absurdities of everyday life, connecting instantly with the everyman (and every woman). His greatest gift lies in his ability to say the things on stage that most people only dare to mumble in hushed tones, bringing to light the relatable frustrations of modern life.

With over two decades of experience, Vince has been seen on Tubi, TBS, and heard on Chicago’s Mancow in the Morning and WGN Radio. His most recent special, “Bad Father,” has garnered strong reviews, showcasing his unique perspective on fatherhood and family life. As the 2019 “Best of the Midwest” Competition winner at Gilda’s Laughfest and a headliner at MGM in Las Vegas, Vince’s shows are filled with genuine, heartfelt laughs.

Joanna is a comedian and writer based in Chicago. On stage, she takes America to task on pressing issues, such as the lack of transparency around which fish have teeth. Anxiety, self-doubt, and the experience of being a single 30-something are also common topics in her sets.

Comic, Author, Talk Show Host. With his slightly damaged take on things, Mike Preston has worked comedy clubs and sordid one-nighters from coast to coast for over thirty years and made several TV appearances, including SHOWTIMES COMEDY CLUB, and NBCS FRIDAY NIGHT. Along the way, he produced and hosted a cable access talk show, as well as self-publishing several books, including the landmark self-help parody – STOP TALKING NOW! In addition to standup, Preston is currently working in the storytelling genre.

This performance sponsored by:

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Don’t forget to become a RaueNOW Member to save 30%!

*Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

Processing Fee – A $4 per ticket charge to support the ticketing software.

Facility Fee – A $8 per order charge that helps operate and invest back in our historic venue.

Patron Code of Conduct: Be courteous. Inform staff if you feel or observe any harassment. We reserve the right to remove any guest at any time. For more information, please visit rauecenter.org.

Questions? Contact our Box Office at 815-356-9212; boxoffice@rauecenter.org

Raue Center For The Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts.

Spring is here and NIAAA is having our 2nd photo contest. We hope to have all nine counties we serve represented. We are looking for an iconic photo to represent each county: it should be something easily recognizable, a hidden treasure or notable view.

Please remember, this contest is open to everyone so please feel free to submit your own entries.