Community Calendar

This course will cover history and criticisms of the Supreme Court, as well as its landmark
decisions on segregation, education, abortion, affirmative action and campaign spending. The course will also cover three main theories as to why we have the Electoral College, five elections when the College overruled the popular vote for the president, and steps to eliminate the College.

Convener: Joe Grush enjoyed a 40-year career at NIU. Over the years, he served as Professor and Chair of Psychology, Associate and Acting Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as Associate and Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs. After he retired, Joe taught three LLI classes on Great Thinkers in Psychology, American Indians and The Federalist Papers.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50 plus who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just Learning for the Fun of It.

Our Children's Illustrated Literature Suite was made possible by the Barbara Cole Peters Fund for the NIU Art Museum and will feature framed original artwork and books, some no longer in print.

Golden Legacy: Original Art from 80 Years of Golden Books
Location: South Gallery

The internationally acclaimed historian on children's books, Leonard S. Marcus served as co-curator for Golden Legacy. His "Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon along the Way" was the impetus for this exhibition in 2007. It has since been updated with newer illustrators of some of the older classics and will feature a wide-ranging selection of original illustration art by Richard Scarry, Garth Williams, Tibor Gergely, Feodor Rojankovsky, Eloise Wilkin, Alice and Martin Provensen, Leonard Weisgard, Mary Blair and more.

Everyday People: The Art of James E. Ransome
Location: Rotunda Gallery

Everyday People is clustered in books about the land, books about famous people, books about family, and classic story retellings. James E. Ransome has illustrated over 60 picture books and is the recipient of the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for "Before She Was Harriet." His books have included the stories of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Satchel Paige, Louis Armstrong, the Alvin Ailey Dancers, as well as stories of the use of quilts along the freedom trail and the fight to win access to the ballot box. He is a frequent collaborator with his wife, author Lesa Cline-Ransome, whom he met while both were students at Pratt Institute of Art.

Both of these shows are organized and traveled by the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature in Abilene, Texas.

Burnishing the Medals of Children's Literature
Location: Hall Case Gallery

Burnishing the Medals of Children's Literature celebrates award-winning children's books that honor the frequently forgotten, acknowledge the experience of the traditionally marginalized, and ignite curiosity and empathy in young readers. These works embody an inclusive vision of children's literature that both nourishes the self and expands a vision of the world. This exhibition has been organized by staff members of the NIU University Libraries.

The Museum is open
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday
Noon - 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday
Noon - 3 p.m. Saturday and by appointment for group tours.

Closed university holidays and between exhibitions.

Since our beginning, over 20 years ago, LLI has offered Notables, weekly talks by experts, most often NIU faculty. We continue the series this fall. A full schedule of topics and speakers will be available later, but we can promise you topics ranging from the changing nature of work to health-care issues. Members have often found that topics that seemed of minor interest turned out to be intriguing. As always, we include plenty of time to ask questions.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50 plus who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just Learning for the Fun of It. This class occurs every Tuesday, September 13 through November 1.

On Tuesday, September 27th, at 6:00 p.m. central time, the LaSalle Public Library will virtually host Artist and Art Historian, Laura Mueller, for her presentation, “Depicting the Divine, Part II.”

What does the divine look like in female form? A corn plant, a cat, the morning star, the moon, an eye – goddesses don’t always take the form of a beautiful woman. But when they do, you may find them the most loyal of wives or the most profligate, the Lady of the Beasts or the divine Huntress, the all-Merciful One or Vengeance incarnate. In this virtual program, Laura Mueller will find commonalities in the very diverse religious art of many different cultures. This program is the second part of exploring religious art.

To view Part I, go to the Library’s virtual program archive at – https://lasalle.lib.il.us/virtualprograms.

Laura Mueller worked for the Art Institute’s Department of Museum Education from 1987 to 2017. She has taught courses in literature and art history at local colleges. Laura has been an Art Institute study leader on several of their trips to Europe, including Adriatic Odyssey, Holland and Belgium, the prehistoric caves of France. She holds a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Chicago in Comparative Literature; she has also studied art with NYU in Venice, Italy.

The program is free and open to the public. Registration is necessary. To register, use the following link: https://bit.ly/3Lpa01W. For more information about the program, please call the Library at 815-223-2341.

International award-winning artist and writer Diane Tyler, in partnership with Rockford Public Library, will hold a three-day writing workshop for students in middle and high school (ages 11 – 18). Students will learn about writing and performing poetry. “The Write Results: Writing and Performance Workshop” will be held for three consecutive days, Monday – Wednesday, September 26th – 28th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Classes will be held in the Black Box Theater of the RPL Nordlof Center, 118 N. Main St. Additionally, students will have a chance to showcase what they learn with a public performance on Friday, September 30 from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
This program is free and open to the public. Registration is required. To register, please visit our Events calendar online at www.rockfordpubliclibrary.org.

On October 8th, 2022, Goddess Warrior the Poet is also hosting a National Poetry Slam Competition at the RPL Nordlof Center, J. R. Sullivan Theater where professional poets will compete for cash prizes. Any parent who registers their child for the workshop can attend this event for free! For more information, please visit our Events calendar online at www.rockfordpubliclibrary.org.

Wake up early to experience the amazing bird activity that takes place at dawn. Join us for coffee (BYO mug) before we explore our Rock River Birding & Hiking Trail together. Bring your own binoculars, or borrow a pair of ours.

This is a free, all ages event. Space is limited so please register here: https://natureattheconfluence.com/event/early-bird-gets-the-worm-fall-migration/

Embrace the fall weather while connecting with your breath in this beginner-friendly yoga class. Enjoy flowing led by Lily Herbold, a registered yoga instructor who earned her certification at three different international yoga schools and teaches yoga at the Stateline YMCA. We have a few mats available for borrowing, but recommend bringing your own. You may want to bring a towel to lay between your mat and the ground.

Sicily has some of Italy’s most spectacular scenery and towns whose history goes back, not hundreds, but thousands of years. Greek, Arab, Norman, French and Spanish conquerors have all left their mark on the art and architecture of this beautiful island. We will visit some of Sicily’s most interesting places and briefly examine the history of each town, its art, architecture and museums.

Convener: Before her retirement, Judith Testa taught history of art at NIU and received five excellence in teaching awards, including a Presidential Teaching Professorship. She spends part of each year in Rome, which she calls “the city of my soul.” Two of her three books are about Italy: Roma Amor: Rome is Love Spelled Backwards and An Art Lover’s Guide to Florence.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50 plus who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just Learning for the Fun of It. This class occurs on September 14, 21 and 28.

Our Children's Illustrated Literature Suite was made possible by the Barbara Cole Peters Fund for the NIU Art Museum and will feature framed original artwork and books, some no longer in print.

Golden Legacy: Original Art from 80 Years of Golden Books
Location: South Gallery

The internationally acclaimed historian on children's books, Leonard S. Marcus served as co-curator for Golden Legacy. His "Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon along the Way" was the impetus for this exhibition in 2007. It has since been updated with newer illustrators of some of the older classics and will feature a wide-ranging selection of original illustration art by Richard Scarry, Garth Williams, Tibor Gergely, Feodor Rojankovsky, Eloise Wilkin, Alice and Martin Provensen, Leonard Weisgard, Mary Blair and more.

Everyday People: The Art of James E. Ransome
Location: Rotunda Gallery

Everyday People is clustered in books about the land, books about famous people, books about family, and classic story retellings. James E. Ransome has illustrated over 60 picture books and is the recipient of the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for "Before She Was Harriet." His books have included the stories of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Satchel Paige, Louis Armstrong, the Alvin Ailey Dancers, as well as stories of the use of quilts along the freedom trail and the fight to win access to the ballot box. He is a frequent collaborator with his wife, author Lesa Cline-Ransome, whom he met while both were students at Pratt Institute of Art.

Both of these shows are organized and traveled by the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature in Abilene, Texas.

Burnishing the Medals of Children's Literature
Location: Hall Case Gallery

Burnishing the Medals of Children's Literature celebrates award-winning children's books that honor the frequently forgotten, acknowledge the experience of the traditionally marginalized, and ignite curiosity and empathy in young readers. These works embody an inclusive vision of children's literature that both nourishes the self and expands a vision of the world. This exhibition has been organized by staff members of the NIU University Libraries.

The Museum is open
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday
Noon - 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday
Noon - 3 p.m. Saturday and by appointment for group tours.

Closed university holidays and between exhibitions.

A close look at Nobel Prize-winning Bob Dylan’s life and artistry through five of his albums:
The Times They Are a-Changin’, Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding, Blood on the Tracks,
and Rough and Rowdy Ways.

Convener: John Bradley was an English professor for many years at NIU. He is the author of ten books of poetry, the most recent Hotel Montparnasse: Letters to Cesar Vallejo. He’s currently a poetry editor for Cider Press Review.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50 plus who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just Learning for the Fun of It. This class occurs on September 14, 21, 28, October 5 and 12.