Community Calendar

A selection of favorite paintings created by members of the Plein Air Painters of Rockford during the 2025 season. These are images created during Plein Air painting sessions in the Rockford area. The exhibit is located in the Visitor Center at Klehm Arboretum.

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. Come witness the power of art and community as we welcome you back to a vibrant space of creativity!

Blooming Fusion returns to The Next Picture Show after its successful debut in 2024, bringing back a vibrant 2D art exhibition inspired by flowers, plants, and gardens. Running February 18 through March 28, 2026, this juried show highlights fresh perspectives and creative connections rooted in the natural world. The exhibition features original works in watercolor, oil, acrylic, mixed media, pen & pencil, and charcoal.

The gallery is open 10-4 Wednesday-Saturday or by appointment.

The Prairie Arts Council hosts an exhibit of paintings by Princeton native Brian Taylor during the month of March in the Prairie Arts Center Gallery.

Brian Taylor says about his works, "The art presented is a reflection of doodles and patterns practiced over many years. As time evolved, the practice was refined into its own colorful and unique style, evoking influences of various concepts from surrealism, abstract and indigenous art. The natural world is also an influence through travel, time working in arboriculture and landscape design.”

The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays, March 7 - 29 from 1:00-3:00 PM.

www.PrairieArts.org
Facebook.com/prairiearts

Buckle up for what the New York Times called “A timely boxing match of a history play.”

In 1950, Margaret Chase Smith was the junior Senator from Maine and the only woman in the Senate. A staunch Republican, she nevertheless bucked her party and the prevailing winds of politics when she took to the floor of the Senate to denounce Senator Joseph McCarthy in a speech she called, “a declaration of conscience.”

Members of St. Charles Singers

March brings a first for Rendezvous: a vocal ensemble. Eight extraordinary voices from the St. Charles Singers will fill the stage, led by conductor Jeff Hunt. This internationally touring choir has earned acclaim around the world, yet they remain rooted in the western suburbs. Now, they bring their artistry to Dixon, Lake Forest, and Chicago in a program that promises both power and intimacy.

The music is paired with the live art of Tina Druce-Hoffman, a storyteller at heart whose plein-air paintings are infused with wonder, folktale imagery, and the magic of nature. During these performances, Tina will create in real time, responding to the sound and spirit of what she sees and hears. Her brushwork becomes part of the performance, a visual echo of the music unfolding around her.

Music that soars. Art that responds in the moment. This is a Rendezvous Arts debut you’ll want to witness.

Tina Druce-Hoffman
Illustrator/Plein Air Artist

Tina Druce-Hoffman’s career spans illustration, graphic design, and teaching, with work featured in collectible card games, books, and countless exhibitions. She explores gouache, watercolor, etching, and more, always guided by insatiable curiosity. Whether outdoors capturing landscapes or at her easel crafting whimsical scenes, her art invites us to pause, reflect, and enter an “elsewhere” just beyond the everyday.

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. Come witness the power of art and community as we welcome you back to a vibrant space of creativity!

Blooming Fusion returns to The Next Picture Show after its successful debut in 2024, bringing back a vibrant 2D art exhibition inspired by flowers, plants, and gardens. Running February 18 through March 28, 2026, this juried show highlights fresh perspectives and creative connections rooted in the natural world. The exhibition features original works in watercolor, oil, acrylic, mixed media, pen & pencil, and charcoal.

The gallery is open 10-4 Wednesday-Saturday or by appointment.

The Prairie Arts Council hosts an exhibit of paintings by Princeton native Brian Taylor during the month of March in the Prairie Arts Center Gallery.

Brian Taylor says about his works, "The art presented is a reflection of doodles and patterns practiced over many years. As time evolved, the practice was refined into its own colorful and unique style, evoking influences of various concepts from surrealism, abstract and indigenous art. The natural world is also an influence through travel, time working in arboriculture and landscape design.”

The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays, March 7 - 29 from 1:00-3:00 PM.

www.PrairieArts.org
Facebook.com/prairiearts

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. Come witness the power of art and community as we welcome you back to a vibrant space of creativity!