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.

The Coliseum Museum of Art, Antiques and Americana presents Focus on Photography, juried exhibition of works by photographers working in all photographic mediums -- digital, film, mixed and unique processes -- now through May 17.

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!

The Morton Arboretum Photographic Society will present its annual nature photography exhibit in the Cudahy Room in The Morton Arboretum’s Administration and Research Center.

Join us Mother’s Day weekend to see over 150 beautiful framed photographs showcasing nature’s bounty. They include images captured at The Arboretum as well as at local, national, and international locations. See the wonder of trees, plants, animals, rocks, skies, and more depicted through the medium of photography. Cards, coasters, books, and matted prints are available, and most of the artwork can be purchased from the artist following the exhibit.

The exhibit is free with admission to the Arboretum.

Learn more about the exhibit at The Morton Arboretum Photography Society website: mortonarboretumphotographicsociety.com

Opening Reception
Friday, May 9, 2025, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Exhibit Hours
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 11, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Prairie Arts Council invites the community to experience Puppets on Parade, a vibrant and whimsical exhibit by artist Jeanne O’Melia, on display throughout May. The show opens with a public reception on May 2 from 6–8 PM at the Prairie Arts Gallery in Princeton.

This joyful exhibit features O’Melia’s expressive large-scale puppets and papier-mâché heads—works that blend playfulness, craftsmanship, and imagination. Her figures, built from found objects, recycled materials, and mixed media, bring stories and personalities to life.

A Princeton native, O’Melia studied art at Iowa State University, Augustana College, and The Clearing in Wisconsin. Her work is shaped by global travels where she creates line drawings and watercolor sketches on location—sometimes even from a bike or kayak. Over the years, her practice has grown to include cyanotype prints, brazed metal sculptures, and community art education.

From welding scrap metal to creating papier-mâché heads for New Year’s Eve burnings, O’Melia’s work is full of movement, meaning, and joy. “Art for me is like breathing,” she says. “There’s always a new challenge ready for me to tackle.”

Opening Reception: Friday, May 2 | 6–8 PM

Gallery Hours: Saturdays & Sundays, 1–3 PM | May 3–25

Prairie Arts Council Gallery 24 Park Ave. E, Princeton, IL

Admission is free

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.

Bobby Jo Valentine is an award-winning singer/songwriter from the windswept coastline of Northern California. He writes poetic, searching songs that connect deeply with people from all walks of life. His stories are sometimes funny, sometimes moving, and always deeply resonant. He has performed festivals and conferences around the country - Wild Goose Festival, Tedx, and the Emerge Conference, to name a few - and plays concerts around the country for a myriad of venues - faith communities, pride festivals, and house concerts.

Sex. Drugs. Murder. Clowns. Clown Bar will plunge you into a gritty, darkly hilarious underworld where the gangsters wear greasepaint and every punchline could be your last. This outrageous neo-noir play follows former clown turned cop Happy Mahoney as he’s dragged back to the seedy dive he once called home in order to solve his brother’s murder.

SPEAKEASY TAKEOVER!

Give the password at the door as we transform the WSSR into a speakeasy! The bar will be open starting 1 hour before each performance. Come early to have a drink, mingle with the clowns, and experience a variety of Clown Cabaret acts!

DRESS UP AS A CLOWN!

Audience members who come dressed as clowns get $5 of Clown Cash good toward anything at the bar!

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.