Community Calendar

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!

A cornerstone of the TNPS calendar, this annual survey celebrates the depth of creativity found throughout the Rock River Valley. Each year, the exhibition highlights the work of regional artists across a wide range of 2D and 3D media, offering a snapshot of what’s happening right now in the local art community.

TNPS is open Wed.-Sat. or by appointment

Speaker: Jahred Adelman, Ph.D. NIU Professor of Physics

Ever watched the Olympics and wondered about the invisible forces at play? How does a snowboarder defy gravity in the halfpipe? What are the physics behind a perfect figure skating spin or the impact of G-forces on a downhill skier?

Join us for an electrifying STEAM Café as we dissect the physics of the Olympic Games. We’ll take you beyond the podium and into the world of kinematics and aerodynamics. It’s a front-row seat to understand how athletes manipulate the laws of physics to achieve the seemingly impossible.

Guiding our exploration is Jahred Adelman, Ph.D., NIU Professor of Physics. Professor Adelman is passionate about bringing physics to life and making complex concepts accessible. His engaging style makes him the perfect guide for this journey through the winter Olympics. Grab your friends and join us at Fatty's for an evening of mind-expanding fun, food and drinks. See you there!

https://calendar.niu.edu/event/unlocking-the-science-behind-olympic-glory

The NIU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will welcome political commentator and co-founder of The Seneca Project, Tara Setmayer, as the next guest of the Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series at 7 p.m. CT on Feb. 4.

This event, conducted on Zoom, will feature a discussion with Dean Robert Brinkmann on various topics, such as the current state of democracy, the First Amendment, women’s rights and using your voice as an engaged citizen. A moderated question-and-answer session will follow.

The program is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required. Go to http://go.niu.edu/Rebuilding-Democracy-RSVP to request a link to the event before Feb. 4. Event links will be sent from the clas-communication@niu.edu mailbox the day before the event.

Setmayer is the co-Founder and CEO of The Seneca Project, a women-led, award-winning pro-democracy content and messaging organization that galvanizes voters to rise up against the erosion of democracy and women's freedoms.

She is a former CNN political commentator, contributor to ABC News , and a former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill. She has appeared as a guest host on ABC's The View, ABC's Good Morning America, and on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. Today, she regularly appears as an on-air commentator on MSNOW and various other news outlets in the US and abroad.

Setmayer has served as a Resident Scholar at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics since 2020. In collaboration with the Center for Politics, she narrated the Emmy-nominated three-part documentary Dismantling Democracy, which aired nationally on PBS stations in the final weeks of the 2020 election and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Prior to joining UVA, she was named a Harvard Institute of Politics Spring 2020 Resident Fellow.

After 27 years with the Republican Party, Setmayer publicly left the GOP in November 2020, following Donald Trump's refusal to concede the election to Joe Biden despite losing the Electoral College. She now identifies as an independent.

From 2006 to 2013, Setmayer worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as the Communications Director for the Republican Representative of California's 48th District, during which she handled immigration and federal law enforcement policy issues, and led the successful national effort to free Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean through a presidential commutation.

The Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series showcases how the liberal arts and sciences are at the center of a healthy democracy. The Series addresses various aspects of building a stronger democracy and bringing together a fractured society – everything from restoring civility, exploring branches of government, rebuilding our diplomatic and intelligence offices, as well as topical issues such as education, healthcare, media, public health, budget and finance, sustainability/environmental issues, and social justice/human rights.

The art of David Van Delinder is now on display in the Lowden Gallery from January 1 – February 28.

David’s career actually began in the music business. Blessed with talent in both art and music, he was a premier area guitarist at a young age, recording and performing with Chicago folk legends Bonnie Koloc, Steve Goodman, John Prine and others. His songs have been published and recorded by name artists.

When the road became unsuitable for a married man and father, he turned to his other muse, art. He worked his way up to senior art director for a well-known Chicago agency before deciding to go out on his own. He became a successful and respected freelance illustrator and graphic designer creating art and designs for billboards, magazines, packaging, and books.

David’s fine art is rooted in traditional technique and classical composition. His pen and ink drawings of abandoned barns and jazz musicians, impressionistic florals, landscapes, and classical oil portraits all display both virtuosity and inspiration.

Mr. Van Delinder also accepts commissioned portraits and other works in oil, pastel, charcoal and pen and ink. His pencil portraits of musicians and dancers are very popular and highly sought after.

He lives and works in Cherry Valley, IL.

Chicago-based artist Michael x. Ryan gathers the quiet imprints we leave behind — from sidewalk stains and river paths to shower puddles and fallen tree limbs — and gives them form, weight, and voice. Through drawing, mapping, wood relief, and 3D printed objects, Ryan captures traces of human presence — the edge of a river, the imprint of a wet body, the marks on a street — and renders them as physical forms that evoke movement, memory, and place.

This exhibition brings together key installations spanning over four decades, from early works shaped by the Ox-Bow landscape to large-scale reliefs inspired by the streets of Chicago to one tree of interest on the family property in Woodstock, Illinois. By drawing attention to overlooked details, Ryan invites us to consider how our everyday movements shape the spaces we inhabit — and how those spaces, in turn, record and reflect our presence and passage through time.

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!

Meet station staff for coffee and conversation. Ask questions, share your thoughts, or just say hello. We'll see you there!

A cornerstone of the TNPS calendar, this annual survey celebrates the depth of creativity found throughout the Rock River Valley. Each year, the exhibition highlights the work of regional artists across a wide range of 2D and 3D media, offering a snapshot of what’s happening right now in the local art community.

TNPS is open Wed.-Sat. or by appointment

You are invited to join Sycamore United Methodist Men for their 71st “Pancake Supper” on Thursday February 5th.

The “all you can eat” event features pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and applesauce.
The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children 5-10 years old, and those under 5 eat for free.

Serving is from 4 to 6:30 PM at the church at the corner of Route 64 and Johnson Avenue just north of the Sycamore High School. All proceeds go to support the missions and ministries of Sycamore United Methodist Men.