Community Calendar

On March 7th, 1965, six hundred brave citizens marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, demanding the right to vote. They were met that Sunday morning with tear gas and brutal violence as law enforcement officers charged on horseback. Though that moment helped spur passage of the Voting Rights Act, efforts to suppress voting rights in America did not end, they evolved. In this powerful documentary, Emmy-winning filmmaker Loki Mulholland, civil rights veteran Joanne Blackmon Bland, and New York Times bestselling author Carol Anderson trace the long history of voter suppression and examine why confronting it remains essential to preserving democracy and equality for all. The film is 46 minutes, not rated, and made possible through Kanopy. The program is free and open to the public.

Participants are invited to welcome spring by creating a butterfly collage using recycled books and watercolors. All supplies will be provided. This program is geared toward youth ages eight and up, as well as adults. The program is free and open to the public.

Join the Boone County Conservation District at the Roger Gustafson Nature Center for a hootin' good time as we dissect owl pellets and use our investigative skills to learn about one of nature's coolest predators! This a family-friendly program. Registration is required - $2 per owl pellet. Spots are limited, so make sure to reserve yours!

The Rockford Society, Archaeological Institute of America, invites the public to its next free, in-person, multi-media presentation on archaeology, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at Rockford's Burpee Museum of Natural History. Professor James Osborne, PhD, Harvard University will discuss the recent discovery of what could be a new Bronze and Iron Age kingdom in Anatolia (Modern Day Turkey).

Rockford's Archaeology Society invites you to learn why this massive site might be one of the most dramatic new discoveries in Anatolia in decades. Professor Osborne describes exploration of this mound as a potential Bronze Age capital city on the Konya plain, a region famous for some of the ancient Near East's earliest settlements. Our speaker works with worldwide scholars to excavate and survey the site.

The public is invited to a free reception held immediately following each in-person presentation. Burpee Museum is handicapped-accessible and offers free parking. Additional free parking is also available next door at the Riverfront Museum Park, 711 N. Main Street, Rockford.

The Rockford Society provides additional information on lectures, events, trips, and archaeological topics on the web at www.rockfordaia.org.

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.

Joy Meyer

Taft Gallery Artist, February 1 – March 31

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, the last twenty years at Rock Falls High School in Rock Falls, IL. 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.



America the Beautiful Art Exhibit
February 4 – March 21
Sponsored by Ron Bry

Awards Reception
February 13, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Judge: Stuart Roddy
Music: Jim Kanas & Roger Hintzsche

Participating artists include Cindy Bear, Alice Blue, Richard Born, Bob Cholke, Rick Davis, Connie Fry, Beverly Garcia, Chuck Gregory, Timothy Griffith, Dan Grossmann, Stephen Hart, Kat Heitzman, Maggie Isaacs, Bob Kapheim, Julie Kennelly, Linnea Koch, Paula Kuehl, Bob Logsdon, Colleen Logsdon, Henry Matthiessen III, Joy Meyer, Gary Pearson, Joe Popp, Stephonie A Schmitz, and Joseph Virbickis.

Today Was Tomorrow - a solo show by Kari McDonald will kick off our 2026 exhibition season. Lemuette is the artistic moniker of Rockford-based printmaker Kari McDonald. Her meditative, nature-inspired work invites viewers to slow down and find moments of calm. Her intricate designs in woodblock often feature native prairie plants, whimsical flowers, and playful critters, capturing the beauty and wonder of the natural world.

FAM is open Tuesday - Friday 10 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 12 to 5 PM.

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!

American Stories: A Reading Road Trip begins in Rhode Island, a state with a long and varied literary tradition. This 35-minute documentary examines Rhode Island’s literary legacy, from the revolutionary writings of Roger Williams and the Gothic fiction of H. P. Lovecraft to Edgar Allan Poe’s time in Providence and the work of Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, including Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake.

The program also includes interviews with writers and illustrators such as Anika Aldamuy Denise (Planting Stories), Christopher Denise (Knight Owl), Caldecott honoree Oge Mora (Thank You, Omu!), David Macaulay (The Way Things Work), and Elizabeth Rush (Rising). Their perspectives highlight how Rhode Island’s landscape, architecture, and arts community influence both literary and visual storytelling.

Viewers will also see historic and cultural institutions including the Providence Athenaeum, Redwood Library, and John Hay Library, along with an examination of the role the Rhode Island School of Design has played in shaping generations of artists and storytellers. The documentary is not rated and is made possible through PBS Books. The program is free and open to the public.