Community Calendar

Join the Coon Creek Casters and Boone County Conservation District for an Ice Fishing Clinic on Saturday, February 7th, from 9 am to 12 pm.

Children ages 5-15 with an adult can join this fun, FREE community event. Participants will enjoy the morning learning to ice fish! This program depends on ice thickness for safety. You will be contacted by email the week before to confirm the event. If the ice is too thin, we will contact you to cancel the program. Registration for this event is required. To register, visit https://www.bccdil.org/2026-ice-fishing-program/.

A free lunch will be provided by the Coon Creek Casters for the participants. Please contact BCCD if you have any questions at 815-547-7935 or dgrelecki@bccdil.org.

The free AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program will again be available at the DeKalb Public Library and is for people with low to moderate incomes. AARP Foundation Tax -Aide volunteers will be available by appointment most Saturdays from February 7 through April 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Be sure to bring a photo ID and all necessary tax documents, as well as last year’s return forms.

Please sign up for an appointment by contacting Frances at (815) 991-9418.

For more information, please contact the reference desk at (815) 756-9568 ext. 2150 or at reference@dkpl.org.

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!

Warm your heart by crafting a unique up-cycled instrument! Last year we made frame drums. This year, artist-in-residence, Dave Stocker is back to lead Origins of Music workshop #2: The CANJO. Also known as a diddly-bow, the canjo is related to the Berimbow of Afro-Brazilian roots. We provide tools, materials and art supplies. Please bring a cleaned out can 14 oz-30 oz, a limited number will be available. Children under 10 need parent assistance to decorate and assemble.

Please register for the number of canjos that you or your group would like to make so we can prepare supplies. This is a come-and-go event from 10:00am-1:00pm. Canjo creation takes approximately one hour.

We invite you to choose the participation fee that is most accessible to you, either $15, $25 or $35 for your instrument. Your participation fee helps offset our cost of supplies and staff time.

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.

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

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.

Featured Artist: Bob Cholke
February 1 - 28

Bob Cholke is a photographer from Rockford IL. He has been a photographer for
many years.

As a teenager, he had a love for “sports” and “street” photography. After military service,
He attended Brooks Institute of Photography, in Santa Barbara California, and began honing his
photography skills and surfing whenever possible.

Shortly after graduation, he started his own commercial studio. In later years, he became
a gallery owner, while also presenting his images at juried, fine art fairs across the Midwest.

Through the years, he has always made time for his personal work as well. He believes his
best images are yet to come. He believes Peter Adams, said it best;

"Great Photography is about Depth of feeling, not Depth of field” - Peter Adams