Kortman Gallery

Current Show
 

Images of "The Wright Inspiration: Art, Design, and the Laurent House" @ Kortman Gallery

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Gallery Statement

In 1948, intrigued after reading an article about Frank Lloyd Wright in House Beautiful, Kenneth Laurent wrote a letter to Mr. Wright to see if he would be interested in designing a home for him and his wife Phyllis.
  “To give you an idea of my situation I must first tell you that I am a paraplegic,” Mr. Laurent wrote. “In other words, due to a spinal cord injury I am paralyzed from the waste down and by virtue of my condition I am confined to a wheelchair. This explains my need for a home as practical and sensible as your style of architecture denotes.”
Frank Lloyd Wright accepted the challenge and what resulted is The Laurent House, one of Wright’s Usonian masterpieces which embraces the landscape along Spring Brook Road right here in Rockford. It is the only building that Wright designed to be totally handicapped accessible and the only Wright house where the original owners still live in the home designed specifically for them.
  The house was completed in 1952, and the Laurent’s have had a love affair with their home ever since. Now in his 90’s, Mr. Laurent says, “I don’t know if I live for this house, or if this house lives for me.” What an extraordinary tribute to great architecture!
Wright is probably the most influential figure in architecture in modern times. He is recognized around the world for his innovative and challenging designs...and to have one of his beautiful works here in Rockford is worth celebrating...which we are doing in this exhibition. Not only are we featuring photos and images of the Laurent House, but 16 Rockford artists were asked to create works that are inspired by the architecture and design influence of Frank Lloyd Wright.
For further reference, this exhibition also features a paper by Valerie Olafson on Usonian architecture. The captivating and sometimes touching correspondences between Mr. Laurent and Mr. Wright are here in the gallery and available for you to read.

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Posted December 13, 2011
 

Images of "25: Rittenhouse @ Kortman" exhibiton...Paintings by Cherri Rittenhouse

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Cherri Rittenhouse Unveils New                   
          Painting at Kortman Gallery

Cherri Rittenhouse, one of Rockford’s most accomplished artists, unveiled a new painting during the opening of her exhibition at the Kortman Gallery on Friday, October 14th. The exhibition titled “25: Rittenhouse @ Kortman” features selected works by Rittenhouse, first artist and curator of the Kortman Gallery, marking the 25th anniversary of the Gallery. Paintings in the exhibit represent works created by Rittenhouse over the past 25 years through the present.
“We’re so excited to have Cherri showing again in the gallery after 25 years,” said Doc Slafkosky, gallery director. “We thought it would be fun to have an actual unveiling of a new piece to add to the excitement.”
Rittenhouse whose works can best be described as Expressionistic Abstraction with subject matter comprised of inner visions and personal narratives that are derived from subconscious sources. 
“I never know what I’m going to do,” Rittenhouse says, “I just make an image and then respond to it and see where it takes me. It’s very freeing to work this way – it’s like uncovering a part of myself that I didn’t know existed.”
Highlights of her career as a painter include a Best of Show award at the New Horizons in Art at The Chicago Cultural Center, her time as a gallery artist with the Phyllis Kind Gallery in Chicago in the 1990’s, shows in Mexico where she now has a home and studio as well as a show at the prestigious Vida Museum in Borgholm, Sweden in 2009.
In addition to being Professor of Art at Rock Valley College, Rittenhouse owns and operates two restaurants, Josef of Barbados and Pearl, with her chef husband, Josef Schwaiger. They live in Rockford with their daughter, Sofia.
The opening receptions for “25: Rittenhouse @ Kortman” exhibition will be Friday, October 14th and Saturday, October 15th from 5 to 9pm in conjunction with Fall ArtScene.  The gallery is located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street. If you would like to purchase Cherri Rittenhouse's art or would like further information call 815/968-0123 or email Doc Slafkosky, galley director: doc@jrkortman.com.

Posted October 28, 2011
 

Images of Sarah Danielle Stewart's Kortman Gallery Exhibiton

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Sarah Danielle Stewart exhibits 
vibrant, colorful work at Kortman Gallery

Seeing the works of Rockford artist Sarah Danielle Stewart is like getting a flash vision into the workings of her imagination. Her complex, colorful works will be on exhibit in the Kortman Gallery opening on Friday, August 26th. The exhibition titled “Flesh in Rainbows” presents mixed-media, dynamic works that are influenced by the Stewart’s boundless imaginative view of nostalgia, kitsch, cartoons, pulp illustration, plus pattern, fabric, and vibrant colors.
“The show title ‘Flesh in Rainbows’ speaks directly to the way I see and think about everything,” says Stewart. “ Memories spur to me in hues, the reflection of light translates color and vibration, and color not only represents, but emanates emotion. Colors can be comforting, but also jarring. They can be offensive and ridiculous, yet they can be beautiful and strong. With this body of work, I strive to achieve all of the above.”
  Kortman Gallery director, Doc Slafkosky says Stewarts work is “amazingly intricate and beautifully executed, but at the same time a little whacky. You really have to spend some time looking at her pieces to see everything that’s going on in her vibrant paintings. These works are eye-catching entertainment.”

If you would like to purchase Sarah Danielle Stewart’s art contact the Kortman Gallery directly by phone, 815.968.0123 or email, doc@jrkortman.com. Works range from $140.– $850.

What: “Flesh in Rainbows” art exhibit
            featuring new mixed-media works by Sarah Dnielle Stewart
When: August 26th thru October 1st. Gallery & Store open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 
             107 North Main St.
Admission: Free 

 

Posted August 27, 2011
 

Images of Leslie Arbetman's Kortman Gallery Exhibiton

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 Rockford artist, teacher, and mother of twins Leslie Arbetman shows her spirited paintings at the Kortman Gallery starting June 3rd in an exhibition titled “My Between Spaces: Raising Babies & Wrangling Adolescents.” Arbetman, who holds two Masters’ Degrees, is an art educator at Roosevelt High School in Rockford.

Arbetman’s autobiographic exhibit title says a lot about her hectic lifestyle as a teacher and mother, but she considers her artwork “an introspective endeavor.”  She loves to paint with wax/oil and encaustic because of its versatility. ”I try to push the bounds of what wax is capable of achieving without burning my whole house down,” says Arbetman. 
“I have a love of aged and ephemeral materials, decay, and a deep-seated respect for history, which all stems from my formative years digging in my grandmother’s basement of junky wonders off Jerome Street in Chicago,” said Arbetman.
Kortman Gallery director Doc Slafkosky says Arbetman’s work is visually engaging, contemporary, and edgy. “Her work is serious, but you can tell that Leslie doesn’t take herself too seriously...this makes her art also very entertaining,” Slafkosky said.
The last line in Arbetman’s artist’s statement reads, “Causality and collateral damage are ideas fundamental to my work; however, art doesn’t have to be so damn serious to be enjoyed by the casual viewer. It’s just art.”
The opening reception for Arbetmen’s Kortman exhibition will be Friday, June 3rd from 5:30 to 9pm which is also “First Friday” in Downtown Rockford. The gallery is located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street. For further information call 815/968-0123 or visit www.jrkortman.com.

What: “My Between Spaces: Raising Babies & Wrangling Adolescents” art exhibit
            featuring new works by Leslie Arbetman
When: Friday, June 3rd, 5:30 to 9:00pm (First Friday Downtown). Exhibits runs thru July     
            30th. Gallery & Store open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 
             107 North Main St.
Admission: Free and open to the public

To purchase any of Ms. Arbetman's art, contact the Kortman Gallery @ 815.968.0123 or email gallerist Doc Slafkosky, doc@jrkortman.com.

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Posted June 4, 2011
 

Images of "In My Place," an exhibition of small-scale works by Jennifer Mullin @ Kortman Gallery

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Jennifer Mullin Creates Comfortable Places with Collage for Kortman Gallery

Rockford artist Jennifer Mullin looks through magazines and is inspired by the home furnishings she sees. The found images become elements in her delicate and comfortable interiors she creates in her small-scale works opening Friday, February 4th in the Kortman Gallery.
The exhibition titled “In My Place” features mixed-media new works by Mullin created with collage and pencil drawings resulting in colorful and seductive images of interior spaces.
“I love flipping through those glossy magazine pages in search of eye-catching colors and patterns,” says Mullin. “The creation of comfortable space has developed as an underlying thread in all of my work.  Within the confines of each piece, I aim to create a beautiful place that I would enjoy spending time in.”
Kortman Gallery director Doc Slafkosky says the small pieces are perfect for this time of the year. “Her charming and warm images are a cozy contrast to the cold, harsh winter weather,” said Slafkosky. “And these sweet and endearing art works are available just in time for Valentine’s Day.”
Mullin is a 1998 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Madison and currently teaches art at Boylan High School.
For imformation about purchasing art by Jennifer Mullin contact the Kortman Gallery @ 815.968.0123 or email gallery director Doc Slafkosky: doc@jrkortman.com
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Posted February 5, 2011
 

Images of "MainfraiM...Habitat for Art," an exhibition of works by Pam Kehoe-Peterson & Jeremy Klonicki @ Kortman Gallery

 
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Artists Transform Industrial Relics into Magical Art at Kortman Gallery

Jeremy Klonicki is a sculptural display artist with a simple strategy: deconstruct and rebuild. Pam Kehoe-Peterson is an artist who creates distinctive “industrial poetic” jewelry. Both use reclaimed industrial relics to produce stunningly energetic art. The two Rockford artists collaborate and converge their talent in a Kortman Gallery holiday exhibition entitled “MainfraiM...Habitat for Art” opening Friday, November  26th .
Kehoe-Peterson who has been making her wearable art jewelry for more than a decade, has joined creative forces with Klonicki to bring a new visual quality to her work. Klonicki’s sculptural display pieces evolve from the same sensibilty...reclaiming, deconstructing, and rebuilding industrial objects into fine art display environments.
“Together, the two artists bring a refreshingly imaginative visual experience to these found objects,” says Kortman Gallery director Doc Salfkosky. ”The result is elegant, exquisite and almost magical sculptural pieces that the artists’ refer to as Archaic 
Industrial Art.”
“When a piece of jewelry isolates an ordinary object, such as an old level, a compass, a tool part, or an unusual key, its inherent symbolism, mystery and beauty can evoke an emotion, a thought, a memory or an idea for the wearer,” says Kehoe-Peterson in her artist’s statement.
Referring to his work in his artist’s statement, Klonicki says, “When one deconstructs they salvage the knowledge to build it again, be it for its intended purpose, or for a new purpose.” 
  “The conceptual content and industrial style of both Pam’s and Jeremy’s work appeals to male and female collectors alike and will be a visual holiday treat for the entire family.” said Slafkosky.
The opening reception for “MainfraiM...Habitat for Art” will be from 5:30 to 9:00pm on Friday, November 26th in the Kortman Gallery, located upstairs at J.R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street, Downtown Rockford. For more information call 815/968-0123 or visit www. jrkortman.com. 
What: “MainfraiM...Habitat for Art” an exhibition of works by Pam Kehoe-Peterson and Jeremy Klonicki
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J.R.Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main,  Downtown Rockford
When: Opening reception, Friday, November  26th, 5:30pm-9:00pm. Gallery open Monday–Saturday, 10 to 6pm and Sundays (in December) 1-5pm . Exhibition runs through January 8, 2011. Free admission. 
Information about purchasing art: 815-968-0123 or doc@jrkortman.com

Artistsʼ Statements:
I enjoy and find it therapeutic to disassemble and recreate. I join pieces unintended to be together and combine unlike parts and textures into seamless transitions. Itʼs relative to the fabric of life: interwoven, complex, and so coincidental itʼs often unbelievable. Built on the perpetuation of our ancestors work, I stay compelled to create with unique items that have stood the test of time. I hope you find these pieces to be an enchanting looking glass into the past as well as a practical staple for you in the unique fabric of your life.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Jeremy Klonicki

When a piece of jewelry isolates an ordinary object, such as an old level, a compass, a tool part, or an unusual key, its inherent symbolism, mystery and beauty can evoke an emotion, a thought, a memory or an idea for the wearer. The conceptual content and industrial style of Pamʼs work appeals to male and female collectors alike.
Metalsmith techniques include stone setting, soldering, cutting, forming, fitting, copper etching, hinge making, forming, finishing and cold-connections. Precious and non-precious materials include sterling silver, 14K, semi-precious stones, glass, steel, brass, copper and ordinary objects. Custom chains are created from hammered jump rings of silver, copper, brass and steel with custom closures. Hand-stamped text may be poetic, humorous, ironic or philosophical, depending on the juxtaposition with disparate or symbolic objects incorporated in the fabricated structure or vessel.
                                                                             Pam Kehoe-Peterson

Posted November 27, 2010
 

Photos of the Pam Kehoe-Peterson & Jeremy Klonicki opening night at the Kortman Gallery

Here some photos captured with our iPhones at the opening night for "MainfraiM...Habitat for Art", and exhibition of works by Jeremy Klonicki and Pam Kehoe-Peterson.

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Posted November 27, 2010
 

Images of Matthew Johansson's Kortman Gallery Exhibit

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Matthew Johansson’s “Suburban Still Life” revealed at Kortman Gallery

Self-taught Rockford artist Matthew Johansson reveals a  passionate, philosophical view of life in the Midwest with his new exhibition “Suburban Still Life” opening Friday, October 1st in the Kortman Gallery. His challenging images are collages of paint, photography, and clippings that illustrate his cautious appreciation for life in the Midwest, or even more specifically, Rockford.
In his artist's statement Johansson writes, “My work is inspired by Rockford.” He goes on to say, “Being Midwestern is a novel thing. Separated from the unlimited possibilities of the ocean, the mind instead focuses on the reality of black dirt and big sky. Neither are we obsessed with the new, like the West, nor old and bound by tradition as is the East.”
“There is a reason that a majority of the revolutionary creativity of this nation comes from the middle, it's because, thankfully, we are forgotten and art is, intrinsically, a solitary process,” says Johansson.
“Several of Johansson’s pieces have imagery of Rockford popular culture imbedded in his visually stimulating works,” says Kortman Gallery director Doc Slafkosky. “In one piece, Symbol’s profile masks a junkyard stack of crushed cars, and in another , a  stylized cow stands in the foreground of Highlander supermarket ad clippings.”
Johansson’s large-scale peices feature life-sized collaged images of “real” people appropriated from a European “swingers” magazine. “These provacative images take on an eye-brow raising sensibilty when seen in such large scale,” says Slafkosky. 
The October 1st and 2nd opening receptions for “Suburban Still Life” by Matthew Johansson will be from 5:00 to 9:00pm on Friday and 3:00 to 9:00pm on Saturday. Johansson’s exhibit is part of the Fall ArtScene weekend. Kortman Gallery is located upstairs at J.R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street, Downtown Rockford. For more information call 815/968-0123 or visit www. jrkortman.com. 

What: “Suburban Still Life” an exhibition of works by Matthew Johansson
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J.R.Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main,               Downtown Rockford
When: Opening receptions, Friday, October 1, 5:00pm-9:00pm.  & Saturday, October 2, 3:00pm to 9:00pm. Gallery open Monday–Saturday,  . Exhibition runs through November 15, 2010.
Free admission. 
Information: 815-968-0123 or www.jrkortman.com

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Posted October 5, 2010
 

Images of "Happy Hour!", an exhibition of exuberant, colorful acrylic paintings by Michelle Dorr

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Here are images of Michelle Dorr's "Happy Hour!" exhibition of colorful acrylic paintings which are on display in the Kortman Gallery through September 27th. All works are available for purchase. The last image in the series of photos are small paintings done for Michelle's handmade jewelry, which can purchased in our store. The video that follows the photo gallery is the artist and her portrait subjects camping it up for Michael LaLoggia's camera at the opening of "Happy Hour!". For more information you can email us at info@jrkortman.com or phone 815/968.0123.

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Posted September 2, 2010