The Element Rockford

Custom Search

Home Projects Creative Resources (coming soon) Rockford Events Calendar Contact

	What are we up to in Rockford?
	First Fridays: The first Friday of each month, from 5 p.m. to midnight, a collaboration between The ELEMENT and downtown businesses features a variety of music, food and visual art in downtown Rockford. From its origins last summer, First Fridays now includes an original comedy show at the Sullivan Theater, a monthly opening of the Emerging Visual Artist Project juried show at Kryptonite, and music and art in 15 venues throughout downtown. The event has grown in attendance and number of venues over this winter and First Fridays is receiving favorable reviews from both venues and patrons. We’re grateful to SwedishAmerican Health System for the financial support they provide First Fridays and The ELEMENT.
	The Artspace Project: Last year the ELEMENT commissioned a market survey from Artspace of Minneapolis to determine the level of interest that artists within the region might have in moving to downtown Rockford to live and work. The survey results were very strong, showing support for a mixed use development with 60 rental live/work units, 18 studio spaces and 5,000 sq. ft. of commercial space. Given the city’s financial constraints, The ELEMENT decided to pursue a unique approach to developing this artist housing. We envision the project as three separate buildings, two smaller developments of 8 to 12 units each, with some commercial and studio space, depending on the building’s location, and a larger development of up to 40 units. After months of effort, The ELEMENT is now close to having working agreements with both a private development partner and Artspace. The ELEMENT will begin working with the City Council and the administration to finally make the dream of affordable artist housing in downtown Rockford a reality.
	The ELEMENT Brand: The ELEMENT brand resulted from a two-month design process led by Medicine Man Design and several members of the Network. The ELEMENT logo and design themes have been embraced both by members of Rockford’s arts community and the community in general. The ELEMENT continues expanding its presence and communicating its activities via two active Facebook sites and regular email blasts to more than 1,700 individuals. The ELEMENT is now asked for marketing assistance by artists and downtown establishments on a regular basis and is happy to provide such support for its partners in making downtown Rockford thrive.
	The Business of Art: A new dimension for The ELEMENT in 2011,The Business of Art is assisting artists to become more profitable and marketable. The Business of Art project includes a number of programs. Among them are the Emerging Visual Artist Project, the Music Project, a Virtual Arts Incubator, and developing the video and film industry in the Rockford region. More successful artists will contribute significantly to making Rockford become a regional arts destination. These are the types of programs other cities offer that make them attractive living destinations for artists and other creative professionals.
	Creative Spaces: Creative Spaces is new approach for The ELEMENT in marketing real estate in the Arts & Cultural District and TIF districts throughout the city. We’ll have both a website and Facebook page showing residential, studio and commercial spaces available throughout our designated areas. The website will have a map for location of properties and links to the realtors’ and owners’ websites. The ELEMENT will work with the city and property owners to host special events under the Creative Spaces banner, replacing the Great Downtown Open House efforts of the past couple of years.
	The ELEMENT School for the Arts: The ELEMENT School for the Arts is working with the Rock River Development Partnership to bring classes to the Millennium Center, focused on serving youth and families as a first priority. The ELEMENT is also working with the Rockford Housing Authority to create a program to bring art classes to RHA residents, initially focusing on classes for children. The start of the community school has been a challenge but with space now available classes may begin this summer.
	The Mural Project: The ELEMENT worked with the City of Rockford to identify sites for “mural postcards” that are 4’ by 8’ pieces of art. Currently four murals are placed at the corner of Avon and West State streets. The design of the postcards allows them to be gathered together to form several collages representative of Rockford art talent. The first murals were painted by ELEMENT volunteers led by Ms. Tabatha Dougherty. These murals will be in place on West State until July of this year and then be moved to new locations.
	Planning to Bail Since 1836: A unique compilation of songs written and recorded by Rockford area artists, this is, perhaps, the first such compilation in more than 20 years. It includes songs by Emily Hurd, Donkey Boy, Starlite Radio, Joie De Vivre, Ernie Hendrickson and Miles Nielsen.