By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Arts abound this week in the Rockford area with a host of things to do to awaken your inner artist.
You could do yoga in the Rockford Art Museum‘s main gallery, explore unsettling art at 317 Art Collective, paint pottery at The Pottery Lounge, check out a new exhibit at Kortman Gallery or see art in the snow at Sinnissippi Park.
Those are just a few samplings of activities this week, ranging from art to music and sports events. Here are 15 ideas for things to do this week.
Do yoga in an art gallery
Artist and yoga instructor Rhiannon Yandell will lead a 60-minute, vinyasa-style yoga practice suitable for all ability levels in the main gallery of the Rockford Art Museum.
Quick facts:
When: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9
Where: Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St., Rockford
Admission: $20; $17 for art museum members
Info: rockfordartmuseum.org/event/yoga-in-the-gallery-feb-9
Related: 815 Yoga Collective to expand with more holistic services at Edgebrook in Rockford
Test your Golden Girls knowledge
Rock Valley Pub Trivia will host “Golden Girls” trivia night at the Rockford Indoor City Market.
Quick facts:
When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8
Where: Rockford Indoor City Market, 116 N. Madison St., Rockford
Admission: $5
Tickets: Go here
Are you ready for yetis?
Rockton Yeti Fest takes over village this week starting Wednesday. You can put on a onsie and do a pub crawl on Friday, or take the kids on a hot cocoa crawl on Saturday. There are also dog-sled demonstrations, snow sculpting, a yeti scavenger hunt and yeti dance.
Quick facts:
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Settlers Park, 150 Hawick St., Rockton
Info: Check out the various times of all the different events at Facebook.com/RocktonYetiFest
Awaken your creative spirit
Inscape Collective will host its Valentine Pop-Up Workshop led by artist Jane McMillan, who has been an active art and design instructor for more than 20 years. Attendees will work with printmaking and painting medium while exploring color, texture and 3-D forms.
Quick facts:
When: 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11
Where: Inscape Community Room, 201 Seventh St., Rockford
Admission: $20
To register: Email inscapecollective@gmail.com
See Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts
Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts will perform Saturday at Prairie Street Brewing Co. Kelly Steward will perform as the opening act, and there’s an after party with DJ Acid.
Quick facts:
When: 7 p.m. doors open; 8 p.m. Kelly Steward; 9 p.m. Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts; 11 p.m. DJ Acid
Where: Prairie Street Brewing Co., 200 Prairie St., Rockford
Admission: Tickets start at $20 in advance
Tickets and info: psbrewingco.com/event/miles-nielsen-the-rusted-hearts
Dance your heart out
Groove to the music under the guidance of Line Dancing with Jen, or take a walk on a candlelit prairie path, make Valentine’s Day cards and enjoy treats and drinks at Nature at the Confluence.
Quick facts:
When: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10
Where: Nature at the Confluence, 306 Dickop St., South Beloit
Admission: $7
Info/tickets: natureattheconfluence.com/event/dance-your-heart-out
Explore unsettling art
317 Art Colllective will host the opening reception of its next exhibition, Bleeding Hearts & Scavenged Parts, which explores the strange, fantastic and unsettling art of the grotesque.
Work on display will include distorted forms, caricatured expressions and misplaced body parts with a spirit of mischief and wonder. The works are meant to invoke empathy and disgust while injecting a bit of humor.
Quick facts:
When: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 for the opening reception and pop-up market
Where: 317 Market St., Rockford
Admission: Free
Artists: Angie Cornelius, Angie Loptien, Brad Cahill, Christian Herbie Clarke, Dustin Damiani, Jaymes Fedor, Jesus Correa, Joseph Krutza, Karl Jahnke, Kate Mayo, Laura Gomel, Margaret McGraw, Mic Steede, Nikki Hollander, Peter Swanson, Sheridan McGuire, Solvej Jordahl, and Sya Ryn.
Curator: Rhiannon Yandell
Hear music with no bad vibes
Old Dominion brings its No Bad Vibes Tour to Rockford at the BMO Center.
Quick facts:
When: 6:30 p.m. doors open, 7:30 p.m. event starts on Friday, Feb. 10
Where: BMO Center, 300 Elm St., Rockford
Tickets: ticketmaster.com/event/04005D4CD48449AF
Read between the wines
Maze Books will host a Valentine’s Day-themed literature and wine pairing that invites attendees to try six to eight selections of wines, each of which is paired with short literary pieces on the subject of love. The work will be read by local writers.
Quick facts:
When: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11
Where: Maze Books, 117 S. Third St., Rockford
Admission: Free
Paint and participate in Galentine’s Day trivia
Paint pottery while participating in three rounds of trivia focused on “chick flicks” such as “The Notebook,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Mean Girls” and other movies.
Quick facts:
When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10
Where: The Pottery Lounge, 6059 E. State St., Rockford
Admission: $10
Tickets and info: Go here
See art in the snow
The annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition runs Wednesday through Saturday at Sinnissippi Park. Teams from around the state will compete to represent Illinois in the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition in 2024. There is also a high school division.
The sculptors finish their work on Saturday, at which time you can walk or drive through the park to view the art for as long as it lasts until it melts.
Quick facts:
When: Wednesday through Saturday; voting is 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday and winners are announced at 1 p.m. Saturday
Info: ilsnowsculpting.com
See art that goes beyond the lens
Rockford artists Penny McGuire and Summer Wagner will debut their new exhibit “Photography reimagined” on Friday at Kortman Gallery.
Quick facts:
When: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10. After the opening reception the exhibit will run through March 31.
Where: Kortman Gallery inside the J.R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 N. Main St., Rockford
Information: 815-968-0123; jrkortman.com
No trick, free hat at the Hogs game
The first 1,500 fans to Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Admirals will get a free hat designed by defender Adam Clendening.
Quick facts:
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11
Where: BMO Center, 300 Elm St., Rockford
Info/tickets: icehogs.com/schedule
Stroll through Discovery Town
Stroll the streets of Discovery Town, a kid-sized city where children are the shopkeepers and the grownups are the customers at Discovery Center Museum. Take your pet to the vet clinic for a checkup, see a theatrical performance, enjoy a pizza, board a plane, fight a fire, skate at the town park and more.
Quick facts:
When: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11
Where: Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St., Rockford
Admission: $11
Info: discoverycentermuseum.org/all-events/event/3356-discovery-town-opening
Learn how dinosaurs find love
Romance isn’t just for humans this weekend at the Burpee Museum of Natural History. In this 60-minute art class for adults you can learn about the weird and wonderful ways paleontologists think dinosaurs wowed potential partners.
Quick facts:
When: 11 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11
Where: Burpee Museum of Natural History, 737 N. Main St., Rockford
Admission: $15 or $2 for members
Info: burpee.org/art-earth
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas