Greetings!
Rockford is the 5th largest city in Illinois and is located in the north, near the border to Wisconsin. On a recent 2026 trip, I visited the Rockford Art Museum as well as the Burpee Museum of Natural History. This post is about the art museum.
Since Rockford is neither in downtown Chicago or the outlying suburbs, for organizational purposes I suppose I would roughly group northern Illinois with central Illinois in terms of distance to Chicago.
Other posts I have made for those areas include:
H1: Peoria Zoo
H2: Miller Park Zoo
H3: Scovill Zoo
H4: Rockford Art Museum (this post)
And upcoming posts include:
All of the pictures in this post were taken by me. If you want to use any of my photos, please contact me to first obtain permission. Of course the copyrights to the art itself belongs to the appropriate artists, who I have credited/referenced. If any artists want me to remove images of their work, I will do so.
ROCKFORD ART MUSEUM
711 North Main St
Rockford, IL 61103
Website: https://rockfordartmuseum.org/
Hours:
Thursday - Sunday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Closed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Cost (as of 2026): FREE!
Estimated Time: 30 - 45 minutes.
I spent 40 minutes going through the small local art museum.
SUMMARY
The Rockford Art Museum is a small but free local art museum. The first floor hosts the museum's permanent collection. There is one large gallery space (which you can see in the first two pictures of the post) along with a smaller side room with some additional pieces. There is also a downstairs gallery (broken down into 2-4 sections) which seems to be mainly used for special exhibits.
Most of the artwork is contemporary (i.e. from the 20th or 21st centuries) with a handful of modern pieces from the early 1920's. It's a fairly small museum that you can easily walk through in less than an hour - more likely in about half an hour.
On my visit, the bottom level showcased art by local high school students. Some museum patrons may find it refreshing to see developing talent while other visitors might feel it's not up to their artistic standards. Since I like cute animals, I did appreciate that many of the high school artists had animals as their subject matter.
I would rate the museum at 2 stars. Since it's free, it's worth a look if you are in the area and have some free time. But given its small size and limited scope, it probably wouldn't be worth it if there was an admission cost (i.e. if it was paid admission it would probably be closer to 1 star).
Here is how I would compare the Rockford Art Museum to other art museums:
5 stars:
4 stars:
3 stars:
2 stars:
PERMANENT COLLECTION
The Juggler, 2010
David J. Foster
This sculpture is outside the building and technically belongs to the neighboring Discovery Center Museum.
Yellow Behr, 2014
Welded found steel
Deborah Butterfield
American, b. 1949
Deborah Butterfield first began creating sculpture in the form of a horse in the 1970s using mud, clay and sticks. In 1977, she moved to a ranch in Montana and in 1979 began using scrap metal and found steel. Later, she began making bronze work, cast from "stray, downed pieces of wood." Born and raised in San Diego, Butterfield received her BA and MFA from the University of California, Davis. From the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, she taught sculpture at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and at Montana State University, Bozeman. Since 1976, she has exhibited extensively with more than 50 solo shows at major museums across the country.
A NOTE FROM THE DONORS —
We selected this sculpture to donate to Rockford Art Museum for several reasons. First, the artist, Deborah Butterfield, ranks amongst the top sculptors of our day. Her work is owned by over 100 museums, including some of America's most prestigious; New York's Metropolitan and Whitney, Washington's Hirschhorn, Chicago's Contemporary, and Art Institute, to mention a few. Her work has been acquired by a myriad of America's foremost collectors. Secon the horse is an object all ages can relate to. Third, her ability to use found objects to achieve elegant results is inspirational to art admirers, artists and would be artists. Fourth, the material in this sculpture, like many of her welded horses, came from Joseph Behr & Sons, a scrap yard in Rockford, IL. Finally, in an era where recycling is regarded as essential, what better use of obsolete material to produce a truly beautiful object?
Gift of Lon and Richard Behr
(I had to line up the right shot to get the camel in the background with the horse in the foreground!)
Camel, 1991
Marker and paint on shaped wood panel
Howard Finster
American, 1916 - 2001
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Diane and John Balsley
Playful Private Pricking, 1982
Acrylic on canvas
Ray Yoshida
American, 1930 - 2009
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Rancis and June Spiezer
Rescue 1, 1986
Oil on canvas
Irving Kriesberg
American, 1919 - 2009
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of an anonymous donor
Tashtego, 2003
Oil on canvas
George Klauba
American, b. 1938
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
RAM purchase with generous support of the artist and Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago
Untitled, 1991
Mixed media
Martyl
American, 1918 - 2013
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Francis and June Spiezer
View of the Earth from Outer Space, 1980
Oil on canvas
Roger Brown
American, 1941 - 1997
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Francis and June Spiezer
The Morning Sun, 1920
Oil on canvas
Pauline Palmer
American, 1865 - 1938
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of the Friends of American Art
Her Daughter, 1921
Oil on canvas
Walter Ufer
American, 1876 - 1936
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
RAM purchase with funding from Mrs. L.A. Schultz, Mrs. Walter Forbes, Mrs. George D. Roper, and Mrs. Charles von Weise
(Unlabeled sculpture)
Butterfly, (no date)
Paint and industrial compound on board
Thornton Dial, Jr.
American, b. 1953
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of James Hager
Home Route, 1986
Paper collage, print
Alan Shields
American, 1944 - 2005
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Betty Cleeland
Dancers, 1983 - 1984
Acrylic on canvas
Tony Bechara
American, 1942 - 2025
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Bequest of R. Del Hillman
Untitled from the series Landing Practice, 1984
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Michiko Itatani
American (b. Japan), 1948
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of The Behr, Bremner and Miller Families
#35, 1998
Egg tempera on panel
Rebecca Shore
American, b. 1950
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Francis and June Spiezer
Tudor, 1976
Color lithograph, ed. 33 / 35
Ed Paschke
American, 1939 - 2004
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Barbara and Harold Klawans
Halle, 2008
Oil on canvas
Karena Karras
American
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Francis and June Spiezer
Self-Portrait in Limbo, 2001
Oil on canvas
Julie Heffernan
American, b. 1956
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Jeff Stevens
Red Sweeney, 1975
Oil on canvas
Ed Paschke
American, 1939 - 2004
Collection of Rockford Art Museum
Gift of Francis and June Spiezer
85TH ANNUAL YOUNG ARTIST SHOW – HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
Grade level is shown in parentheses after the artist name.
Nala
Scratchboard, ink
Kendall Boyle (10)
Oregon
Rockford Art Museum (RAM) Staff Choice
Burrowing Owl
Scratchboard
Mia D'Alessio (11)
Huntley
Maurice the Parrot
Scratchboard, ink
Cynthia Montes-Vera (10)
Oregon
Plume
Colored pencil
Lida Luangsisongkham (11)
Jefferson
Unexpected Beauty
Marker, colored pencil
Valerye Valencia-Moya (10)
Jefferson
We Don't Own Planet Earth
Linocut relief, rubber stamp
Milla Korneski (10)
Keith Country Day
Girl's Bestfriend
Watercolor, colored pencil
Eliana Wisniewski (12)
Rockford Christian
Domesticated
Acrylic
Joslyn Cnota (12)
Belvidere
Fragments of Me
Charcoal, chalk pastel, gel pen
Joceline Thatsanaphon (12)
Boylan Catholic
Feminine Pressure
Ink pen
Emma Gibson (11)
Hononegah
Childhood
Graphite
Mari Rager (10)
Oregon
Untitled
Acrylic
Lauren Harris (10)
Ashton-Franklin Center
Grace
Watercolor
MacKenna Oman (11)
Guilford
Moth
Soft pastel
Cayli Hanson (12)
Harlem
Ying and Yang
Soft pastel
Karina Alfonso (12)
Harlem
The Familiars Blossom
Copper, patina
Juryddia Paredes-Martinez (11)
Guilford
Unleashing My Inner Wolf
Copper, patina
Mia Gutierrez (11)
Guilford
Mr. Aqua
Clay, resin, wood, acrylic
Daeshia Palmer (12)
Oregon
Skittles the Leopard
Acrylic, ceramic
Maliyah Markese (10)
Hononegah
Midnight Flowers
Earthenware clay, mixed media
Hailey Adams (11)
Guilford
Cat with Stash
Ceramic
Emily Bostler (12)
Huntley
Hurt
Pastel
Uncovering
Pastel
Release
Charcoal
Avoiding Reality
Pastel
Charmed
Pastel
Mily Sigala (12)
Jefferson
Portfolio Award
Serenity
Digital photography
Vanessa Vazquez (12)
Huntley
Japanscape
Colored pencil
Eliana Wisniewski (12)
Rockford Christian
Japanese Garden
Pastel
Luciana Herrera (11)
Huntley
Valley of Painted Light
Watercolor, colored pencil
Rowyn Johnson (12)
Guilford
The Feast of Fools
IBIS Paint
Nahlie Duran (10)
Beloit Memorial
Temporary Imprints
Oil
Skylar Feely (12)
Huntley
Honorable Mention
Sandy Cheeks
Acrylic
Liliana Demonica (12)
Huntley
Grasp
Chalk pastel, Prismacolor pencil
Leilani Mejia-Campos (12)
Beloit Memorial
Color Field 1
Digital photography
Sal Eaton (12)
Beloit Memorial
Motorcycle
Charcoal
Brayden Velez (10)
Auburn
Tied
Ink, colored pencil, tempera
Rachel Fisher (11)
Jefferson
$11,000
Ceramic
Brooklyn Socha (12)
Rockford Christian
Best 3D
Aging Gracefully
Cardboard, spackle, found objects
Bella Biggs (12)
Rochelle Township
Blanket of Music
Yarn
Liliana Petitt Martinez (11)
Keith Country Day
2026 Women's Art Board (WAB) Award
GIFT SHOP
Naked Decor Three Cats and Frida Kahlo Tea Towel
$15
Dog Wine/Whiskey Decanter
$50
Naked Decor Van Gogh and Three Cats Cheeky Tote Bag
$25
Little Thinkers Frida Kahlo Doll
$25
Naked Decor Three Cats and Frida Kahlo Cheeky Tote Bag
$25
