FORUM SERIES

The Rockford University Forum Series presents speakers in a variety of disciplines who have achieved success both nationally and locally, and performers of stature in the arts. The Forum Series’ central programming focus is geared toward students, while also seeking to connect campus to the local community. Lectures and performances are concerned with intellectual, social, and cultural matters of general interest to deepen and broaden students’ education at Rockford University and enhance the rich culture of Rockford.

Forum Series presenters and events cover a broad spectrum of scope and genre. Events have included the Tibetan lamas from Drepung Loseling Monastery and their creation of a mandala—a sacred sand painting; Holocaust survivor Zev Kedem, the compelling speaker who worked with Steven Spielberg on the movie Schindler’s List; Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on a Central American Peace Plan; quadriplegic Olympic bronze medal rugby player Mark Zupan; film documentarian Barbara Martinez Jitner, who produced “La Frontera;” Davar Ardalan, author of “My Name is Iran;” and traditional University events like the President’s Opening Convocation, Charter Day Convocation, and theater productions.

Admission is free for students* but tickets are required for Performing Arts and Sports events. Gallery shows, Performing Arts Senior Seminars, and Recitals do not require tickets. Please contact the Box Office at 815-226-4100 for additional information. To request and reserve tickets, please email BoxOffice@rockford.edu.

*Except mainstage theatre performances for the general public (tickets can be purchased by visiting ticketor.com/rockforduniversity; Rockford University students receive one free ticket to each Performing Arts event upon request with valid ID by visiting the box office or emailing boxoffice@rockford.edu. 

The Forum Series presents both Home Grown and Marquee events on the Rockford University campus in multiple locations. Please refer to the campus map for help finding venues if needed. https://www.rockford.edu/about/campusmap/

For further information on some of the events below and additional athletic schedules, please use one of the links below:

-Gallery shows https://www.rockford.edu/artslectures/artgallery/ Current gallery hours: Wed 3-5pm, Fri 12-3pm or contact Ari Norris at anorris@rockford.edu 

-Performing Arts Programs https://www.rockford.edu/artslectures/performingarts/

-Athletics Department, teams, and team schedule info https://rockfordregents.com/index.aspx

Spring 2025 Lineup

Forum Marquee Event
Homage to the Square: A Celebration of the Format Championed by Josef Albers
On Display: January 27- February 28, 2025
Reception: Friday, February 21, 6:00-8:00pm
RU Art Gallery, Clark Arts Center

Beginning 75 years ago in 1950 until his death in 1976, Josef Albers produced over 1,000 paintings in his Homage to the Square series in the pursuit of teaching the mechanics of vision, color theory, and to “show a viewer how to see.” Albers enacted these works through experimentation, both pictorially and physically, using nontraditional techniques and art materials in order to provide particular visual sensations through color and surface. In the Rockford University Art Gallery’s presentation of Homage to the Square, contemporary and historical examples of sixteen artist’s utilization of the square are deliberately juxtaposed against one another in what culminates into a visually exciting grouping not otherwise unified by category, media, or theme; but altogether carry the echo of Albers’ intent to offer new tools of visual perception through innovation, color, and material play. Pictured: Judy Ledgerwood “Among Friends

Artists included: Trinity Bavaria (NYC), John Breitweiser (Palm Desert, CA), Carl Hayano (Grand Rapids, MI), Richard Hunt (Chicago, IL), Käthe Kollwitz (GER), Judy Ledgerwood (Chicago, IL), Violet Luczak (Chicago, IL), Kelsea Nichols (Birmingham, AL), Patricia Opel (Pentwater, MI), Nina Rizzo (Chicago, IL), David Russick (Milwaukee, WI), Bradley Simmons (Urbana, IL), Simon Tashimoto (NYC), Frank Trankina (Chicago, IL), Nick Wilkinson (Los Osos, CA), Joseph Miller Wood III (DeKalb, IL)

Performing Arts Voice Recital
Monday February 10, 2025, 4pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center                                          This event is free and open to the public

Blithe Spirit
February 22 – 23, 2025 (Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 pm; Sunday 2 pm)
Cheek Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Director, Prof. Deborah Mogford

A smash comedy hit in London and New York, this much-revived classic from the playwright of Private Lives concerns fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, who has remarried but finds himself haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, Elvira. Clever, insistent and well aware of Charles’ shortcomings, Elvira is called up by a visiting “happy medium,” the eccentric and flighty Madame Arcati. As everyone’s personalities clash, Charles’ current wife, Ruth, still unable to see Elvira, is furious that Charles continues to chat with this “Blithe Spirit.” As tempers continue to run high, this story is a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist. “Blithe Spirit” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Men’s Basketball Senior Day
Saturday February 22, 2025, 1pm game
Ceremony 12:30pm, vs. Illinois Institute of Technology
Seaver Center, Rockford University
Help recognize those senior students playing their last home game(s) by coming out to cheer them on!

Women’s Basketball Senior Day
Game and Ceremony TBA
Seaver Center, Rockford University
Help recognize those senior students playing their last home game(s) by coming out to cheer them on!

Charter Day Convocation
Rescue Stories
Monday February 24, 2025, 4pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Ars Center
Celebrate 178 years of education from Rockford Female Seminary to Rockford College to Rockford University when RU President Dr. Patricia Lynott hosts an encore performance of Rescue Stories scripted and directed by RU’s own Professor Emeritus Rufus Cadigan and starring RU performing arts students.

Drawn from a chapter in We Are a College at War: Women Working for Victory in World War II, this dramatic reading traces the experiences of several people whose lives were saved—in one way or another—by Rockford College during the war. Prof. Cadigan worked with the book’s authors, Dr. Mary Weaks-Baxter, Prof. Emerita Chris Bruun, and Dr. Catherine Forslund to create this narrative about the power of the institution in a variety of lives that was first performed for Charter Day in February, 2020.

Northside Brass Music—Forum Marquee Event
Monday, February 24, 2025, 7pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Join our lively concert by a brass quintet from Chicago’s premiere live music company, whose repertoire goes beyond classical pieces to embrace a rich variety of genres, catering to diverse audiences with arrangements ranging from the latest hits to timeless jazz standards. Founded in 2014 by DePaul School of Music alumnus Ryan Hobbs, the company combines world-class talent with a passion for creating unforgettable musical experiences driven by a passion to explore and express the depths of musical artistry.

America’s Hidden Constitutional Crisis—Forum Marquee Event
Russ Feingold, President – American Constitution Society
Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 7pm
Regents Hall, Burpee Center
Join us for a panel discussion with former US Senator from Wisconsin Russ Feingold about his 2022 book The Constitution in Jeopardy: An Unprecedented Effort to Rewrite Our Fundamental Law. He will be joined by Dr. Ron Lee, Chair of the RU Political Science, Sociology, and Criminal Justice Department, Prof. Evan Bernick from Northern Illinois Law School and Joseph D. Kearney, Dean of the Marquette University Law School. The discussion will focus on the imminent call by various states for a Constitutional Convention and its impact on personal and civil rights, businesses, state and local governments, agriculture, education, plus financial and national security.
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Forum Marquee Event
Actual Size Artworks Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades
On Display: March 10-April 18, 2025
Friday, April 11, 6:00-8:00pm Reception, Artists’ talk at 7pm
(pictured: ASA “Magical Thinking” Rockford, IL)
Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades are sculptors who work individually and as part of Actual Size Artworks, a collaborative team. They are committed to the idea of artist as citizen and believe in the transformative potential of artwork in the community. Their work is characterized by a strong profile, a sense of humor, and excellent craftsmanship. Their goal is to create artwork that engages its audience in a lively and intelligent manner and contributes to a dynamic, memorable public space. They believe that artwork can highlight and interpret a community, help clarify a busy and visually dense space, and create a space for imagination and possibility.

Simpson has an MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is originally from Chicago. Her individual work expresses her interest in the intersection between the built and natural environment. Georgiades is originally from Pittsburgh, PA and has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from University of Michigan. His sculptures use salvaged building materials and objects, related to issues of adaptability and the changing nature of work, usefulness and ambition. His work can be seen at Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago. Both artists reside in Stoughton, Wisconsin and are both emeritus professors at the University of Wisconsin– Madison.

Performing Arts Voice Recital                                      Monday, March 17 14, 4pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center

This event is free and open to the public.

Men’s Volleyball Senior Day
Date/time TBA
Seaver Center
Help recognize those senior students playing their last home game(s) by coming out to cheer them on!

The Prom
April 10-13, 2025 (Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 pm, Sunday 2 pm)
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Director, Prof. Marissa Barnathan
Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So, when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. The town’s parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow—but when one student just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny. On a mission to transform lives, Broadway’s brassiest join forces with a courageous girl and the town’s citizens and the result is love that brings them all together. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, The Prom expertly captures all the humor and heart of a classic musical comedy with a message that resonates with audiences now more than ever. The Prom is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.theatricalrights.com.

Performing Arts Voice Recital
Monday April 14, 2025, 4pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
This event is free and open to the public.

Performing Arts Senior Seminar
Saturday April 19, 2025, 7:30pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Graduating senior students present their work for completion of their degrees in a free public performance.

BFA Senior Exhibition
Madison Hamilton, Kyree Jackson, & Kristen Kramp
On Display: April 25-May 10, 2025
Reception: Friday, April 25, 6:00-8:00pm
Please join the RU Art Faculty at the reception for the BFA Exhibition, the capstone showcase featuring works by students earning Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees in Studio Art at Rockford University.

Softball Senior Day Celebration
Saturday April 26, 2025, Doubleheader starting at Noon, ceremony time 11:30am
RU Campus Softball Field

Help recognize those senior students playing their last home season by coming out to cheer them on!

Performing Arts Senior Seminar
Saturday April 26, 2025, 7:30pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Graduating senior students present their work for completion of their degrees in a free public performance.

Performing Arts Voice Recital
Monday April 28, 2025, 4pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
This event is free and open to the public.

Baseball Senior Day Celebration
Date/Time TBA
RU Campus Baseball Field

Spring Choral Concert
May 2, 2025 7:30 pm
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center
Director/Conductor, Prof. Timm Adams
The year-end spring concert featuring multiple Rockford University choirs and a wide range of choral music. Watch this space for more details!