Rachel Bonacquisti will debut her show “Rockford: Past, Present and Future” from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at The Hub Art Gallery, 522 Seventh St., Rockford. She’s shown here the day before the opening reception. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — When Rachel Bonacquisti returned to the city roughly six years ago she felt like she was restarting her life from scratch.

She had been living in Chicago, pursuing a career in theater while singing in a band, and the move here was one forced upon her by life circumstance rather than choice.

But in restarting her life here, she also rediscovered reasons to find inspiration from Rockford. Now, she’s sharing that energy through a new art exhibit that displays her expressionist portraits of iconic Rockford historic figures alongside present-day residents who are making a positive impact and children who represent the city’s future.

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The show is called “Rockford: Past, Present and Future,” and it opens Friday at The Hub Art Gallery, 522 Seventh St., in Midtown.

“The purpose of the show is to inspire people from Rockford to intentionally look for the good in town, as well as set their own big goals,” she said. “I believe that where you put your attention is where your energy flows.”

A tapestry included in the exhibit challenges visitors to consider: “How big would you dream if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

The series includes 15 portraits, five each from past, present and future. Each takes on a style that befits the subject. For example, a portrait of DJ and hip hop artist Vic Rivera incorporates spray paint reminiscent of graffiti art along with the acrylic on canvas. The portrait of the late Milton Mahlberg, the founding director of the Burpee Museum of Natural History, blends his own handwritten notes and journals into the background.

“There aren’t a lot of artists that you can just see their work and immediately know who they are – she has that signature touch,” said Kelvin Candie, an artist and designer who is the curator at The Hub. “It’s such a privilege that we have this opportunity to see artists before the world catches up to them.”

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The 35-year-old Boylan Catholic High School graduate has only been painting for about six years, starting with portraits of blues musicians she painted shortly before coming here from Chicago.

In Rockford, she turned to painting again as both a creative outlet and a way to cope with the overdose death of her father, Ron, in 2017.

“I was painting in my basement laundry room next to the cat litter, and didn’t really have a lot of money for anything,” she said.

Rachel Bonacquisti’s daughter, Lila Fair, 5, occasionally helps her mother by choosing colors or other elements for her paintings. They are shown on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, before Bonacquisti’s art show premiers the next day at The Hub Art Gallery in Rockford’s Midtown. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Bonacquisti spent the past year surrounding herself with positive role models from around town. In part, she said it was a personal experiment to see how it informed her own life’s goals. It also served as inspiration for the project.

“There’s just something about getting to have a conversation with somebody and seeing their passion come through,” she said. “That ignites a flame within your own spirit and soul to grow.”

She researched the city’s history and met with museum directors and other organization leaders before selecting the five historic figures to portray. It started with Janice Voss, the prolific scientist and NASA astronaut who was raised in Rockford and went on to log nearly 19 million miles in space during 779 orbits of Earth.

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There’s also Robert Tinker, a former Rockford mayor and a founding member of the Rockford Park District, Ray Stewart, the founder of the Rockford Rescue Mission, and Julie Lathrop, a Rockford native who became the first woman to lead a U.S. federal bureau as the director of the U.S. Children’s Bureau

The present day portraits are of artist Norm Knott, Rivera, Medina Odubose, who runs Banana Cherry Bakery, artist Ingrid Dohm and the curator Candie.

“The warmth from the city and getting to know people and what their heart beats for has been the most satisfying thing,” Bonacquisti said.

The portraits of the five children are each accompanied by a quote from the child about something they’re proud to have accomplished. And there’s another touch from youth in the series: Bonacquisti’s 5-year-old daughter, Lila Fair, often helped her mother settle on decisions about color and helped paint one of the ancillary pieces in the exhibit.

Bonacquisti’s artistic expression is often informed by her spiritual life outlook, and she aims to create music and art that will bring joy to people.

In this show, she hopes that joy will help people see the city’s positive side.

“Our human experience is determined by the beliefs we hold about ourselves and about our community,” she said. “If we can shift our internal conversation to supportive and life-affirming claims, or external environment will reflect the same. As within, so without.”


If you go

What: Opening reception for “Rockford: Past, Present and Future”

Where: The Hub Art Gallery, 522 Seventh St., Rockford

When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2. The show then runs the month of December.


This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.

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