ROCKFORD A new fashion collection, “Ingoma,” officially dropped this month.
Local artist Kelvin Candie said The High and Mighty celebrates his Malawi heritage and also is a love letter to Rockford.
“This brand is for everybody,” he said. “We wanted something that was versatile enough that (anyone) could wear it, even your grandma.”
The Ingoma collection is for men and women and includes dresses, skirts, track pants, sweatshirts, crop tops and more. Candie said as he designed he also had plus-sized women in mind to be more “inclusive.”
The artist-turned-fashion-designer, said it’s always been his dream to own a brand. The High and Mighty wasn’t his original creation, but the former owner, Mario Martinez, gave it to him as a gift.
Dorothy Paige-Turner can be described as sort of well a renaissance woman.
In addition to singing and being a retired teacher, she writes books, poetry and plays, leads a number of youth art initiatives, speaks French and has received many awards for her work throughout the years. She was also inducted into the Rockford Fine Arts Coalition 2020 Hall of Fame.
Paige-Turner grew up in Arkansas. She said she had dreams of becoming an opera singer.
“I am classically trained. I mean, I have a degree in music education, special emphasis in voice, and I sang opera,” she explained,” “and I wanted to be the next Leontyne Price.”
RAAC announces Poetry Out Loud winners
Rockford Register Star
ROCKFORD The Rockford Area Arts Council recently announced the winners of its Poetry Out Loud regional competition.
Representing Jefferson High School, Raeanna Tremethick took first place and Emma Carmona took second place. The first and second place winners of this competition advance and submit videos to the virtual Illinois state competition. Winners will be announced March 8.
The state champions will advance to the national semi-finals to be held May 2. The finals will be held May 27, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.
The competition, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council Agency, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.
West Side Show Room receives grants
Rockford Register Star
ROCKFORD The West Side Show Room was recently awarded grants to offset class fees and ensure its Equity Diversity Inclusion Workshops are accessible to everyone in the Rockford area arts community.
The Show Room has used the COVID-19 downtime to develop an educational program to benefit the community. EDI Workshops For The Arts gives local arts leaders and participants a common language to help address racial and social inequities in the arts.
Locally, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and Rockford Area Arts Council have both awarded grant money for the workshops. A statewide Healing Illinois Grant, developed through a partnership between the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Chicago Community Trust, was also received. The Show Room is one of only a few from the stateline area to receive a Healing Illinois Grant.
Rockford art community leaders prioritizing equity and diversity in 2021
Unmute
ROCKFORD (WREX) After a year of racial reckoning in our community, artists in Rockford say changes need to be made to ensure everyone has equitable access to the arts. Historically, the arts have been primarily accessible by white people, says West Side Show Room Artistic Director Mike Werckle.
He says covid-19 shut down the performing arts, and that down time turned into a time of reflection for the Rockford art community; that the racial reckoning our community faced in 2020 has put a spotlight on ways we can all do better to address injustices and social inequalities.