RACVB - CRE8IV: Transformation Art

Art that strengthens communities and enhances Rockford

JOHN GROH Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Breau

As you’ve traveled around our cities and throughout Winnebago County, you’ve likely spied one of the many murals and sculptures – more than 80 –that enhance our region, providing joy for residents and visitors alike. Keep your eyes peeled for even more art installations coming in 2023. And to make it easier for the art audience to locate and appreciate these works, we are introducing a selfguided public arts trail.

Once completed this summer, RACVB’s “CRE8IV: Transformation Art” murals will be in seven of the 14 wards in the City of Rockford. Additional murals are showcased in Rockton, Roscoe, Loves Park and Pecatonica. CRE8IV (pronounced creative with a play on the region’s primary area code) is a community-building, arts-infused program launched in 2019 as part of RACVB’s placemaking and public art efforts. But we can’t do it alone. CRE8IV is possible thanks to the incredible partners and sponsors, including the Painters District Council No. 30, Local 607, who prepare the mural walls for the artists. (Please visit gorockford.com/ cre8iv for a complete list of sponsors.)

Our new self-guided arts trail is designed to help residents and visitors more fully experience the creative placemaking efforts in the Rockford region. The trail will include CRE8IV art projects, along with the iconic murals and sculptures added by our partners.

In addition, RACVB is collaborating on an effort led by the Rockford Area Arts Council and the City of Rockford to commission and install mini-murals on 50 signal boxes (often referred to as utility boxes) along city streets in each of the city’s 14 wards.

RACVB’s work in beautification and creative placemaking has been a hallmark of our destination development efforts since 2014, and we’re truly proud of how the initiative has blossomed (pun intended).

Development of our public spaces into creative experiences helps residents and visitors not only “see” our communities differently, but it also allows them to “feel” their surroundings. Perhaps you were on a walk and took notice of an area – maybe there was a bench, great landscaping or a sculpture – and felt a connection. Maybe you thought, “That looks like a great place to reflect, read a book or have coffee with a friend.” Or maybe you were on a drive and felt an urge to stop and take a selfie because the background would be amazing on Instagram.

According to Americans for the Arts, creative placemaking is generally understood as the use of arts and culture by diverse partners to strategically shape the physical and social character of a place to spur economic development, promote enduring social change, provide a sense of safety and improve the physical environment.

For example, a mural, busker or sculpture can shape a place, converting an under-utilized area into something more useful, safe and vibrant. Placemaking can turn a vacant parking lot into a soccer field or transform an overgrown lot into a place for lending libraries, chess games or live music.

Creative placemaking projects attract people, which, in turn, encourages gatherings and builds communities. Eventually, these more appealing spaces attract new businesses, housing options and other amenities – development blossoms.

Call it creative kismet (or good strategy) – public art and placemaking are good for the community and for our destination. As we look to grow our region as a great place to live and visit, RACVB will continue to expand creative placemaking throughout Winnebago County. In the days ahead, be sure to follow GoRockford on Facebook and Instagram for a first look at the new CRE8IV murals and mini-murals as they are created and installed.

The views expressed are those of Groh and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce