Art on the Rocks: A 60's Retro Cocktail Event

Description

Midcentury Modern style sets the tone for the Riverfront Museum’s upcoming Nov. 7 event, “Art on the Rocks,” a retro 60’s cocktail party that celebrates Illinois women artists. The theatrical affair, served in conjunction with the “Making Their Mark: Illinois Women Artists, 1940 to 1960” exhibition, is part of the museum’s fall-winter celebration of Illinois women artists and influencers.
 
Art on the Rocks will feature signature cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, light jazz music and costumed interpreters – played by local actors and artists – who will portray the Illinois artists represented in the “Making Their Mark” exhibition.
 
All museum exhibits will be open for Art on the Rocks, which will take place in the main lobby. Local musicians Paul Conner (guitar) and Stacie Bertram (vocals) of P.S. Jazz, along with Mike Nellas (bass) will perform for the event. Guests are encouraged to attend dressed in retro 60’s fashion, à la “Mad Men.”
 
Art on the Rocks: A 60’s Retro Cocktail Event takes place Sat., Nov. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $45 per person ($40 each for museum members). Two drinks are included with the ticket; a cash bar is available. The event is open to all members of the museum and public. RSVP by Nov. 2 to the museum event coordinator at 309-863-3060. Tickets are also available online at ArtOnTheRocksPRM.eventbrite.com.
 
Along with “Making Their Mark: Illinois Women Artists, 1940 to 1960” – which features more than 70 works including those of Chicago and Peoria artists – the museum is exhibiting “Gypsy Coeds ride the Silver Streak,” which spotlights the achievements of a group of young Bradford, Ill. women who drove a 1926 Model T each summer, from 1934 to 1942, across the US and into Canada and Mexico. Both exhibits run through Jan. 17. A display on Peorian Betty Friedan, co-founder of the National Organization of Women (NOW) and author of The Feminine Mystique (1963) will run through Feb. 21.
 
For more information about the event or exhibitions, call 686-7000 or visit RiverfrontMuseum.org.
 
Making Their Mark: Illinois Women Artists, 1940-1960
“Making Their Mark: Illinois Women Artists, 1940-1960,” explores how Midwest women artists have helped to define modern art worldwide as the United States became the cultural and political center of the Western world. The artwork these women created during the 1940s and 50s is often highly personal, subjective and politically charged. Several of the 70-plus works on display are by Peoria artists, including Maryruth Ginn, Nita Sutherland, Ramona Gibbs, Maurine Montgomery Gibbs and Irene Wade Montgomery. Illinois Women Artists Project (IWA) director Channy Lyons serves as guest curator.
 
Gypsy Coeds Ride the Silver Streak
“Gypsy Coeds Ride the Silver Streak” follows the story of a changing group of young Bradford, Illinois women who gained fame by travelling each summer in a 1926 Ford Model T coast-to-coast across the United States and into Canada and Mexico from 1934 and 1942. The original Silver Streak is on display in the exhibit, owned by the son of one of the Coeds, John Butte, author of Darlene's Silver Streak and The Bradford Model T Girls (available in the museum store).
 
Riverfront Museum
Peoria Riverfront Museum features changing art, science and local history exhibits, a planetarium, giant screen theater and IHSA interactive gallery. We are the collaborative effort of eight organizations, with nearly 500 years of combined experience educating Central Illinoisans. Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning for all - connecting art, history, science and achievement through collections, exhibitions and programs. Smithsonian affiliated. For more info visit: RiverfrontMuseum.org.