Four Sculptures Installed at Rockford's Davis Park
The installations honor city development leader Diane Voneida, with a fifth sculpture set to follow next week.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Fine Art
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Four sculptures were installed at Davis Park in downtown Rockford, including Bridgeport by John Henry, a 35-foot-tall piece that serves as the centerpiece of the new collection. A fifth sculpture, Anaconda by Barry Tinsley, is scheduled for installation next week.
Why it matters
The collection honors the late Diane Voneida, the City of Rockford's former community development director who helped create Davis Park and left money for it when she died in 2018. Leaders say the sculptures help strengthen the city's tradition of public artwork.
The collection is documented by installation records showing a 35-foot Bridgeport sculpture and a set of five works honoring Voneida, four of which are now in place. The source does not state the total cost of the collection.
The players
Diane Voneida
Voneida served as the City of Rockford's community development director and helped create Davis Park before her death in 2018.
Rockford Art Museum
The Rockford Art Museum is a local institution that loaned sculptures to the Davis Park collection.
Thompson Center
The Thompson Center in Chicago loaned sculptures for the Davis Park installation.
The details
The sculpture collection includes works loaned from the Rockford Art Museum and the Thompson Center in Chicago, including Bridgeport by John Henry, Jellyroll Man by Jerry Peart, Urban Moraine by Barry Tinsley, and Energy Form by Robert Winslow. The exhibit took years to complete and sits within Davis Park, which partially opened in summer 2025 and broke ground on a new area in October 2025.
Timeline
- Davis Park was constructed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with Voneida helping to create it.
- Voneida died in 2018 and left money for Davis Park.
- Davis Park partially opened in summer 2025.
- Davis Park broke ground on a new area in October 2025.
- Anaconda by Barry Tinsley is scheduled for installation next week.
Local Tradition
Leaders say the Davis Park sculptures help strengthen Rockford's tradition of public artwork, a lineage that includes the city's well-known Symbol. The new installations extend that tradition into the downtown park.
Visitors to downtown Rockford can now view four of the five Davis Park sculptures in person at no stated cost. The fifth sculpture, Anaconda, is scheduled to join the collection next week.
The takeaway
The Davis Park collection shows how a single community leader's legacy can shape a city's public spaces for decades. Residents interested in public art can visit the park to see the installations firsthand.
What happens next
Anaconda by Barry Tinsley is scheduled for installation next week at Davis Park.
Further reading
Explore more public art news in the Fine Art section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Rockfordnewsfirst.
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