Happy 4th of July!

Museum galleries are open today from 10 AM to 5 PM with free admission.

Charlie Beffa

“Freezing (Lake Mendota)”

Gift of the Beffa family in memory of Charlie Beffa

Charlie Beffa (American, 1924–1999) was a lifelong amateur photographer and longtime member of the Rockford Art Association, now Rockford Art Museum. He started taking photos in the 1940s and was a founding member of the Rockford Lens and Shutter Club, now the Rockford Photo Club (RPC), in 1947, serving as president, treasurer, secretary, and more over the years. He received the club’s annual Award for Excellence in Photography in 1959, 1974 and 1979 and Photographer of the Year in 1984. Beffa participated in photographic shows and contests where he won many awards, from first to honorable mention, for his black and white photographic work. He also helped create the Snappers, a small group of retirees (and RPCC members) who traveled around Rockford and the surrounding area taking pictures. Beffa once said he liked black and white photography because it required a better eye for contrast–and was much easier (and less expensive) to develop and print in his darkroom at home.