New Quad City Arts Photography Exhibit Opens, Reception Tonight

A new black-and-white photography exhibit is opening tonight at Quad City Arts in downtown Rock Island, with a free reception at 6:30 p.m., in conjunction with Alternating Currents.

A photo in the Quad City Arts exhibit by Judith Eastburn of Des Moines.

Through Oct. 8, Quad City Arts presents black & white photography by Mike Leinhauser and Judith Eastburn. Tonight’s reception, in the gallery at 1715 2^nd Ave., will include the artists, and refreshments will be served. Due to new guidance from the CDC for areas with rising Covid transmission levels, Quad City Arts recommends that everyone wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.

Mike Leinhauser, of Bettendorf, presents 51 portraits taken over 51 years of practice as a photographer.

“A portrait captures something about the person that is part of what or who they are, their manner, habits, gestures, etc. that would identify how you know them,” he says in a Quad City Arts release. “I don’t believe that portraits must show faces to be a portrait, even though many do. Look at my portrait ‘Gary,’ no face shown, but it tells you a lot about Gary.” Leinhauser uses humor to put people at ease, which enables him to capture their personality.

Judith Eastburn, Des Moines, presents a series of photographs called “Elevators and Open Spaces.” Her images are gelatin silver prints, printed from negatives in the darkroom.

“I believe we are profoundly affected by the landscape of our childhood,” Eastburn says in the release. “It establishes our sense of space and

A photo in the Quad City Arts exhibit by Mike Leinhauser of Bettendorf.

how we fit into it, and we recognize as familiar those places encountered later in life which resemble it.” The landscapes of her youth in southeast Iowa serve as her point of reference when she photographs other parts of the world. “I think Iowa and its openness made me aware of the horizon and sensitive to smaller variations in the land’s surface.”

Both artists’ works can be viewed and purchased online at https://www.quadcityarts.com/rock-island-gallery.html

Quad City Arts is a nonprofit local arts agency dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the region through the arts. Support for art exhibitions is provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Quad City Arts Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.quadcityarts.com.

Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner has been covering the Quad-Cities arts scene for 25 years, first as a reporter with the Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, and then as a reporter with the Quad City Times. Jonathan is also an accomplished actor and musician who has been seen frequently on local theater stages, including the Bucktown Revue and Black Box Theatre.

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