Art students from eight area colleges and universities will have their work displayed in the Figge Art Museum’s second-floor Katz Gallery

Sample artworks from area college students in the second-floor Katz Gallery at the Figge Art Museum.

beginning Saturday, Jan. 30 for the 11^th annual College Invitational exhibit.

Art professors from Augustana College, Black Hawk College, Clinton Community College, Knox College, Monmouth College, Scott Community College, St. Ambrose University, and Western Illinois University selected the top works from their school for inclusion.

The exhibition will feature the works of 42 student artists working in a variety of techniques — including drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, clay, digital illustration, silkscreen, mixed media installation, and found materials.

With the cancellation of the spring 2020 College Invitational, a door opened for this year’s installment to be aligned with the Figge’s next major exhibition For America: 200 Years of Painting from the National Academy of Design — which features over 90 works made by some of the greatest American artists (between 1810 and 2010), drawn from the collections of the National Academy of Design in New York.

The major traveling exhibit, “For America: 200 Years of Painting From the National Academy of Design,” opens Feb. 20.

That exhibit opens Feb. 20, and the Academy is a leader in advocating for the arts and arts education, acting to advance society with critical cultural conversation, the same theme embodied by the Figge’s College Invitational.

“The dual messaging present with both of these exhibitions creates a dialogue that crosses time and region, from student to professional,” said Figge Studio School and Education Galleries Coordinator Brian Allen. “It is a great moment to celebrate creativity, innovation, and artistic achievement at its fullest.”

Thanks to a generous scholarship from Barbara Leidenfrost in loving memory of her husband, Oscar, the Figge will award cash prizes for first-, second- and third-place winners.

Prizes will be $250 for first, $100 second, $50 third, and four $25 awards.

Sample artworks from area college students in the second-floor Katz Gallery at the Figge Art Museum.

A virtual opening celebration for College Invitational will take place on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. This event is free and registration is required for access. Visit www.figgeartmuseum.org to register.

College Invitational will be on view through June 6, 2021. For America – which will be at the Figge through May 16 — offers many opportunities for community collaborations with other Quad-City cultural organizations for musical, literary and historical programs, and will provide a new perspective on the American works in the City of Davenport and Figge collections.

This will be the second touring exhibition made possible by the museum’s Major Exhibitions Endowment. For America: 200 Years of Painting from the National Academy of Design will tour to eight venues across the U.S. (including the Figge), bringing important paintings to audiences across the country while also enriching the dialogue of scholars, students and artists of all ages with the firsthand experience of American masterpieces.

Sample artworks from area college students in the second-floor Katz Gallery at the Figge Art Museum.

 The Figge (225 W. 2^nd St., Davenport) is open 10 a.m.­­-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Thursdays; and 12-5 p.m. on Sundays. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made at www.figgeartmuseum.org or by calling 563-345-6632. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students with ID and $4 children ages 4-12.

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.