Living Proof Exhibit, which provides the therapeutic benefits of the arts to people impacted by cancer, is seeking entries for its annual exhibition to be held from Aug. 16 to Sept. 30, 2021 in the Charles and Elizabeth Bisignano Art Gallery at the University of Dubuque. All cancer patients and survivors living within a 200-mile radius of the Quad-Cities are eligible to submit up to five works for consideration. Entries must be received by June 1, 2021. Complete submission details, including the call for entry and application form, are available at www.livingproofexhibit.org. “We are thrilled... Read More

The 2021 season of the Performing Arts Series at Davenport’s First Presbyterian Church begins with a Saturday night concert featuring cellist Hannah Holman, accompanied by church music director Matt Bishop on the harpsichord and piano. Due to Covid restrictions, this pre-recorded concert from the church will be virtual only, premiering at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13, and the video will be available for two weeks. The concert is based around a theme of travel – taking listeners on a geographical and musical tour of France, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Russia. Each of the works — by Antonio... Read More

Local musician Josh Duffee has long been an advocate for keeping the legacy of legendary jazz musician — and former Quad-Cities resident — Bix Beiderbecke alive and well. Now Duffee is advocating to keep Bix’s childhood home alive as well. Duffee has been monitoring the situation as Bix’s former abode has fallen into a state of disrepair year after year, and now he’s taking action to preserve it. Duffee posted on his Facebook page today, “I made a call to the City of Davenport yesterday on Bix’s birthday after I was home from visiting the house and grave... Read More

Quad City Arts is providing over $84,000 in funding for 25 area organizations, arts-centered programs, and individual artists in 2021. The goal of the Arts Dollars Project and Education Grants is to provide funding for a variety of organizations and projects that have strong community impact and feature unique and interesting artistic ideas and to ensure that artists are being paid in the process. “Arts Dollars is unique – it’s a re-granting program designed to funnel funds deeper into the community, for smaller, more targeted grants,” Kaleigh Trammell of Quad City... Read More

MOLINE, IL – – Western Illinois University School of Engineering Director William Pratt has been selected to receive the Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award. The prestigious award was presented to Pratt Thursday, Feb. 25 at the 59th annual National Engineers Week QCESC STEM virtual celebration. “Dr. Pratt’s leadership as founding director of the WIU School of Engineering balances the priorities of strategic partnership development and innovation with teaching and individualized mentorship of WIU students. He inspires K-12 students... Read More

If you think a 22-year-old is too young to be an executive director of a new music school, you don’t know Rishi Wagle. A bright, articulate and friendly 2016 Pleasant Valley High School alum and 2020 graduate of Brown University, Wagle was recently named the first head of the new Deanery School of Music, 1105 Main St., Davenport, whose founder and artistic director is Hannah Holman, principal cellist of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and a busy teacher (including as cello instructor at University of Northern Iowa). “Rishi, who went through substantial music education here in the Quad-Cities,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: More residents of Rock Island and Scott counties are eligible to receive long-awaited vaccines against Covid-19. The Iowa Department of Public Health has announced that beginning Monday, March 8, health care providers are now authorized to vaccinate individuals 64 years of age and younger with medical conditions that are or may be an increased risk of severe illness from Covid-19. Qualifying underlying conditions can be found on the Centers for Disease Control list of underlying conditions. The IDPH press announcement stated: “This announcement comes as several Iowa counties... Read More

The pandemic has suppressed live theater performances and movie theaters alike, but it hasn’t brought down Leslie LaCorte’s spirits. LaCorte, a Language Arts/Theater instructor at North High School in Davenport, IA, is working to keep her students excited about acting by turning it into a virtual experience. Back in early 2020, LaCorte’s theater students were working to stage a production of the musical, Into The Woods. but then the COVID-19 virus began to spread. The resulting national pandemic made it necessary to cancel the production. “We kept up rehearsals online,” she said, “we... Read More

Genesis Health System nurses Sharron Gephart, Dawn Rude and Melissa Wilson are among the 100 Great Iowa Nurses for 2021.  The award recognizes nurses who have made a meaningful and lasting contribution to humanity and to their profession and act as mentors to others. Sharron Gephart, RN, MSN, CV is Nurse Manager for Outpatient Services at Genesis Medical Center-DeWitt. Dawn Rude, RN, MS, is a Nurse Manager at Jackson County Regional Health Center, Maquoketa. Melissa Wilson, RN, coordinates staff education, employee health, emergency preparedness and infection control at Jackson County Regional... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a weekly feature covering a trend, subject, event or personality of local interest. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for the best entertainment and arts coverage in the area, QuadCities.com! In 1971, the cost of a postage stamp was 8 cents; a gallon of gas was 40 cents, and the average cost of a new house was $25,250. For many members of the Moline High School Class of ’71, what hasn’t changed in 50 years is their love of music, their friends and their school. Unfortunately, their 50th class reunion – scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 28, 2021 at East Moline’s... Read More