EXCLUSIVE: Renew Moline on Friday publicly released a 102-page Public Art and Placemaking Plan, which will be considered by the Moline City Council at its meeting next Tuesday, March 30. The plan lays out three strategies that will help shape the future of public art in downtown Moline and creates a strong foundation in the city to support public art. “Public art in Moline importantly shows a vibrant, growing economy and is reflective of a community emerging from the challenges of the last year,” Mayor Stephanie Acri said in a Friday release. “We are looking forward to seeing the plan and... Read More

We’re headed into the home stretch today! This week, every day since Sunday, we’ve been running down the top arts and entertainment stories and features we’ve run on QuadCities.com. We hope you’ve enjoy the look back, and let’s all hope for a happy new year and a much, much, much, much better 2021! To check out the previous installments, see Sunday for January/February, Monday for March, Tuesday for April, Wednesday morning for May/June and Wednesday afternoon for July/August. Today we hit the final four months of the year! This morning we’ve got September and October,... Read More

Brandon Nees’ vibrant new mural at Moline’s Spiegel Building has been drawing raves from art fans around the Quad-Cities! QuadCities.com Arts Reporter Jonathan Turner was there for the unveiling of the artwork, and has provided us with a fantastic video showing the creation of the mural. You can check it out here, on the QuadCities.com YouTube channel.  Read More

MOLINE – Brandon Nees squinted into the sun Wednesday morning at the dilapidated, vacant Spiegel building, and all he saw was bright, boundless possibility. That’s partly because the 25-year-old Davenport artist, who graduated from Moline High School, painted the word “possibility” in big turquoise block letters across seven plywood panels – among nine colorful 7.6-foot-by-6.75 feet panels he created for a $10,000 public mural on the boarded-up ground floor of the city-owned Spiegel building off River Drive (200 20th St.) in downtown Moline. “It’s amazing,” Nees said of the finished... Read More

A dilapidated brick building, right off the 74 bridge on Moline’s riverfront, is all about possibility. And Brandon Nees is thrilled about bringing that surging potential to colorful life. The 25-year-old Davenport artist, who graduated from Moline High School, has been chosen to create a $10,000 public mural on nine panels of the boarded-up ground floor of the Spiegel Building, 200 20th St., just north of River Drive. Renew Moline partnered with the City of Moline and Quad City Arts to issue a call for entries, resulting in 28 submissions from artists around the Midwest. Renew’s Public Art... Read More

Renew Moline is pleased to announce the selection of Quad Cities artist Brandon Nees to complete the public art project on the city-owned Spiegel Building on River Drive in downtown Moline. Renew partnered with the City of Moline and Quad City Arts to issue a Call for Entries, resulting in twenty-eight submissions from artists around the Midwest. After culling the proposals that did not meet submission requirements, Renew Moline’s Public Art Steering Committee evaluated twenty of the proposals and chose three for further consideration. On September 8, Mr. Nees’ proposed concept was endorsed... Read More