Quad City Arts is pleased to present the 5th annual Chalk Art Fest, live and in-person this summer!  While last year’s event went virtual with artists chalking up their driveways, porches and sidewalks, we are thrilled to host this year’s event in the beautiful setting of Schwiebert Riverfront Park, in downtown Rock Island, directly across the street from Quad City Arts headquarters and gallery. Inspiring and engaging for people of all ages, this free, two-day street painting festival brings together hundreds of local and regional artists that spend hours transforming the blank cement pavement... Read More

This fall, Quad City Arts is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the Quad City region through the arts. Looking back at the impact, the Quad-Cities would not be the Quad-Cities without Quad City Arts. ​ Founded in August 1970 as Quad City Arts Council, we are a nonprofit arts organization serving a six-county area in eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois. We are passionate about the growth and vitality of the Q-C region through the arts and for the past 50 years, have been committed to making quality arts education accessible to everyone through arts... Read More

Fontana is in southern California, over 1,800 miles from the Quad-Cities, but that didn’t stop Yuji Baba, a graphic designer and illustrator there, from using The Force (and his amazing talent) to win the Quad City Arts Chalk Art Fest. The 30-year-old California native, who was raised in Osaka, Japan, won the first place of $500 with his gorgeous rendition of a book cover featuring Natalie Portman as Padme from the “Star Wars” prequels. “I’m so honored,” Baba said Monday. “If I had other graphic design work, I would not have been able to enter this festival.” For the fourth-annual... Read More

Austin Robertson is innately drawn to chalk pastel art. The 23-year-old Davenport artist, who earned an associate’s degree in fine arts from Scott Community College, was the first-place winner in the first Quad City Arts Chalk Art Fest in 2017, in downtown Davenport, and has taken part every year since. “Just watching the creations come alive – it’s fun to see them go from concept to finished piece,” Robertson, a Davenport North alumnus, says of his love for art. “It’s fun to see its progress.” In 2015, he won the best of show in Quad City Arts’ High School Art Show, a self-portrait... Read More

Join the City of Bettendorf in a celebration of art, music and community in the heart of downtown this Saturday Jun 8 from 12 – 10 p.m. and Sunday Jun 9 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.!  Supported by downtown area businesses, this FREE, family-friendly event will feature live outdoor music, food & drink vendors, a chalk art festival, children’s activities, and so much more! Be Downtown – a Celebration of Art, Music and Community, is held in downtown Bettendorf, on State Street between 17th and 20th Street (2021 State Street Bettendorf). Parking can be found all day Saturday and Sunday at Waterfront... Read More

Quad City Arts will present its 2nd annual Chalk Art FEST in downtown Davenport, Saturday, August 25, and Sunday, August 26.  Artists will take to the streets transforming the plain cement pavement into magnificent works of art.  Part of downtown Davenport’s Alternating Currents Festival, https://www.alternatingcurrentsqc.com/, this event will feature live music, food vendors, film screenings, comedians, as well as the opportunity to shop for some unique vintage and hand-made goods at the OMG BeckyFest, taking place across the street in the RiverCenter park.   The Chalk Art FEST is a... Read More