Truth First Film Alliance is partnering with the Figge Art Museum to present the “Stout Hearted: George Stout and the Guardians of Art” on Veterans Day evening November 11, 2021. The documentary will screen free to the public at 6:30 p.m. in the Figge’s John Deere Auditorium. Director Kevin J. Kelley and producer Marie Wilkes will take part in Q&A following the 81-minute film. Veterans will be admitted free to the Figge Art Museum exhibits all day on Veterans Day. Admission is free to others from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. This special program is sponsored by The logo for the new Truth First... Read More

Join Figge educator, Kelsey Vandercoy, for an in-person talk all about Haitian art on Saturday, November 6th at 3:00 pm at Eastern Ave. (6000 Eastern Ave.) The Figge Art Museum houses one of the world’s largest collections of Haitian art outside of Haiti itself. Vandercoy will give a brief presentation about the basics of Haitian art and why the Figge has so much of it, followed by a hands-on art activity related to the lesson. A series of Haitian flags from the Figge Outreach’s collection of objects will be brought to allow patrons a close-up, physical experience with the art. This program... Read More

Arts and culture mean business, and help create thriving communities. One of the main reasons I love the Quad-Cities (and have made it my home since fall 1995) is because of its outstanding, vibrant and growing arts scene – more than a dozen theater companies, a world-class symphony orchestra, exquisite professional ballet, top-quality art museum, a Smithsonian-affiliate museum of natural history and science, many live music venues of all sizes, gorgeous art galleries, a breathtaking botanical center and gardens, a variety of other fascinating museums, and on and on. But unfortunately, very little... Read More

The Bettendorf Public Library’s Global Gathering 2021 World Tour is making a stop in Japan on Thursday, October 14th at 7:00 PM. Figge Educator, Kelsey Vandercoy, will be on hand for an in-person presentation all about Japanese art. No registration is required to attend this free event, which will take place at the Bettendorf Public Library located at 2950 Learning Campus Dr. in Bettendorf. The 2021 Global Gathering World Tour series is sponsored by The Bettendorf Public Library Foundation, Quad City Bank & Trust, Morgan Stanley, HNI Corporation, Bettendorf Rotary, and Twin State. The topic... Read More

In celebration of the Bettendorf Public Library’s Global Gathering 2021 World Tour, the Figge Art Museum will offer a presentation on the art of Haiti on Wednesday, September 29th at 7:00 PM. No registration is required to attend this free event, which will take place at the Bettendorf Public Library located at 2950 Learning Campus Dr. in Bettendorf. The 2021 Global Gathering World Tour series is sponsored by The Bettendorf Public Library Foundation, Quad City Bank & Trust, Morgan Stanley, HNI Corporation, Bettendorf Rotary, and Twin State. The Figge Art Museum houses one of the world’s... Read More

It’s Sunday, and QuadCities.com proudly presents Fun10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! Every Sunday, we drop a new Fun10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out Fun10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning your entertainment for the week. FUN10 — ten ways for you to have fun in the Quad-Cities, this week and every week, running every Sunday, only on your site for fun, free, local... Read More

Kelly Rundle of Moline has long been a director of documentary films. Now he and his wife Tammy – partners in Fourth Wall Films – are co-executive directors of the Quad-Cities’ newest non-profit — Truth First Film Alliance, Inc. (TFFA). The organization will focus on bringing films and filmmakers to local screens in special free programs that feature curated documentary films and narrative films based on true stories. Screenings will be followed by a moderated Q&A with directors, producers, and writers with an emphasis on the craft of filmmaking. The formation of the new non-profit... Read More

The Figge Art Museum has acquired an early painting by renowned American artist Kehinde Wiley, who’s best known for being commissioned to paint the official presidential portrait of Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The untitled oil-on-plywood panel painting recently acquired by the Figge was done in 1998, while Wiley was an undergraduate at the San Francisco Art Institute. Now 44 and based in New York City, he graduated with a BFA in 1999 and received his MFA from Yale in 2001. This work demonstrates Wiley’s artistic mastery and vision while still a young man, according... Read More

Despite the brutal Covid pandemic, film and TV production in Illinois last year spent nearly $362 million, down 35% from about $560 million spent in 2019. Doug Miller of Davenport – who heads the Quad Cities Production Coalition – wants to see some of that money come to the Illinois Q-C area. He is working with state and local officials on establishing a regional film office in Rock Island, and is bringing Illinois Film Office director Peter Hawley to the Rock Island Holiday Inn on Thursday, Aug. 19, to talk about state filming incentives and financing. It’s among first events in the Quad-Cities... Read More

BREAKING NEWS (UPDATED): At an invitation-only event Thursday night, the Figge Art Museum unveiled seven new acquisitions and a newly created Art Diversity and Equity Fund intended to combat the systemic inequality in the art world. The fund is supported by a lead gift from locals Jim and Michelle Russell of Russell Construction. According to a 2019 published research journal by the Public Library of Science, the diversity of artists in major U.S. museums illustrates the urgent need to focus on collecting and preserving the works of artists from marginalized communities. The study found that 85.4%... Read More