One of my favorite local artists, Jon Burns, will be helping out the Black Lives Matter movement by donating 50 percent of proceeds from sales of his artwork in his current gallery to the movement. Pieces will be marked as sold when paid for and can be picked up by appointment at my living room window in downtown Moline. Burns’ art is a colorful and fun pastiche of pop art and pop culture images in a unique style. Send Jon a DM on his Facebook for interest. New pieces will be added throughout the month and you can check out his artworks in his virtual gallery here. Here’s a sampling... Read More

Sept. 30, 2016 was one of the best nights of my life. At the Boho Chic Gallery in downtown Davenport’s Bucktown Center for the Arts, I was surrounded by friends, samples of Front Street beer (including its Bucktown Stout), and copies of my first book, “A Brief History of Bucktown: Davenport’s Infamous District Transformed.” It was because of this quirky collection of art galleries and studios – which had a brief, busy, vital life from 2005 to this past March – that I was commissioned in August 2014 by The History Press to write the definitive story of the colorful east end of downtown... Read More

On the heels of the Figge Art Museum’s first virtual exhibition comes a second virtual exhibition. Seen and Heard: The Art of Empowerment will open virtually at www.figgeartmuseum.org on Saturday.  Installed in the Figge Art Museum’s second-floor orientation gallery, Seen and Heard: The Art of Empowerment will be available for online viewing. This exhibition, drawn from the Figge Art Museum’s collection, features 13 women artists, including Marisol, Grace Hartigan, Louise Nevelson, Lee Krasner, and Alison Saar, who asserted their artistic empowerment despite social and cultural barriers.... Read More

Whatever artwork you have felt compelled to create during this time of uncertainty, Quad City Arts wants to share it with the public at a time when they hope to be able to gather socially again to celebrate the power of creativity.    All artists residing within a 250-mile radius of the Quad Cities are invited to submit up to two artworks of any medium created during the Quarantine period which began in March 2020, for a juried, group exhibition in Quad City Arts’ Rock Island Gallery from January 29-March 19, 2021. There is NO entry fee.  Timeline:  Friday, January 1, 2021: Entries... Read More

Inspired by similar artistic re-creations around the world, the Figge Art Museum is inviting area residents to offer their own brush with fame during the current Covid quarantine. The closed museum (at 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport) on Monday announced the “Getting Figge With It” challenge, for community members of all ages. Participants are asked to re-create artworks from the museum’s permanent collection using everyday items, people, or pets in their home. To participate, choose a favorite work from the permanent collection list of works and then re-create it at home using ordinary objects.... Read More

DAVENPORT, IOWA — In one of the most incendiary, perverse, and controversial masterpieces of performance art over at least the past eight days on the Quad-Cities social isolation scene, Khalil Hacker, a.k.a. Khalil Antonio, a.k.a. “you know, Khalil, from Circa,” ate donuts live on Facebook Monday night. The provocative and unsettling live feed began at 7 p.m. when Hacker, dressed mysteriously in a rakish black fedora, black suitcoat, white shirt and gray tie, but wearing no pants, stared into the camera in defiant fashion, brandished an unnamed silver sleeve, dispensed what appeared... Read More

Looking to check out some colorful artworks? Quad City Arts Art @ the Airport presents encaustic paintings by Cindy Lesperance (McHenry, IL), color reduction woodcuts by Cathie Crawford (Peoria, IL) and mixed media sculptural work by Dawn Wohlford (Bettendorf, IA) March 3 to April 28. Cindy Lesperance’s work will explore the abstractness of the earth when viewed from an aerial perspective. Lesperance uses encaustic medium (wax with pigment) to create smooth polished sections of color and then adds her signature drop technique to provide interesting textural areas. Each work becomes a composition... Read More

After an extensive nationwide search, The Figge Art Museum is pleased to announce that Michelle Hargrave will become Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the museum effective December 9, 2019. A museum professional with two decades of experience, Hargrave currently serves as the Deputy Director of the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT. “Her extensive background growing cultural institutions will serve her well as she continues the growth and success of the Figge,” said Ken Koupal, President of the Figge Board of Trustees.  “Her experience and leadership... Read More

The Rock Island Artists’ Market begins its fourth season this Sunday, June 9. The family-friendly market will take place from 12-4 pm in the parking lot of Skeleton Key Art and Antiques at 520 18th Street, Rock Island, and will repeat on the second Sunday of each month through October. Admission to the market is free. Shoppers can expect to find a variety of art, local produce, handcrafted goods and more, all sold by the artists, creators and growers. The first market will feature food and drinks by Kavanaugh’s Hilltop Bar and Grill, coffee creations by Cool Beanz, popcorn by G’s Popcorn,... Read More