In an age of complex environmental challenges, why not look to the ingenuity of nature for solutions? The forms, patterns, and processes found in the natural world—refined by 3.8 billion years of evolution—can inspire our design of everything from clothing to skyscrapers. This approach to innovation, called biomimicry, is becoming increasingly popular. Nature’s Blueprints: Biomimicry in Art and Design opens Wednesday, Sept. 1 at the Putnam Museum and Science Center (1717 W. 12th St., Davenport), a Smithsonian affiliate. “The Putnam is the first stop on this exhibit’s national... 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

EXCLUSIVE: The Putnam Museum and Science Center has expanded its leadership team to include a Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Leslie Klipsch, and Vice President of Museum Experiences, Ben Johnson. “The Putnam is emerging from the pandemic stronger than ever. Not only has the facility been re-imagined, but we’ve been able to rebuild our staff,” Putnam President/CEO Rachael Mullins said Thursday. “We’re pleased to welcome two new leaders to the Putnam who both bring an incredible expertise that will further our growth and relevance to our Quad-City community.” Leslie Klipsch is... Read More

After being closed for 14 months, the Putnam Museum’s Giant Screen Theater will begin reopening this weekend! The museum’s theater will reopen Saturday, May 15, and the following weekend, the museum (1717 W. 12th St., Davenport) will open “The Colors of Culture” — an original Putnam exhibit, set to open May 22 in the new World Culture Gallery. The World Culture Gallery (in the space of the former Asia Gallery near Unearthing Ancient Egypt) celebrates the diverse cultures of our community by featuring artifacts from the Putnam’s international collection. In its inaugural exhibit,... Read More

The Putnam Giant Screen Theater – 60 feet tall by 70 feet wide – will finally reopen Saturday, May 15, featuring a spectacular 40-minute documentary, “Into America’s Wild,” that was supposed to open in March 2020, when the pandemic shut down life as we knew it. “So it’s one of those wonderful, soaring 3D American landscapes,” Rachael Mullins, president/CEO of the Putnam Museum & Science Center, said Tuesday. “It’s so wonderful — kind of through the eyes of an explorer and adventurer and through the eyes of an astronaut. So it’s a wonderful film that we think... 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! The Covid-19 pandemic not only drove many people crazy, but it’s driven them more than ever outdoors – for comfort, relaxation, exercise and simple enjoyment of the natural world. The beautiful, restorative calm of the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Ave., Rock Island, has been perfectly positioned to welcome those weary pandemic warriors. And with a new executive... Read More

Like its first blockbuster traveling exhibit of French art over two years ago, the Figge Art Museum again is partnering with many Q-C cultural organizations for its major new exhibit on American art. Unlike the last one (partly due to the pesky pandemic now), the museum is offering a ton of virtual online content and programming, starting with a free Zoom celebration Thursday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. to preview “For America: 200 Years of Painting from the National Academy of Design.” Figge executive director Michelle Hargrave will welcome National Academy of Design Director Gregory Wessner, and... Read More

Let’s face it — Saturday, Feb. 20 will be a big day for museum lovers in the Quad-Cities, as two long-time Davenport institutions open new exhibits. A new original exhibit at the Putnam (1717 W. 12th St.), “Faces of the Past,”  explores portraiture around the world and across time as a reflection of self-identity, popular culture, mythology, and ritual. The exhibit will be included with general admission and remain open through mid-2021 at the Putnam, a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. Throughout the world, people see themselves in different ways. Cultures demonstrate how they view themselves... Read More

The Putnam’s next featured exhibit is for the birds. It explores bird species through themes of extinction and the role of citizen science to preserve these important members of the animal kingdom. Birds and You is an original exhibit at the Putnam Museum & Science Center (1717 W. 12th St., Davenport), set to open Saturday, Feb. 6. The exhibit will be included with general admission and remain open through mid-2021 at the Putnam, a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. The exhibit was inspired by the extraordinary decline of the bird population in North America – a 29% decline, or a loss of... Read More

The board of directors of the Quad City Botanical Center announced the upcoming retirement of Executive Director Ami Porter effective in May. Porter has led the organization since 2010 and started at the Center in 1998. “It has been such an honor to serve the Botanical Center and this community. I am very proud of what our team has accomplished, and I will be leaving the Botanical Center in a great position to propel forward, despite the difficulties we endured in 2020 due to the pandemic. I am humbled to have so many volunteers help us year after year, including board members,” stated Porter.... Read More