They say “hindsight is 20/20.” Well, most of us would like to put 2020 in the rear view mirror, but the Figge Art Museum wants you to reflect a bit before you do. The landmark facility at 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport, is highlighting this crazy year in a new exhibition opening on Wednesday, Dec. 23. “2020 Vision: You Are Here, You Are Not Alone” will be installed in the Figge’s second-floor Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery and will provide several chances for visitors to participate and contribute in person or from home. It will offer an opportunity to think, reflect, and create... Read More

Figge Museum is holding a holiday craft day at 6 p.m. Thursday! Create original hand-crafted cards that are nice enough to frame as a small piece of art. Learn several ways to create greeting cards using scraps of colorful paper and/or fabrics and finish with unique embellishments. No previous experience needed – this is a fun, quick class that should inspire you to make several cards and small works of your creativity! This class will take place on Zoom. The invite for the class will be sent out after registration. Instructor: Lori Miller $20 – Supply kit included Supply kit pickup will... Read More

Learn about World War II in Iowa during a new exhibit running through Jan 17 at German American Heritage Center & Museum, 712 W 2nd St., Davenport. WWII was a global conflict that forever altered society and touched the lives of people around the world, including right here in Iowa. The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII. With this exhibit we remember and commemorate that momentous occasion. Through local headlines, personal letters, and historic artifacts, we will tell the Quad Cities’ WWII story. This exhibit is supported by the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities... Read More

QuadCities.com is offering a series of features running today between 2 and 5 p.m. showcasing local businesses in advance of Small Business Saturday, AND, in this case, Museum Store Sunday.  The Figge Art Museum Store and Putnam Museum Store will be participating in Museum Store Sunday on Sunday, Nov. 29 from noon-5 p.m. There are 1,600 Museum Stores representing all 50 states, 24 countries, and five continents participating in the promotion. The Figge Art Museum Store at 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport, has socks, jewelry, notebooks, masks with art pieces, wraps, throws, works by local artist, and... Read More

The Putnam Museum (1717 W. 12th St., Davenport) is playing around in its newest exhibit, as it explores the role of play and toys through culture and time in society. From antiquity and from around the world, guests will see toys that reflect societal norms and other sociological trends. “Play: The Story of Toys” is an original Putnam exhibit, set to open Saturday, Nov. 21, on the main west gallery upstairs. The exhibit will be included with general admission and remain open through August 2021 at the Putnam, a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. “Our latest exhibit features items from the Putnam’s... Read More

The Putnam Museum & Science Center’s virtual Mad Scientist Ball, on Saturday, Oct. 17, raised $26,735, with donations still coming in. “I am THRILLED with the success of the event,” Nisha Ladlee, the Putnam’s vice president of development, said Monday by e-mail. “Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. Eric Sorenson was a phenomenal emcee and Emily Calandrelli was wonderful as our celebrity guest. This was the Putnam’s first time holding a virtual fundraiser and we are grateful for the support from our community locally, but also to those who tuned in and supported from different... Read More

Josh Duffee and Carol Schaefer are two Davenport men who are passionate about one of Davenport’s most famous natives. They are the newest winners of the Bix Lives award, given each year since 2007 to people who exemplify what it means to keep Bix Beiderbecke’s legacy alive. Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke (1903-1931) is a legendary Davenport native, cornetist and pianist for whom an annual jazz festival and three-year-old museum in Davenport are named. The Bix Beiderbecke Museum and World Archives (at the lower level of River Music Experience, 2nd and Main streets) announced Duffee and Schaefer... Read More

Many of the works the Figge Art Museum has collected over the past few years provide insight into modern American life from various points of view. Beginning Saturday, New American Scene: Recent Acquisitions to the Figge Collection will be displayed on the second-floor Gildehaus Gallery, examining some of these modern perspectives on American life with 15 featured works that have been added to the museum’s collection in the last five years. The “American Scene” is a term applied predominantly to representational paintings made in the first half of the 20th century that captured American... Read More

In its major annual fundraiser, the Putnam Museum and Science Center, 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport, will hold a virtual Mad Scientist Ball starting at 6 p.m., Oct. 17, on Zoom. Reservations are due this Friday, Oct. 9. The event – originally planned to be held in person – will help the Putnam to raise necessary funds for the support of programs, services and collections such as summer camps, rotating and permanent exhibits, and virtual learning. This virtual event includes an interactive science experiment, instruction from a local mixologist on crafting a signature cocktail, as well as... Read More

Don’t expect live concerts back at Davenport’s Redstone Room until next summer. And don’t expect the staff and volunteers at the 16-year-old River Music Experience to sit on their hands until then, either. Even though indoor live music has returned to some bars across the Quad-Cities, theater to Circa ’21 and The Speakeasy in Rock Island, and the Black Box and Spotlight theaters in Moline, and the Quad City Symphony returns this weekend to the Adler in Davenport, RME executive director Tyson Danner doesn’t expect live shows back in the Redstone Room (at 2nd and Main streets in Davenport)... Read More