Carolyn Martin

"French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950" will be exhibited at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport from Oct. 9, 2018, to Jan. 6, 2019. Featuring 60 works curated by the Brooklyn Museum, the exhibit is a veritable art history course displayed through painting and sculpture, showcasing work by icons including Monet, Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Degas, and Rodin.

The Iowa Oriental Rug Company and Renaissance Antiques, owned by Naim Bouchareb, is located in Davenport. The decorative arts are well represented here, where you will find a large selection of new and used exotic rugs in addition to high end antiques, including Tiffany glass, sterling, and porcelain.

Sally Gierke is a potter and muralist from Bettendorf who creates utilitarian earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain objects. Her large-scale murals have adorned local schools in Davenport, Bettendorf, and Moline, with the largest at Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Bettendorf.

The 2nd annual Alternating Currents festival will take place Aug. 23-26 in downtown Davenport. Featuring a dizzying array of film screenings, music performances, comedy acts, and art displays, over 100 events will be held in 16 venues within walking distance over the course of the four-day event.

Students Rebuild is a collaborative program of the Bezos Family Foundation, whose mission is to inspire young people worldwide to connect, learn, and take collective action on critical global issues. Each year, they identify a new challenge to help the world’s youth come together and feel empowered to make a difference. The challenges ask young people to create a symbolic object. The foundation matches the art with funding, which is provided to non-profit organizations who work directly with the crisis or identified problem at hand.

Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico (QCBF) was founded in 1984 by Arnulfo Camarillo with the mission to express and promote Hispanic culture through dance and music. Located at 525 16th St. in Moline, the nonprofit organization teaches students ages 4-18 the intricacies of Mexican folk dancing. They also offer a mentorship program and an educational program to their students.

Beginner’s Luck, a play written by Emmy Award-nominated Philip Jayson Lasker, will premiere Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, at the Brunner Theatre Center on the Augustana College campus.

There is a new mural outside the German American Heritage Center in Davenport to celebrate the opening of their latest exhibit, "Sound Mind Sound Body: Turnverein Traditions". Created by Bruce Walters, Professor of Art at Western Illinois University, it is 30 feet by 10 feet and depicts a German gymnast suspending himself from rings in a feat of extreme upper-body strength.

The 10th annual College Invitational art exhibition is on display at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport through Aug. 12, 2018.

Students from eight different area colleges and universities have submitted their best artwork, from Augustana College, Black Hawk College, Western Illinois University, Knox College, and Monmouth College in Illinois, and from St. Ambrose University, Scott Community College, and Clinton Community College in Iowa.

The Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship program, run by Quad City Arts, is hard at work on three new murals this summer. They are going up at Douglas Park in Rock Island, the K&K Hardware store in Bettendorf, and inside the south parking ramp of Genesis East Medical Center in Davenport.