On March 7, area art lovers are invited to celebrate the recent opening of the 43rd Rock Island Art Guild Fine Arts Exhibition at Davenport's Figge Art Museum alongside some of the exhibition's featured regional artists, with guests able to share in the excitement as this year's prize winners are announced.

With participants invite to engage in the folk-art tradition of rag weaving while fostering a culture of cooperation, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will host a Crochet Jam on February 23 led by the noted talent Ramekon O’Arwisters, a Bay Area-based social-practice artist who founded Crochet Jam in 2012, and who also has his gifts currently showcased in the museum's exhibit Tradition Interrupted.

Held in conjunction with the venue's current exhibition Tradition Interrupted, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will host a February 22 Artist Talk with renowned Bay area-based social-practice artist Ramekon O'Arwisters, who will share thoughts about his artistic practice as well as his involvement with the popular exhibition.

A celebration of students who commit to active participation in a weekly character-focused class and to regular community service throughout the year, the exhibition Character Journeys: Reflections by Wendt Character Scholars will be on display at the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery through February 29, this showcase designed to acknowledge the roots and experiences that shape character, and recognize that so much more goes into character growth.

Held in conjunction with Black History Month, a series of thoughtful and engaging pieces will be in display in Black Hawk College's ArtSpace Gallery through February 23, with the Moline institution presenting paintings by Kathy Schumacher in the exhibition Freedom's Daughters.

All heads turned as Helen Van Dale, the notorious “Queen of the Looney Underworld,“ walked to the witness stand in the trial of Rock Island’s mayor, police chief, and one of John Looney’s henchmen. The charges included graft, illicit gambling, and alcohol during Prohibition.

Works from two Midwestern artists who have each built a cohesive body of work of bold color and strong composition will be on display at Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center through March 15, with the gallery's latest exhibition Bridge & Carlson showcasing colorfully expansive oil paintings by Nick Bridge of Oak Park, Illinois, and John Carlson of Burlington, Iowa.

On display through March 18, beautiful drawings and paintings by a noted professor of art can be found in Carl Sandburg College's Double Vision. with the institution's Lonnie Eugene Stewart Art Gallery hosting numerous works by Jenny Chi of Charleston, Illinois' Eastern Illinois University.

Led by Emilee Enders, curator of exhibitions and programs at the Bedford Gallery at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California, a curator tour for the venue's current exhibit Tradition Interrupted will take place at Davenport's Figge Art Museum on February 8, this Katz Gallery showcase boasting works by creative talents who firmly believe that everyday objects have the power to evoke memories and inspire emotions.

Held in conjunction with the current display on view in the Peter Paul Luce Gallery of Mt. Vernon's Cornell College, an artist lecture and reception for the fascinating exhibition Come Celebrate with Me ... will offer insight on this collection of arresting pieces by the Illinois-based interdisciplinary artist Nicole Davis.

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