Since
the Quad Cities version of Venus Envy began in 2005, it has
celebrated women's artistic expression in the visual and performing
arts.
Now it aims to let them embarrass themselves.
The
irony might be a little obvious, but extinct dinosaurs have helped
stave off extinction for another animal: the creator of animatronic
creatures.
Over the past 19 years, the Riverssance Festival of Fine Art has bestowed the Harley Award (named after the event's harlequin logo) in recognition of "an individual or organization that has demonstrated a lasting commitment to the promotion and the advancement of the visual arts and artists in the Quad Cities area." And certainly, that description applies to 2007's Harley Award recipient, Ruth Evelyn Katz.
From August 31 through September 27, the Quad Cities will host the touring exhibition Coexistence: The Art of Living Together, and there'll be practically no way to miss it.
The
e-mail query was direct, but the phrasing was careless: "I'm
working on an article on making a living as an artist ... ," it
began.
It
has always been a nomadic monster, roaming the Quad Cities (usually
Rock Island) in search of arts patrons. In recent years, it has
squatted at The Villa, the McKesson building, and (most recently) the
Rocket Theatre.
Glancing at the Dick Cooley metal sculpture that he calls "my Sunbeam, Airstream, Toaster Camper," your first thought is likely to be: Look at that - a toaster on roller skates.
Painter John M. Booth, referencing one of his artworks, says, "Hopefully, it'll put a smile on somebody's wall." The odds are pretty good that it will - in his airbrushed acrylic paintings, there's a lot of smiling going on.Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts
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