“Connie & Michael Roberts: Portrait of America" at the Figge Art Museum -- July 5 through January 3.
Sunday, July 5, through Sunday, January 3
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Timed to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the United States' Declaration of Independence, the Figge Art Museum exhibition Connie & Michael Roberts: Portrait of America will be on display in the Davenport venue's Lewis Gallery July 5 through January 3, this arresting collection of works inviting audiences to reflect on the individuals who helped shape our nation’s history.
Portrait of America presents a striking series of collaborative portrait panels by Iowa City artists Michael and Connie Roberts, a collection boasting numerous notable figures from American history. Connie Roberts works in a distinctive style that bridges folk traditions and fine art, often approaching complex subjects with wit and surprise. Many of her works invite viewer participation through movable components or sculptural elements. Michael Roberts is known for realistic, emotionally resonant portraits and allegorical painting. In these collaborative panels, Michael’s carefully rendered likenesses combine with Connie’s hand-carved sculptural storytelling. Beneath each portrait, a small compartment, revealed by lifting a lid, contains carved reliefs that illuminate key moments from the figure’s life.
Davenport's Figge Art Museum is the premier art-exhibition and education facility between Chicago and Des Moines. Its landmark glass building on the banks of the Mississippi, designed by British architect David Chipperfield, is home to one of the Midwest’s finest art collections, and presents world-class traveling exhibitions. Its studios, auditorium and spacious lobby are alive with art classes, lectures and special events that attract visitors of all ages.
The Figge was formed as the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery in 1925, with the passage of a law allowing the city to accept of a gift of 334 artworks from a former mayor, Charles A. Ficke, and open a museum. It was renamed the Davenport Museum of Art in 1987. It continued to be a city-run museum until the opening of its new building in 2005, which was named in honor of a major gift from the V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Foundation. At that time, the city transferred responsibility for management, care and exhibition of its collection to the Figge Art Museum, a nonprofit organization. Mr. Ficke’s original collection of European, American and Spanish Viceregal art has grown through the efforts of generations of philanthropists and civic leaders and now includes the Grant Wood Archive and works by other American Regionalist artists, an extensive collection of Haitian art, and contemporary works. The Figge is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Connie & Michael Roberts: Portrait of America will be on display in the Davenport venue's Lewis Gallery July 5 through January 3 with regular museum hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays) and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Museum admission is $8-14, and more information on the exhibit is available by calling (563)326-7804 and visiting FiggeArtMuseum.org.
