“Mutschler, Quick, & Westphal" at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery -- January 6 through March 2. (pictured: Pete Mutschler's "Night Mooring")
Tuesday, January 6, through Monday, March 2
Quad City Arts Center, 1715 Second Avenue, Rock Island IL
With the exhibition's trio of artists three hoping that viewers will take some time to look for joy in their work and enjoy a diversion from the tension happening around us, Mutschler, Quick, & Westphal will be on display at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery from January 6 through March 2, the showcase of Midwestern talent featuring photos by Pete Mutschler, folded paper by Rebecca Quick, and serigraphs by Keosha Westphal.
Pete Mutschler, of Winona, Minnesota, presents The River Connects Us, a collection of photographs and poems that show how our relationship with the Mississippi River connects us. Mutschler’s images explore the unique and sometimes hidden culture that flows from this Great River, from the headwaters in Northern Minnesota to the delta south of New Orleans. Poetry written by Tom Gillaspy of Stillwater, Minnesota provides a sensitive and sometimes powerful reflection inspired by the images. While each photograph/poem pair provides a single snapshot in time of a small piece of the river experience, the viewer is connected through the shared experiences of everyone who lives near the river. The overall goal of this exhibit is to show how the Mississippi River experience is powerful, making us stronger than the divisions that are receiving so much attention these days.
Rebecca Quick, from Macomb, Illinois, is a multimedia artist. For this exhibit, Quick displays her sculptures created by joining paper origami into fluid sculptural pieces in bright colors. Quick states, “Precision is something that is necessary in my art as well as in my life. I am particular when it comes to everything, whether it’s setting out borders for ink to pool into or making sure the shirt I folded this morning is crisp.” While this is Quick’s first feature exhibit with Quad City Arts, her involvement goes back to participation and awards in two Chalk Art festivals, the High School Art Invitational in 2017 and as an apprentice in Quad City Arts’ Metro Arts program in 2019 and 2020.
Also based in Macomb, Keosha Westphal, is a printmaker working primarily in screen printing. She draws inspiration from nostalgia, pop culture, and the vibrant, chaotic beauty of everyday life. Westphal describes this body of work as “sweet, loud, and unapologetically bright. It leans into the pleasures of girlhood – sparkle, color, emotion, silliness, friendship. It’s candy-coated and sometimes overwhelming, intentionally too much – because that’s how the world often feels to me: intense, saturated, and alive. These pieces are a celebration of better things.” Westphal has also worked as an apprentice in Quad City Arts’ Metro Arts program.
The Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery is located opposite the airport's gift shop and restaurant, there is a $2 fee for short-term parking, and more information on the Mutschler, Quick, & Westphal exhibit on display from January 6 through March 2 is available by calling (309)793-1213 and visiting QuadCityArts.com.
