Exhibit: Monday, November 18, through Saturday, January 11
Reception: Friday, November 29, 6 – 9 p.m.
Bucktown Center for the Arts, 225 East Second Street, Davenport IA
A striking celebration of color, in all of the word's varied interpretations, is on display at Davenport's Bucktown Center of the Arts through January 11, with the local exhibition Show Your Colors! offering stunning examples of how 21 visual artists from the area chose to acknowledge its central theme.
Twenty-one artists responded to the non-juried exhibition's call for entry, with the submitted works eventually co-curated by MidCoast Fine Arts staff members Sherry Maurer and Tony Seabolt. As Maurer noted, “We had grant funding to be able to offer this truly open exhibition opportunity and we are so pleased with the results that represent works ranging from seasoned professionals like Peter Xiao to new entrants such as printmaker Paige Kelly. The submissions reflect a high level of artistic accomplishment in our community.”
The participating artists in the Show Your Colors! exhibit include: Shela Ahman (Rock Island, IL), Karen Blomme (Davenport, IA), Billie Davids (Port Byron, IL), Jane Doty (Durant, IA), Maria Casad (Dewitt, IA), Jim Elias (Muscatine, IA), Linda Hardin (Davenport, IA), Gary Harris (Bettendorf, IA), Heidi Hernandez (Davenport, IA), Karen Klingborg (Moline, IL), Paige Kelly (Davenport, IA), Carolyn Krueger (Rock Island, IL), Lisa Mahar (Rock Island, IL), Gwen Ballard Patton (Rock Island, IL), Elaine Rexdale (Rock Island, IL), Kelly Schrader (Davenport, IA), Barbara Toner (Bettendorf, IA), Laura Vincent-Arnold (Port Byron, IL), Liz Wakita (Dewitt, IA), Peter Xiao (Bettendorf, IA) and David Zahn (Moline, IL).
What unites the separate works are the artists' thought-provoking takes on how the Show Your Colors! theme should be interpreted. While some entries celebrate sheer color for its own sake, many look at issues of diversity and the experience of confronting personal standards. And from Rexdale’s lively depiction of folks in wheelchairs and Casad’s reminder of the Statue of Liberty welcome to immigrants, from Mahar’s declaration “There is Good and Evil in all of Us!” to David Zahn’s genteel reminder of respect for Mother Nature, the exhibition's entries collectively celebrate life.
A reception for Show Your Colors! will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on November 29, and the exhibit is on display on the second floor of the Bucktown Center for the Arts through January 11, with regular gallery hours Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to both the reception and exhibition is free, with more information available by calling (563)424-1210 or visiting MidCoast.org.
