Once upon a time … Isabel Scherer enrolled as a student at the Stone City Art Colony in the depths of the Great Depression. The colony, organized by Grant Wood with two partners, offered classes and created a supportive community for artists during the summers of 1932 and 1933.

Held in conjunction with his new exhibition A Room That One Is In (And All Things In It), beloved local artist and the Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts at Augustana College Peter Xiao will deliver a public artist talk at the Figge Art Museum on December 14, the night designed to celebrate Professor Xiao's very first solo exhibition of work at the Davenport venue.

Held in collaboration with the Quad Cities' TMBC at the Lincoln Resource Center, a series of performances by noted community leaders will be delivered in the Figge Art Museum's Empowerment Echoed: Responding to 'Art & Activism at Tougaloo College, the November 18 event held in conjunction with the Davenport venue's current exhibition that explores a distinctive intersection of modern art, education, and social justice.

With the exhibition on display through November 30, the gifts of artists ranging from teenagers to those numerous decades older will be equally highlighted when the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery presents the gorgeous and evocative fall showcase International Photography: Photos by UD Students, Staff, & Faculty.