The River Cities' Reader's second Annual Manual for the Arts features more than 250 listings covering art, theatre, music, dance, and the literary arts, from places to see an art exhibit or live music to organizations that offer classes to major festivals in and around the Quad Cities.

Whether you're an artist, an aspiring artist, or simply an arts patron, we hope you find the Annual Manual for the Arts useful - a resource to keep year-round. It's the only publication in the Quad Cities that comprehensively lists arts venues and organizations, and it includes street addresses, Web addresses, phone numbers, and other useful information. A pdf of the Annual Manual for the Arts can be downloaded by clicking here .

We've updated and added to our listings, and our aim is to be as comprehensive and accurate as possible. If there's something incorrect, or if you'd like to be included in next year's Annual Manual for the Arts, please e-mail (jeff@rcreader.com) with the words "Annual Manual" in the subject line.

We're always looking for ways to improve the Annual Manual, too, so if you have ideas for making it better, send a note to the e-mail address above.

Cold, gray foundations of concrete divide the land. A fiery red dragon with a stair-step body stands in stark opposition to a carefully delineated landscape. All of this is watched by a prickly caterpillar of light. These strange sights can be seen in a disconcerting tug-of-war that pits crisp, eloquent, and restrained paintings against mixed-media sculptures of whimsy, imprecision, and untamed emotion.

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.

Rick Lodmell is both prepared and lucky.

Equipped with a 10.2-megapixel camera, a calm spirit, and an eye for beauty, he ardently tramps out into the Hennepin canal landscape during twilight and early morning, in all seasons. He is looking for that momentary vision of the natural world, always moving and transforming, to capture what is seen in an instant.