The Figge Art Museum throws it's annual gala tonight (June 5th), and the owners of L&D15 have been busy making sure the night's paper theme is well represented.

Designer and co-owner of L&D15, Lopeti Etu, created not only the chandeliers and table centerpieces for the event's main floor banquet, but he also designed and made several of the attendees' clothing - all out of paper.

Etu designed and sewed a total of five custom paper items - a man's tuxedo jacket, a paneled bustier, a sixties-era women's jacket, a dazzling Roaring Twenties style flapper dress in gold and red, and a black Italian crepe paper strapless ball gown.

Etu worked most of May on these items, starting the Monday after the store's Kentucky Derby party. Etu is on the Figge Art Museum Gala committee, and volunteered to create both the centerpieces and suspended chandeliers for the event. The geometric chandeliers were made from recycled cardboard boxes, while the flowers sitting on each of the banquet tables were made from a lighter paper, then individually hand dipped.

L&D15 is a new kind of retail for the Quad Cities, featuring artists and designers from the area, as well as from other parts of the country. In addition, owners David Balluff and Lopeti Etu use part of the shop as a workspace, hand making custom hats, silkscreening t-shirts and designing clothing.

L&D15 is open daily, from 10am - 7pm, and is located at 520 West 2nd St. between Scott and Western in downtown Davenport. For more information, visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/ landd15 or at landd15.com

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L&D15 opens its second monthly art exhibit with Davenport art teacher David Houk. Bind is loosely tied together by family connections, paintings in the exhibit are steeped in memories of family and childhood.

"I try to express personal meaning through my paintings; it's easy to let doubt take over. My students continue to influence me. Their imagination, fearlessness and bold use of color inspire me every day. My family and friends help me shape how I view the world and are the driving force behind my artistic choices."

There will be a reception for David Houk on Saturday, February 14th starting at 7pm. Hors d'ouvres and drinks will be provided. The exhibition runs through March 15th.

"A part of this show is a tribute to my great grandfather. While reminiscing about my grandfather I was led to his old tackle box. These objects have special meaning to me. The lures, hooks and Copenhagen tin remind me of the times I spent with him. I wanted to give them a new purpose, be perceived in a new way and seen on a larger scale."

"In today's culture I have reservations about guns; they're controversial; however, painting guns is my way of showing my appreciation for my father."

Rounding out the show are portraits of my loved ones. The purpose was to capture their personality so I painted them from memory.

David Houk is an artist and art educator in Davenport, Iowa. He is a graduate of St. Ambrose University and has been teaching in the Davenport School District for 11 years.

L&D15 brings a new style of retail to the Quad Cities, featuring clothing, accessories and housewares created by local and international artists and designers. The store is located at 520 West 2nd Street in downtown Davenport. For more information, please visit http://

L&D15 brings three talented, but very different local artists to talk about their work for our bi- monthly Meet Your Maker series, running every other Sunday from 1-4pm.

The Meet Your Maker series was conceived by L&D15 co-founders David Balluff and Lopeti Etu as a way to provide artists and art lovers with a forum to share ideas, techniques and information about a wide range of artistic topics. Future events include demonstrations, artist talks, and skill sharing workshops. Coffee provided.

DEC 14: Meet Your Maker 02: Tom Voss, furniture maker
Davenport resident and furniture-maker Tom Voss talks about his work, his influences, and brings a number of rarely seen miniature created for custom furniture orders to L&D15. His style of furniture is influenced by both the Arts and Crafts movement and by Japanese design.

DEC 28: Meet Your Maker 03: Glenn Boyles / Interstellar Arts & Crafts, ceramicist and Education Coordinator at the Family Museum in Bettendorf.
Davenport's Glenn Boyles constructs rocket ships, robots and UFOs out of ceramics. He talks about his working process, leads a creature making activity and ponders whether UFOs exist.

JAN 11: Meet Your Maker 04: Tom Awad, artist, designer, musician
Multi-media artist Tom Awad will be at L&D15 to talk about his exhibit, Remnants of Earth.

ART EXHIBIT:
Remnants of Earth, Tom Awad - January 10th - February 8th.
A mixture of photographic collage, paintings and mixed media sculpture, Remnants of Earth is an investigation of matter both physical and emotional. In his artist's statement, Awad describes his process "I work in layers. None of my pieces happen over night - they take time to evolve... the process of growth and destruction is always apparent in my work."

There will be a reception for Tom Awad on Saturday, January 10th starting at 7pm. Hors d'ouvres and drinks will be provided. For more info: www.tomawad.net

L&D15 brings a new style of retail to the Quad Cities, featuring clothing, accessories and housewares created by local and international artists and designers. The store is located at 520 West 2nd Street in downtown Davenport. For more information, please visit http:// www.landd15.com