The Muscatine Art Center will open its new exhibition, The Art of Living Well, on Thursday, November 7^th with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The Art of Living Well is an opportunity to showcase the Art Center's permanent collection while exploring some of the principles from the Blue Zones Project™.

Muscatine is among ten communities in Iowa that have been chosen as Blue Zones Project demonstration sites. The purpose of the Blue Zones Project is to encourage principles that make it possible for people to live longer, healthier and happier lives. The Art of Living Well is presented in five sections - Work, Play, Relax, Belong and Eat. Visitors will explore each of these sections and discover examples of "move naturally," "know your purpose," "down shift," "loved ones first," "right tribe," "plant slant" and other core principles of the Power 9^®.

"The approach to this exhibition is somewhat different from the way art exhibitions are often organized," says Director, Melanie Alexander. "The staff was challenged to find examples of people spending time in nature, gathering with friends, being physically active. The Art Center's collection of photographs, paintings, drawings, artifacts, postcards and other objects is full of examples of people in the past leading active lifestyles."

"In this exhibition, we put together works by well-known artists such as Grant Wood, John Bloom and John Steuart Curry to be displayed next to photographs of families picnicking, ice skates from the 1870s, Musser family scrapbooks and advertisements from the Muscatine Oatmeal Company. The Art of Living Well showcases the Art Center's collection of original art and historic artifacts."

The Art Center recently received a grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs that will make it possible to provide a variety of experiences for elementary through high school students when they tour the exhibition. The Art of Living Well is intended to re-enforce some of the healthy eating initiatives of the school district. While at the Art Center, 1^st grade students will use collage materials to create a healthy meal; 4^th graders will make prints from fruits and vegetables; 6^th graders will make fruit and vegetable still lifes in the style of Grant Wood. Visitors will also imagine themselves in a painting or photograph and carry out the movements of the people depicted.

"We hope that students will be attracted to the colorful depictions of fruits and vegetables and will enjoy thinking about what people in the past did to keep physically activity, relax or connect with one another."

The Art of Living Well runs from November 7, 2013 through June 15, 2014. Hand-outs and pledge forms for the Blue Zones Project will be available as part of the exhibition. Families can also put together a picnic using toy fruits and vegetables.

The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine, Iowa. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday evenings until 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.

Muscatine Art Center to Present a Free Concert

The Muscatine Art Center is pleased to present a free concert to take place in the recently dedicated, E. Bradford Burns Performing Arts Park. "Kim Wiseman & Friends" will be the first group to perform in this space on Sunday, October 13^th from 2 to 4 p.m. Kim Wiseman-Johnson is the lead vocalist with Mark Johnson on guitar, keyboard and vocals, and Mayor DeWayne Hopkins on drums. Other local musicians may join in the fun. The group performs older hymns and contemporary Christian music.

The public is invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. In case of rain, the concert will be moved to the Art Center's Music Room. Don't miss this opportunity to see Mayor Hopkins perform!

The E. Bradford Burns Performing Arts Park is located at 1402 Mulberry Avenue, one lot up from the Musser Mansion at former site of the Henry Jayne House. The original brick foundation of the house has been adapted to serve as a performance space.

Visitors are also encouraged to view the exhibition, "A Journey Down River: Celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of the Great River Road," which closes on October 27, 2013.

For more details, contact the Muscatine Art Center at 563-263-8282.

The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine, Iowa. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday evenings until 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.

The public is invited to join the Muscatine Art Center in welcoming Carol Ehlers, art history speaker, as she presents a 45 minute lecture on Impressionism and its influence on 19th Century modernity and fashion. The lecture will take place Thursday, July 25 at 5:30 pm in the Muscatine Art Center's Music Room. Admission is free.

From the mid-1860's to the 1880's, Paris was emerging as the style capital of the world, just when the artists who called themselves the Impressionists gained notoriety within the artistic community. The Impressionists, with their love of movement, color and light, and contemporary life, set out to capture modern life in its elemental form. This "snapshot" of society included all the nuances of the day; most specifically the fashions and trends of the time.

The mid-1880's saw the rise of the department store and the increasing presence of the fashion magazine- a possible reflection upon the pastimes of the bourgeoning society in Paris, from the operatic and yachting scenes to views of the Siene River. The Impressionists were keen to represent the sordid underworld of the glitzy Paris above, often depicting women in the cabarets dancing the Can-Can and the Bolero, with their ruffled skirts and plumed hairpieces, as well as the patrons in raggedy clothes in back rooms of the taverns sipping Absinthe. Their clothing, though not as opulent as those who frequented the ballets (another favorite subject of the Impressionists, most notably Edgar Degas), nonetheless reflected the ever changing fashion of the day.

Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity is the name of the world-traveled exhibit that has now made its way to its final stop at the Art Institute of Chicago, after having been realized at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
After having visited the exhibit in Chicago, our speaker Carol Ehlers will use the exhibit in Chicago as a starting point to her discussion about the French Impressionists and their influence on modern society and fashion in mid-19th century Paris.

In 1992 the Muscatine Art Center's collections were significantly enriched by a gift of twenty-seven works of art by Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Degas, Boudin, Chagall, Renoir, and other European artists. The collection was a gift from the estate of Mary Musser Gilmore in honor of her parents, Richard Drew Musser and Sarah Walker Musser. The paintings are on permanent display in the Laura Musser Mansion.

MUSCATINE ART CENTER

1314 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine, IA 52761    563-263-8282

Color in PatriART Week with Red, White & Blue

MUSCATINE, Iowa

"Chalk-the-Walk" is one of several new events added to this year's PatriART week. The 7th annual PatriART week is a celebration of Muscatine's art, history, and culture culminating with the fireworks display on July 4th.  All events are free and fun for the whole family.

PatriART week kicks off on Sunday, June 30th with a family bike ride departing from Discovery Park at 1 p.m. Participants will stop by the Muscatine Art Center for tasty treats at the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center's Annual Ice Cream Social. The Ice Cream Social will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Highlights include live music, a book sale, an art fair, "fun with fruit", kids games, and family activities. The Muscatine Art Center will also hold a dedication of the E. Bradford Burns Performing Arts Park at 1 p.m.

One of the new events, Chalk-the-Walk, will be held on Monday, July 1st from 5 p.m. to dusk on the riverfront in the parking lot by the Riverview Center. During the event, kids are encouraged to use sidewalk chalk to color in cartoon characters recreated by Flynn Collier and other local artists. Chalk is provided by the Muscatine Art Center. The Muscatine Civil War Roundtable will also present the lecture, "Muscatine & Vicksburg" on July 1st at 6:30 p.m. inside the Riverview Center.

Tuesday, July 2nd features two events - the opening of the exhibit, "Rollin' on the River," a collection of Oscar Grossheim's photographs of the Mississippi River and Concert Night at Weed Park. The exhibition is sponsored by the Musser Public Library and River's Edge Gallery. The reception is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at River's Edge Gallery, 216 W. Third Street. The exhibition will be on view at River's Edge Gallery throughout the month of July. Concert Night at Weed Park begins at 7 p.m. in the band shell with a performance by "Fun with Brass". Following the band's one hour performance, the Muscatine Civic Chorale will take the stage.

Noon on Wednesday, July 3rd brings the return of music on the lawn of City Hall. Mayor Hopkins has arranged for the "Vineyard Café After Hours" band to play. Residents of Muscatine will not want to miss this as Mayor Hopkins will take a seat behind the drums. Later in the day, families will want to catch all of the activities at Discovery Park for Family Night. The Environmental Learning Center will open a new temporary exhibition about snakes and let kids get up close with the slithery creatures. Friends of the Old Barn will offer tours and crafts from salvaged wood. The Friends of the Pine Creek Grist Mill will provide hands-on demonstrations and exhibits. Family Night will be from 5 to 8 p.m. with Grave Witching, a method for locating unmarked graves, offered from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Muscatine County Home Cemetery in Discovery Park.

The week wraps up with activities on July 4th. The Fourth of July Parade begins at 5:00 p.m. in downtown Muscatine. At 8 p.m., the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra will perform. The fireworks at dusk will mark the finale of the week's activities.

Schedule:

Sunday, June 30

Family Bike Ride (1-2 p.m.)

Meet at Discovery Park and depart at 1 p.m. for a family bike ride of either 3 or 10 miles. Both rides stop at the Muscatine Art Center for free ice cream. Participants who decorate their bike will also receive a coupon for another sweet treat.

Contact: Greg Harper (563) 263-4043/ greg@harperscycling.com

Ice Cream Social (1-5 p.m.)

Come to the Muscatine Art Center to enjoy ice cream, assorted desserts, family friendly fun, and live music. This year there will also be an art fair and the dedication of the E. Bradford Burns performing Arts Park at 1 p.m.

Contact: Melanie Alexander (563) 263-8282/ Melanie@muscatineiowa.gov

Monday, July 1

Chalk-the-Walk

Bring the family to the Riverfront where local artist, Flynn Collier will outline cartoon characters for kids to color in with chalk. Activities will take place on the riverfront in the parking lot of the Riverview Center. Chalk is provided.

Contact: Melanie Alexander (563) 263-8282/Melanie@muscatineiowa.gov

Muscatine Civil War Roundtable's "Muscatine & Vicksburg" (6:30 p.m.)

Listen to this exciting lecture at the Riverview Center.

Contact: Dan Clark (563)264-5990 /dclark@muscanet.com

Tuesday, July 2

Opening Reception for ""Rollin' on the River," Oscar Grossheim's photographs of the Mississippi River from the Collection of the Musser Public Library

Exhibition and Reception at River's Edge Gallery, 216 W 3^rd Street, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Contact: Pam Collins at Musser Public Library - (563)263-3065/ Pcollins@muscatineiowa.gov or Joel Smyers at River's Edge Gallery - (563)263-3176

Concert Night (7-9 p.m.)

Fun with Brass and Muscatine Civic Chorale at Weed Park Band Shell

Contact: Fun with Brass - Carolyn Airola (563) 264-2071/ amcjairola@gmail.com, Muscatine Civic Chorale: Jan Phillips-  jphillips@eicc.edu

Wednesday, July 3

Concert on the Lawn of City Hall (12 p.m.)

"Vineyard Café After Hours" Band

Contact: Mayor Hopkins (563)264-1550

Discovery Park Family Night (5-8 p.m.)

Learn about snakes when the Environmental Center opens its traveling exhibit on snakes - Contact: Curt Weiss (563) 264-5922/ cweiss@co.muscatine.ia.us

Old Barn Tours and Crafts- Contact: David Metz (563) 263-4222/ davemetz@machlink.com

Hands on Demonstration and Exhibits of the Friends of the Pine Creek Grist Mill-Contact: Tom Hanifan tomhanifan@yahoo.com

Thursday, July 4

4th of July Parade (5 p.m.) - Contact: GMCCI (563) 263-8895

Muscatine Symphony Orchestra (8 p.m.) On the Pearl City Station's West Patio -Contact: Carolyn Airola (563) 264-2071/ amcjairola@gmail.com

Fireworks (Dusk)- Contact: GMCCI (563) 263-8895