An exploration of the valiant and courageous personalities behind one of the most critical chapters in the history of the Civil Rights movement, Mad River Theater Works' Freedom Riders will enjoy a special January 31 staging at the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, the play delivering unforgettable heroes and facts essential to a full understanding of the Civil Rights era and American history.

Held in conjunction with the Figge Art Museum's current exhibition Breakfast on Pluto, art historian Joy Sperling and exhibit creator Jane Gilmor will discuss the artist's career and how her work “bounces off” the world around her, the January 27 conversation topics extending to current events and the opportunities for dialogue, exploration, and connection that thrive in Gilmor’s artwork.

In the Redstone Room's first concert event under the "All Sweat Original Series" banner, local songwriters are paired up alongside topnotch area musicians to act as their own personal backing band, with this January 20 explosion of community and fun showcasing three exceptional headliners on the Davenport stage: Randy Leasman, Erin Moore, and John Born.

With SputnikMusic.com praising their most recent album When We Were in Love as “larger than life in its indie-pop/rock sound,” adding that “shimmering synth, strong vocals, and endless energy are all constants throughout,” Mike Mains & the Branches headline a January 26 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the indie musicians described by Sunlight magazine as “a powerhouse of a band both in sound and lyrics.”

Always an eagerly awaited series at the Figge Art Museum, the latest incarnation of Young Artists at the Figge will be on display through May 15, with the Davenport venue again celebrating the accomplishments of budding creative talents of local elementary art students whose works will be showcased in a continuing series of individual exhibitions.

Described by CNN as “amazing,” by the San Francisco Chronicle as “wonderful,” and by the Hollywood Reporter as “a fascinating portrait,” Picture of His Life, the 2019 documentary on lauded underwater photographer Amos Nachoum, opens the 2022 season in River Action's QC Environmental Film Series, this January 23 presentation at Davenport's Figge Art Museum a multiple festival-award winner by acclaimed directors Dani Merkin and Yonatan Nir.

Boasting a discography encompassing more than two decades and collaborations with diverse artists ranging from The Doors and Eminem to Boyz II Men, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, hip-hop and rap artist Tech N9ne plays East Moline's The Rust Belt on January 21, the musician currently touring nationally in support of his 2021 release Asin9ne.

With the Washington Post deeming her latest novel “a fast-paced, darkly romantic journey,” and NPR stating that its characters are “unique, flawed, and sad in a way that burrows into your heart,” best-selling and award-winning novelist Silvia Moreno-Green will take part in a virtual conversation hosted by the Rock Island Public Library, the January 26 event allowing the author to discuss her 2021 book Velvet Was the Night and her genre-defying mashups of cultural noir and Lovecraft-ian horror.

On January 21 and 22, one of the most spectacular extreme-racing environments in the world will be re-created at Moline's TaxSlayer Center in the two-day Hoosier Racing Tire Arenacross Nationals, a touring event in which top professional and amateur athletes compete on man-made, custom-designed tracks built inside the country’s most well-known arena stages and amphitheaters.

In a special panel discussion taking place at the Bettendorf Public Library on January 25, area professors and their students will share some of their faculty-led experiences abroad, their Stories from Around the World program presented by the World Affairs Council of the Quad Cities and featuring Augustana College's Dr. Mariano J. Magalhães and St. Ambrose University's Dr. Kirk Kelley, Dr. Terri Switzer, and Dr. Duk Kim.

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