Kicking off the third season of virtual Illinois Libraries Present (ILP) programs boasting fascinating guests of national and international fame, the Rock Island Public Library will host The Power of Story with Colson Whitehead on September 6, the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author's 2023 novel Crook Manifesto lauded by Kirkus Reviews as "not just crime fiction at its craftiest, but shrewdly rendered social history."

Lauded by Baltimore magazine as "the very essence of a simple story beautifully told," the three-time Academy Award nominee Brooklyn, on September 13, serves as the first screening in the Bettendorf Public Library's Global Gathering Ireland film series, this charming romance starring Saoirse Ronan praised by NPR's Claudia Puig as "one of the best films ever made about leaving one's homeland in search of a better life."

Boasting 36 unique examples of jewelry as well as nine of the artist's signature sculptures created over a span of five decades, the Figge Art Museum exhibition Quanta of Space: The Bosom Sculpture of Ibram Lassaw will be on display in the Davenport venue through December 3, its Katz Gallery showcase demonstrating the artistic gifts of the Russian-American sculptor revered for his non-objective construction in brazed metals.

Held in conjunction with the Figge Art Museum's new exhibition Quanta of Space: The Bosom Sculpture of Ibram Lassaw, which features works by the Russian-American sculptor revered for his non-objective construction in brazed metals, a special Scholar Talk with Dr. Marin R. will take place at the Davenport venue on September 14, with the presenter sharing her research on Lassaw's Synagogue commissions and more general sculptural commissions for mid-century architectural settings.

On September 9, Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center will host a night of vibrant, cultural fun featuring music, food, and dancing in the LULAC Fiesta Night, with the League of United Latin American Citizens' celebration preceded in the day by the venue's magical butterfly extravaganza Monarchs & Mariachi.

Combining beautiful examples of German artwork with local art created by German immigrants and their descendants, the exhibition Art from the Archives will be housed in the German American Heritage Center's third-floor gallery through February 18 – a showcase of pieces from the Davenport venue's own collection, many of which haven't been on display before.

A beloved local tradition designed specifically for seniors continues into its 24th year when River Action, on September 7 and 8, hosts two days worth of self-guided Senior Citizen Golf Cart Tours, with six separate tours available for those enthusiastic to travel riverfront trails on both sides of the Mississippi, and those wishing to gain knowledge on the past, present, and future of the Quad Cities' mighty river.

Based on the beloved Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson book Growing Up Lutheran and an ever-popular stage entertainment for nearly 20 years, Church Basement Ladies makes an eagerly awaited return to Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, its September 8 through 17 run sure to demonstrate why Broadway World called the experience “a completely fun evening” that's “really, really funny.”

Offering a visual playground of colors, textures, and shapes from four women who push the boundaries of traditional materials to create an exciting collective experience, the Quad City Arts exhibit Hobbs, LeBreton, Montalvo, & Simonson will be on display at the Quad City International Airport Gallery through October 30, showcasing fiber art by Patricia Hobbs and Maria Montalvo with ceramic sculpture by Sara Simonson, all three from Macomb, Illinois, and paper sculpture by Laurie LeBreton of Chicago.

The largest and most realistic dinosaur exhibit in North America is back, bigger and better than ever, in Jurassic Quest, a thrilling interactive exhibit boasting photorealistic dinosaurs and activities for all ages that enjoys an August 25 through 27 engagement at Coralville's Xtream Arena and GreenState Family Fieldhouse.

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