Davenport, Iowa (February 28, 2013) - Beginning Saturday the Figge Art Museum will present the exhibition: Marking Territory: Cartographic Treasures of the Mississippi River and the World Beyond in the second floor print gallery.  

Curated by Rima Girnius, PhD, the exhibition features a selection of more than 25 historic maps that range from early representations of the world to more detailed examinations of America's vast interior west of the Mississippi. The exhibition explores how maps communicate highly complex ideas about identity, politics and culture.

American identity coincided with the evolution of maps. From the late 17th through the 19th centuries, cartographers and explorers recorded what they were learning about the United States interior west of the Mississippi. Never innocent of broader political objectives, these maps of the New World function as exercises in power, attempts on the part of one nation and race to exert control over another. For example, the shifting boundaries of Iowa in the 19th century demonstrate the American government's interest in solidifying borders and publicly laying claim on territories.

In documenting the fluidity and continuity between territories, maps suggest that the West is capable of being traversed and thus inhabited, conquered and exploited. Informed by political agendas and underlying values, maps function as important historical and cultural documents that offer a compelling look into the past. They remind the exhibition viewer to look for what is not only present in an image but also what has been hidden from view.

According to Girnius, "The featured maps contribute to our growing knowledge of the physical world by functioning as essential navigation and information-gathering tools and thus providing insight on what people knew (or thought they knew) about their environment."

The exhibition will be on display through June 16 and is sponsored by Humanities Iowa.

Companion Programming:

Collecting and Curating Reception and Talk

Thursday, March 7

6 p.m. Reception • 7 p.m. Talk

Presenters: Rima Girnius, PhD, and H. Dee Hoover

Introduction to the exhibition by Curator Rima Girnius followed by a gallery talk with map collector H. Dee Hoover about the maps featured.

Artist Talk

Personal Geography: Charting a Course

7 p.m. Thursday, March 21

Presenter: Maureen Bardusk

Join studio artist Maureen Bardusk for a presentation of her unique stitched paper work, during which she will discuss her ideas and technique. Bardusk also will describe her creative life in Galena, Illinois, after which she will provide audience members with a hands-on display of her work in various stages.

Free Family Day

Maps: Adventure, Fun & Family

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, April 13

Find the fastest route to the FREE Figge Family Day, "Maps-Adventure, Fun and Family." Make a treasure map, learn about maps of all kinds, chart your family tree and more as you explore the wonderful world of maps!

Docent-led Tours

3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, 9, 16 and 23

6 p.m. on Thursdays, March 7 and 21

1:30 p.m. on Sundays in April 7, 14, 21 and 28

Interactive Workshop

Given Space: Writing Your Own Cartography

6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 6

Presenter: E. Marie Bertram

Join poet and Augustana Professor E. Marie Bertram for this interactive workshop combining visual art and the written word. This workshop is free, but space is limited so registration is required. To register, contact Heather Aaronson at 563.326.7804 x2045 or haaronson@figgeartmuseum.org .

X Marks the Spot

March 9-June 16

Families can visit X Marks the Spot in Studio 1. Chart a route to learning and adventure, exploring everything from the trusty road atlas to genealogical maps that trace your family history. 

About the Figge Art Museum 

The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5 p.m. Thursdays the museum is open until 9 p.m. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.

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Negotiators Send Proposed Three-year Agreement to AFSCME Members for Ratification

SPRINGFIELD - The Quinn Administration and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 have reached a tentative agreement on a new union contract covering some 35,000 state employees. Negotiations have been ongoing for more than 15 months.

"At a time when the state is facing unprecedented financial challenges, this agreement is fair to both hard-working state employees and all taxpayers of Illinois," Governor Pat Quinn said. "I want to thank the women and men who have stayed at the table for more than a year for their commitment to reaching an agreement."

"AFSCME is very pleased that we were able to reach an agreement that protects our members' standard of living, and is fair to them and all Illinois citizens, even in these very challenging economic times," AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer said.

AFSCME members must ratify any contract negotiated by their elected bargaining representatives. The ratification process will get under way at worksites statewide during the week of March 4.

Details of the tentative agreement will be released after the union's membership has had the opportunity to review it.

*** Reminder this Saturday, March 2nd ***

"Billy Davidson Breakfast"

-- Open to Public --

Bring your family and friends and have good fellowship

Bettendorf Masonic Center, 2412 Grant Street.

7:30 am - 9:00 am

$5:00 a person - children 6 years old or younger - $3:00

SPRINGFIELD - February 28, 2013. With the Governor's budget address set for next week, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon announced today that she is voluntarily requesting a 3 percent cut in her fiscal year 2014 budget. Simon, who voluntarily cut the current fiscal year's budget request by 9 percent, will achieve savings by reducing personnel and administrative costs.

"Illinoisans are doing more with less, and state leaders need to do the same," Simon said. "Over the past two years, I've cut my own pay and reduced the office budget by more than $250,000. We can all do our part to preserve funding for vital services such as education and public safety."

For the second consecutive year, Simon is reducing her office's headcount to achieve savings. She will continue to return one day of pay per month to the state and require her senior staff members to take four furlough days within the year. She is also eliminating her grant-making authority, which will save taxpayers up to $50,000 a year and brings her total cut to 5 percent in fiscal year 2014. 

Simon's office will continue to purchase equipment through Central Management Services (CMS) master contracts, which offer discounted prices on office supplies. Though constitutional offices are not required to follow CMS master contracts, Simon instituted the policy after her inauguration in 2011 to save taxpayer dollars. Printing and equipment expenses are also being reduced.

Despite cutting her office budget by 12 percent since fiscal year 2012, Simon continues to be a state leader in education and ethics reform. She recently released a report on game changing practices that will make college more affordable for students, and helped draft legislation that would create the strongest financial disclosure law for public servants in 40 years. Simon also chairs the Governor's Rural Affairs Council, key river and military base committees and advocates for domestic and sexual violence prevention. 

Lt. Governor Simon submitted the reduced fiscal year 2014 spending plan to Governor Pat Quinn in advance of his March 6 budget address. Simon is making the lowest appropriation request for the Office of the Lt. Governor since at least 1992.

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