Did you know the land surrounding Brucemore was originally developed as the first golf course in Cedar Rapids? Or that the world-famous artist Grant Wood designed windows, murals, and woodwork, leaving his mark on the interiors of several Cedar Rapids homes? Listen to fascinating stories about the rich history and architecture of the neighborhood just outside Brucemore's gates on the Historic Neighborhood Walk - March 27, April 24, and May 22 at 6:00 p.m. Admission is $15 per person and $12 per Brucemore member and includes a Historic Neighborhood Tour flipbook. Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org or by calling (319) 362-7375.

The Historic Neighborhood Walk is part of Brucemore's Thursday Night Lineup. Every Thursday night Brucemore will feature a different specialty tour focusing on topics for all interests, including arts and culture, Midwestern industry, gardening, landscape design, architecture, preservation, behind-the-scenes at Brucemore, and growing up in the early twentieth century. For more information on the Thursday Night Lineup or upcoming events, visit www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375.

About Brucemore

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

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Davenport, Iowa (February 20, 2014) - The Young Artists at the Figge exhibition returns to the Figge Art Museum on Saturday for the ninth year in a row.

More than 500 elementary art students from seven area school districts including Muscatine, Moline, North Scott, Bettendorf, Davenport, Geneseo and Pleasant Valley will have their artwork on display in the Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery.

Each school district has a selection process to choose the top elementary student artwork to represent their district in this museum-school partnership.

Muscantine School District will kick off the exhibition this Saturday followed by Moline (March 8-16), North Scott (March 22-30), Bettendorf (April 5-13), Davenport (April 19-29), Geneseo (May 3-11) and closing with Pleasant Valley on May 17-25.

All school districts will have their very own reception honoring the participating young artists. This year, thanks to museum and donor support, the receptions will be free for students, artists, teachers, family and friends and allow everyone to experience the current exhibitions on display.

The Young Artists at the Figge exhibition is sponsored in part by the Brand Boeshaar Foundation Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation Fund.

 

Exhibition and Reception Dates:

MUSCATINE February 22-March 2
Receptions: Sunday, February 23 (12:30 pm, 1 pm)

MOLINE March 8-16
Receptions: Sunday, March 16 (12:30 pm, 1 pm)
Exhibition and reception sponsored by the Moline Foundation

NORTH SCOTT March 22-30
Receptions: Sunday, March 30 (12:30 pm, 1 pm)
Exhibition and reception sponsored by Delia and Dave Meier

BETTENDORF April 5-13
Receptions: Sunday, April 6 (12:30 pm, 1 pm)
Exhibition and reception sponsored in memory of Gene Eherenfeldt

DAVENPORT April 19-29
Receptions: Sunday, April 27 (12:30 pm, 1 pm, 1:30 pm)

Exhibition and reception sponsored by the Horan Family

GENESEO May 3-11
Receptions: Sunday, May 4 (12:30 pm, 1 pm, 1:30 pm)

Exhibition and reception sponsored by the Geneseo Foundation

PLEASANT VALLEY May 17-25
Receptions: Thursday, May 15 (6 pm, 6:30 pm)
Exhibition and reception sponsored by Doug and Deb Roberts 

 

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 and free to all on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.
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Bettendorf – The Family Museum will hold a press conference on Saturday, February 22 at 10:00 am

at the Family Museum to introduce the new Honorary Mayor of Fox Hollow, Ethan Geifman, to the Quad Cities. Cake will be served. A proclamation will be read, and Mayor Geifman will be available for questions.

Ethan Geifman (pronounced GEEF-man), is a ten year old youth volunteer at the Family Museum. He has volunteered 50 hours since his start in March of 2013. He works with visitors in the Museum's Special Needs Creative Movement class, interacts with children in the Museum's exhibits, and cleans gallery props to keep the exhibits looking great.

Making Ethan the Honorary Mayor of Fox Hollow was a unanimous decision of the Family Museum staff. "At such a young age, I am so impressed with his volunteerism, his maturity, sense of responsibility, and his respect for the Museum and for people in our community.  Ethan has a great sense of enthusiasm and truly wants to make the world a better place.  He is one-of-a kind, and I'm so glad that he is part of our volunteer team," said Volunteer Coordinator Kristina Bouxsein-Hearn.

   

On Saturday, Ethan will be presented with a proclamation, and his name will be added to the Wall of Honorary Mayors located in the Fox Hollow Post Office. The proclamation will read: "On this day, the 22^nd of February, 2014, we hereby recognize Ethan Geifman, a true steward of the Family Museum, as honorary mayor of Fox Hollow. Because of his ongoing dedication to Volunteerism; his efforts keeping Fox Hollow safe and clean for all; his work, undertaken with maturity and positivity and his genuine interest in the inclusion and happiness of all peoples, we thank you, Mr. Mayor."

Fox Hollow is an exhibit in the Family Museum consisting of a town square with a Shoe Store, Post Office, Vet Clinic, Grocery Store, Fire Department, and Pizza Parlor. This hands-on gallery space opened February 15, 2013. For more information on Fox Hollow, please visit our website.

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Bettendorf – The Family Museum has announced the launch of a new and improved website that will provide visitors with Museum information through an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly site.

The Family Museum website remodel addresses programming changes made at the Family Museum over the last five years through goals set in the Museum's strategic plan. Programming at the Museum has shifted from mostly pre-paid and pre-registered classes to more Drop-In classes which serve a wider audience and are included with paid admission. While planning a visit to the Family Museum, guests to the new website will be able to navigate more easily through the hundreds of events offered at the Museum and discover all that the Family Museum has to offer.

The site overhaul also addresses the change in technology over the last several years. "Our analytics show us that back in 2008 only about 2% of our website visitors were using a smartphone to access our information. Today the percent of people using smartphones and tablets is closer to 60. We needed to adjust our website by improving the navigation and functionality to accommodate our guests," said Public Relations Coordinator Elly Gerdts.

The Family Museum Foundation provided the funds needed for the update. The Family Museum used Terrostar Interactive Media for web design. The website can be found at www.familymuseum.org.

The Family Museum is a hands-on, interactive children's museum located in Bettendorf, Iowa. In addition to the 44,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Museum also offers Drop-In programs, comprehensive dance classes, special events, and summer camps. Children and adults are invited to Play and Learn Together!

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