Ornament Class To Be Hosted by Peaceful River

McCausland, IA/November 4, 2013 - Peaceful River Trading Co. is hosting a Make Your Own Christmas Ornament art class on Sunday, November 10^th.  Come join the fun at 1:00pm at 302 North Salina Street in McCausland, Iowa.

The cost for this class is $10.00 person and that includes a set of six ornaments, along with the supplies you'll need to create your item. Children over 10 are encouraged to participate.

Handmade ornaments make great holiday gifts and offer unique accents to a tree, as no two are exactly alike.

Owners, Sheila Bosworth and Kit Gleason are excited to host the class. "We want to give people the opportunity to create their own pieces of art. So many times, as we get older, we lose that creative, artistic side we had when we were younger. These classes offer adults a way to get back in touch with their creativity."

To register for the Make Your Own Ornament class on November 10^th, call Peaceful River at 563-225-2100 by November 6th.

Peaceful River is a treasure trove of arts and crafts as well as antiques, gifts and collectibles.  Nestled inside a beautiful circa-1916 bank building, visitors travel back in time while browsing through the great selection Peaceful River has to offer.  Peaceful River Trading Co. is open from 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday through Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm on Sundays.  McCausland is located about 20 miles northeast of Davenport, just off Utica Ridge Road on F33 and 5 minutes north of Scott County Park.  Explore Peaceful River Trading Co. at www.peacefulrivertradingco.com.

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.

Bettendorf – Come in costume and celebrate the fall season! On Sunday, October 27, from noon - 5:00 PM the Family Museum's annual event, Scarecrow Shenanigans, returns this year with even more kooky, spooky, and ooky activities. Almost every gallery and room in the Museum will be filled with art activities, games, and science projects.

In the Museum's Great Hall, visitors will construct haunted houses, get their faces painted, play Halloween games, and grab a quick snack. The Family Museum Gallery will get a spooky make-over that is not for the faint of heart - parents must give the OK for kids to enter. In our dance studios, guests can watch the Family Museum Dance Company perform, decorate a mini pumpkin, and take a turn on the "Skary-Oke" stage. Visitors are also invited upstairs to make slime out of common household items, make a skeleton craft, and dissect real eyeballs. And new this year: there will be a child-size train offering rides for children and adults in our parking lot.

Tickets are $3.00 for Family Museum members and $8.00 each for the general public.  Tickets are available now.  Everyone must have a ticket to enter - even Family Museum members. For more information please call (563) 344-4106, or visit www.familymuseum.org.  Scarecrow Shenanigans is sponsored by The Family Credit Union.

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