Tour the blossoming gardens and lush terrain during Brucemore in Bloom - Thursday, May 30 at 6:00 p.m. Trace the development of the gardens from the original plan conceived by prominent landscape architect O.C. Simonds to the integration of function, recreation, and entertainment in Irene Douglas's vision for the country estate. View current plants and landscape techniques that continue to help preserve the historically accurate, prairie-style design by Simonds. Admission is $15 per person and $12 per Brucemore member. Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org or by calling (319) 362-7375.

The Brucemore in Bloom Tour 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 the May schedule, visit www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375.

Brucemore's Hired Help Tour explores working on a country estate

Downton Abbey fans will enjoy Brucemore's Hired Help Tour - Thursday, May 16 at 6:00 p.m. Join a costumed interpreter for a tour exploring the lives of Brucemore's domestic servants in the early twentieth century. Consider what it was like to live and work on one of Iowa's grandest estates while discovering the servants' living quarters and the Servants' Village, an area only open to the public during this tour. Documents, photographs, and other materials from Brucemore's collections enrich visitors' understanding of the relationships between the employers and "the hired help." Admission is $15 per person and $12 per Brucemore member. Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org or by calling (319) 362-7375.

The Hired Help Tour 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 the May schedule, 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.

Nash Gallery, 371 Bluff Street in Cable Car Square, will host an emerging artist showcase exhibit and reception on Friday, April 19 from 7-9 p.m. This multi-genre exhibit features the work of nine emerging artists from the art departments of Clarke University and Loras College. Featured artists include Sara Steuer, Kalli Olberding, Randi Westervelt, Samantha Sewell and Mark Fuentebella from Loras College and Emily Cram, Traci Bauer, Gwen Gross, and Kayla Carlson from Clarke University. The artists' work include explorations in photography, installation, collage, mixed media/conceptual, painting, illustration, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture.

The exhibit and opening reception serves as a fundraiser for DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival 36th annual all-arts festival scheduled for May 17-19 in downtown Dubuque. The artists will donate 10% of all sales made on opening night to the festival. DubuqueFest t-shirts and signed, limited edition silk-screened posters by artist Rich Rossignol will be available for purchase. The public is invited to attend. Refreshments and treats will be served. A $10 donation is suggested for adults and $5 for students who show their current college ID.

Nash Gallery has recently moved to their new home above Monks Kaffee Pub, 371 Bluff Street. The entrance is at the rear of building. For more information visit dubuquefest.org. DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival and Nash Gallery are affiliates of the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society.

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Davenport, Iowa (April 9, 2013) – Find the fastest route to the FREE Figge Family Day, "Maps-Adventure, Fun and Family" on Saturday, April 13. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., families can explore the world of maps while enjoying free admission to the museum.

Kids can craft 3-dimensional treasure maps, sculpt the QC Riverfront in clay, or sketch a scenic view of the river from the Wintergarden.

Tales of travel will be read during story-time in the Library from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. along with facts and fun with X Marks the Spot in Studio 1. Don't forget to take the Map Folding Challenge at the Studio 4 Map Station, where families can examine real mapmaking tools and trace their path through the museum using a gallery map to win a special prize. Snacks will be provided.

This event is sponsored by John Deere, and is a companion event to the exhibition Marking Territory: Cartographic Treasures of the Mississippi River and the World Beyond which is on display until June 16, 2013.

In anticipation of the exhibition No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service by Chicago-based artist Juan Angel Chavez, the Figge will be collecting recycled materials for the artist to use in his installation artwork, opening on June 29, 2013. Best known for reusing salvaged materials, Chavez creates sculptures that sometimes fill an entire gallery. Some of the requested objects include : clothing, stuffed animals, wood flooring, buckets and lids.  For a complete list of acceptable materials, please visit the Figge's website.

Interested parties may drop off their donation between 10:00 - 12:00 on Saturday, April 13 on the Figge Plaza (rain-out location: Figge Lobby). The first 50 people who bring acceptable materials to donate will receive a special "thank you" gift from the Figge.