Davenport, IOWA (September 2012) On Sunday, September 23 the lecture, "Faces of Napoleon: Select Portraits from the Private Collection of Pierre-Jean Chalençon" will be held at 2pm at the Figge Art Museum. In this lecture, Heidi E. Kraus, PhD, co-curator of the University of Iowa exhibition Napoléon and the Art of Propaganda, will examine the political importance, historical reliance and aesthetic value of select Napoleonic portraits created from approximately 1796 through 1850.

While portraits of Napoleon I remain undeniably propagandistic, many possess a beauty, originality and complexity that often is underemphasized by art historians. The lecture will explore concrete examples of how artists working in the service of Napoleon, including Gros, Appiani, Girodet and Delaroche, were engaged with and inspired by their prescribed "official" subject.

The lecture offered in conjunction with the University of Iowa exhibition Napoléon and the Art of Propaganda: Art from the collection of Pierre-Jean Chalençon, on view at the Pentacrest Museums Gallery for Arts, Humanities & Sciences in the Old Capitol Museum, and the Black Box Theater at the Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City through January 29, 2013. To learn more about the exhibition, visit http://uima.uiowa.edu/exhibitions/.

The lecture is free with membership or paid admission

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 9pm. 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 our website, www.figgeartmuseum.org.

Davenport, IA- You will find beer, music, German food, and more beer at the first annual Suds! Beer Tasting at the German American Heritage Center on Saturday October 13 th from 5-8pm! Local, regional, German, and even homebrewed beer will be sampled and enjoyed as we celebrate the final days of the exhibition Suds! on the brewing process, German drinking traditions, and Quad City brewing heritage.

Get your tickets now! $18 for members and $20 for non-members in advance and $25 at the door. Must be 21+. This event is sponsored by Vanguard Distributing Company. Call 563-322-8844 or visit GAHC at 712 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA to get
you tickets!

Calling all Junior Scientists - Putnam Explorers Jr.!

New this year, our Putnam Explorers Jr. program will take your young scientist on an adventure in science through stories, songs and exciting hands-on activities that are sure to spark curiosity and imagination. Each month we'll dabble in a different dimension to bring science to life with engaging experiments, fun activities, games and fun surprises!

Putnam Explorers Jr. is a once-a-month science club for kids Pre-K through 1st Grade (must be age 4 by September 30, 2012). We'll meet one Saturday each month from 9 - 10:30 a.m., October through April. Purchase the fall season package of three classes for $22 ($15/Putnam Members) or the spring season package of four classes for $28 ($20/Putnam Members). Individual class sessions may be purchased for $8 ($6/Putnam Members).

FALL SEASON

October 6: Weather Workx Jr.
It's not your typical forecast! Get ready to twist, rumble and get wet as learn all about how weather workx in our world.

November 3: Animation Exploration Jr.
Cartoons are cool! Learn how artists make our favorite animated shows and movies come alive with their talents in both science and art - and of course make your own piece too!

December 1: The Element of FUN Jr.
We're wearing lab coats and safety glasses because this good time is not magic-It's science! Potions that change color, gel that flows UP... anything can happen in this laboratory of FUN!

SPRING SEASON

January 5: Build it Bash! Jr.
We hope you join this engineering party! Building is great - but this party is also about the BASH. Learn how the things we build can be strong - or not - with lots of hands on fun!

February 2: Blast Off! Jr.
Come to our out-of-this-world workshop today and explore space. We'll rocket through the morning with exciting activities about planets, our universe and of course, rockets!

March 2: The Universe Within! Jr.
Your body is an amazing machine! Discover what we look like on the inside and how doctors and others help keep us healthy.

April 6: Eggstravaganza Jr.

Join us for tons of fun with this symbol of new life and spring. Egg anatomy, eggs-periments, and eggy creations. It'll be an eggs-ellent adventure!

For more information or to register, call 563-324-1054 ext. 266.

The public is invited to join the Muscatine Art Center in welcoming Carol Ehlers, art history speaker, as she presents a 45 minute lecture on the art of the French Impressionist Edgar Degas. The lecture will take place Thursday, September 20 at 5:30 pm in the Muscatine Art Center's Music Room. Admission is free.

Edgar Degas was born on July 19, 1834 in Paris, France, the oldest of five children. Degas began to paint early in life and in 1853 he registered as a copyist in the Louvre. He exhibited at the Salon for the first time in 1865 but his painting gathered little attention.

At the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Degas enlisted in the National Guard. During rifle training his eyesight was found to be defective and for the rest of his life his eye problems were a constant worry to him. From 1870 on Degas increasingly painted ballet subjects, partly because they sold well and provided him with needed income after his brother's debts had left the family bankrupt. He produced much of his greatest work during the decade beginning in 1874.

During his life, public reception of Degas' work ranged from admiration to contempt. He is considered one of the founders of Impressionism, though he preferred to be called a realist. His paintings, pastels, drawings, and sculptures are included in the collection of numerous museums around the world. Although Degas had no formal pupil he greatly influenced several important painters. His greatest admirer may have been Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

In 1992 the Muscatine Art Center's collections were significantly enriched by a gift of twenty-seven works of art by Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Degas, Boudin, Chagall, Renoir, and other European artists. The collection was a gift from the estate of Mary Musser Gilmore in honor of her parents, Richard Drew Musser and Sarah Walker Musser. The paintings are on permanent display in the Laura Musser Mansion.