Learn the history of Cedar Rapids' most well-known, evocative, and imagination-capturing residence, as if the walls themselves can tell their story. Explore every room in the mansion during the Nooks and Crannies Tour, Brucemore's most popular specialty tour, Tuesday through Friday, May 15 through 18 at 6:00 p.m.

This 90-minute tour is guided by Brucemore staff who open the doors to the Skinner pipe organ room, point out architectural marvels and oddities in the attic, and bring the Tahitian Room to life with rain dripping off the tin ceiling. Visitors have the opportunity to roam each floor, peek behind all doors, and satisfy their curiosity through the expanded access to the mansion and the extremely knowledgeable Brucemore staff. Not only will the quirky and curious aspects of the mansion be revealed, but also the superior craftsmanship and ongoing preservation projects of this historic structure.

"Discover America's Hidden Gems is this year's theme for Preservation Month," said April Kamp-Whittaker, Director of Learning and Museum Projects. "Artistry, architecture, craftsmanship, preservation, conservation, and sustainability are at the heart of the Nooks and Crannies Tour, giving participants the first-hand opportunity to see how Brucemore continues to be a national historic gem."

Advance ticket purchase for the Nooks and Crannies Tour is required. Space is limited. Call (319) 362-7375 or visit the Brucemore Store. Admission is $15 per person and $12 for Brucemore members.  The tour is not recommended for children under 10 or individuals who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

Brucemore, Iowa's only National Trust Historic Site, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 26-acre park-like estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids boasts a Queen Anne style mansion built between 1884 and 1886. Brucemore has been home to three prominent families who used the estate as a center for culture and the arts. The estate continues to be a hub for cultural, philanthropic, and educational activities. Each year thousands of visitors attend specialty tours, concerts, fine arts performances, children's programs, holiday celebrations, preservation events, and garden workshops on the estate. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

The Figge Art Museum and the University of Iowa Libraries are pleased to announce the release of the Grant Wood Digital Collection (http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/grantwood/) in conjunction with the Grant Wood Biennial Symposium 2012, April 13-14, 2012.

This unique digital collection includes more than 12 scrapbooks and albums of news clippings, photographs, postcards, letters, and related ephemera assembled by Grant Wood's sister Nan Wood Graham chronicling her brother's professional life.

For the first time, scholars, students and the general public will have unprecedented virtual access to the scrapbook materials.  Due to their fragility, access to the actual scrapbooks is simply impossible.

"Nan Wood Graham is one of the most famous faces in the history of art, immortalized in Wood's iconic painting American Gothic. The materials Graham compiled provide wonderful insight into Wood's life in Iowa and his development as one of the most famous American artists of the 20^th century," said Andrew Wallace, Figge Art Museum. "It is gratifying to know that, through this digital collection, people around world are able to learn about the life and times of Grant Wood through the words of close friends, family, and fellow artists."

This digital collection project would not have been possible without the generous assistance of the Henry Luce Foundation American Art Renewal Fund and through additional funding for imaging equipment provided by an anonymous donor.

These materials, along with several hundred artifacts, including the artist's wire-rimmed glasses, palettes, paint box, and easel, are part of the Figge Art Museum's Grant Wood Archive. The Archive has provided primary source material for numerous articles, catalogues, and monographs for over 40 years, most recently by R. Tripp Evans for his award-winning 2010 biography "Grant Wood - A Life."

The collection is the latest edition in the Iowa Digital Library, which features nearly a half million digital objects created from the holdings of The University of Iowa Libraries and its partners. Included are illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, fine art, political cartoons, scholarly works, and more. Digital collections are coordinated by Digital Research & Publishing.

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

THE KADDISH SERIES: PRINTS BY MAURICIO LASANSKY

On view April 15 - June 3, 2012

In response to the recent death of internationally known master printmaker, Mauricio Lasansky, the Muscatine Art Center will host an exhibition of his art from the permanent collection entitled, "The Kaddish Series", beginning Sunday, April 15 and continuing through June 3, 2012.

Mauricio Lasansky was born October 12, 1914 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his father worked as a banknote engraver. At the age of 19, he began to study painting, sculpture and printmaking at the Escuela Superior of Bellas Artes (Superior School of Fine Arts), Buenos Aires. In 1943 Lasansky came to the United States on a Guggenheim Fellowship and spent a year studying the print collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1945 he was appointed lecturer in printmaking at the University of Iowa, where he established the first Master of Fine Arts in printmaking program in the country. In 1961 Time magazine called the University of Iowa the "printmaking capital of the United States."

As a printmaker, Mauricio Lasansky was known for the grand scale of his images, his vivid color, and the complex layering of multiple print techniques, including engraving, etching, lithography, drypoint, electric stippling and aquatint, in a single work.

In the 1970's, after two decades of work that focused on the horrors of Nazi Germany, Lasansky began working on the eight images that comprise the Kaddish Series. While still very much concerned with the Holocaust, the Kaddish Series focuses on it's aftermath and the ways those who survived deal with the experience.  One part of the Kaddish prayer, which is often recited as part of Jewish funeral services, is a request for peace. The images in this series reveal the artist's belief that finding even a small amount of peace on this earth often comes at a terrible price.

Each of the eight Kaddish prints includes a number from 6,102,301 to 6,102,308, representing the number of Jewish victims of the Nazis, and each image also includes a dove, the universal symbol of peace.

The Kaddish Series was purchased directly from the artist by the Muscatine Art Center in 1979, and is part of collection that includes 25 of his prints.

Mauricio Lasansky was one of the few modern artists who limited their work almost exclusively to the graphic media. Due to his early contributions in the development of graphic techniques and his dedication to teaching printmaking, Lasansky is considered to be a forerunner in the evolution of printmaking as a critical art form and is internationally recognized as one of the "fathers" of 20th Century American printmaking.

Please contact Barbara Christensen, director, with any questions or concerns at 563-263-8282 or by email at bchristensen@muscatineiowa.gov.

The Muscatine Art Center is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from

10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM Admission is FREE.

Mississippi River Valley Art Directory sponsors 2 self-guided art drives each year.  The spring drive is the weekend before Mother's Day (May 5 & 6, 2012) and the fall drive is the first weekend of November (November 3 & 4, 2012).  This is one of the largest self-guided art tours in the Midwest, presenting the art of more than 500 artists in 55 locations.  The number of locations and artists increase every drive, making each drive new and exciting.

The artists welcome you to their homes, private studios, galleries and shops to interact, learn about, and experience the inspirations that motivate their work.  Some artists and shops may have demonstrating artists scheduled for the drive, others may have "technique demos" available throughout the weekend.

Maps are available at each drive location, and a printable version of the map, as well as a written description from the artists is available at www.MRVAD.com The map indicates the mediums available, address, telephone number and the hours of operation if they differ from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Make an art day! The Quad Cities and surrounding areas have quality art, more than 30 varied mediums, from hundreds of local artists. (One may be your next door neighbor!)  Make the most of the day: purchase unique gifts for loved ones from local artists, visit an artist recommended restaurant during your tour, have your MRVAD Passport signed at each location for a chance to win $25 gift certificates, and enjoy the adventure of a new experience along the Mississippi River!