The Moline Public Library is celebrating the arrival of the traveling exhibit In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak with a kickoff event, Wednesday, January 4th at 3:00 p.m.  Attendees are welcome to take in the exhibit, enjoy refreshments, and view the illustrated short-film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are.  In a Nutshell will be on display through Februrary 24th.  Sponsored by Friends of the Moline Public Library.  For more information, visit the Moline Public Library at 3210 41st Street, Moline or call 309-524-2470.

In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak was organized by the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia, and developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture, and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by grants from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, and an anonymous donor, with additional support from Tablet Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life. 

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Jay Stratton spends a lot of time studying trees as part of the process of creating wood sculpture. Once he decides upon a shape for his creation, he laminates pieces of wood together to define that shape. After that, he uses a variety of tools to carve the wood. Stratton explains, "Then, it's on to sanding, sanding, and more sanding until I achieve my required essence for the piece. I strive for an organic feel, sensibility and movement in my work to make the wood 'soft' and flowing." In addition to sculpture, Stratton creates bowls, boxes and furniture.

Judith Eastburn is a landscape photographer who uses traditional methods of exposing film and printing in the darkroom. Her gelatin prints are toned with selenium for permanence. She states that trees are a favorite subject. She enjoys the expressive gestures found in branches and "marvels at the leaning and twisting trunk formations that record the forces that shaped them." She finds that "even in decay, the textures of bark, wood and fungi are beautiful."

David Murray's large scale oil paintings reflect landscapes constructed from memory and imagination.  "They are meant to be ideals and transcend nostalgia or aesthetics to become an icon," Murray explains. "The only evidence of humans is the patterns and alignments of natural forms within the work. These forms corroborate our need to leave a mark in the world and participate in the elusive vastness of it all."

All three artists are inspired by and respond to nature in their own way to create unique reflections of our natural world.

Don't miss this is exhibit just because you don't have a plane to catch-the lights in the gallery are always on and the airport offers free parking for the first hour. Meet a friend for lunch and enjoy the art! Quad City International airport gallery is easy to access with one hour of free parking to allow plenty of time to browse the exhibit.

Quad City Arts is a nonprofit local arts agency dedicated to the growth and vitality of the Quad City region through the presentation, development, and celebration of the arts and humanities. All Quad City Arts programs are funded in part by Festival of Trees, Quad City Arts Partners and operating grants from the Illinois Arts Council (a state agency) and the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs. This gallery and exhibit is generously sponsored by the Quad City International Airport.

The "Call for Entries" is out for the Thirty-sixth Annual Rock Island Fine Arts Exhibition, with a discount for entries received by January 13, 2012 ($25 for two entries). Final entry deadline is January 19, 2012 ($30). The annual juried competition, co-sponsored by the Rock Island Art Guild and Augustana College, is open to visual artists working in any media except video, and residing within a 150-mile radius of the Quad Cities. Entry forms, specifications and size limits are on the Call for Entries prospectus, which is available at http://www.augustana.edu, following prompts for Arts/Art Museum. 

More than $3,700 in awards will be given, including a $1,000 First Prize, $500 Two-dimensional Award in Memory of Bernice and Stanley Harris, $500 Freestanding Entry Award in Memory of Zeivel Harris; $500 "Sally MacMillan Watercolor Award;" $500 Second Place; $300 Third Place; and several $100 Honorable Mentions. During the exhibition visitors can vote on the People's Choice and Children's Choice awards of $50 each. The exhibition will be displayed at the Augustana College Art Museum from March 6 through April 22, 2012. The opening reception will take place on Friday, March 30, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., with awards announced at 5:40 p.m. The exhibition catalog will be made available at the reception.

The 2012 juror is Joseph Mella, who has served as director of the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee, and its collections since 1992. Prior to Vanderbilt, he served as curator of exhibitions and collections at the Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, Illinois, and in a similar capacity at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont. He holds an M.A. in modern art history, theory, and criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mella received a B.F.A. in printmaking from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. At Vanderbilt, he has curated and organized more than 80 exhibitions and collaborated on a public art series that has brought such highly recognized artists to Vanderbilt as Frank Stella, Tom Otterness, Stephen Antonakos, Beverly Pepper, and Richard Haas. He has been instrumental in developing a collection of contemporary graphics and artists' books with strengths found in works by living women artists.

Opening Reception & Book Signing on Friday, December 16, 6-8p.m.

[MAQUOKETA, IA] Maquoketa Art Experience welcomes Iowa artist Stormy Mochal this December for an exhibition of the original drawings from her recently published storybook, written by Jeanette Hopkins, entitled The Juggler. In her illustrations, Stormy explores her native Iowa landscape for inspiration for the illustrations. The Juggler's pages are filled with the colorful simple pleasures of starry skies, country sides, farmhouses, and birds. Stormy Mochal received her degree in painting from Loras College, has taught at Northeast Iowa Community College, and is the co-owner of Outside The Lines Art Gallery in Dubuque. The Juggler, published by Ice Cube Press is her first children's book.