Tour special exhibition of American Chairs with docents

The Figge Art Museum presents the art talk "Goldilocks' Dilemma" at 7 pm Thursday, July 7. The talk is offered in conjunction with the special exhibitionThe Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Chair Design. Sandy Fritz, Judie Lance, Lois Nichols, Stephanie Rapahel-Nakos will talk about their favorite chairs: a Shaker rocking chair (c.1840), an office chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his Johnson Wax Company building in Racine, Wisconsin, and a "Texas Longhorn Chair" (ca. 1890) made with actual horns. The talk lasts 30 minutes. 

Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members.

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Davenport, Iowa - July, 2011- The Figge Art Museum is partnering with the Quad Cities River Bandits to host "Art in the Ballpark" on Sunday, July 10 as the River Bandits take on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. During the game, kids can do two art activities led by the Figge Art Museum: Paint Like Pollock?where kids will paint and splatter on a giant canvas, just like the artist Jackson Pollock?and Rascal Mosaic?where kids can help color a super-sized mosaic of the River Bandits' logo. Both activities are family-friendly and open to children of all ages. This community art project is offered in conjunction with the River Bandits' U.S. Bank Family Sunday.

The completed wall-size Paint Like Pollock mural and the Rascal Mosaic will be on view in the Figge Studios on Saturday, July 16 during the museums' Free Family Event. The Free Family Event runs from 1-3 pm and is sponsored by John Deere. After the event, the mural and mosaic will be returned to the Bandits for future display at the ballpark.

This Family Free Event is great opportunity for those who have not yet visited the museum to explore the galleries and studios through guided activities and tours. Contact the Figge Art Museum at 563.326.7804 for more information.

[MAQUOKETA, IA] Maquoketa Art Experience welcomes Iowa artist Elizabeth Roberts to Maquoketa July 25-29. Roberts will host a week-long Children's Art Camp designed for 10-13 year olds at the Maquoketa Art Experience Studio, 124 S. Main Street, July 25-29 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily. Roberts has designed a week long art camp for young artists who want to explore a variety of mediums, creating several finished pieces. In five, three-hour sessions, students will have the opportunity to learn the Japanese art of Shibori (dyeing cloth), Printmaking, and Weaving, and other 2-Dimensional art projects. The students will also engage in a collaborative painting in which the students will learn about the work of an established artist and create and finish a painting in the style of the featured artist. This collaborative painting will be displayed throughout the day (week) and students will be invited to collaborate to finish the piece however they'd like. Students will work with paints, oil pastels, markers, paper, and modge podge. Skill level is for beginners, but enthusiasm is a must.

Elizabeth Roberts received her BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore (2006), and recently earned her K-12 Art Teaching Licensure at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa (2010). Elizabeth's paintings explore an abstract narrative while composition and emphasis of color play an important role in her aesthetic and sensibility as an artist. Using ideas of myth and lore, the artist is currently creating a series of abstract works depicting tales from The Brothers Grimm. Elizabeth's artwork is represented by Outside the Lines Art Gallery, Dubuque, Iowa, and has participated in several exhibitions including, Metamorphosis @ the Voices Warehouse Gallery (2008) and the Dubuque Museum of Art's Biennial Juried Exhibition (2007), a joint showing at Outside the Lines Art Gallery (2009), and a solo show, "The Nature in Existence" at the Nash Gallery (2008). In September of 2009,

Maquoketa Art Experience programming is made possible in part by a grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

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Pontiac Tourism and Pontiac P.R.O.U.D recently announced the events which will take place in the downtown area during the 2011 Summer Bash and Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum and Resource Center Grand Opening, both of which are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 23 & 24, 2011.   

Festivities will begin early on Saturday morning with the PROUD 5k Run and 2 mile walk which will begin at 7:30 at the Yost House.  The Farmer's Market will open at 8:00 AM at the Yost House, followed by the Heritage Days celebration which this year will include craft demonstrators, a pie baking contest, and a special presentation by several Civil War - Living History groups.  Also at the Yost House will be special attractions for kids, including a selection of old-fashioned kids' games.   

The opening ceremony for the Pontiac-Oakland Auto Museum will start at 11:00 AM and the museum will open its doors to the public at Noon.  A number of VIP guests will be speaking and a Native American song will be provided by Chief Pontiac descendent, Dee White Eye, AKA Singing Bird.   

Continuing through the day, seminars on the history of Pontiac and Oakland cars will be presented free of charge at the Methodist Church.  Situated around the courthouse square will be a group of exhibits including the Brushmasters, a pin striping group from the Chicago area, a live auction of Pontiac car art, and cultural presentations by Singing Bird.  Live music will be provided by Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets from 7 until 9 and by ARRA starting a 10 PM.  The new museum will be open extended hours and will close at Midnight.   

Complete schedules with locations can be viewed at www.visitpontiac.org or picked up at the Visitor's Center, City Hall, or at selected downtown merchants.