24 May 2011

Study in Portraits at Maquoketa Art Experience During Month of June

By Maquoketa Art Experience

[MAQUOKETA, IA] Maquoketa Art Experience has created a Study in Portraits month scheduled for June 6-19 that offers something for everyone. June programming includes a mezzo-relief sculpture workshop with renowned wood sculptor Fred Cogelow, a public painting demonstration by internationally acclaimed painter Rose Frantzen, and a portrait writing workshop by Free River Press Executive Director, Robert Wolf.

Fred Cogelow: Mezzo Relief Sculpture Workshop

In conjunction with the International Woodcarvers Congress in Maquoketa, Iowa, award-winning wood sculptor Fred Cogelow will teach a five-day workshop at Maquoketa Art Experience, June 6-10, exploring the creation of ¾ Profile Portraiture in Mezzo-Relief. Fred Cogelow is considered by many to be the greatest wood sculptor working in the United States. A self-taught reductive carver, Cogelow has been winning awards and honors throughout the Midwest and across the country since 1983. His work is included in private collections in Norway, Sweden, South Africa, and across the United States. This workshop is designed for an advanced carver/sculptor. Students interested in this workshop should possess a skill level of moderate to advanced, or at least an appreciation of anatomy, detail, and engineering. As a part of Cogelow's visit to Iowa, a 6-foot sculpture of Zona, a life-sized woman sculpture piece will be on display at the Dubuque Museum of Art, June 6-11. Cogelow will enter Zona into the sculpture competition at 2011 International Woodcarvers Congress June 13-19 in Maquoketa. The June workshop is the last one that Fred Cogleow will be teaching until 2014. Registration information is available at www.maquoketa-art.org or call 563.652.9925.

Rose Frantzen: Portrait Painting Demonstration

Internationally acclaimed Iowa artist Rose Frantzen will offer a portrait painting demonstration on Saturday, June 11 at Maquoketa Art Experience. All ticket holders will enter into a drawing to serve as the model for the portrait and will take the finished portrait home with them at the end of the day. Doors will open at 10 a.m. with the drawing for the model at 11 a.m. You must be present to win. No one under 16 years old is eligible to participate in the drawing, but those under 16 are invited to purchase a ticket to observe the demonstration at a separate ticket price.

Frantzen is the creator of the Portrait of Maquoketa collection, a 180 piece community portrait series painted using volunteer models from her home town. Portrait of Maquoketa was on exhibit at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in 2009-2010.

The painting demonstration will consist of painting a live model while Frantzen discusses her painting process, and her experience judging demonstrations at national events. The proceeds from this event serve as a fundraiser for Maquoketa Art Experience, a non profit arts organization whose mission is to build community through arts outreach. For ticket information visit www.maquoketa-art.org or call 563.652.9925.


Robert Wolf: Portrait Writing Workshop

Free River Press executive director Robert Wolf has designed a three-day portrait writing workshop, scheduled for June 17-19 at Maquoketa Art Experience. This workshop is created for people of all ages, and while the practiced writer will find it useful, the workshop was designed with the amateur in mind.

Wolf is the author of Heartland Portrait, a collection of stories created from portrait writing that explores sense of place and captures the voice of America's heartland through storytelling.
The aim of this portrait writing workshop is for each participant to complete at least one portrait of a person or place at the end of three days. The basis for the work is in storytelling, with the storyteller's emphasis on imagery (visualization) and dialogue. For those participants who want to expand beyond their comfort zone, Wolf encourages experimentation. This may include the use of fragments or employing techniques used by contemporary poets. Registration information is available at www.maquoketa-art.org or call 563.652.9925.

For further information about Maquoketa Art Experience's Study in Portraits month or to participate in the workshops or purchase tickets for the portrait demonstration, contact Paula Neuhaus at maquoketaartexperience@hotmail.com or call 563.652.9925.

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

# # #

24 May 2011

Art Event

By Regan Hatfield

Star Dog Gallery and Studio for Regan Hatfield will be having its one year anniversary on Friday, May 27th from 6pm to 9pm at the Bucktown Center for the Arts.

The evening will featuring cake and treats from the Quad City Cake Lady.  We are also adding two new artists to our group, Erin Arch & Ann Meehan.

See you at 225 East 2nd St in downtown Davenport.

www.stardogart.com

19 May 2011

The Figge Sends Two works on a Summer Vacation

By Susan Horan

Davenport, IA (May 2011) ? On Thursday, May 19, the Figge says 'bon voyage' to two works from the collection that will soon go on loans to other institutions for upcoming exhibitions. Bruce Carter, host of WVIK's Art Talks, will lead an Art Talk at 7pm about Mrs. Chase in Pink by William Merritt Chase and Liz Taylor by Andy Warhol before they go on their summer vacations.

The Art Talk will explore the differences in the two featured paintings.  Figge staff will also talk briefly on how loans increase national and international visibility for the Figge and its collection.  Guests will be invited to take part in a special Thursdays at the Figge free art activity; inspired by Andy Warhol's vibrantly colored lithographic print of Elizabeth Taylor, guests can design their own portrait using a simple printing process.

Mrs. Chase in Pink will be loaned to The Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for their summer exhibition, William Merritt Chase: Family Portraits (June 18 to October 9, 2011).  The exhibition focuses on his portraits of his wife and children and will feature two dozen of his works, loaned from both public and private institutions.

Andy Warhol's Liz Taylor will be included in Warhol and the Diva (June 25 - September 25, 2011), an exhibition at The Lowery in Manchester, UK, coordinated in part by the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The exhibition focuses on Warhol's depictions of some of the most iconic performance figures of the 20th century, including Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli and Mick Jagger. It also explores' Warhol's identity as a diva, focusing on his transformation within his Self Portrait in Drag series.

This is not the first time that works from the Figge collection have been loaned to other institutions for major exhibitions.  This past October, one of the Figge's most treasured Mexican Colonial paintings, Baltasar de Echave Rioja's La Adoración de los Magos (The Adoration of the Maji), traveled to the Prado and the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain to be part of the exhibition Painting of the Kingdoms-Shared Identities and is now on view in Mexico City as part of an exhibition of the same name at the Museo Palacio Cultural Banamex (Antiguo Palacio de Iturbide).

To learn more about the La Adoración de los Magos's trip to Spain and to see an image of the Queen Sofia of Spain at the Palacio Real de Madrid with the Curator, Jonathan Brown, NYU, with the Figge's La Adoracioìn de los Magos in the background visit:  http://figgeart.org/Figge-Art-Museum-(1)/February-2011/A-Trip-to-Spain.aspx

To learn more about the Figge's Thursdays at the Figge program, visit: http://figgeart.org/Education/Adult-Programs.aspx#Thursdays.

 

-END-

19 May 2011

German American Heritage Center Honoring Veterans

By Egon Gerdes

In honor of the great sacrifices all our veterans have made, the German American Heritage Center is offering free admission to the Center on Armed Forces Day, May 21, and on Memorial Sunday, May 29.

 

By showing identification, veterans may see our award-winning Immigration Experience Exhibit and step in the shoes of long ago immigrants as they tell their stories.

 

The Center is located at 712 West 2nd Street, Davenport (at the foot of the Centennial Bridge). Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 - 4:00 PM.  Cost for Non-veterans: Adults $5.00; Adults over 60 $4.00; Children 5-17 $3.00. Members are free.

19 May 2011

A Summer Special Event at the German American Heritage Center

By Egon Gerdes

Quilts of the Civil War Becky Wright, Presenter

Sunday, June 12, 2:00 p.m.


Becky Wright of Mt. Pleasant is a quilter, designer and owner of Orphans of War quilt patterns.  Her life-long love of history, especially the Civil War era, has led to researching and sharing her passion with others.  Becky appears in period costume; the main focus of her presentation is the importance of quilts and textiles during the Civil War.  Starting with the facts of the early history of textiles and sewing in the 1800's she leads the audience to the beginning of the conflict, tells how quickly the textile industry was impacted and explains the role it played in the war.  Becky's talk is enriched by a large display of antique quilts and reproduction quilts, vintage clothing, books and other artifacts.  Of special interest is an authentic quilt handcrafted by a German immigrant who served in the Union Army and sewed this quilt during his recovery from battle wounds.  This is an outstanding companion program to the first floor exhibit at GAHC in June and July, "Iowa in Civil War: The German Element."

 

This is a GAHC Special Event and will not be announced in the Infoblatt.  GAHC members may attend at no charge, but must obtain one ticket per member at the GAHC reception desk at the Center.  Members may also send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the GAHC office for ticket requests, which will be honored one per member.  We ask your kind cooperation in not phoning to request tickets.  Please respond early and alert your GAHC friends who may not receive this electronic message.  Public sale of tickets will begin on May 31, 2011 at $8.00 each.   Seating is limited - act promptly!

Questions may be directed rer@gahc.org or phone (563) 322-8844.

 

Dr. Egon W. Gerdes, Executive Director
German American Heritage Center
German American Heritage Center
712 W Second Street
Davenport, Iowa 52802
17 May 2011

Vernissage for Trew Schriefer

By Narveen Aryaputri
Please join us for theArt Exhibit Opening
of Trew's show
and Meet the Artist.
on May 21st. 2011
at Phoenix Fine Art Gallery
1530 Fifth Ave, Moline.
6.00 p.m. till midnight.
music, hors d'oeuvres and wine .
16 May 2011

Left Bank Art League

By Kathy Holloway

High school winners or LBAL $100 scholarships

Rose Couch (Wilton, IA 11th grade) had a mono print "Giraffe Study" in the show.  Her art teacher is Diane Budding.  Brian Taylor (Moline High 12th grade) had an oil "Counter Top".  His art teacher is Nick DiGioia.  Katie Poole (Bettendorf 12th grade) had a watercolor "Autumn Delicious" her art teacher is Tom Solbrig. These high school students were all presented with Left Bank Art League's $100 scholarships at Quad City Arts in Rock Island, IL in April.

CASI Fiber Art show

Left Bank Art League members:

Karen Casper placed 2nd in "Whatever You choose category" at the with her batik piece
Jean Johnson got an Honorable Mention with her silk painting.

Rosalie Black placed 3rd.

Maple City Fine Arts Exhibition\

Left Bank Art League members... 

The Roxie Aud Walker Memorial Award went to Pat Halverson, "Rainy Day Lunch"

The Martha Shanks Memorial Award went to Marcia Fox, "Baby Elephant Eli"

Honorable Mention went to Rosalie Black, "Leaving Church"

The winning entries will be on display at the Cellar Restaurant and

at the Geneseo Art League Gallery (both on State

Street, Geneseo, IL) through May.

16 May 2011

Philanthropist on Cross Country Volunteer Trip Spends the Day at the Figge

By Susan Horan

Davenport, IA (May 2011) ? In February 2011, a Keith Donohue said farewell to sunny San Diego and began a journey that is likely to change his life ? and many other lives, as well.

Donohue, 32, is the founder of Positive Present®, an organization devoted to positive affirmations and making a positive impact through philanthropy. His organization's first big venture is a unique project called "50Give," where Donohue is trekking cross-country to volunteer in each of the 50 states as well as Canada, Mexico and the District of Columbia.

Donohue's visit to Iowa on Wednesday, May 18 will be spent at the Figge Art Museum.  Donohue will help the museum celebrate Haitian Flag Day by leading a volunteer project to bag food which will be delivered to Haiti.  The Figge's Haitian Collection is one of the first and most comprehensive collections of Haitian art in the United States and in September the Figge will host the special exhibition, Restoring the Spirit: Celebrating Haitian Art.  The Figge is partnering with Kids Against Hunger Your Quad-Cities for this event and it is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.  Donohue will also help the museums administrative staff and assist Figge outreach staff with an elementary program in the Davenport School District.

Travelling by car, plane or boat, Donohue will devote 5-6 months of his time helping various nonprofits, charities and other worthy causes. During the journey, he will eat, sleep and breathe nothing but volunteerism to offer a helping hand (manual labor, office administration, fundraising, marketing/promotions, event planning, soccer coaching, whatever is needed).

What's his motivation? "I have a passion for helping others and fundraising," Donohue says. "I hope this trip will encourage others to give unconditionally and also provide positive awareness for inspiring organizations that strive to make this world better."

Donohue, a Washington, DC native, is no beginner when it comes to philanthropy and fundraising. Over the past five years, he has planned and promoted numerous charity events, including raising funds for youth and soccer-related organizations like DC SCORES. In early 2010, he created Triple Charity Crush, an innovative online fundraiser and race-day event which raised $4000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and other organizations.

Amy Nakamoto, DC SCORES Executive Director adds, "Keith Donohue has taken his commitment to the DC SCORES mission to new levels over the past three years. Unsolicited, Keith has helped directly or indirectly raise a lot of money, awareness and excitement for the work we are doing with youth in DC through soccer and creative writing. He makes being in the 'charity business' even more rewarding than it already is."

 

50Give is a venture of Positive Present®, an organization devoted to spreading inspiration through philanthropic projects, positive affirmations apparel and health & fitness-related channels. For more information on Keith Donohue, 50Give and Positive Present®, including sponsorship or charitable nonprofit submissions, please visit www.positivepresent.com or www.50give.com.

# # #
12 May 2011

Figge offers art of the national parks class

By Susan Horan

The Figge Art Museum is offering a three-week Art History class entitled "Art of the National Parks," from 6:30-8 pm on Tuesdays, May 24- June 7. The class will cover the history of national parks, numerous landmarks and locations, and the artists that encountered those areas. The course will be taught by Ranelle Lueth, Ph.D. Candidate in American Art at the University of Iowa. The course is free to Figge members; membership options begin at $40. For more information, call the Membership Office at 563.326.7804 x2007. Registration for the class is required; please call the Education Department at 563.326.7804 x2045.

-end-
10 May 2011

Figge announces Haitian art exhibition with special event

By Susan Horan

(Davenport, Iowa - May, 2011) The Figge announces the fall exhibition, Restoring the Spirit: Celebrating Haitian Art and the recent reinstallation of the Figge's Haitian Gallery with an event on May 18.  The upcoming exhibition celebrates Haiti's complex visual traditions and the devotion of artists to creative endeavors in the face of national adversity.  The exhibition will open September 17 and run through January 15, 2012.

The Figge's Haitian Collection is one of the first and most comprehensive collections of Haitian art in the United States.  The collection was established through a gift from Davenport native Dr. Walter E. Neiswanger and charts the growth and development of the country's rich artistic tradition from its origins in the 1940s through today.

Now on view in the reinstalled Haitian Gallery is the triptych Azaka, Agro Rex by Edouard Duval-Carrie.  Duval-Carrie, who was featured in the solo exhibition, Migration of the Spirit at the Figge in 2006, will have work included in Restoring the Spirit exhibition.  Duval-Carrie will visit the Figge on October 13 to lead a "Thursdays at the Figge" art talk on his experiences as a Haitian artist.

On May 18, in honor of Haitian Flag Day, the Figge will host an event to celebrate the announcement of the exhibition and the recent Haitian Gallery reinstallation.  The Figge is partnering with Kids Against Hunger Your Quad-Cities to bag life saving food which will be delivered to Haiti.

Kids Against Hunger is an international food relief organization working to save the lives of starving people. The local chapter has provided over 500,000 meals to starving people in Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua, many of whom suffer from malnutrition and resort to eating mud cakes to stave off the hunger.  In addition, they have provided nearly 60,000 meals to hungry people in the Quad Cities. The bagged meals, made up of rice, soy, six vegetables and twenty-one vitamins and minerals, provide a nutritionally complete meal and cost $0.25 per meal.

The Figge is seeking over 100 volunteers to help bag food from 2:30pm to 4:30pm on the May 18.  Individual cash donations of $20 are encouraged to help cover the cost of these meals.  For a fee of $360, teams of 12 volunteers can sign up to create 1440 meals in an hour.

Leading the bagging efforts will be Keith Donohue.  Donohue is the founder of Positive Present®, an organization devoted to making a positive impact through philanthropy. His organization is currently embarking on a unique project called "50Give," where Donohue will trek cross-country to volunteer in each of the 50 states as well as Canada, Mexico and the District of Columbia.  Travelling by car, plane or boat, Donohue will devote over five months of his time helping various nonprofits, charities and other worthy causes.

Donohue volunteers at one non-profit in each state and has chosen to spend his time in Iowa volunteering at the Figge.  In addition to helping bag food, Donohue will help in the administrative offices and assist Figge outreach staff with an elementary program in the Davenport School District.

There will be a brief program at 2pm with remarks by Figge staff and community members. Haitian gallery tours will be offered at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm by Sally Ruggeberg, a Figge Docent who has spent time volunteering in Haiti.

To volunteer, please contact Jennifer Brooke at the Figge Art Museum 563.326.7804x2048 or j.brooke@figgeartmuseum.org

For more information on 50Give and Keith Donohue visit www.50give.com/contact.

For more information on Kids Against Hunger Your Quad-Cities, contact John Kessler at info@kahqc.com or 309.762.0437.

This event is being sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. As the country's largest fraternal benefit society, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans does much more than offer financial services. It offers programs and outreach opportunities where members can connect with each other, learn new things, and help their communities. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans supports two foundations that address a variety of needs and serve charitable purposes that support individuals, organizations and communities.

For more information on Thrivent Financial for Lutherans contact Tom Brooke at 326.650.2389 or Thomas.Brooke@Thrivent.com.

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