Davenport, Iowa (March 30, 2015) - Opening Saturday at the Figge Art Museum in the fourth floor gallery is the University of Iowa Art Faculty Biennial exhibition.

Curated by University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) Museum Director Dr. Sean O'Harrow, the UIMA will kick off the spring season with this annual exhibition featuring the recent work of world renowned UI Studio Arts professors including: Eliza Au, Isabel Barbuzza, Peter Chanthanakone, Monica Correia, John Dilg, Laurel Farrin, Sue Hettmansperger, Anita Jung, Sarah Kanouse, Michele Lauriat, Amanda Lechner, Steve McGuire, Daniel Miller, Virginia Myers, Jeff Rich, Ronald M. Rozencohn, James Snitzer, Margaret Stratton, Serina Sulentic, Serhat Tanyolacar, Breanne Trammell, Josh Van Stippen, Susan Chrysler White, Rachel Williams, Jon Winet and Kee-Ho Yuen.

As a direct reflection of the range of medium taught in the Studio Arts program, the pieces and installations on display will include works of paint, sculpture, inter-media, mixed-media, metal arts, photography, 3-dementional design and graphic design. This year, works by the fellows of the Grant Wood Colony will also be included.

A free public reception celebrating the opening of this exhibition as well as the Eye on UI: Brodsky, Dorfman, Kipniss, Lanyon exhibition will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 11 with light appetizers and a cash bar. Free and open to the public.

University of Iowa students, faculty and staff receive free admission to the Figge with their UI ID cards; UIMA members get in free with their UIMA Membership cards.

The exhibition will be on display April 4 - May 31, 2015.

Companion Programming:

Dancers in Company Performance

6 p.m. Thursday, April 9

Free Admission
Dancers in Company consists of twelve dancers, undergraduates and graduate students from the University of Iowa. The group will return to the Figge for a performance in the lobby as part of a night that celebrates the artistic traditions at the University of Iowa. Presently, the company is directed by Charlotte Adams. Sponsored by the River Cities' Reader.

Artist Talks

7 p.m. Thursday, April 9
Free Admission
University of Iowa faculty from the School of Art will speak about their pieces included in the exhibition University of Iowa Art Faculty Biennial (April 4-May 31).

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 noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays the museum is open until 9 p.m. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members, and free to all on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.

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Quad City Atom Studio + Gallery is pleased to announce a group exhibition of artwork which will be presented at The Quad City Botanical Center 2525 4th Avenue Rock Island, IL.  The show will run from from March 20th  to April 30th with a special opening reception Sunday, April 12^th from 12:00- 3:00 p.m. During the reception, gallery artists will be painting and sculpting in the gardens for your viewing pleasure. It's a great opportunity for those interested to watch, interact, and learn how the artists find inspiration in the gardens and go through the creative process in their work.

Six Atom Gallery artists will be featured in the show: Pat Bereskin, Brad Bisbey, Dan Johnson, Dean Kulger, Gene Brack and David Anderson. Bereskin, Bisbey, and Anderson often call on mid-western landscapes and flora for inspiration in their work, while Brack and Johnson explore unique painting techniques where vivid color, shape, and line are energizing forces.  Kugler is a sculptor who explores the beauty and intricacies of the human form and experiments with nontraditional methods and materials.

This exhibition beautifully combines the innovative artwork with the plants and flowers that are growing and blooming in the gardens at the Botanical Center and truly makes it a celebration of spring in the Quad Cities.

Quad City Botanical Center 2525 4^th Avenue Rock Island, Illinois 309-794-0991. The Botanical Center is open 10am - 4pm Monday through Saturday (open late Tuesday night until 7pm) and 11am - 4pm Sunday.  For additional information please contact Karen, (309) 794-0991.

Atom Studio & Gallery is located at 225 E 2nd street, Suite 104, Davenport, Iowa in Bucktown Center for the Arts.  We provide opportunities for involvement, exposure and action in our community and culture through art. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 11am to 6 pm. Contact information is Pat Bereskin atomstudiogallery@gmail.com telephone is 563-508-4630

Coal Valley, IL - March 16, 2014 - Niabi Zoo has announced that it will open its gates for the 2015 season on Monday, March 23.

The zoo, which has been closed for the winter since the end of October 2014, will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday and 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sundays. As a way to welcome the community back out to the zoo, admission will be free until March 27.

Niabi Zoo Director Marc Heinzman says zoo visitors have much to look forward to this year. "The great thing about visiting Niabi Zoo," said Heinzman, "is that it's always a new adventure for our guests. We have several exciting construction projects that we are working hard to finish up, including a new koi pond pavilion and a major renovation of part of our bird building, which will be the future home of meerkats, a brand new species to Niabi Zoo." Heinzman added that the meerkats have not arrived at the Zoo yet, but zoo guests can preview their newly constructed habitat during their visit. A special announcement will be made in the future when the animals have arrived and are ready for public viewing. "This new exhibit is incredibly immersive and brings huge improvements to one of the oldest parts of the Zoo," said Heinzman.

Also new at Niabi Zoo this year is the male giraffe that was born on February 10; however Heinzman said he will not be on public display right away. "We want to give our new giraffe time to adjust to all the sounds, crowds, and all the other new things that come with the zoo being open to the public," said Heinzman. "It's a big change at Niabi Zoo between the quiet of being closed for the winter and the hustle and bustle of when we open for the year."

Starting March 23, Niabi Zoo will be open seven days a week.

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Following WWII, the Abstract Expressionism's movement spread internationally from New York. Artists, like Quad City's Gene Brack, have taken inspiration from this American movement and applied it to their body of work. "I love the rich texture of oil paints. There is something sculptural about the way they adhere to the canvas. The vivid and rich colors give me a variety of choices as I manipulate them into compositions that are, at times, geometric and, at other times, subtle and restful," said Brack recently in an interview.

Coming from a theatrical background as a set designer, Brack captures his dramatic effects best in harsh diagonal lines and almost comedic curving lines. There is drama in the clash of design elements; lines and color create a rich contrast that tips the balance of the composition and frees one's imagination.

Along with Brack's southern roots in central Florida, faith, education, and service in the US Air Force have affected Brack's journey. His use of color and texture open a viewer's eyes to this innovative work.

It is Atom Studio + Gallery's privilege to welcome Gene Brack as one of our own. We cordially invite you to the opening of his show, Variations: Conflicting Harmonies, which will be sure to enchant the public. A reception in his honor will be held March 27^th from 6 to 9 p.m. The show will continue through April 19^th, and affter the 19^th, a selection of Brack's work will be included in the gallery, which is located at 225 E. 2^nd Street, downtown Davenport.

Atom Studio + Gallery has a full selection of summer courses and classes available for all ages and abilities. Please contact the gallery at atomstudiogallery@gmail.com or Pat Bereskin at 563-508-4630 for further information.