The Figge Art Museum in Davenport is again offering free admission in July, thanks to the generosity and support of a Bettendorf couple.
The free comes as the downtown museum also is participating in the Art Bridges Collection Loan Partnership, an innovative museum art lending model. These many works at The Figge will be on view in the second-floor galleries and throughout the museum and are part of the free admittance.
The complimentary admission is due to the generous support of Jill and Cal Werner, Bettendorf, The Figge said.
“This is our second year of sponsoring free Figge admission in July,” the Werners said in the museum’s news release. “We were delighted last year with the response and surprised how many people came up to us and said they attended for the first time and enjoyed it.”
Also, the loan partnership program will display outstanding works of American art from the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. As part of the Art Bridges Collection Loan Partnership, more than a dozen significant works by famed American artists including Thomas Hart Benton, Mary Cassatt and Kehinde Wiley will be presented in tandem with works by Yuriko Yamaguchi, Cara Romero, Will Wilson, and others from the Figge collection.
These artworks, which went on display a week ago, are being presented with each other to allow for reflection and the exploration of current issues relevant to our community.
“Romanticized portrayals of the American West, for example, will be featured alongside works by contemporary Indigenous artists from the region, challenging us to re-evaluate how we think about the landscape and its inhabitants,” the release added. “As recent weather events have heightened community concerns for the environment, images of severe weather allow us to discuss how man has impacted the landscape.”
The museum envisions the project sparking new conversations and enhancing the audience’s understanding of the breadth of American art.
“By amplifying a diverse set of artistic voices, the works we are receiving will present a more comprehensive story of American art and act as a catalyst for important conversations surrounding the subject matter depicted,” said Michelle Hargrave, Figge executive director. “The coupling of our works with the Joslyn Art Museum’s renowned collection are designed to broaden our understanding of our world and our place in it.”
The Art Bridges Collection Loan Partnership is dedicated to bringing American art out of storage and on view into communities across the United States. The program aims to increase the display of artworks by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women artists, and to fill in gaps in museum collections.