Each year the Figge Art Museum in Davenport presents artwork from eight area school districts working hard to support art education in their elementary schools. The art is part of “Young Artists at the Figge,” which is now on exhibit through May 5.
This whirlwind of art at the museum changes every two weeks – complete with 76 frames, hundreds of artworks from students in kindergarten through 6th grade as well as several student recognition receptions.
Art teachers from participating schools are tasked with selecting their school’s top artworks, which are then combined with the selections from each of the elementary schools in their district to create each district’s installation. The show is on display in the Figge’s second-floor Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery.
For the 2024 installment of “Young Artists at the Figge,” school districts represented include: Geneseo, Moline-Coal Valley, Pleasant Valley, Muscatine, Bettendorf, North Scott, Davenport and Rock Island-Milan.
“Year-after-year it is a joy to witness the incredible artistic talent nurtured in our area classrooms daily,” Figge Director of Education Melissa Mohr said in a news release. “We love showcasing the local talent of area students and putting a spotlight on these incredible works of art.”
Exhibitions are sponsored, in part, by the Brand Boeshaar Foundation Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation.
Exhibition dates and recognition days for each school district are:
- Geneseo School District, opened Jan. 27 through Feb 4. Recognition day is Feb. 4. Sponsor: The Geneseo Foundation.
- Moline-Coal Valley School District’s art will be featured Feb. 10-18. Recognition day is Feb. 11. Sponsor: Tom and Brooke Terronez.
- Pleasant Valley School District’s art will be featured Feb. 24 to March 3. Recognition day is Feb. 25. Sponsor: GreenState Credit Union.
- Muscatine School District art will be featured March 9-17. Recognition day is March 10. Sponsor: Kent Corporation.
- Bettendorf School District art will be featured March 23-31. Recognition day is March 24. Sponsor: GreenState Credit Union.
- North Scott School District art will be featured March 6 to April 14. Recognition day is April 14. Sponsor William and Lee Kessinger.
- Davenport School District art will be featured April 20-28. Recognition day is April 28. Sponsor: Jane Magnusson.
- Rock Island-Milan School District art will be featured May 4 to 12. Recognition Day is May 5. Sponsor: Mark and Deborah Schwiebert.
