Quad City Arts

10/28/2026

✨ Trees that sparkle. Balloons that soar. Memories that last. It's time to step into a Winter Wonderland at Festival of Trees! Join us November 21–29, 2026, at the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport for dazzling holiday displays, live entertainment, Santa visits, and festive fun for all ages.

🎟️ Get tickets and plan your visit: qcfestivaloftrees.com/events
🎈 FREE Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 21, at 10 a.m.
🎄 Bid on one-of-a-kind trees, wreaths, and festive designs right from your phone.

SIX Special Events to celebrate the season:
🍾 Premiere Party
🎈 Helium Balloon Parade — FREE!
🧸 Teddy Bears & Treats
👸 SugarPlum Ball
🍽️ Celebrity Lunch
🕺 Silent Disco Among the Trees
🎬 Holiday Movie Night — NEW EVENT!!!

Be a holiday hero! Sign up for a three-hour shift and receive a FREE TICKET to Festival of Trees at the RiverCenter and be entered to win fun prizes and gift certificates! qcfestivaloftrees.com/volunteer

Every ticket helps support Quad City Arts and meaningful art experiences throughout our region. 💕

10/28/2026

🎨 ✈️ This is your final week to view Art at the Airport featuring paintings by James Bowden and fused glass by Barbara Shultz-Hetrick. The fine details in these pieces are amazing!

Final day of exhibit is November 2 👉 Browse and shop online at shopquadcityarts.com/bowden-and-shultz-hetrick

Art at the Airport is supported by T-Fiber.

10/27/2026

🤩 Special shout out to our exhibiting artists Jefferson Brown, La Della Gallagher, Lisa Mahar, Jeremy Marquis, and Michelle Ryan for participating in a guided conversation led by M.A.D Therapy!

We talked about everything from creative processes, to the tortured artist stereotype, to color theory, and back again. We all may have Monsters Under Our Beds, but art has a way of helping us get out of bed and turn on the light 💡

🎨 Our group exhibition, The Monster Under my Bed, will be on view through December 4! Browse and shop online at shopquadcityarts.com/the-monster-under-my-bed

Thank you to The MAD Therapy for hosting this event with Quad City Arts!

10/26/2026

We are beyond proud of our Metro Arts Youth Apprentice Poets for releasing their shared poetry chapbook "Life is a Binder" this past Saturday! ⭐ Thank you to all who came out to support Makinlay Rock, Jeremiah Brown, & Gene Ferreyera as they read selections of their work and signed copies of their book.

🎨 Metro Arts benefits more than just the young artists who participate; it also enriches our community by making art accessible, encouraging collaboration, and creating lasting works that bring people together. When young people are given the resources, mentorship, and opportunities to express themselves, both its participants and our communities can thrive!

📚 Quad City Arts will have copies of Life is a Binder while supplies last in our sales gallery. Visit us in downtown Rock Island at 1715 2nd Avenue!

👏 Special thanks to Aubrey Barnes with Young Lions Roar, Coffee House in the Village of East Davenport, and A. Pacheco Publishing for helping bring this project to life.
The Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program is supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, Davenport Noon Optimist Club, and the Morency Family Foundation.

10/23/2026

On the latest episode of Talking Art, our very own Ben Gougeon sits down with Brian Baxter, Executive Director of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, to discuss the orchestra's upcoming season, its role in the Quad Cities arts community, and the experiences that bring audiences together through music.

Brian shares what's ahead for the QCSO and how the organization continues to connect audiences with live orchestral music. Learn more about upcoming performances at qcso.org.

🎧 Web Stream Talking Art: wvik.org/podcast/talking-art
🔉 Spotify: bit.ly/4bQZgFb (Link 🔗 in bio)

10/22/2026

New to the Second Avenue Window Gallery is artist Steffanie Tulk! ⭐ Her collage-like paintings will be on view through December.

✨ Of this body of work, Tulk says, "Chaos of constant distraction can be exhausting. I'm intrigued by the way a beautiful sunrise or sunset can captivate our attention. This collection is inspired by that same pull. I want to hypnotize your busy brains just as the rise and fall of the sun does for me. To hijack your focus from the world's dramatics and to move your eyes around the canvas. To notice all the vibrant acrylic colors and hidden images woven throughout each piece, leaving the viewer feeling calm and entranced. "

👉 Browse and shop online at shopquadcityarts.com/steffanie-tulk

10/22/2026

Come visit us in Arts Alley (Trolley stop 2) this Saturday! View our themed group exhibition The Monster Under My Bed from 11-5. And at 4PM, we will be hosting our Metro Arts Poetry Chapbook Release in the gallery! Enjoy live readings, purchase a copy of their chapbook, and stick around to get it signed. It's going to be a great time ⭐

Your ticket to spooky season has arrived! 🚋🎃

Eight stops. One very haunted Saturday.

Hop aboard the FREE Back from the Dead trolley this Saturday, Oct. 24, and explore everything Downtown Rock Island has to offer! From pumpkin photo-ops and haunted attractions to local shopping, live entertainment and food & drinks, there's something spooky waiting around every corner.

🚋 FREE trolley rides 1–10 p.m.
📍 Eight stops connecting all the Halloween fun

Save this map, plan your stops and let the trolley do the driving! 👻

🔗 bit.ly/RIP26

10/20/2026

Art brings us together—and gives us reasons to take pride in the places we call home! 💕

🎨 A new Quad City Arts Metro Arts mural project at Little Sweets Cake Design in Milan will connect young talent, professional guidance, and a local business to bring more public art to our region. Returning Metro Arts participant Alyssa Proksch will be creating a mural, with artist Sarah Robb serving as a resource for navigating the logistics and process. Completion is expected by November 1.

This project brings placemaking and workforce development together: an emerging artist gains practical experience managing and creating a public artwork while contributing to a space that strengthens community pride and connection. It’s a shared investment in our region’s creativity, people, and places.

Learn more on our blog: quadcityarts.com/blog/metro-arts-mural-project-connects-emerging-milan-artist-with-professional-mentorship

Project funding is provided by the Brisman Foundation, with general Metro Arts support from the Morency Family Foundation. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Quad City Arts also thanks Little Sweets Cake Design and Adriana Corby-Winn for providing the location and helping make this project possible.

10/19/2026

See you this Saturday at our Metro Arts Poetry Chapbook Release Party! These young poets will share selections from the chapbook during a live reading, followed by a book signing and an opportunity to meet the writers and celebrate their accomplishments. ⭐

📖🖋 Copies of the chapbook will be available for purchase at the event. Pick up a copy, have it signed by the poets, enjoy light refreshments, and help us celebrate a collection that gives their creative work a life well beyond the summer program.

Special thanks to Aubrey Barnes with Young Lions Roar, Coffee House in the Village of East Davenport, and A. Pacheco Publishing for helping bring this project to life. The Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program is supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, Davenport Noon Optimist Club, and the Morency Family Foundation.

This Saturday!

Our Young lions who participated in our summer program in collaboration with Quad City Arts will be celebrating their published book! Come and hear some of the works written by our students, as well as honor this milestone they have accomplished!

Big thanks to A. Pacheco Poetry of A. Pacheco Publishings for taking on the work of bringing their work to life!

Celebrating our youth is one of the most important ways we can show up for them, and encourage them to keep going!

We hope to see you there!

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