Quad City Arts is excited about a new partnership with KWQC-TV6, to provide exposure for area artists to create logos for their new weekly show, as well as the opportunity to feature local artists – the segment is called “Quad Cities Live.”

Airing Fridays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., QC Live invites area artists to submit their work, particularly to create new versions of the show’s logo. The NBC affiliate is working with Quad City Arts to recommend artists of any age, who can also have their work featured and be personally interviewed on the air.

Bettendorf native Brian Buckles (who now lives in Waterloo, Iowa), adapted a stunning shark painting of his for the logo and was featured on the show on March 19.

“It was really a great representation of his work and the QC Live logo,” says Kevin Maynard, Quad City Arts’ executive director. “KWQC reached out to us. Part of the focus of QC Live is what’s going on in the arts and our community.”

Quad City Arts contacted Buckles, since his work is in the current exhibit at the Art at the Airport gallery (through April 28), in the Quad City International Airport, Moline.

“We knew that outside of Brian’s artwork, he’s also a graphic designer, so he’d be a great fit with quality work and a quick turnaround,” Maynard says.

There is an open call on our website for any artist to submit their version of the QC Live logo, and KWQC plans to feature a different one each month.

“Obviously it showcases our artists’ work,” Maynard says. “It gives them the opportunity to get their work out there; it gives them an opportunity to talk about themselves. And for us, in addition to working with KWQC, we get to encourage people to come to our galleries, here and the Quad City International Airport, and let people know there are lot of really creative people in our region.

“We’re going to encourage our Metro Arts apprentices to create a logo as well,” he says. “This is kind of a fun opportunity to highlight especially young creatives and encourage the next generation of artists in the Quad-Cities.”

“How cool for a young artist to see their work on TV like that?”

Great outlet for artists
“I think it's such a cool idea,” Buckles (who was interviewed remotely for QC Live) says. “It’s obviously a great new platform to give artists of exposure. And, with Quad City Arts and what they're doing in the Quad-Cities, they've been doing it for a long, long time now, but it's just been really cool to see just the different ways and opportunities that they open up for artists to just kind of showcase what they can do and what they're passionate about. And I think that that obviously  makes for a more lively culture in the Quad-Cities.”
 
Featuring new logos is a positive reflection of the variety of art and artists who are in the Quad-Cities.
“Sometimes I think that the Quad-Cities kind of has -- I don't want to say an underground art culture, but you know, maybe one that doesn't get as much recognition as it deserves,” Buckles says. “Allowing the logo to kind of change once a month to reflect someone else's art is a pretty cool idea and concept.”

A 2002 Bettendorf High alum, with a graphic design degree from Iowa State’s College of Design, Buckles adapted one of his paintings that he had done of a tiger shark in the Bahamas for his KWQC logo.
“I have a graphic design background. That's my degree and so I just tried to have a little bit of fun with it -- marrying the imagery with the typography and having the shark swimming through the Q,” he says.
 
“I thought it would be kind of a fun concept and give it some depth, and try to make it a little bit of an expression of who I am and what I'm about. I’m so appreciative of Quad City Arts and KWQC for that opportunity. It's been a fun, fun process.”
 
If you are an artist who wants to submit work and an updated logo, you can send images and logo inquiries to our website: www.quadcityarts.com/opportunities or apply directly: www.quadcityarts.com/qclive.
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To see Brian Buckles’ segment, visit https://www.kwqc.com/2021/03/22/qc-artist-brian-buckles/. For other past episodes, visit https://www.kwqc.com/quadcitieslive/.
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Artistic Ideas. 
Glenview Middle School is paying artists to design a mural for their school which reflects the “beauty and diversity of [their] student population”. Not only will this artistic creation live on in the halls of Glenview Middle School for years to come, but students, teachers, faculty, and parents will be involved in bringing this piece of art to life. Arts Dollars funding helps make projects like this one possible!   ​

​Community Impact. 
The Project of the Quad Cities recognizes the benefits of art therapy, and Quad City Arts is proud to fund projects like this one because of the profound and deep effect this project will have on our community. The Project of the Quad Cities will provide art therapy sessions to their clients living with HIV/AIDS which furthers their mission and fits squarely within the mission of Arts Dollars to impact the community through the arts.  ​

Paying Artists. 
Joshua Graves is leading a project called “QC Collabs” that is bringing together hip-hop artists from around the Quad Cities to create and produce an album dropping this summer. Not only will their voices be amplified, but Joshua is also using this platform to provide industry-specific education and tips. This project features more than 15 artists, all of whom are being compensated for their work. Quad City Arts is excited to fund this project through Arts Dollars!  ​

Our 2021 grant awards were recommended by a panel of community members who sifted through the nearly $140,000 in requests from across the region and approved by the Quad City Arts Board of Directors. Please join us in celebrating these individuals and organizations!  

Capacity Building Grants 

• Bix Beiderbecke Museum and World Archives – to hire third-party assistance to increase the museum's reach in the community through search engine optimization, website development, and virtual outreach. 
• German American Heritage Center - to create a new strategic plan for the years 2021-2026 with the assistance of a professional consultant 
• Living Proof Exhibit - to help develop strategies and action steps to make the public more aware of Living Proof Exhibit and its therapeutic arts programs and to increase their accessibility. 
• Quad City Music Guild - to address one of their three strategic planning initiatives: recruitment, retainment, and development of diverse constituencies of current and future volunteers. 
• STEAM on Wheels – to fund laser engraver machine for participants to use as part of programming 

 

Education Grants 

• Cambridge CUSD 227– to fund “School of Rock”, bringing performing artists to Cambridge Schools to share their craft  
• Glenview Middle School - to create murals or other art installations in the school hallways, incorporating community workdays in which parents, students, and community members can contribute to the project.   
• Muscatine Art Center  - to fund summer programming for school-aged children through Visiting Artist Workshops 
• QCCF/Love Girls Magazine  - to host a media arts camp, creating media that will be shared with the community in the form of a hard copy magazine, and a recorded podcast. 

 
Project Grants  

• Azubuike African American Council for the Arts – to fund Azubuike Presents, presenting Black voices in the arts, culture, and music, from the community, and for the community. 
• Epilepsy Advocacy Network of Illinois & Iowa - to reinstate the Studio E Program throughout the Quad Cities area. 
• Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre - to create Drive-In Puppet Shows to provide live theater during the pandemic when large audience gatherings are dangerous. 
• Freight House Farmers Market – to fund Music at the Market is a program designed to utilize local performers during regular market days as well as special events 
• Geneseo Public Library– to fund free art classes at the library 
• LULAC 5285 Council – to fund local musical groups as part of the LULAC 5285 parade 
• NormaLeah Ovarian Cancer Initiative – to help fund girlpARTs 
• Playcrafters Barn Theatre - To present a high-quality production of August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson"  
• Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico – to fund outdoor folkloric dance performance highlighting 3-5 states of Mexico complete with music, costumes, and props 
• River Action, Inc– to fund The Arts Along the River program will actively engage citizens while maintaining a socially distant and safe environment 
• Scott Community College- to expand the visual art experience into the main library stacks and study spaces to reaffirm books and literature as artistic expression 
• The Black Box Theatre/Fourth Wall Films – to fund a portion of the creative work by actors and filmmakers for the fourth film in the Hero Street Film Series, “An Infantryman From Hero Street” 
• The Project of the Quad Cities – to fund art therapy for clients 
• YouthHope – to fund the Creative Arts Enrichment Program, using art, creativity, and storytelling in combination with new skills and experiences to empower self-expression, enrich student’s lives, provide a storyline of hope, and impact their futures! 
• Gabi Torres  -  to fund The Painting Pathways Towards Understanding classes, which will focus on abstract art, will be the first important step in achieving my vision: developing community-based art initiatives that promote engagement and dialogue and work towards creating a culturally rich, diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. 
• Joshua Graves - to create a collaborative hip hop/top 40 album supported by videography and photography elements, featuring over a dozen of the area's top artists & producers. 

Our 2021 grant awards were recommended by a panel of community members who sifted through the nearly $140,000 in requests from across the region and approved by the Quad City Arts Board of Directors. Please join us in celebrating these individuals and organizations!  
 
We are excited about the impact each one will make on our community as they advance their mission and the mission of Quad City Arts: to enrich the quality of life in the Quad City region through the arts.  
 

 
More project details will be available closer to the start of Metro Arts, but we are excited to share more information on some of our talented Lead Artists:

​The 47th season of Visiting Artist Series continues online with content from 12 new artists presenting a broad selection of music, dance, and theatre genres. Collectively, these videos and residency materials are called the Visiting Artist Series Educational Resources Project.

We asked artists, including a North Carolina rapper and banjo player, a war refugee turned former NPR “Tiny Desk Concert” contestant, and an emerging Chicago dance studio, to provide materials. These resources that students would otherwise not have access to, such as videos on building mobiles, an introduction to Celtic music, and a string quartet program celebrating the life and legacy of Madam C. J. Walker, the first female African-American self-made millionaire in America.

The content is only accessible through our gateway and will be available until June 1, 2021.

Access to Educational Resources is FREE and open to teachers, parents, and other educators looking for supplementary arts materials and content.

​It just takes a few clicks to view and use the exclusive materials from these artists. First, sign up for access at https://www.quadcityarts.com/vas-educational-resources. Then log in to the Educational Resources site. Select an artist to view the posted videos and documents. Click the link to watch the video or download the written materials. It’s that easy!

The entire season of artists in residence is available when you sign up, from musicians to actors, dancers to storytellers. Teachers, students, and parents can access performing artists' resources on any device connected to the internet, anytime, anywhere. 
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If you are interested in additional, live performances, such as a Zoom concert or a live-streamed workshop for students, please reach out!  Margot is happy to coordinate experiences for students that will enrich their learning experience and expand access to the performing arts.

Ailie Robertson is a multi-award winning composer, performer and creative curator whose work crosses the boundaries of traditional and contemporary music. She is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s leading traditional musicians and Celtic harpists. She is a five-time National Mod Gold Medalist and a BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist.

Folk musician Demeanor from Greensboro, North Carolina, merges hip hop and folk elements like banjo, bridging the gap between contemporary and traditional cultural music, celebrating folk music as an African American art form.

Ephraim Bugumba, a singer who spent his childhood as a war refugee from his homeland of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was a contestant on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert and “American Idol”. His second single, “Stormz,” has been viewed over 1.7 million times on Bugumba’s TikTok.

Invoke is a multi-instrumental band whose encompasses traditions from across America, including bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, jazz, and minimalism. Invoke has shared the stage with diverse and acclaimed ensembles ranging from the Ensō Quartet to the U.S. Army Field Band and has also appeared with musicians in greatly varying genres - from chamber rock powerhouse San Fermin to DC beatboxer/rapper/spoons virtuoso Christylez Bacon.

Jacob D’Eustachio, a juggler/storyteller who performed throughout the U.S. for two seasons with the Zoppe Family Circus. He spent three years at the prestigious Ecole de Cirque de Quebec, Canada and performed at the renowned Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Jaerv is a described by Jeffrey De Hart, a Billboard Sweden Correspondent, as “an innovative Swedish folk quintet with jazz and pop leanings who flawlessly blend original songs with stellar takes on captivating Scandinavian folk songs, some dating back 700 years. The combined talent, humor, and professionalism these impressive men exude is unparalleled. Musicians. Vocalists. Songwriters. See them. Feel them. Experience them.”

John Driskell Hopkins is most well-known as a founding member, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter of the Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band. John became a founding member of the Zac Brown Band (ZBB) in 2005 as a bass player and has enjoyed engineering and songwriting credits on hit songs including “Toes,” “It’s Not OK,” and “Sic Em On A Chicken,” from the triple-platinum selling record “The Foundation”, as well as “Nothing,” “I Play The Road,” and “Settle Me Down,” from the platinum selling record, “You Get What You Give”.

PUBLIQuartet is a string quartet that was described by The Washington Post as “a perfect encapsulation of today’s trends in chamber music.” The quartet has held residencies with American Composers Orchestra and Deer Valley Music Festival’s “Emerging Quartets and Composers” program. In 2019, the group received their first Grammy nomination for their sophomore album, “Freedom & Faith”. 

SchoolSculptures with Kevin Reese is a residency program where he works with school and civic communities to create large permanent moving sculptures inspired by the participants’ designs. Kevin was selected in 2013 as the Residence Teaching Artist at the National Gallery of Art. In the past 20 years, SchoolSculptures with Kevin Reese has created over 190 installations in 30 states throughout the country.

Skerryvore represent the best in contemporary Scottish traditional music with their mix of fiddle, accordions, pipes, and whistles, alongside guitar and vocals, underpinned by bass, drums and keys. Their six studio albums demonstrate their unique fusion of folk, traditional, rock, and Americana, even jazz. Skerryvore is two-time winners of Scotland's Traditional Music Awards coveted “Live Act of the Year” (2011 and 2016).

South Chicago Dance Theatre is a multicultural organization aiming to preserve the art of dance through quality performances and educational opportunities. The diverse repertoire of the company fuses classical and contemporary dance styles as well as preserves historic dance works.  
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Symbio is a Swedish duo is regarded as one of the most interesting new bands from the Swedish Folk & World music scene thanks to the interplay of hurdy-gurdy and accordion. They were awarded as the Best New Artist of the Year at the Swedish Folk & World Music Awards in 2016.

We will keep you informed on upcoming event details, as we look forward to ease in to more in-person events.