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Arts and Culture Vaccination Campaign #VaxToGetBack

8/30/2021

 
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While many restrictions have been lifted, the arts and culture sector in Illinois recognizes that continuing to get their audiences and communities vaccinated is important for safely getting back to in-person arts activities. Artists in 24 regions across Illinois have created over 72 pro-vaccination projects this summer as vaccines are now widely available. This Arts and Culture Vaccination Campaign was funded and spearheaded by Arts Alliance Illinois.
 
Quad City Arts played the role of “State Captain” for our region to help coordinate some projects by Illinois based Quad Cities artists. We were excited to once again partner with Arts Alliance Illinois to not only put artists to work, but to help encourage our community to get vaccinated. Vaccination is important to the arts, so that the industry can return to bringing communities together.
 
These projects were made possible by a collaboration between Arts Alliance Illinois and Quad City Arts.
 
Riley Ellis is a self-taught artist, most of her interest is in animation but they also enjoy other mediums like watercolor and digital art. Riley has been part of three Quad City Arts’ Metro Arts murals. They want people to connect with their art and find some resolve in it, whether it comforts them or just makes them feel some sort of emotion. When asked about her biggest achievement in art Riley stated, “I've grown since I ever started posting art, having over 11k on Twitter and Instagram, and over 88k subscribers on YouTube. Before I started posting my art online however I sold calendars and donated all the proceeds, which was over $10,000, to the local animal welfare center.”
 
“Burst your Bubble”
The Black Thoughts Podcast hosts interviews and panel discussion various topics, which will provoke thought with hopes of leading to conversations that create transformation. Host Aubrey Barnes lead a panel discussion on the impacts of COVID-19 including mental health, work/home balance, economic impact, and vaccine hesitancy.
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For more information on how to schedule your vaccination:
Rock Island County: https://richd.org/
Scott County: https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/health
 
Participating regions include: Aurora, Bloomington, Carbondale, Centralia, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, DuPage County, East St. Louis, Elgin, Evanston, Galena, Galesburg, Joliet, Lake County, Mattoon, McHenry County, Oak Park, Peoria, Quad Cities, Quincy, Rockford, South East Suburban Chicago (Dolton, Calumet City, Lansing), South Suburban Chicago and Springfield.
 
About Arts Alliance Illinois
Arts Alliance Illinois fights for arts resources and policies that benefit our members and all Illinois residents. With 25,000 active subscribers and hundreds of members, we connect the people and ideas that are shaping the future of the creative sector. As the only multidisciplinary organization concentrated on the strength of arts and culture across the state, the Alliance takes on challenges that no single organization or artist can fight alone. Our work in civic engagement, arts education, and cultural equity positively impacts every community across the state. Visit artsalliance.org to learn more.

Chamber, Quad City Arts Launch New Mural Program With RI Teen's Artwork

8/19/2021

 
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For most of her young life, art has been a private refuge for Riley Jones – a hobby she kept to herself. But after the Rock Island teenager’s artwork took first place in the 2021 Congressional Art Competition and was chosen to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol, she was recruited to share her talents in a new mural program in Downtown Rock Island. 

The 16-year-old Riley, whose originally titled “Black Pride” piece was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, was asked to create a large-scale mural in Downtown Rock Island for the new program launched by Quad City Arts and the Quad Cities Chamber through its partnership with the City of Rock Island.
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Collaborating with professional muralists Dana Harrison (Limone) and Brandon Warner (ASPHATE), Riley transformed a blank brick wall into a beautiful and thought-provoking mural. The new mural will be unveiled at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, during a ceremony that also kicks off the Alternating Currents festival, planned for Aug. 19-22 at more than 30 downtown venues in the Quad Cities. 

Painted on the southern wall of 313 20th St. – across the alley from Leo’s Shoe Repair, Riley’s mural is part of a larger revitalization project on the edge of the downtown core. Property owner Matt Stern and his team plan to renovate an adjacent vacant lot and multiple storefronts, two of which are for lease.

“This is a prime example of creative placemaking in Downtown Rock Island,” said Jack Cullen, the Chamber’s Downtown Rock Island Director. “In addition to generating positive buzz and foot traffic in the area, professional, well-thought-out murals can help brighten, clean up and encourage better investment in areas we want to see improved.”

How the mural began 
“I just wanted to draw something for the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Riley, whose own feelings about her work’s message have evolved. The original piece included the words “Black Pride” repeated in the background, which she omitted from the mural. She now sees the movement and the broader racial injustice issue as “something that has caused a lot of pain for black people.”

Riley was contacted about the new mural program by the Chamber and Quad City Arts after her “Black Pride” piece was competitively selected by U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos as the first-place winner in the Illinois 17th Congressional District’s contest. Riley is no stranger to Quad City Arts, having participated in its Annual High School Art Invitational and displaying some of her work at its gallery. 
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Riley Jones, entry for Quad City Art's 2020 High School Art Invitational
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Riley Jones, entry and winner of 2021 Congressional Art Competition

​“Every year, I’m impressed by the incredible talent on display during the Congressional Art Competition and Riley’s submission was exceptional,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “I’m thrilled that Riley’s artwork will not only hang in the halls of the Capitol, but also on the walls of Downtown Rock Island for all residents and visitors to see. I can think of no better way to display such a talented hometown artist’s work, and I am so proud of Riley.”

Riley, a Rock Island High School junior, is the daughter of Jerry and Kathy Jones. As a winning prize, Riley received two free airline tickets to Washington, D.C. But thanks to an anonymous donor’s gift of two more tickets, she now can bring along her parents and older brother, Peyton.  
 
New inspiration 
“Her art is very personal to her,” said Kathy Jones. “She doesn’t allow a lot of viewing for her parents.” In fact, if not for the encouragement of Riley’s former junior high teacher, her mother said Riley might not have entered the art contest.

Riley’s hope is the new mural showcases how Black Lives Matter “comes from a place of pain and grief and the unjust murder of black people.” While it resembles her original piece, she said the new rendition “is more about the suffering being caused and people hurting.”

Riley first became aware of racial oppression when she was in 5th or 6th grade and learned about the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American, who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955. “It hurt so much to learn about that,” Riley said. 

“It was different than Dr. King being assassinated,” her father and Martin Luther King, Jr. Center Executive Director, Jerry Jones said. “Dr. King knew of the repercussions. Emmett Till was just being a young man living his life.”

Riley channeled her interest in civil rights and her feelings about racial injustice into her art. “It’s not just political. A lot of people see this as an issue of black people being mad at white people,” she said. “I wish they’d see it as a civil rights issue.”  

Message of peace 
Working with the muralists – both members of the nationally-recognized Scarce Elementz Crew, a graffiti paint crew, the trio completed the mural in about a week. Previously, Riley gained mural experience through Quad City Arts’ Metro Arts apprenticeship program. She was part of team of apprentices paid to paint an indoor mural at the new TBK Bank Building in downtown Bettendorf.

But her latest project was her first time using spray paint as a medium. As he watched her blend colors on the wall, muralist ASPHATE said “She’s killing it. To do that type of blending this early on is amazing.”
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​The muralists first met Riley weeks earlier, via Zoom, to plan the project. “In our first Zoom call, things got emotional,” ASPHATE said. “You could see the issue was a deep one. You could see it hit her hard. That spoke to me more than any conversation we could have had,” he said.  

ASPHATE, who teaches graffiti workshops to youth in the Des Moines area, helped to suggest that Riley add a hummingbird to her mural. “It’s a sign of freedom,” he said, adding it also symbolizes “the light at the end of the tunnel: peace.”  

Mural program 
The artwork marks the beginning of the Chamber and Quad City Arts’ new mural program. “This is a dream project for Quad City Arts as it not only adds great public art to our community, but it also provides an opportunity to mentor, encourage and celebrate a young artist,” said Kevin Maynard, Quad City Arts Executive Director.

The celebratory start to the mural program was funded by generous support from the Doris & Victor Day Foundation, City of Rock Island, Moline Foundation, Rock Island Art Guild, Rock Island Community Foundation, YWCA, Rausch Family Foundation, Holiday Inn Rock Island, MidAmerican Energy Company, Matt Stern, Theo’s Java Club and the Black business community in Downtown Rock Island, specifically Ms. BriMani’s Hair & Beauty Supply, Orr’s Mortuary, Roosters Sports Bar & Grill, Aja Styles Fashion & Accessories Boutique, By Design Fashion and Sumthin Different Barber & Beauty.

With Downtown Rock Island as the canvas, the addition of new creations will raise awareness of the art and cultural amenities it offers. Efforts are underway to identify more potential mural sites. 
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“This first mural supports the development of a talented young artist of color in our community and furthers the conversation around racial equity,” Downtown Rock Island Director Cullen said. “It’s a winning project for the entire Quad Cities region as we work to create a more creative, welcoming and vibrant destination.” 
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Visiting Artist Series residencies get a remix. Schedule an artist at your school today!

8/11/2021

 
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​On the surface, the nine artists and ensembles visiting the Quad Cities this fall and next spring for Quad City Arts’ Visiting Artist Series don’t seem to have much in common.

A pianist. A brass ensemble. A string trio. A ballet company. Of course, they share a level of professional accomplishments and artistic talent. But that’s not all.

Each of the artists presenting educational outreach in the Fall 2021-Spring 2022 series present a unique twist, a remix on the standard of the genre or the ensemble.

Pianist Barron Ryan, whose website advertises his work as “Classic meets cool” describes his third solo album, “First of Its Kind,” as “the funkiest, ‘countriest’, most calypso-y classical music you’ve ever heard”. LowDown Brass Band pushes their instruments beyond traditional brass to a uniquely strong representation of Chicago Music culture. The band leans heavily on dancehall and street beat rhythm, with the energy of hip hop, jazz, reggae, and soul. String trio Time for Three performs at the intersection of Americana, modern pop, and classical music. Ballet company Hiplet creates in the space occupied by both traditional ballet and hip-hop and rap. And on top of that, they are all moving beyond the stage and the studio to present engaging outreach for students and community members.

Danny Green, pianist with LP And The Vinyl said, “All of the members of LP And The Vinyl have been very fortunate to have learned jazz from some incredible teachers. We love any opportunity to pay forward the lessons that we have learned. This residency gives us the opportunity to reach so many students and share our passion for music with them.”

Pianist and composer Barron Ryan said about his reasons for choosing to participate in a residency, “I love using music to inspire students. Everything that makes you successful at music—creativity, discipline, patience, enthusiasm, and more—can make you successful at any other pursuit. Helping students realize that and put it into practice means that my work can make the world better for many years to come.”
The season’s first residency is Oct. 4-8 with Invoke, a modern/bluegrass/jazz quartet from Austin, Texas. The series continues through April 2022. For the full lineup of artists, visit www.quadcityarts.com/vas.

Past artist in residence Andrew Collins Trio said after their September 2019 visit, “I think this is an incredible program.  How can we expect children (or anyone) to appreciate a wide range of arts if they are never exposed to a range of what's out there?  I would highly recommend this residency to any colleagues and we would love to partake again any time.  Thank you for including us this year.”

Residency activities take place in schools and community sites in Clinton, Scott, and Muscatine Counties in Iowa, and Henry, Rock Island, and Mercer Counties in Illinois. Host sites can sign up for outreach engagements ranging from all-school performances to hands-on workshops or performance opportunities with artists in residence.

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The Visiting Artist Series makes it possible for students to see live professional performances right in their school building or classroom and for teachers to use these artists, a world-class educational resource, for a nominal fee.

To schedule a residency for your students or clients, visit scheduling page at www.quadcityarts.com/vas-scheduling.

Green said, “We hope that the experience we bring to the students will inspire them to want to learn more about jazz and music in general. For the students who are already musicians, we hope that our program will provide them with new tools in creative expression. For the non-musicians, we hope that our program gives them a deeper understanding of what goes into creating music. Ultimately, we want to share the joy that music brings the world.”

Along with their outreach for students and the public, most artists will also give informal public performances and full-length concerts. Visit our calendar to view all public events at www.quadcityarts.com/events for updated concert and ticket information. Follow us on Facebook to get breaking announcements on our events for the Visiting Artist Series and our other programs.

Chicago Dance Crash said after their January 2020 residency, “The coolest part for the dancers was seeing the excited kids from the school shows bring their parents to the full Saturday night show. We saw them get a taste of just the hip hop side of what we do at the schools, and then get this wide spectrum concert dance setting for the full show to push their minds open even further from the type of dance they might be used to.”
BOOK AN ARTIST IN YOUR SCHOOL TODAY!

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  • About
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    • Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program
    • Arts Dollars Grant Program
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    • All Events
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