Quad City Arts
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    • Visiting Artist Series & Educational Resources
    • Public Sculpture Program
    • Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program
    • Arts Dollars Grant Program
    • 45th Annual High School Art Invitational
  • Events
    • All Events
    • Chalk Art Fest
    • Riverssance Festival
    • Performing Arts Signature Series (PASS)
    • Annual Celebration & Lloyd Awards
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Rock island gallery

FEATURING EXHIBITIONS BY REGIONAL MIDWEST ARTISTS ​

Artist Talk
FRIDAY, MAY 21 | 7 PM – 9 PM | FREE | 1715 2ND AVE, ROCK ISLAND, IL

Beer, wine, and pre-packaged snacks will be served.
​Masks will be encouraged, but not required in conjunction with the new CDC and State guidelines. 
ROCK ISLAND GALLERY

Ioan Marcu & Peter Xiao

May 7 - Jun 18, 2021 
​

MIXED MEDIA SCULPTURES

Ioan Marcu

Ioan Marcu presents a group of sculptural pieces called “Immigrants.” Some of these pieces hang on the wall and others stand freely in the gallery. Marcu feels that he speaks for immigrants through his art, since he is an immigrant from Romania. He lives by the motto that Immigrants may find it a challenge to express themselves in English, but art is a universal language. He uses real shoes in his artwork to symbolize the idea that the people have moved around the world. Marcu has woven oversized “hats” and figures from wildly colorful fibers to represent the diversity of people who have made the United States home.
 
Marcu explains, “Hats used to be an important part of a man’s and woman’s outfit, as it said something about them and their status in a society. Men of lower ranking used to have to bear their heads to men of higher ranking by tipping their hat. Men were also expected to tip their hats to women as a sign of respect. It is also customary to remove your hat to show respect at a funeral, inside churches, at the dinner table and for the National Anthem. Hats can tell a lot about the wearer.” Marcu’s hat shapes reference the history of hat wearing as a cultural commonality known to people in every part of the world.
 
Another element to note in Marcu’s work is the creation of several “ball and chains.” Marcu explained that when he was getting ready to come to America, he was full of hope and thought that everything would be easy. The reality is that there are some things that hold you back, that you carry with you-things like learning a new language while trying to be understood, and different customs and routines to learn.  Through his work, Marcu hopes to bring awareness of the struggles immigrants face and to celebrate the unique cultural gifts they bring with them.

PAINTINGS

Peter Xiao

Peter Xiao presents a mixed body of work “INundATIONs” completed through the year of the pandemic. It comments on global and national realities through art historical parody, satire, and direct observation. He has been experimenting with painting on unstretched canvas and other surfaces and has moved beyond the rectangular confinement of traditional painting by extending some of his paintings onto the floor. Other paintings lay directly on the floor, to be viewed from above.

BROWSE & SHOP THE GALLERY

We offer curbside pick-up or shipping. For more information contact Visual Arts Director Dawn Wohlford-Metallo.

Peter Xiao, Inside Out

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #20

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Peter Xiao, Bias – Expression

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Peter Xiao, Hearsay No. 1

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #12

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #14

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Peter Xiao, Istoria (Six Feet Under)

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #25

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Peter Xiao, Nursing a Disaster

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #22

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Peter Xiao, Continental Divide No. 2

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #11

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #16

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Peter Xiao, Hearsay No. 2

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #21

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Peter Xiao, Logical – Indiscrimination

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #1

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Peter Xiao, Hearsay No. 3

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #24

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Peter Xiao, The Wall (Michelangelo)

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #8

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #29

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #4

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Peter Xiao, Color Modalities

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #7

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #15

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Peter Xiao, Fake Cuts with Mask

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Peter Xiao, Color Tile Square

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Peter Xiao, Inundation

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Peter Xiao, Six Feet Apart

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Peter Xiao, Throngs and Thorns

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Peter Xiao, After Uccello

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #5

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Peter Xiao, Standpoints Disarray

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Peter Xiao, Intuition – Oblivion

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #9

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #28

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #27

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Peter Xiao, The Wall, No. 2

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #19

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #26

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Peter Xiao, Through

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Peter Xiao, Bird and Globe, No. 1

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #18

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #2

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #23

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #6

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #10

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #13

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #17

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #3

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Ioan Marcu, IMMIGRANTS #16

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Peter Xiao, Continental Divide

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Rock Island Gallery

The Quad City Arts Gallery is home to an exhibition space located on the first floor. The building, which was once a turn-of-the-century department store, features hardwood floors, and a  fourteen foot-high ceiling. The exhibition space is more than 1,500 sq. ft., a perfect space to showcase large paintings, sculptures and enjoy an occasional performance. 
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Address

1715 Second Avenue
Rock Island, IL 61201
Get Directions

Hours

Mon–Fri: 10am–5pm
Sat: 11am–5pm
Closed Sundays
FREE ENTRY

Artist CALL For Entries 

View our latest call for entries and submit your work! Quad City Arts provides a multitude of locations to display and exhibit artwork. Join countless of artists that have exhibited in our galleries in our 50 year history. Most call for entries at Quad City Arts are free and open to midwest artists.
View all
​Calls for Entry

Interested in buying artwork? Don't hesitate to reach out for more details. For artists interested in participating in a gallery show, or selling artwork please contact us.

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DAWN
​WOHLFORD-METALLO

Visual Arts Director
309.793.1213 ext. 108
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Quad City Arts does not trade, share, or sell information that you provide to us. 

​Rock Island Gallery
​& Store Hours

Mon–Fri: 10a–5p
Sat: 11a–5p
Closed Sundays

CONTACT

Phone: 309.793.1213
Fax: 309.793.1265
info@quadcityarts.com
1715 2nd Ave, Rock Island, IL 61201

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ABOUT

Quad City Arts is dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the Quad City region through the arts. The organization’s dual role of presenting the arts and humanities, as well as serving as an arts resource, allows us to serve more than 350,000 people annually in the Arts Center in Rock Island and at over 200 rural and urban community sites.​

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© 2023 Quad City Arts is a 501(c)(3). Privacy Statement
  • About
  • Programs
    • Art Services
    • Visiting Artist Series & Educational Resources
    • Public Sculpture Program
    • Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program
    • Arts Dollars Grant Program
    • 45th Annual High School Art Invitational
  • Events
    • All Events
    • Chalk Art Fest
    • Riverssance Festival
    • Performing Arts Signature Series (PASS)
    • Annual Celebration & Lloyd Awards
    • Festival of Trees
  • Galleries
    • Rock Island Gallery
    • Airport Gallery
    • Second Avenue Window
    • Past Exhibits
  • Opportunities
  • Blog
  • Support
  • Artist Index